Bill > S1992

Introduced Session

This bill requires that unclaimed property deposits from an electric or gas public utility (utility) in the Unclaimed Utility Deposits Trust Fund (trust fund) be paid to a Statewide nonprofit energy assistance organization (assistance organization) designated by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU). Further, the bill provides that for the State fiscal year starting on July 1, 2019, the BPU is to dedicate $2.5 million from available balances collected through the societal benefits charge to provide grants to be used exclusively for the payment of expenses associated with the restoration of electric or gas public utility service, or to prevent the termination of electric or gas public utility service provided to electric and gas public utility ratepayers seeking temporary assistance from a Statewide nonprofit energy assistance organization designated by the board following an open and competitive application process. Within 18 months of the effective date of the bill, the BPU is to issue a report to the Governor and Legislature on the utility assistance programs funded by money from the trust fund and the societal benefits charge and provide recommendations to maximize the availability and efficiency of the utility assistance programs. The report is to include, but not be limited to: 1) an evaluation of the total amount of money spent by the State on the utility assistance programs, the average amount of utility assistance received per household, the total number of applicants that apply for the utility assistance programs, including the total number of eligible recipients, information on why an applicant may have been denied utility assistance funds, the average income level of utility assistance program applicants, the number of applicants who are at risk of a termination of utility service or who were subject to a termination of utility service, the methods and procedures used to verify household income or hardship and eligibility, public awareness of the utility assistance programs throughout the State, outreach efforts to promote the utility assistance programs throughout the State, accessibility of locations to apply for the utility assistance programs throughout the State, best practices on administering similar utility assistance programs from other states, the processes used to verify how the funds are being used, and any other information that the board determines is relevant to the subject of this report; and 2) recommendations on how to streamline and administer the utility assistance programs to be more efficient, eliminate barriers to participation in the utility assistance programs, provide alternate methods for determining eligibility to expand access and maximize availability of the utility assistance programs to more eligible applicants, and increase outreach and awareness of the utility assistance programs.

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Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee (on 03/03/2022)

Official Document