Bill > HB1903

This bill establishes a statewide low-income energy assistance program to help reduce the energy burden on low-income households in Washington, aiming to address a significant annual energy cost for many families. The program, to be administered by the department of commerce, will provide monetary assistance such as grants, affordability benefits, or discounts to lower energy bills. It will work in partnership with participating utilities, which can voluntarily act as "co-administrators" to help with administrative tasks and customer engagement, and with community action councils. The bill emphasizes making applications easier, allowing for self-attestation of income, and ensuring no risk to eligibility based on immigration status, with a goal of auto-enrolling known eligible households. Importantly, the program is intended to supplement, not replace, existing energy assistance provided by utilities, and utilities cannot reduce their own assistance levels due to participation. Funding for the program is intended to come from sources like climate commitment act auction revenues, and it will not be funded through utility surcharges. The bill also amends existing law to ensure utilities continue to provide energy assistance to low-income households and do not reduce their assistance levels due to this new statewide program, and requires utilities to report on their efforts and funding. The program is set to be phased in and will expire on June 30, 2035, with Section 5 of the act also expiring on that date.