BILL NUMBER: AB 2614AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 17, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 15, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 13, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 15, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member John A. Perez (Coauthors: Assembly Members Tom Berryhill, Bradford, Carter, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Ma, Skinner, Swanson, and Villines) FEBRUARY 19, 2010 An act to add and repeal Chapter 5.10 (commencing with Section 25499)toof Division 15 of the Public Resources Code, relating to energy. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2614, as amended, John A. Perez. Energy: home retrofit: federal program. Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to administer federal funds pursuant to specified federal programs to eligible entities to reduce fossil fuel emissions, improve energy efficiency, and reduce overall energy use. This bill would require the commission, upon the enactment of the federal Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, in consultation with the United States Department of Energy, to develop programs that are required by, and that complement, the federal act. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with specified entities, to take specified actions to implement the federal Home Star program. This bill would be repealed on January 1, 2012. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The United States Congress is currently working to enact bipartisan legislation related to the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010. The federal Home Star program is asix-billion-dollarsix billion-dollar ($6,000,000,000) national effort designed to create jobs, spur manufacturing, and promote technological innovation by providing incentives for residential energy efficiency improvements. (b) The federal Home Star program is comprised of Silver Star and Gold Star rebates, comprehensive energy audits, independent quality assurance checks, and various financing options. Nationwide, the federal Home Star program is projected to create almost 200,000 jobs and enable 3,000,000 home energy retrofits. (c) It is critically important that California integrate the federal Home Star program with existing state energy efficiency programs, including the investor owned and municipal utility efforts, the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission's actions to implement the provisions of Chapter 470 of the Statutes of 2009 and to expand the development and the use of Property Assessed Clean Energy bonds to finance energy or water efficiencyimprovementimprovements . (d) California also received two hundred twenty-six million dollars ($226,000,000) from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) for the State Energy Program (SEP). California's SEP will increase residential and commercial building energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption and utility bills, cut reliance on imported energy, and decrease the impacts on the environment caused by energy production. (e) California needs to ensure that it is in the best position to maximize and fully leverage the federal resources that will flow to its homeowners and businesses from the federal Home Star program. SEC. 2. Chapter 5.10 (commencing with Section 25499) is added to Division 15 of the Public Resources Code, to read: CHAPTER 5.10. HOME STAR PROGRAM 25499. (a) Upon the enactment of the federal Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, the commission shall, in consultation with the United States Department of Energy, develop programs that are required by, and that complement, the federal act that, among other things, do all of the following: (1) Establish a quality assurance program. (2) Ensure that a qualified pool of professionals is available to perform quality assurance checks. (3) Ensure that the requisite quality assurance is performed. (4) Develop financing options. (b) The commission, working in conjunction with the Department of Community Services and Development and the Public Utilities Commission, shall streamline procedures for eligible low-income homeowners to receive assistance for energy efficiency retrofit. (c) The commission shall, working in conjunction with the Public Utilities Commission, the electric utilities, and the gas utilities, coordinate program implementation efforts and provide proper outreach to minimize consumer confusion and the orderly implementation of the federal Home Star program. (d) The commission shall, in coordination with the Green Collar Jobs Council, ensure that the council's programs, policies, and participants are complementary to the federal Home Star program to the greatest extent possible. (e) (1) The commission may adopt guidelines governing the award, eligibility, and administration of funding pursuant to this section at a publicly noticed meeting. (2) For the initial adoption of guidelines, the commission shall provide written notice to the public of not less than 30 days. (3) For substantive amendments to the guidelines, the commission shall provide written public notice of not less than 15 days. (4) Notwithstanding any other law, guidelines adopted pursuant to this subdivision shall be exempt from the requirements of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. 25499.5. This chapter shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2012, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2012, deletes or extends that date.