Maryland 2022 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1271 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1271
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1271
8	8	C5 2lr3218
9	9	CF SB 770
10	10	By: Delegate R. Lewis
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2022
12	12	Assigned to: Economic Matters
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Public Utilities – Homeowner Utility Repair Fund – Establishment 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of establishing the Homeowner Utility Repair Fund as a special, 3
21	21	nonlapsing fund to offset the costs a low– to middle–income residential customer 4
22	22	may incur due to damage caused by a utility company’s routine maintenance, 5
23	23	repairs, or upgrades; requiring interest earnings of the Fund to be credited to the 6
24	24	Fund; and generally relating to the Homeowner Utility Repair Fund. 7
25	25
26	26	BY adding to 8
27	27	Article – Public Utilities 9
28	28	Section 7–315 10
29	29	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
30	30	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 12
31	31
32	32	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 13
33	33	Article – State Finance and Procurement 14
34	34	Section 6–226(a)(2)(i) 15
35	35	Annotated Code of Maryland 16
36	36	(2021 Replacement Volume) 17
37	37
38	38	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 18
39	39	Article – State Finance and Procurement 19
40	40	Section 6–226(a)(2)(ii)144. and 145. 20
41	41	Annotated Code of Maryland 21
42	42	(2021 Replacement Volume) 22
43	43
44	44	BY adding to 23
45	45	Article – State Finance and Procurement 24
46	46	Section 6–226(a)(2)(ii)146. 25
47	47	Annotated Code of Maryland 26
48	48	(2021 Replacement Volume) 27 2 HOUSE BILL 1271
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
53	53	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2
54	54
55	55	Article – Public Utilities 3
56	56
57	57	7–315. 4
58	58
59	59	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 5
60	60	INDICATED. 6
61	61
62	62	(2) “FUND” MEANS THE HOMEOWNER UTILITY REPAIR FUND. 7
63	63
64	64	(3) “UTILITY COMPANY ” MEANS AN ELECTRIC CO MPANY, A GAS 8
65	65	COMPANY, OR A GAS AND ELECTRI C COMPANY. 9
66	66
67	67	(B) THERE IS A HOMEOWNER UTILITY REPAIR FUND. 10
68	68
69	69	(C) THE PURPOSE OF THE FUND IS TO OFFSET THE COSTS A LOW – TO 11
70	70	MIDDLE–INCOME RESIDENTIAL C USTOMER MAY INCUR DU E TO DAMAGE CAUSED B Y 12
71	71	A UTILITY COMPANY ’S ROUTINE MAINTENANC E, REPAIRS, OR UPGRADES . 13
72	72
73	73	(D) (1) THE COMMISSION SHALL : 14
74	74
75	75	(I) ADMINISTER THE FUND; AND 15
76	76
77	77	(II) DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS TO BE TRANS FERRED 16
78	78	ANNUALLY TO THE FUND FROM FEDERAL , STATE, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT 17
79	79	LOW–INCOME WEATHERIZATIO N AND ENERGY ASSISTA NCE PROGRAMS THAT 18
80	80	RETAIN UNUSED FUNDS AT THE END OF A STATE FISCAL YEAR , INCLUDING: 19
81	81
82	82	1. THE ELECTRIC UNIVERSAL SE RVICE PROGRAM 20
83	83	ESTABLISHED UNDER § 7–512.1 OF THIS TITLE; 21
84	84
85	85	2. THE ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ESTABLISHED 22
86	86	UNDER TITLE 5, SUBTITLE 5A OF THE HUMAN SERVICES ARTICLE; 23
87	87
88	88	3. THE WEATHERIZATION P ROGRAM DEVELOPED BY THE 24
89	89	COMMUNITY DEVELOPME NT ADMINISTRATION UNDER § 4–211 OF THE HOUSING 25
90	90	AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ARTICLE; 26
91	91
92	92	4. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 27
93	93	WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM; AND 28
94	94	HOUSE BILL 1271 3
95	95
96	96
97	97	5. ANY OTHER FEDERAL , STATE, OR LOCAL 1
98	98	GOVERNMENT LOW –INCOME PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES WEATHERIZATION AND 2
99	99	ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO LOW– TO MIDDLE–INCOME RESIDENTIAL C USTOMERS. 3
100	100
101	101	(2) THE COMMISSION MAY REQUES T A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO 4
102	102	TRANSFER TO THE FUND UNSPENT UNENCUMB ERED MONEY IN THE FU NDS LISTED 5
103	103	IN PARAGRAPH (1)(II) OF THIS SUBSECTION A T THE END OF A GIVEN FISCA L YEAR. 6
104	104
105	105	(E) (1) THE FUND IS A SPECIAL , NONLAPSING FUND THAT IS NOT 7
106	106	SUBJECT TO § 7–302 OF THE STATE FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT ARTICLE. 8
107	107
108	108	(2) THE STATE TREASURER SHALL HOLD THE FUND SEPARATELY , 9
109	109	AND THE COMPTROLLER SHALL ACC OUNT FOR THE FUND. 10
110	110
111	111	(F) THE FUND CONSISTS OF : 11
112	112
113	113	(1) MONEY TRANSFERRED TO THE FUND UNDER SUBSECTION (D) OF 12
114	114	THIS SECTION; 13
115	115
116	116	(2) MONEY APPROPRIATED I N THE STATE BUDGET TO THE FUND; 14
117	117
118	118	(3) INTEREST EARNINGS ; AND 15
119	119
120	120	(4) ANY OTHER MONEY FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE ACC EPTED FOR 16
121	121	THE BENEFIT OF THE FUND. 17
122	122
123	123	(G) THE FUND MAY BE USED ONLY TO OFFSET THE COSTS A LOW– TO 18
124	124	MIDDLE–INCOME RESIDENTIAL C USTOMER INCURS DUE T O DAMAGE CAUSED BY A 19
125	125	UTILITY COMPANY ’S ROUTINE MAINTENANC E, REPAIRS, OR UPGRADES . 20
126	126
127	127	(H) (1) THE STATE TREASURER SHALL INVE ST THE MONEY OF THE FUND 21
128	128	IN THE SAME MANNER A S OTHER STATE MONEY MAY BE IN VESTED. 22
129	129
130	130	(2) ANY INTEREST EARNINGS OF THE FUND SHALL BE CREDITE D TO 23
131	131	THE FUND. 24
132	132
133	133	(I) EXPENDITURES FROM THE FUND MAY BE MADE ONLY IN ACCORDANCE 25
134	134	WITH THE STATE BUDGET . 26
135	135
136	136	(J) MONEY EXPENDED FROM THE FUND IS SUPPLEMENTAL TO AND IS NOT 27
137	137	INTENDED TO TAKE THE PLACE OF FUNDING THA T OTHERWISE WOULD BE 28
138	138	APPROPRIATED TO THE FUND. 29
139	139	4 HOUSE BILL 1271
140	140
141	141
142	142	Article – State Finance and Procurement 1
143	143
144	144	6–226. 2
145	145
146	146	(a) (2) (i) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and unle ss 3
147	147	inconsistent with a federal law, grant agreement, or other federal requirement or with the 4
148	148	terms of a gift or settlement agreement, net interest on all State money allocated by the 5
149	149	State Treasurer under this section to special funds or accounts, and otherwise entitled to 6
150	150	receive interest earnings, as accounted for by the Comptroller, shall accrue to the General 7
151	151	Fund of the State. 8
152	152
153	153	(ii) The provisions of subparagraph (i) of this paragraph do not apply 9
154	154	to the following funds: 10
155	155
156	156	144. the Health Equity Resource Community Reserve Fund; 11
157	157	[and] 12
158	158
159	159	145. the Access to Counsel in Evictions Special Fund; AND 13
160	160
161	161	146. THE HOMEOWNER UTILITY REPAIR FUND. 14
162	162
163	163	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 15
164	164	October 1, 2022. 16
165	165