Maryland 2022 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB283 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3		EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
4	4		[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5		-	Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
6		-	Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
7		-	amendment.
8	5		sb0283
9	6
10	7		SENATE BILL 283
11	8		O1, C5 2lr1407
12	9		CF HB 138
13		-	By: Senator Washington ~~Senators Washington and Augustine~~
	10	+	By: Senator Washington
14	11		Introduced and read first time: January 19, 2022
15	12		Assigned to: Finance
16		-	Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
17		-	Senate action: Adopted
18		-	Read second time: February 12, 2022
19	13
20		-	~~CHAPTER ______~~
	14	+	A BILL ENTITLED
21	15
22	16		AN ACT concerning 1
23	17
24	18		Department of Human Services – Electric Universal Service Program – 2
25	19		Eligibility 3
26	20
27	21		FOR the purpose of requiring the Department of Human Services to authorize benefits 4
28	22		under the electric universal service program for certain electric customers; and 5
29	23		generally relating to the electric universal service program. 6
30	24
31	25		BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
32	26		Article – Public Utilities 8
33	27		Section 7–512.1(a) 9
34	28		Annotated Code of Maryland 10
35	29		(2020 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 11
36	30
37	31		SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
38	32		That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
39	33
40	34		Article – Public Utilities 14
41	35
42	36		7–512.1. 15
43	37
44	38		(a) (1) The Commission shall establish an electric universal service program 16
45	39		to assist electric customers with annual incomes: 17
46	40
47	41		(i) at or below 175% of the federal poverty level; or 18
48		-	2 SENATE BILL 283
49	42
	43	+	(ii) for a customer at least 67 years of age, at or below 200% of the 19
	44	+	federal poverty level. 20
50	45
51		-	(ii) for a customer at least 67 years of age, at or below 200% of the 1
52		-	federal poverty level. 2
	46	+	(2) The components of the electric universal service program shall include: 21
53	47
54		-	(2) The components of the electric universal service program shall include: 3
55		-
56		-	(i) bill assistance; 4
57		-
58		-	(ii) low–income residential weatherization; and 5
59		-
60		-	(iii) the retirement of arrearages for electric customers who have not 6
61		-	received assistance in retiring arrearages under the universal service program within the 7
62		-	preceding 5 fiscal years. 8
63		-
64		-	(3) The Department of Housing and Community Development is 9
65		-	responsible for administering the low–income residential weatherization component of the 10
66		-	electric universal service program. 11
67		-
68		-	(4) (i) The Department of Human Services, through the Office of Home 12
69		-	Energy Programs, is responsible for administering the bill assistance and the arrearage 13
70		-	retirement components of the electric universal service program. 14
71		-
72		-	(ii) The Department of Human Services may: 15
73		-
74		-	1. establish minimum and maximum benefits available to an 16
75		-	electric customer under the bill assistance and arrearage retirement components; and 17
76		-
77		-	2. coordinate benefits under the electric universal service 18
78		-	program with benefits under the Maryland Energy Assistance Program and other available 19
79		-	energy assistance programs. 20
80		-
81		-	(III) THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES SHALL 21
82		-	AUTHORIZE BENEFITS U NDER THE ELECTRIC UN IVERSAL SERVICE PROGRA M FOR 22
83		-	AN ELECTRIC CUSTOMER WHO: 23
84		-
85		-	1. DOES NOT MEET THE EL IGIBILITY REQUIREMEN TS 24
86		-	FOR THE FEDERAL LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM; AND 25
87		-
88		-	2. HAS AN ANNUAL INCOME : 26
89		-
90		-	A. IF THE CUSTOMER IS U NDER THE AGE OF 67 YEARS, 27
91		-	AT OR BELOW 175% OF THE FEDERAL POVER TY LEVEL; OR 28
92		-
93		-	B. IF THE CUSTOMER IS A T LEAST 67 YEARS OLD, AT OR 29
94		-	BELOW 200% OF THE FEDERAL POVER TY LEVEL. 30
95		-	SENATE BILL 283 3
96		-
97		-
98		-	(5) The Department of Human Services may, with input from a panel or 1
99		-	roundtable of interested parties, contract to assist in administering the bill assistance and 2
100		-	the arrearage retirement components of the electric universal service program. 3
101		-
102		-	(6) The Commission has oversight responsibility for the bill assistance and 4
103		-	the arrearage retirement components of the electric universal service program and any 5
104		-	other funds expended under this section. 6
105		-
106		-	(7) In a specific case, the electric universal service program may waive the 7
107		-	income eligibility limitation under paragraph (1) of this subsection in order to provide 8
108		-	assistance to an electric customer who would qualify for a similar waiver under the 9
109		-	Maryland Energy Assistance Program established under Title 5, Subtitle 5A of the Human 10
110		-	Services Article. 11
111		-
112		-	(8) (i) If an applicant for bill assistance or arrearage retirement is to be 12
113		-	denied due to deficient documentation, the Department of Human Services shall: 13
114		-
115		-	1. promptly provide notice of the deficiency to the applicant; 14
116		-	and 15
117		-
118		-	2. afford the applicant ample opportunity of not less than 3 16
119		-	months to cure the deficiency. 17
120		-
121		-	(ii) An electric company may not begin the process to terminate 18
122		-	service to an applicant while the applicant is curing a deficiency under this paragraph. 19
123		-
124		-	(9) Notwithstanding paragraph (2)(iii) of this subsection, any assistance 20
125		-	received for arrearage retirement by a customer in calendar years 2020 and 2021 may not 21
126		-	be counted toward the limitation on the number of times the customer may receive 22
127		-	assistance for arrearage retirement. 23
128		-
129		-	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 24
130		-	October 1, 2022. 25
	48	+	(i) bill assistance; 22 2 SENATE BILL 283
131	49
132	50
133	51
	52	+	(ii) low–income residential weatherization; and 1
134	53
135		-	Approved:
136		-	________________________________________________________________________________
137		-	Governor.
138		-	________________________________________________________________________________
139		-	President of the Senate.
140		-	________________________________________________________________________________
141		-	Speaker of the House of Delegates.
	54	+	(iii) the retirement of arrearages for electric customers who have not 2
	55	+	received assistance in retiring arrearages under the universal service program within the 3
	56	+	preceding 5 fiscal years. 4
	57	+
	58	+	(3) The Department of Housing and Community Development is 5
	59	+	responsible for administering the low–income residential weatherization component of the 6
	60	+	electric universal service program. 7
	61	+
	62	+	(4) (i) The Department of Human Services, through the Office of Home 8
	63	+	Energy Programs, is responsible for administering the bill assistance and the arrearage 9
	64	+	retirement components of the electric universal service program. 10
	65	+
	66	+	(ii) The Department of Human Services may: 11
	67	+
	68	+	1. establish minimum and maximum benefits available to an 12
	69	+	electric customer under the bill assistance and arrearage retirement components; and 13
	70	+
	71	+	2. coordinate benefits under the electric universal service 14
	72	+	program with benefits under the Maryland Energy Assistance Program and other available 15
	73	+	energy assistance programs. 16
	74	+
	75	+	(III) THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES SHALL 17
	76	+	AUTHORIZE BENEFITS U NDER THE ELECTRIC UN IVERSAL SERVICE PROG RAM FOR 18
	77	+	AN ELECTRIC CUSTOMER WHO DOES NOT MEET TH E ELIGIBILITY REQUIR EMENTS 19
	78	+	FOR THE FEDERAL LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 20
	79	+
	80	+	(5) The Department of Human Services may, with input from a panel or 21
	81	+	roundtable of interested parties, contract to assist in administering the bill assistance and 22
	82	+	the arrearage retirement components of the electric universal service program. 23
	83	+
	84	+	(6) The Commission has oversight responsibility for the bill assistance and 24
	85	+	the arrearage retirement components of the electric universal service program and any 25
	86	+	other funds expended under this section. 26
	87	+
	88	+	(7) In a specific case, the electric universal service program may waive the 27
	89	+	income eligibility limitation under paragraph (1) of this subsection in order to provide 28
	90	+	assistance to an electric customer who would qualify for a similar waiver under the 29
	91	+	Maryland Energy Assistance Program established under Title 5, Subtitle 5A of the Human 30
	92	+	Services Article. 31
	93	+
	94	+	(8) (i) If an applicant for bill assistance or arrearage retirement is to be 32
	95	+	denied due to deficient documentation, the Department of Human Services shall: 33
	96	+
	97	+	1. promptly provide notice of the deficiency to the applicant; 34 SENATE BILL 283 3
	98	+
	99	+
	100	+	and 1
	101	+
	102	+	2. afford the applicant ample opportunity of not less than 3 2
	103	+	months to cure the deficiency. 3
	104	+
	105	+	(ii) An electric company may not begin the process to terminate 4
	106	+	service to an applicant while the applicant is curing a deficiency under this paragraph. 5
	107	+
	108	+	(9) Notwithstanding paragraph (2)(iii) of this subsection, any assistance 6
	109	+	received for arrearage retirement by a customer in calendar years 2020 and 2021 may not 7
	110	+	be counted toward the limitation on the number of times the customer may receive 8
	111	+	assistance for arrearage retirement. 9
	112	+
	113	+	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 10
	114	+	October 1, 2022. 11
	115	+