| 1 | 1 | | 84R12520 DDT-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Lucio S.B. No. 1500 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to an electric utility surcharge to assist owners of |
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| 8 | 8 | | certain historic structures with electric bill payments and to |
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| 9 | 9 | | promote energy conservation and efficiency. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 2, Utilities Code, is amended |
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| 12 | 12 | | by adding Chapter 44 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | CHAPTER 44. ENERGY ASSISTANCE FOR HISTORIC STRUCTURES |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 44.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) "Fund" means the historic structure energy |
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| 16 | 16 | | assistance fund. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) "Historic structure" has the meaning assigned by |
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| 18 | 18 | | Section 442.001, Government Code. |
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| 19 | 19 | | Sec. 44.002. APPLICABILITY. This chapter applies only to a |
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| 20 | 20 | | county that: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) has a population of 400,000 or more; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) is adjacent to an international border; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) borders the Gulf of Mexico; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (4) is in an area where customer choice has not been |
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| 25 | 25 | | adopted. |
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| 26 | 26 | | Sec. 44.003. HISTORIC STRUCTURE ENERGY ASSISTANCE. (a) |
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| 27 | 27 | | The historic structure energy assistance fund is an account in the |
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| 28 | 28 | | general revenue fund administered by the commission. Money in the |
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| 29 | 29 | | account may be appropriated only for the purposes of a program |
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| 30 | 30 | | created under Subsection (c). Interest earned on the fund shall be |
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| 31 | 31 | | credited to the fund notwithstanding Section 404.071, Government |
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| 32 | 32 | | Code. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (b) The commission shall adopt and enforce rules requiring |
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| 34 | 34 | | electric utilities, municipally owned utilities, and electric |
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| 35 | 35 | | cooperatives to: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (1) establish a monthly surcharge in an amount of 50 |
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| 37 | 37 | | cents per customer to finance the fund; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (2) remit the collected surcharges to the comptroller |
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| 39 | 39 | | for deposit to the credit of the fund. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (c) The commission shall establish a grant or loan or other |
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| 41 | 41 | | assistance program designed to: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (1) increase energy efficiency in historic |
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| 43 | 43 | | structures; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (2) promote energy conservation in historic |
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| 45 | 45 | | structures; and |
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| 46 | 46 | | (3) assist owners of historic structures with electric |
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| 47 | 47 | | bill payments. |
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| 48 | 48 | | (d) The commission by rule shall establish application |
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| 49 | 49 | | procedures and eligibility criteria for an owner of a historic |
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| 50 | 50 | | structure in need of assistance with payment of electric bills or |
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| 51 | 51 | | with energy conservation or energy efficiency measures. |
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| 52 | 52 | | (e) The commission may use money from the fund to pay the |
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| 53 | 53 | | commission's costs associated with: |
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| 54 | 54 | | (1) establishing the program under Subsection (c), |
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| 55 | 55 | | including costs of rulemaking; and |
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| 56 | 56 | | (2) administering the program and fund. |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 58 | 58 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 59 | 59 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 60 | 60 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 61 | 61 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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