Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1513 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R9040 CS-D
2	2	By: Johnson S.B. No. 1513
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to a program to provide assistance for certain retail
10	10	electric customers.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 17.007, Utilities Code, is amended by
13	13	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (e) to read as
14	14	follows:
15	15	(a) The Health and Human Services Commission, on request of
16	16	the commission, shall assist in:
17	17	(1) developing an automatic process for identifying
18	18	low-income customers to retail electric providers and certificated
19	19	telecommunications utilities to enable those providers and
20	20	utilities to offer customer service, discounts, bill payment
21	21	assistance, or other methods of assistance; and
22	22	(2) implementing Section 39.9035.
23	23	(e) Subsection (d) does not apply in a state fiscal biennium
24	24	in which money is available under Section 39.9035 for the process
25	25	established by this section.
26	26	SECTION 2. Section 39.002, Utilities Code, is amended to
27	27	read as follows:
28	28	Sec. 39.002. APPLICABILITY. This chapter, other than
29	29	Sections 39.151, 39.1516, 39.155, 39.157(e), 39.161, 39.162,
30	30	39.163, 39.203, 39.9035, 39.9051, 39.9052, and 39.914(e), and
31	31	Subchapters M and N, does not apply to a municipally owned utility
32	32	or an electric cooperative. Sections 39.157(e), [and] 39.203, and
33	33	39.9035 apply only to a municipally owned utility or an electric
34	34	cooperative that is offering customer choice. If there is a
35	35	conflict between the specific provisions of this chapter and any
36	36	other provisions of this title, except for Chapters 40 and 41, the
37	37	provisions of this chapter control.
38	38	SECTION 3. Subchapter Z, Chapter 39, Utilities Code, is
39	39	amended by adding Section 39.9035 to read as follows:
40	40	Sec. 39.9035. INCOME-BASED ASSISTANCE FUND. (a) In this
41	41	section, "fund" means the income-based assistance fund.
42	42	(b) The income-based assistance fund is an account in the
43	43	general revenue fund. Money in the account may be appropriated only
44	44	for the purposes provided by this section or other law.
45	45	(c) The fund consists of:
46	46	(1) money appropriated, credited, transferred, or
47	47	deposited to the credit of the fund by the legislature;
48	48	(2) gifts, grants, or donations made to the fund; and
49	49	(3) interest or other earnings attributable to the
50	50	investment of money in the fund.
51	51	(d) Money in the fund may be appropriated to the commission
52	52	and used to provide funding only for the following purposes, in the
53	53	following order of priority:
54	54	(1) programs to:
55	55	(A) assist low-income electric customers by
56	56	making available the discounts described by Subsection (f); and
57	57	(B) provide one-time bill payment assistance as
58	58	described by Subsection (k) to critical care residential customers,
59	59	as defined by Section 17.002, who have received notice of an
60	60	impending service disconnection for nonpayment;
61	61	(2) customer education that provides information on
62	62	other assistance programs;
63	63	(3) administrative expenses incurred by the
64	64	commission in implementing and administering this chapter and
65	65	expenses incurred by the office under this chapter; and
66	66	(4) reimbursement to the commission and the Health and
67	67	Human Services Commission for expenses incurred in the
68	68	implementation and administration of the automatic identification
69	69	process established under Section 17.007 for customer service
70	70	discounts relating to retail electric service, including outreach
71	71	expenses the commission determines are reasonable and necessary.
72	72	(e) The commission shall adopt rules regarding programs to
73	73	assist low-income electric customers in areas where customer choice
74	74	is available. The programs may not be targeted to areas served by
75	75	municipally owned utilities or electric cooperatives that have not
76	76	adopted customer choice.
77	77	(f) Programs adopted under Subsection (e) must include a
78	78	retail electric service discount program for low-income electric
79	79	customers that the commission implements periodically as money is
80	80	made available in the fund for the purpose of making the
81	81	reimbursements authorized under Subsection (i). The commission by
82	82	rule shall require electric cooperatives that have adopted customer
83	83	choice, municipally owned utilities that have adopted customer
84	84	choice, and retail electric providers to provide the discount. The
85	85	commission shall set the amount of the discount as a fixed amount
86	86	and may periodically revise the fixed amount. The discount for
87	87	electric cooperatives that have adopted customer choice and
88	88	municipally owned utilities that have adopted customer choice must
89	89	be in addition to any rate reduction that may result from local
90	90	programs for low-income electric customers of the municipally owned
91	91	utility or electric cooperative.
92	92	(g) The commission by rule shall establish eligibility
93	93	criteria for the discount program required under Subsection (f).
94	94	The criteria must provide that a customer is eligible for a discount
95	95	if identified by the Health and Human Services Commission as
96	96	eligible as a low-income customer under Section 17.007.
97	97	(h) The commission by rule shall prescribe methods of
98	98	enrolling customers eligible to receive a discount under Subsection
99	99	(f) that are compatible with the automatic identification process
100	100	established under Section 17.007. The rules must provide for
101	101	automatic enrollment as one enrollment option for customers that
102	102	have been identified as low-income customers under Section 17.007.
103	103	(i) The commission shall provide reimbursement from the
104	104	fund for each electric cooperative, municipally owned utility, or
105	105	retail electric provider that provides a discount under Subsection
106	106	(f) for the amount of the discount provided to eligible customers.
107	107	The commission shall adopt rules providing for the reimbursement.
108	108	(j) A retail electric provider may not charge the customer a
109	109	fee for receiving a discount.
110	110	(k) Programs adopted under Subsection (e) must include a
111	111	bill payment assistance program as described by Subsection
112	112	(d)(1)(B) that the commission implements periodically as money is
113	113	made available in the fund for the purpose of making the
114	114	reimbursements authorized under this subsection. The commission
115	115	may prescribe the documentation necessary to demonstrate
116	116	eligibility for the assistance and may establish additional
117	117	eligibility criteria. The Health and Human Services Commission, on
118	118	request of the commission, shall assist in the adoption and
119	119	implementation of these rules. The commission shall provide
120	120	reimbursement from the fund for each electric cooperative,
121	121	municipally owned utility, or retail electric provider that
122	122	provides bill payment assistance under this subsection for the
123	123	amount of the bill payment assistance provided to eligible
124	124	customers. The commission shall adopt rules providing for the
125	125	reimbursement.
126	126	SECTION 4. Section 40.001(a), Utilities Code, is amended to
127	127	read as follows:
128	128	(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except
129	129	Sections 39.155, 39.157(e), [and] 39.203, and 39.9035, this chapter
130	130	governs the transition to and the establishment of a fully
131	131	competitive electric power industry for municipally owned
132	132	utilities. With respect to the regulation of municipally owned
133	133	utilities, this chapter controls over any other provision of this
134	134	title, except for sections in which the term "municipally owned
135	135	utility" is specifically used.
136	136	SECTION 5. Section 41.001, Utilities Code, is amended to
137	137	read as follows:
138	138	Sec. 41.001. APPLICABLE LAW. Notwithstanding any other
139	139	provision of law, except Sections 39.155, 39.157(e), [and] 39.203,
140	140	and 39.9035, this chapter governs the transition to and the
141	141	establishment of a fully competitive electric power industry for
142	142	electric cooperatives. Regarding the regulation of electric
143	143	cooperatives, this chapter shall control over any other provision
144	144	of this title, except for sections in which the term "electric
145	145	cooperative" is specifically used.
146	146	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.