HCS/SCS/SB 263 - This bill establishes the Utilicare Stabilization Fund. Not more than $5 million from General Revenue shall be appropriated to the Utilicare Stabilization Fund. The fund may also receive gifts, grants, contributions and funds or benefits from any other source or sources.

The Utilicare Stabilization Fund will be used for providing financial assistance to elderly households, disabled households and qualified individual households for the payment of charges for the primary or secondary heating source or the cooling source for the household.

A qualified individual household means a household where: (1) one or more persons reside and whose combined income is less than or equal to 110% of the current federal poverty level; and (2) the household is eligible for assistance under the Federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or related state programs.

Every qualified individual household and every applicant household in which the head of the household or spouse is elderly or disabled and the income for the prior calendar year does not exceed 110% of the current poverty level, shall be entitled to receive assistance under the Utilicare program if the moneys have been appropriated by the General Assembly to the Utilicare Stabilization Fund.

The Department of Social Services shall be responsible for the coordination of all federal heating assistance programs as well as the Utilicare program. The Utilicare program shall be administered in the same manner as the Federal Low Income Emergency Assistance Program. The Department may, in coordination with the Department of Natural Resources, apply a portion of the Utilicare Fund to the Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program, provided that any project financed with such funds shall have a full energy savings payback period of no greater than 10 years.

For each eligible household an amount not exceeding $150 for each fiscal year may be paid form the Utilicare Stabilization Fund to the primary or secondary heating source supplier or both including suppliers of gas, electricity, wood, coal, propane and heating oil. The amount paid from the Utilicare Stabilization Fund for cooling assistance in any single cooling season shall not exceed the lesser of 5% of the total amount appropriated by the General Assembly to the fund for the most recent fiscal year or $500,000.

For an eligible household, other than a household located in publicly owned or subsidized housing, an adult boarding facility, an intermediate care facility, a residential care facility or a skilled nursing facility, whose members rent their dwelling and do not pay a supplier directly for the household's primary or secondary heating or cooling source, the Utilicare payments shall be paid directly to the head of the household, except that the total payments shall not exceed 8% of the household's annual rent or $100 whichever is less.

Any household which is eligible to receive both federal assistance and Utilicare assistance may receive Utilicare assistance if the federal assistance is less than the total benefits available under the Utilicare program, then the household will receive Utilicare assistance only in the amount equal to the difference between the federal assistance and the total benefits available under the state program.

Utilicare assistance may be used to pay the expenses of reconnecting or maintaining service to households that have had their primary or secondary heating source or cooling source disconnected because of their failure to pay a bill. Payments for this service shall be made directly to the primary or secondary heating or cooling source suppliers.

All home energy suppliers receiving funds from the Utilicare Stabilization Fund shall provide services to eligible households consistent with their contractual agreements with the Department of Social Services.

CHERYL GRAZIER