PRINTER'S NO. 4279
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2816
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY QUINN, HILL-EVANS, DRISCOLL, KULIK, YOUNGBLOOD,
ROZZI AND CIRESI, AUGUST 21, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS, AUGUST 21, 2020
AN ACT
Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), entitled
"An act relating to the finances of the State government;
providing for cancer control, prevention and research, for
ambulatory surgical center data collection, for the Joint
Underwriting Association, for entertainment business
financial management firms, for private dam financial
assurance and for reinstatement of item vetoes; providing for
the settlement, assessment, collection, and lien of taxes,
bonus, and all other accounts due the Commonwealth, the
collection and recovery of fees and other money or property
due or belonging to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
including escheated property and the proceeds of its sale,
the custody and disbursement or other disposition of funds
and securities belonging to or in the possession of the
Commonwealth, and the settlement of claims against the
Commonwealth, the resettlement of accounts and appeals to the
courts, refunds of moneys erroneously paid to the
Commonwealth, auditing the accounts of the Commonwealth and
all agencies thereof, of all public officers collecting
moneys payable to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
and all receipts of appropriations from the Commonwealth,
authorizing the Commonwealth to issue tax anticipation notes
to defray current expenses, implementing the provisions of
section 7(a) of Article VIII of the Constitution of
Pennsylvania authorizing and restricting the incurring of
certain debt and imposing penalties; affecting every
department, board, commission, and officer of the State
government, every political subdivision of the State, and
certain officers of such subdivisions, every person,
association, and corporation required to pay, assess, or
collect taxes, or to make returns or reports under the laws
imposing taxes for State purposes, or to pay license fees or
other moneys to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
every State depository and every debtor or creditor of the
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Commonwealth," in emergency COVID-19 response, providing for
public utility assistance.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known
as The Fiscal Code, is amended by adding a section to read:
Section 134-C. Public utility assistance.
(a) Department of Human Services.--From money appropriated
from the CARES Act, the amount of $100,000,000 shall be
distributed through the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program to
provide utility security for residential utility customers. In
making the distribution under this subsection, the Department of
Human Services shall:
(1) Extend the enrollment period for applications until
all funds allocated under this section are expended.
(2) Amend crisis grant requirements to accept past-due
utility bills as evidence of a crisis.
(3) Allow a public utility to establish flexible
verification procedures.
(4) Permit applicants to calculate their income based on
recent changes to income or unemployment.
(5) Establish a temporary program of crisis grant
assistance equal to $600 utilizing paragraphs (1), (2), (3)
and (4) for households with dwelling units occupied by
persons with annual income at or below 200% of the Federal
poverty guidelines.
(6) Include the distribution under this subsection in
the LIHEAP annual report.
(b) Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.--From money
appropriated from the CARES Act, the amount of $25,000,000 shall
be distributed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to
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public utilities to provide small business assistance grants to
qualifying small business for the payment of utility expenses.
To qualify for a small business assistance grant, the small
business must meet the definition of a "small business customer"
under 52 Pa. Code Ch. 54 (relating to electricity generation
customer choice) or 62 (relating to natural gas supply customer
choice). In making the distribution under this subsection, the
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission shall administer the
temporary grant program by:
(1) Requiring each public utility to submit within 15
days, the number of and total arrearages for qualifying small
business customers in their service territory for the period
of April 1, 2020, to July 31, 2020.
(2) Distributing the money to each public utility on a
pro rata basis from the calculation determined under
paragraph (1) within 15 days.
(3) Requiring each public utility to submit within 30
days a plan to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
detailing the distribution of funds to qualifying small
businesses. Upon approval of the plan, the public utility may
distribute the grant funding according to the plan.
(4) Requiring each public utility to report within three
months of receipt of the money to the Pennsylvania Public
Utility Commission how the money was allocated, how many
businesses were assisted, how much assistance was received,
the remaining arrearages from paragraph (1) and new
arrearages since the assistance was provided.
(5) Compiling the reports and posting the compilation on
the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission's publicly
accessible Internet website.
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(c) PennVEST.--From the money appropriated from the CARES
Act, the amount of $25,000,000 shall be distributed to PennVEST
to assist individual and small businesses with payment of
delinquent water and wastewater utility payments. In making the
distribution under this subsection and n otwithstanding the
provisions of section 10(e) of the act of March 1, 1988 (P.L.82,
No.16), known as the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment
Authority Act, or any other law, PennVEST shall:
(1) Receive from each water and wastewater provider
within 15 days, the number of and total arrearages for
residential customers in their service territory for the
period of April 1, 2020, to July 31, 2020. The amount of
arrearages shall be signed and verified by a representative
of the water and wastewater provider and shall be subject to
audit upon request by PennVEST.
(2) Distribute CARES funding to each water or wastewater
provider on a pro rata basis from the calculation determined
under paragraph (1) within 15 days.
(3) Require each water and wastewater provider to submit
within 30 days a plan to PennVEST detailing the distribution
of funds to residential customers. Upon approval of the plan,
the water or wastewater provider may distribute the grant
funding according to the plan and, in the event of remaining
grant funds, use funds for small business customers.
(4) Require each water or wastewater provider to report
within three months of receipt of the money to PennVEST how
the money was allocated, how many customers were assisted,
how much assistance was received, the remaining arrearages
from paragraph (1) and new arrearages since the assistance
was provided.
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(5) Compile the reports and post the compilation on
PennVEST's publicly accessible Internet website.
Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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