Regular Session 2019-2020 Senate Bill 1307 P.N. 1929

PRINTER'S NO. 1929

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

No.

1307

Session of

2020

INTRODUCED BY KILLION, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

REFERRED TO APPROPRIATIONS, SEPTEMBER 8, 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

Commonwealth," in emergency COVID-19 response, providing for

appropriations from the account, for Pennsylvania

Infrastructure Investment Authority, for Low-Income Energy

Assistance Residential Utility Payment Program and for the

Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Article I-C of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343,

No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, is amended by adding

subarticles to read:

SUBARTICLE B.1

APPROPRIATIONS FROM THE ACCOUNT

Section 115-C. Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this subarticle

shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Current fiscal year." The fiscal year beginning July 1,

2020, and ending June 30, 2021.

Section 116-C. Construction with the General Appropriation Act

of 2020.

Each appropriation contained under this subarticle from the

General Fund shall be in addition to any appropriation under the

act of May 29, 2020 (P.L. , No.1A), known as the General

Appropriation Act of 2020, and the act of May 29, 2020 (P.L.

,No.2A), known as the COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the

General Appropriation Act of 2019.

Section 117-C. Appropriations from the account.

(a) Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority.--To

the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority for the

current fiscal year, $25,000,000 of Federal amounts is

appropriated from the COVID-19 Response Restricted Account for

COVID Relief - PennVEST Water and Wastewater Utility Payments

Program for the purpose of making distributions under section

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136-C.

(b) Department of Human Services.--To the Department of

Human Services for the current fiscal year, $100,000,000 of

Federal amounts is appropriated from the COVID-19 Response

Restricted Account for COVID Relief - Low-Income Energy

Assistance Residential Utility Payment Program for the purpose

of making distributions under section 161-C.

Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for the current fiscal

year, $25,000,000 of Federal amounts is appropriated from the

COVID-19 Response Restricted Account for COVID Relief - Small

Business Utility Assistance Program for the purpose of making

distributions under section 190.5-C.

SUBARTICLE D.2

PENNSYLVANIA INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AUTHORITY

Section 136-C. Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority

Water and Wastewater Utility Payments Program.

From money appropriated to the Pennsylvania Infrastructure

Investment Authority for COVID Relief - PennVEST Water and

Wastewater Utility Payments Program, $25,000,000 shall be

distributed to the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment

Authority to assist individual and small businesses with payment

of delinquent water and wastewater utility payments. In making

the distribution under this section and notwithstanding 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, the Pennsylvania Infrastructure

Investment Authority shall:

(1) Receive from each water and wastewater provider

within 15 days, the number of and total arrearages for

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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 the Pennsylvania Infrastructure

Investment Authority.

(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 the Pennsylvania Infrastructure

Investment Authority 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 the

Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority 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.

(5) Compile the reports and post the compilation on the

Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority's publicly

accessible Internet website.

Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:

Section 161-C. Low-Income Energy Assistance Residential Utility

Payment Program.

From money appropriated to the department for COVID Relief -

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Low-Income Energy Assistance Residential Utility Payment

Program, $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 section, 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 an annual income at or below 200% of the Federal

poverty guidelines.

(6) Include the distribution under this section in the

LIHEAP annual report.

Section 3. Article I-C of the act is amended by adding a

subarticle to read:

SUBARTICLE L

PENNSYLVANIA PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION

Section 190.5-C. Small Business Utility Assistance Program.

From money appropriated to the commission for COVID Relief -

Small Business Utility Assistance Program, $25,000,000 shall be

distributed to 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

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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 section, 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.

Section 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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