PRINTER'S NO. 326
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
151
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY TEPLITZ, BREWSTER, FONTANA, COSTA, BOSCOLA,
TARTAGLIONE, FARNESE, SMITH, WILLIAMS AND BROWNE,
FEBRUARY 5, 2015
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 5, 2015
AN ACT
Amending the act of July 10, 1986 (P.L.1398, No.122), entitled
"An act establishing a special fund for moneys received by
the Commonwealth from resolution of oil overcharge matters;
designating certain low-income energy conservation and
assistance programs for funding from this special fund; and
making appropriations," further providing for administration
of certain energy conservation and assistance programs; and
providing for administration of weatherization services
programs.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 7 of the act of July 10, 1986 (P.L.1398,
No.122), known as the Energy Conservation and Assistance Act, is
amended by adding a subsection to read:
Section 7. Administration of certain energy conservation and
assistance programs.
* * *
(c) Commonwealth energy-saving goals and standards.--The
Department of Environmental Protection shall, in consultation
with the Department of General Services:
(1) Establish performance goals for evaluating the
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
efforts of Commonwealth agencies in improving energy-
efficient and energy-saving technologies.
(2) Supplement the performance goals with
recommendations on best practices for attaining them.
(3) Review Commonwealth building energy standards every
five years.
(4) Following a review of Commonwealth building energy
standards, determine whether the standards need to be
upgraded. Standards shall be upgraded to include efficient
and renewable energy measures that are technologically
feasible and economically justified if significant energy
savings would result.
Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
Section 7.1. Administration of weatherization services
programs.
(a) Duties of Department of Community and Economic
Development.--The Department of Community and Economic
Development shall have the power and its duty shall be:
(1) To develop written policies and procedures for local
agencies that require, at a minimum, adequate documentation
of whether:
(i) A local agency's resolution of crisis situations
is handled in a timely manner.
(ii) The local agency provided temporary measures
when delays occurred.
(2) To require contractors and subcontractors of local
agencies to submit invoices with a detailed breakdown of the
costs of labor and materials.
(3) To require local agencies to submit to the
department documentation that a final inspection of
20150SB0151PN0326 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
weatherization improvements is completed. The documentation
shall include a copy of a quality inspection sheet.
(4) To review and approve the procurement and bidding
procedures used by a local agency prior to a contract being
issued by the agency.
(5) To monitor local agencies to ensure that the most
at-risk and needy residents of this Commonwealth receive
priority in the provision of weatherization services. To
prioritize households eligible to receive weatherization
services, the department shall develop a point system that
includes, but is not limited to, the following factors:
(i) Whether the household is a family with children.
(ii) Whether an individual who is elderly or has a
disability is a member of the household.
(iii) Whether the services will be provided to a
high energy residential user or a household with a high
energy burden.
(6) For the purposes of preventing fraud and abuse and
promoting fairness and efficiency in providing weatherization
services, to create a system to ensure that dwellings
previously provided weatherization services are not
ineligible under 10 CFR 440.18 (relating to allowable
expenditures).
(7) To periodically reconcile local agency grant
payments with reported expenditures to reduce the risk of:
(i) local agencies overcharging the department; and
(ii) waste, fraud and abuse of weatherization
services funds.
(8) In cooperation with local agencies, to promote
awareness of weatherization services to eligible residents,
20150SB0151PN0326 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
in particular those who are most vulnerable and needy.
(9) In cooperation with local agencies, to develop a
database to:
(i) assess the performance of local agencies; and
(ii) determine whether any corrective action is
required to improve weatherization services.
(10) To develop guidelines and policies under this
subsection with the goal of ensuring consistency and
compliance with weatherization services requirements.
(b) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Local agency." A local agency that administers
weatherization services.
"Weatherization services." The weatherization services
provided through the programs set forth in paragraphs (4) and
(5) of the definition of "energy conservation and assistance
programs" in section 3 and the program established in section
5(a)(1).
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20150SB0151PN0326 - 4 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20