Bill Text: CA SB1208 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Low-income utility customer assistance programs: concurrent application process.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-09-29 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 840, Statutes of 2022. [SB1208 Detail]
Download: California-2021-SB1208-Amended.html
Development, the State Water Resources Control Board, Development and other relevant state agencies that provide low-income electric, gas, or water electric or gas utility customer assistance programs, shall develop a process that, to the extent
possible, enables customers to concurrently apply, or begin to apply, to multiple low-income customer assistance programs using data collected during the original application process, including, but not limited to, all of the following programs:
Bill Title: Low-income utility customer assistance programs: concurrent application process.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-09-29 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 840, Statutes of 2022. [SB1208 Detail]
Download: California-2021-SB1208-Amended.html
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August 15, 2022 |
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June 30, 2022 |
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June 14, 2022 |
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May 04, 2022 |
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March 16, 2022 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 1208
| Introduced by Senator Hueso |
February 17, 2022 |
An act to add Section 731 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to public utilities.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1208, as amended, Hueso.
Low-income utility customer assistance programs: concurrent application process.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas corporations, corporations and electrical corporations, and water corporations. Existing law requires the commission to ensure that an electrical corporation or gas corporation with a commission-approved program to provide discounts based on economic need use uses a single application form to enable an applicant to alternatively apply
for any assistance program for which the applicant may be eligible.
This bill would require the commission, on or before June 30, 2024, in coordination and consultation with the Department of Community Services and Development, the State Water Resources Control Board, Development and other relevant state agencies that provide low-income electric, gas, or water electric or gas utility customer assistance programs, to develop a process that enables customers to concurrently apply, or begin to apply, to multiple low-income customer assistance programs, as specified.
Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because the above provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that this act do all of the following: (1) Improve all low-income electric, gas, and water low-income electric and gas utility customer assistance program application processes and maximize upfront data sharing in order to reduce outreach and enrollment expenditures and increase participation by eligible individuals and families.
(2) Maximize the use
of existing and future technologies in order to facilitate the outreach and enrollment processes for low-income electric, gas, and water electric and gas utility customer assistance programs.
(3) Coordinate the enrollment process for those programs between agencies and public and private utilities.
(b) It is further the intent of the Legislature that the concurrent application process complement, rather than replace, existing application processes for each of those programs.
SEC. 2.
Section 731 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:731.
(a) (1) On or before June 30, 2024, the commission, in coordination and consultation with the Department of Community Services and(A) The California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program described in Section 739.1.
(B)Low-income water rate assistance programs implemented pursuant to Section 739.8.
(C)
(B) The Family Electric Rate Assistance program described in Section 739.12.
(D)
(C) The Energy Savings Assistance program described in Section 2790.
(2) The process developed pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be known as the concurrent application process.
(b) The commission shall work with state agencies,
electrical corporations, and gas corporations, and water corporations to notify, to the extent possible, eligible individuals that they have been successfully enrolled or are in the process of being enrolled into other programs.
(c) The concurrent application process shall complement, rather than replace, other application processes.
(d) Before sharing data, an electrical corporation, corporation or gas corporation, or water
corporation shall receive consent from its low-income applicants to use already-obtained application information to begin the enrollment process for other low-income electric, gas, or water electric or gas utility customer assistance programs.
