102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB4068
 
Introduced 2/7/2022, by Sen. Sue Rezin
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:



New Act
5 ILCS 100/5-45.21 new
30 ILCS 105/5.970 new

 Creates the Home Heating Relief Act of 2022. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to create, as soon as practicable, a Home Heating Rebate Program to provide rebates to households that use natural gas or propane gas for heating purposes and that have a median household income between 200% and 400% of the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Provides that eligible households shall receive the rebates as soon as practicable after implementation of the program. Requires the Department to, by rule, establish qualifications for program participation which may include requirements that apply under the Energy Assistance Act and other requirements. Provides that rebates provided under the program shall be funded through appropriations made from the Home Heating Rebate Relief Fund created under the Act. Requires the State Comptroller to direct and the State Treasurer to transfer $500,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Home Heating Rebate Relief Fund to provide rebates to qualifying households for State fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Provides that any funds left over at the end of the second month following implementation of the program may be awarded to certain qualifying first-time small business owners as determined by the Department. Requires the Department to adopt emergency rules in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to implement the program. Amends the State Finance Act to include the Home Heating Rebate Relief Fund as a special fund. Effective immediately.



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A BILL FOR
 


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1 AN ACT concerning public aid.


2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

3represented in the General Assembly:



4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Home 
5Heating Relief Act of 2022.

6 Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that:
7  (1) Nearly half of U.S. households that heat with 
8 natural gas are projected to spend 30% more than they did 
9 last winter on average, according to the Winter Fuels 
10 Outlook 2021 report from the U.S. Energy Information 
11 Administration. The 41% that heat with electricity are 
12 expected to spend 6% more. Propane users will spend 54% 
13 more this winter, while heating oil users could see bills 
14 go up 43%, according to the report.

15  (2) Energy prices were up 29.3%, according to the 
16 December 2021 consumer price index from the U.S. Bureau of 
17 Labor Statistics. Furthermore, fuel oil is roughly 40% 
18 more expensive than last year, electricity is up 6.3%, and 
19 natural gas market prices rose by more than 24%.
20  (3) These scenarios are tough on household budgets as 
21 families deal with inflation. The State should do more in 
22 addition to the Illinois Low Income Home Energy Assistance 
23 Program to help offset some of these high energy prices 
 
 
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1 during the winter months of 2022.

2 Section 10. Home Heating Rebate Program. 
3 (a) As soon as practicable, the Department of Commerce and 
4Economic Opportunity shall create a Home Heating Rebate 
5Program to provide rebates to households that use natural gas 
6or propane gas for heating purposes and that have a median 
7household income between 200% and 400% of the poverty 
8guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the 
9U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the 
10authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2). Eligible households shall 
11receive the rebates as soon as practicable after 
12implementation of the program. The Department shall, by rule, 
13establish qualifications for program participation, which may 
14include requirements that apply under the Energy Assistance 
15Act and other requirements.
16 (b) Rebates provided under the program shall be funded 
17through appropriations made from the Home Heating Rebate 
18Relief Fund created under Section 15. The State Comptroller 
19shall direct and the State Treasurer shall transfer 
20$500,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Home Heating 
21Rebate Relief Fund to provide rebates to qualifying households 
22for State fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Any funds left over at 
23the end of the second month following implementation of the 
24Home Heating Rebate Program may be awarded to certain 
25qualifying first-time small business owners as determined by 
 
 
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1the Department. 
2 (c) The Department shall adopt emergency rules in 
3accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to 
4implement the Home Heating Rebate Program. 

5 Section 15. Home Heating Rebate Relief Fund. The Home 
6Heating Rebate Relief Fund is created as
a special fund in the 
7State treasury. The Fund shall consist of any moneys deposited 
8into the Fund as provided under subsection (b) of Section 10. 
9Moneys in the Fund shall be expended for the Home Heating 
10Rebate Program as provided under Section 10 and for no other 
11purpose. All interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall be

12deposited into the Fund.


13 Section 20. The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act is 
14amended by adding Section 5-45.21 as follows:

15 (5 ILCS 100/5-45.21 new)
16 Sec. 5-45.21. Emergency rulemaking; Home Heating Rebate 
17Program. To provide for the expeditious and timely 
18implementation of the Home Heating Rebate Program authorized 
19under the Home Heating Relief Act of 2022, emergency rules 
20implementing the Home Heating Rebate Program may be adopted in 
21accordance with Section 5-45 by the Department of Commerce and 
22Economic Opportunity. The adoption of emergency rules 
23authorized by Section 5-45 and this Section is deemed to be 
 
 
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1necessary for the public interest, safety, and welfare.
2 This Section is repealed one year after the effective date 
3of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly.

4 Section 25. The State Finance Act is amended by adding 
5Section 5.970 as follows:

6 (30 ILCS 105/5.970 new)
7 Sec. 5.970. The Home Heating Rebate Relief Fund.

8 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
9becoming law.