Bill Text: NJ A5612 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Allocates "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" federal funds for heating, cooling, water, and wastewater service bill payment assistance to qualified residential customers.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-05-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee [A5612 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A5612-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SERENA DIMASO
District 13 (Monmouth)
Assemblyman BRIAN BERGEN
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Allocates "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" federal funds for heating, cooling, water, and wastewater service bill payment assistance to qualified residential customers.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act allocating funds from the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As a supplement to the funds already allocated to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Low-Income Household Drinking Water and Wastewater Emergency Assistance Program from the funds provided to the State by the United States government under the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," Pub. L. 117-2, there is appropriated to the Department of Community Affairs a sum to be determined by the department, for use by the department to provide, consistent with federal law, heating, cooling, water, and wastewater service bill payment assistance to qualified residential customers throughout the State. If the sum determined by the department is not available through the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," Pub. L. 117-2, then the remainder of this amount shall be appropriated from other sources of federal funding authorized for coronavirus relief as it becomes available. If federal funding is not available to satisfy the full amount of this appropriation, then the Commissioner of Community Affairs may notify the State Treasurer and the Joint Budget Oversight Committee of the Legislature of the deficiency and may request that the Legislature appropriate a portion of the remainder from the General Fund, or other available State funding sources, for the purposes of providing heating, cooling, water, and wastewater service bill payment assistance to qualified residential customers throughout the State.
b. The department shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to effectuate the purposes of this act.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The bill appropriates an amount to be determined by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) from the funds provided to the State by the federal government under the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," (the act) to provide heating, cooling, water, and wastewater service bill payment assistance to qualified residential customers throughout the State. In the event that the determined amount is not available through the bill, then the remainder would be appropriated from other sources of federal funding available for coronavirus relief as it becomes available. If federal funding is not available to satisfy the full amount of this appropriation, then the bill authorizes the DCA to request that a portion of the remainder be appropriated from State funding sources.
