Bill Text: NY S03136 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Authorizes the New York state energy research and development authority to develop, implement, administer and operate a temporary middle income home energy assistance program; suspends certain taxes on home heating fuels; makes an appropriation therefor.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-18 - PRINT NUMBER 3136A [S03136 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S03136-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         3136--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 27, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  MANNION,  COONEY, MAYER -- read twice and ordered
          printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on  Finance
          --  recommitted  to the Committee on Finance in accordance with Senate
          Rule  6,  sec.  8  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
          reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to amend the public authorities law, in relation to authorizing
          the New York state energy research and development authority to devel-
          op a temporary middle income home energy assistance program; to  amend
          the  tax  law,  in  relation to suspending sales and use taxes on home
          heating fuels; making an appropriation therefor and providing for  the
          repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 1854 of the public authorities law  is  amended  by
     2  adding a new subdivision 9 to read as follows:
     3    9.  Temporary  middle  income  home energy assistance program. (a) The
     4  authority shall, in conjunction with  the  department  of  taxation  and
     5  finance,  develop,  implement,  administer  and operate a plan, and hold
     6  funds available for such plan, to make  available  supplementing  grants
     7  for the purpose of assisting eligible middle income households to obtain
     8  home heating fuel.
     9    (b) For purposes of this subdivision, the term:
    10    (i) "home heating fuel" shall mean fuel oil, coal, wood, wood pellets,
    11  propane,  natural  gas,  electricity, steam, kerosene and any other fuel
    12  when used for residential heating purposes.
    13    (ii) "middle income" shall mean any household that has an income of no
    14  more than one hundred sixty-five percent of the area  median  income  or
    15  has  an income of no more than the average survival budget for the coun-
    16  ty, adjusted for the size of the household, whichever is greater.
    17    (c) The authority shall, in accordance with the  plan  established  in
    18  paragraph  (a)  of this subdivision, participate in the temporary middle

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05337-02-4
        S. 3136--A                          2

     1  income home energy assistance program and assist eligible households  to
     2  obtain middle income home energy assistance.
     3    (d)  Persons  who  qualify for middle income home energy assistance in
     4  accordance with standards promulgated by the authority, shall be  certi-
     5  fied  as  eligible  for and entitled to receive such home energy assist-
     6  ance. No person, however, shall be certified as eligible for  and  enti-
     7  tled  to  receive  such  home  energy  assistance  if no state funds are
     8  available for such purpose.
     9    (e) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law to the contrary,
    10  the amount of any home energy assistance payments or allowances provided
    11  to an eligible household under such plan shall not be considered  income
    12  or  resources  of  such  households,  or  of any member thereof, for any
    13  purpose under any state law.
    14    § 2.  Section 1115 of the tax law is amended by adding a new  subdivi-
    15  sion (ll) to read as follows:
    16    (ll)  Until  July  first,  two  thousand twenty-six, home heating fuel
    17  otherwise taxable under this article shall not be subject to  the  taxes
    18  imposed by section eleven hundred five of this article or the compensat-
    19  ing  use  tax  imposed  under section eleven hundred ten of this article
    20  when purchased for residential heating purposes.   For the  purposes  of
    21  this  subdivision,  the  term  "home  heating fuel" shall mean fuel oil,
    22  coal, wood, wood pellets,  propane,  natural  gas,  electricity,  steam,
    23  kerosene and any other fuel when used for residential heating purposes.
    24    § 3. The sum of three million dollars ($3,000,000), or so much thereof
    25  as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the New York state energy
    26  research and development authority out of any moneys in the state treas-
    27  ury  in  the  general fund to the credit of the state purposes fund, not
    28  otherwise appropriated, and made immediately available, for the  purpose
    29  of  supporting  the  temporary  middle  income  home  energy  assistance
    30  program.  Such moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant  of  the
    31  state  comptroller  on  vouchers  certified  or approved by the New York
    32  state energy research and development authority in the manner prescribed
    33  by law.
    34    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  and  be
    35  deemed repealed April 1, 2027.