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

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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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-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          3136

                               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

        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
    19  income  home energy assistance program and assist eligible households to
    20  obtain middle income home energy assistance.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05337-01-3
        S. 3136                             2

     1    (d) Persons who qualify for middle income home  energy  assistance  in
     2  accordance  with standards promulgated by the authority, shall be certi-
     3  fied as eligible for and entitled to receive such  home  energy  assist-
     4  ance.  No  person, however, shall be certified as eligible for and enti-
     5  tled  to  receive  such  home  energy  assistance  if no state funds are
     6  available for such purpose.
     7    (e) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law to the contrary,
     8  the amount of any home energy assistance payments or allowances provided
     9  to an eligible household under such plan shall not be considered  income
    10  or  resources  of  such  households,  or  of any member thereof, for any
    11  purpose under any state law.
    12    § 2.  Section 1115 of the tax law is amended by adding a new  subdivi-
    13  sion (ll) to read as follows:
    14    (ll)  Until  July  first,  two thousand twenty-four, home heating fuel
    15  otherwise taxable under this article shall not be subject to  the  taxes
    16  imposed by section eleven hundred five of this article or the compensat-
    17  ing  use  tax  imposed  under section eleven hundred ten of this article
    18  when purchased for residential heating purposes.   For the  purposes  of
    19  this  subdivision,  the  term  "home  heating fuel" shall mean fuel oil,
    20  coal, wood, wood pellets,  propane,  natural  gas,  electricity,  steam,
    21  kerosene and any other fuel when used for residential heating purposes.
    22    § 3. The sum of three million dollars ($3,000,000), or so much thereof
    23  as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the New York state energy
    24  research and development authority out of any moneys in the state treas-
    25  ury  in  the  general fund to the credit of the state purposes fund, not
    26  otherwise appropriated, and made immediately available, for the  purpose
    27  of  supporting  the  temporary  middle  income  home  energy  assistance
    28  program.  Such moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant  of  the
    29  state  comptroller  on  vouchers  certified  or approved by the New York
    30  state energy research and development authority in the manner prescribed
    31  by law.
    32    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  and  be
    33  deemed repealed April 1, 2025.