March 19, 2009, Introduced by Reps. Horn and Mayes and referred to the Committee on Energy and Technology.
A bill to amend 1984 PA 34, entitled
"Michigan low income heating assistance and shut-off protection
act,"
by amending section 7 (MCL 400.1207).
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 7. (1) There is created a low income heating assistance
and shut-off protection program. The program shall be administered
by the department to prevent utility service shut-offs, promote
awareness of and changes in energy use habits, promote conservation
techniques, provide incentives for energy conservation, help reduce
energy use by improving the housing stock, and provide relocation
assistance.
(2) The department shall do all of the following:
(a) Coordinate weatherization efforts for assisted households.
(b) Authorize use of weatherization resources among the
dwellings of all assisted households in the state. The department
shall
give first priority to households which that exceed the
annual consumption cap.
(c) Not later than the beginning of the third program year,
promulgate
rules to create an energy conservation incentive which
that shall provide direct financial benefits to assisted households
which
that reduce their use of heating energy. The rules shall
be
promulgated
pursuant according to the administrative procedures act
of
1969, Act No. 306 of the Public Acts of 1969, being sections
24.201
to 24.315 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1969 PA 306, MCL
24.201 to 24.328.
(d)
Subject to restrictions prescribed by federal regulations
governing
aid to families with dependent children, rules of the
state
department of social services, or otherwise, for preventing
the
disclosure of confidential information to any person not
authorized
by law to receive the confidential information, the
state
department of social services shall make available to a
public
utility regulated by the Michigan public service commission
information
concerning applicants and recipients of public
assistance,
the disclosure of which is necessary and the use of
which
is strictly limited to the purpose of a public utility's
administering
a program created by statute or an order of the
Michigan public service commission and intended to assist
applicants
or recipients of public assistance in defraying their
energy
costs. Notwithstanding the
provisions of the social welfare
act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400.1 to 400.119b, and subject to
restrictions prescribed by federal regulations governing temporary
assistance to needy families or other federal programs, rules of
the department, or otherwise, for preventing the disclosure of
confidential information to any person not authorized by law to
receive the confidential information, the department shall make
available to a provider utility information concerning applicants
for, and recipients of, public assistance, the disclosure of which
is necessary and the use of which is strictly limited to the
purpose of an energy provider administering a program created by
statute or by order of the Michigan public service commission and
intended to assist applicants for, or recipients of, public
assistance in defraying their energy costs.
(e) Not later than the beginning of the third program year, in
cooperation with provider utilities, implement a positive billing
system by which the difference, if any, between an assisted
household's monthly heating bills and the household's heating
allotments and supplemental payments will be billed directly to the
department and paid to the provider utility monthly, up to the
annual consumption cap.
(f) Expand the department's energy crisis intervention
services within available resources. The department shall review
and make recommendations concerning cases of assisted households
having
natural gas use or electrical consumption which that exceeds
the annual consumption cap, and shall expand its effort to identify
dwellings
which that cannot be made energy-efficient and help
relocate those assisted households to more energy efficient
dwellings if reasonable alternative housing is available. The
department shall determine whether a dwelling cannot be made energy
efficient.
(g) Not later than the beginning of the second program year,
develop and implement a uniform record keeping and reporting system
for the program.
(h)
Establish monitoring criteria for program evaluation which
that shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(i) The number of assisted households which that exceed
the
annual consumption cap.
(ii) The average consumption both before and after
weatherization for each assisted household.
(iii) The number of shut-offs of heating service to assisted
households.
(iv) The number of dwellings of assisted households
weatherized.