§ 16a-41a — Implementation of block grant program authorized under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act. Annual plan. Program for purchase of deliverable fuel at a reduced rate for low-income households. Annual reports. Payment of fuel vendors.

Connecticut § 16a-41a

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 16a: Planning and Energy Policy
• Ch. 298: Energy Utilization and Conservation

Text

(a) The Commissioner of Social Services shall submit to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of energy planning and activities, appropriations, and human services the following on the implementation of the block grant program authorized under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981, as amended: (1) Not later than August first, annually, a Connecticut energy assistance program annual plan which establishes guidelines for the use of funds authorized under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981, as amended, and includes the following: (A) Criteria for determining which households are to receive emergency assistance; (B) A description of systems used to ensure referrals to other energy assistance programs and the taking of simultaneous applications, as required under section 16a-41 ; (C) A description of outreach efforts; (D) Estimates of the total number of households eligible for assistance under the program and the number of households in which one or more elderly or physically disabled individuals eligible for assistance reside; (E) Design of a basic grant for eligible households that does not discriminate against such households based on the type of energy used for heating; and (F) A payment plan for fuel deliveries beginning November 1, 2023, that ensures a vendor of deliverable fuel who completes deliveries authorized by a community action agency that contracts with the commissioner to administer a fuel assistance program is provided the option to be paid electronically by the community action agency and is paid not later than ten business days after the date the community action agency receives an authorized fuel slip or invoice for payment from the vendor; (2) Not later than January thirtieth, annually, a report covering the preceding months of the program year, including: (A) In each community action agency geographic area, the number of fuel assistance applications filed, approved and denied, and the number of emergency assistance requests made, approved and denied; (B) In each such area, the total amount of fuel and emergency assistance, itemized by such type of assistance, and total expenditures to date; (C) For each state-wide office of each state agency administering the program and each community action agency, administrative expenses under the program, by line item, and an estimate of outreach expenditures; and (D) A list of community action agencies that failed to make timely payments to vendors of deliverable fuel in the Connecticut energy assistance program and the steps taken by the commissioner to ensure future timely payments by such agencies; and (3) Not later than November first, annually, a report covering the preceding twelve calendar months, including: (A) In each community action agency geographic area, (i) seasonal totals for the categories of data submitted under subdivision (1) of this subsection, (ii) the number of households receiving fuel assistance in which elderly or physically disabled individuals reside, and (iii) the average combined benefit level of fuel, emergency and renter assistance; (B) The number of homeowners and tenants whose heat or total energy costs are not included in their rent receiving fuel and emergency assistance under the program by benefit level; (C) The number of homeowners and tenants whose heat is included in their rent and who are receiving assistance, by benefit level; and (D) The number of households receiving assistance, by energy type and total expenditures for each energy type. (b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall implement a program to purchase deliverable fuel for low-income households participating in the Connecticut energy assistance program and the state-appropriated fuel assistance program. The commissioner shall ensure an adequate supply of vendors for the program by (1) establishing county and regional pricing standards for deliverable fuel, (2) reimbursing fuel providers based on the price of the fuel on the date of delivery, and (3) allowing a vendor to electronically submit an authorized fuel slip or invoice for payment. Commencing with the energy assistance program period beginning November 1, 2025, the commissioner shall ensure an adequate supply of vendors for the program by establishing new pricing standards for deliverable fuel that fairly compensate fuel vendors for costs incurred on fuel purchase and delivery while maintaining the maximum amount of funding to benefit recipients of the program. Not later than August 1, 2025, the commissioner shall include such pricing standards in the annual plan for the program required pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. (c) The commissioner shall ensure that no fuel vendor discriminates against fuel assistance program recipients who are under the vendor's standard payment, delivery, service or other similar plans. The commissioner may take advantage of programs offered by fuel vendors that reduce the cost of the fuel purchased, including, but not limited to, fixed price, capped price, prepurchase or summer-fill programs that reduce program cost and that make the maximum use of program revenues. As funding allows, the commissioner shall ensure that all agencies administering the fuel assistance program shall make payments to program fuel vendors in advance of the delivery of energy where vendor provided price-management strategies require payments in advance. (d) Each community action agency administering a fuel assistance program shall submit reports, as requested by the Commissioner of Social Services, concerning pricing information from vendors of deliverable fuel participating in the program. Such information shall include, but not be limited to, the state-wide or regional retail price per unit of deliverable fuel, the reduced price per unit paid by the state for the deliverable fuel in utilizing price management strategies offered by program vendors for all consumers, the number of units delivered to the state under the program and the total savings under the program due to the purchase of deliverable fuel utilizing price-management strategies offered by program vendors for all consumers. (e) If funding allows, the Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, shall require that, each community action agency administering a fuel assistance program begin accepting applications for the program not later than September first of each year. (f) Not later than November 1, 2023, the Commissioner of Social Services shall require each community action agency administering a fuel assistance program to make payment to a vendor of deliverable fuel not later than ten business days after the community action agency receives an authorized fuel slip or invoice for payment from the vendor and to give the vendor the options of (1) being paid electronically, and (2) submitting electronically an authorized fuel slip or invoice for payment. (g) The Commissioner of Social Services shall submit each plan or report described in subsection (a) of this section to the Low-Income Energy and Water Advisory Board, established pursuant to section 16a-41b , not later than seven days prior to submitting such plan or report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and technology, appropriations and human services.

Legislative History

(Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 81-9, S. 1, 4; P.A. 91-234, S. 1, 3; P.A. 93-113, S. 2, 3; 93-262, S. 12, 87; P.A. 05-123, S. 1; P.A. 07-242, S. 66; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 102; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-5, S. 80 ; P.A. 18-88, S. 1; P.A. 21-148, S. 1; P.A. 23-204, S. 295; P.A. 24-37, S. 2; 24-145, S. 3.) History: P.A. 91-234 deleted obsolete language re first report after January 27, 1982, required in Subsec. (a)(1), and added a new Subsec. (e) requiring the secretary to implement a program to purchase number two home heating oil at a reduced rate for the Connecticut energy assistance program and the state-appropriated fuel assistance program; P.A. 93-113 amended Subsec. (a) by adding the appropriations committee, amending Subdiv. (1) by substituting annual plan for two initial reports, deleting Subpara. (B) regarding emergency request system, relettering Subparas. (C) to (E), and relettered Subpara. (D) deleting provision requiring that estimates be made by geographic area and income maintenance district, amending Subdiv. (2) by substituting an annual report for six monthly reports, and in Subpara. (B) adding total expenditures to date, amending Subdiv. (3) by changing September first to November first, in Subpara. (A) changing data submitted under Subdiv. (2) to data submitted under Subdiv. (1), deleting provisions regarding number of appeals, assistance for households receiving weatherization assistance and processing time averages, and adding benefit level of renter assistance, deleting Subparas. (D) and (E) regarding percentage of fuel assistance provided to tenants with heat not included in rent and recipients of 100% of eligible assistance, relettering Subpara. (F) as (D) and changing categories of amount of assistance received to “by benefit level”, adding new Subparas. (E), regarding the number of recipients with heat included in rent, and (F), regarding number of recipient households, deleted Subsecs. (c) and (d) regarding low-income home energy assistance reports and costs of carrying out the provisions of section, and relettered Subsec. (e) as (c), effective June 3, 1993; P.A. 93-262 replaced secretary of the office of policy and management with commissioner of social services, replaced references to income maintenance districts with references to social services regions, deleted Subsec. (b) requiring human resources and income maintenance departments to submit information requested by the secretary for inclusion in his reports, relettering remaining Subsecs. as necessary, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 05-123 added Subsec. (a)(1)(E) re basic grant that does not discriminate based on the type of energy used; P.A. 07-242 amended Subsec. (b) to change fuel purchased from number two home heating oil to deliverable fuel, move reporting requirements to new Subsec. (c), prohibit discrimination against program participants, require commissioner to take advantage of any price-reduction programs and provide for payments to be made in advance and added new Subsec. (d) re applications to be accepted before September first each year, effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4 amended Subsec. (b) to delete requirement that commissioner ensure that all fuel assistance recipients are treated the same as any other similarly situated customer, change “commissioner shall” to “commissioner may” take advantage of programs offered by vendors, and provide that commissioner shall ensure that all agencies make payments in advance of delivery “as funding allows” and amended Subsec. (d) to provide that Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, shall require agencies to begin accepting applications if funding allows, effective July 1, 2007; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-5 added Subsec. (e) requiring Commissioner of Social Services to submit plans and reports described in Subsec. (a) to Low-Income Energy Advisory Board prior to submission to energy and technology, appropriations and human services committees, effective October 5, 2009; P.A. 18-88 added Subsec. (a)(1)(F) and (2)(D) and new Subsec. (e) re payment of fuel vendors, and redesignated existing Subsec. (e) re submission of plan or report as Subsec. (f), effective June 4, 2018; P.A. 21-148 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting references to weatherization assistance and Department of Social Services regions, and deleting former Subparas. (B) and (C) in Subdiv. (3) and redesignating existing Subparas. (D) to (F) as Subparas. (B) to (D), respectively, effective July 1, 2021; P.A. 23-204 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(F) by changing “November 1, 2018,” to “November 1, 2023,”, adding electronic payment option and changing payment deadline from 30 to 10 business days, amended Subsec. (b) by adding Subdivs. (1) to (3) re pricing standards and vendor billing option, redesignated existing provisions re discrimination by fuel vendor and payments in advance as new Subsec. (c), redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) to (f) as new Subsecs. (d) to (f) and (g) and amended new Subsec. (f) by changing “November 1, 2018,” to “November 1, 2023”, “thirty” business days to “ten” and adding Subdivs. (1) and (2) re vendor payment and billing options, effective July 1, 2023; P.A. 24-37 amended Subsec. (g) by replacing “Low-Income Energy Advisory Board” with “Low-Income Energy and Water Advisory Board”, effective July 1, 2024; P.A. 24-145 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision re new fuel pricing standards and compensation of vendors beginning November 1, 2025, effective July 1, 2024.