HB4471 Summary

• Removes the January 1, 2025 expiration date on Section 13 of the Energy Assistance Act, allowing the Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund to continue operating indefinitely unless repealed by future legislation.

• Fund receives moneys from voluntary donations, utility Energy Assistance Charges collected monthly from customer accounts, and other authorized sources for low-income energy assistance programs.

• Monthly Energy Assistance Charge assessed on utility customer accounts ranges from a Base Charge of $0.48 per month (residential) up to 375 times the Base Charge (large non-residential accounts exceeding 10 megawatts peak demand or 4,000,000 therms annually), with maximum Base Charge capped at $0.96 monthly.

• Fund revenues support direct utility bill assistance payments to low-income customers, weatherization and energy conservation services, health and safety improvements, and administrative costs capped at 13% of annual collections.

• Municipal utilities and electric cooperatives may voluntarily adopt the Energy Assistance Charge; if they decline, the Department cannot distribute Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund benefits to their customers.