97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5007

 

Introduced 2/7/2012, by Rep. Marlow H. Colvin

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
305 ILCS 20/6  from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 1406

    Amends the Energy Assistance Act. In regard to setting the annual eligibility level for the Energy Assistance Program, provides that for the period ending June 30, 2013, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may not establish limits higher than 200% of the federal nonfarm poverty level (rather than for the period ending June 30, 2012, or until the expenditure of federal resources allocated for energy assistance programs by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, whichever occurs first, the Department may not establish limits higher than 200% of that poverty level). Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5007LRB097 18977 KTG 64216 b

1    AN ACT concerning public aid.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Energy Assistance Act is amended by changing
5Section 6 as follows:
 
6    (305 ILCS 20/6)  (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 1406)
7    Sec. 6. Eligibility, Conditions of Participation, and
8Energy Assistance.
9    (a) Any person who is a resident of the State of Illinois
10and whose household income is not greater than an amount
11determined annually by the Department, in consultation with the
12Policy Advisory Council, may apply for assistance pursuant to
13this Act in accordance with regulations promulgated by the
14Department. In setting the annual eligibility level, the
15Department shall consider the amount of available funding and
16may not set a limit higher than 150% of the federal nonfarm
17poverty level as established by the federal Office of
18Management and Budget; except that for the period ending June
1930, 2013, 2012, or until the expenditure of federal resources
20allocated for energy assistance programs by the American
21Recovery and Reinvestment Act, whichever occurs first, the
22Department may not establish limits higher than 200% of that
23poverty level.

 

 

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1    (b) Applicants who qualify for assistance pursuant to
2subsection (a) of this Section shall, subject to appropriation
3from the General Assembly and subject to availability of funds
4to the Department, receive energy assistance as provided by
5this Act. The Department, upon receipt of monies authorized
6pursuant to this Act for energy assistance, shall commit funds
7for each qualified applicant in an amount determined by the
8Department. In determining the amounts of assistance to be
9provided to or on behalf of a qualified applicant, the
10Department shall ensure that the highest amounts of assistance
11go to households with the greatest energy costs in relation to
12household income. The Department shall include factors such as
13energy costs, household size, household income, and region of
14the State when determining individual household benefits. In
15setting assistance levels, the Department shall attempt to
16provide assistance to approximately the same number of
17households who participated in the 1991 Residential Energy
18Assistance Partnership Program. Such assistance levels shall
19be adjusted annually on the basis of funding availability and
20energy costs. In promulgating rules for the administration of
21this Section the Department shall assure that a minimum of 1/3
22of funds available for benefits to eligible households with the
23lowest incomes and that elderly and disabled households are
24offered a priority application period.
25    (c) If the applicant is not a customer of record of an
26energy provider for energy services or an applicant for such

 

 

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1service, such applicant shall receive a direct energy
2assistance payment in an amount established by the Department
3for all such applicants under this Act; provided, however, that
4such an applicant must have rental expenses for housing greater
5than 30% of household income.
6    (c-1) This subsection shall apply only in cases where: (1)
7the applicant is not a customer of record of an energy provider
8because energy services are provided by the owner of the unit
9as a portion of the rent; (2) the applicant resides in housing
10subsidized or developed with funds provided under the Rental
11Housing Support Program Act or under a similar locally funded
12rent subsidy program, or is the voucher holder who resides in a
13rental unit within the State of Illinois and whose monthly rent
14is subsidized by the tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher
15Program under Section 8 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937; and
16(3) the rental expenses for housing are no more than 30% of
17household income. In such cases, the household may apply for an
18energy assistance payment under this Act and the owner of the
19housing unit shall cooperate with the applicant by providing
20documentation of the energy costs for that unit. Any
21compensation paid to the energy provider who supplied energy
22services to the household shall be paid on behalf of the owner
23of the housing unit providing energy services to the household.
24The Department shall report annually to the General Assembly on
25the number of households receiving energy assistance under this
26subsection and the cost of such assistance. The provisions of

 

 

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1this subsection (c-1), other than this sentence, are
2inoperative after August 31, 2012.
3    (d) If the applicant is a customer of an energy provider,
4such applicant shall receive energy assistance in an amount
5established by the Department for all such applicants under
6this Act, such amount to be paid by the Department to the
7energy provider supplying winter energy service to such
8applicant. Such applicant shall:
9        (i) make all reasonable efforts to apply to any other
10    appropriate source of public energy assistance; and
11        (ii) sign a waiver permitting the Department to receive
12    income information from any public or private agency
13    providing income or energy assistance and from any
14    employer, whether public or private.
15    (e) Any qualified applicant pursuant to this Section may
16receive or have paid on such applicant's behalf an emergency
17assistance payment to enable such applicant to obtain access to
18winter energy services. Any such payments shall be made in
19accordance with regulations of the Department.
20    (f) The Department may, if sufficient funds are available,
21provide additional benefits to certain qualified applicants:
22        (i) for the reduction of past due amounts owed to
23    energy providers; and
24        (ii) to assist the household in responding to
25    excessively high summer temperatures or energy costs.
26    Households containing elderly members, children, a person

 

 

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1    with a disability, or a person with a medical need for
2    conditioned air shall receive priority for receipt of such
3    benefits.
4(Source: P.A. 96-154, eff. 1-1-10; 96-157, eff. 9-1-09;
596-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)
 
6    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
7becoming law.