Public Act 93-0285

SB1066 Enrolled                      LRB093 08059 DRJ 08260 b

    AN ACT in relation to energy.

    Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:

    Section  1.  Short  title.  This  Act may be cited as the
Good Samaritan Energy Plan Act.

    Section 5.  Definitions. In this Act:
    "Department"  means  the  Department  of   Commerce   and
Economic Opportunity.
    "LIHEAP"  means the energy assistance program established
under the Energy Assistance Act of 1989.

    Section 10.  Legislative findings. The  General  Assembly
finds  that  high  electric  and  gas  bill  arrearages are a
serious problem for low-income utility consumers in Illinois,
often impeding access to service. The General  Assembly  also
finds  that  the  inability  to  have electric or gas service
connected due to high arrearages is a threat  to  the  health
and  safety  of  many  low-income households in Illinois. The
General Assembly further finds that  eligibility  for  LIHEAP
does   not  alleviate  the  burden  of  high  arrearages  for
low-income utility consumers and is not enough to enable many
households to have electric or gas service connected.

    Section 15. Good Samaritan Energy Trust  Fund.  The  Good
Samaritan  Energy  Trust Fund is created as a special fund in
the State treasury. The Department shall administer the Fund.
The  Department  shall  deposit  moneys  received  from   the
following sources into the Fund:
         (1)  Voluntary     donations    from    individuals,
    foundations, corporations, and other sources.
         (2)  Proceeds from fundraising events held  for  the
    purpose of generating moneys for the Fund.

    Section  20.  Solicitation  of contributions to Fund. The
Department  may  insert  a  fundraising   letter   requesting
voluntary  contributions to the Fund in utility bills 2 times
each year to solicit contributions to the  Fund.  All  public
utilities  doing  business  in  the  State shall cooperate in
allowing the Department to  insert  fundraising  solicitation
letters in their utility bills.  The solicitation letter from
the  Department must be sized so as to fit into the utility's
standard bill envelope, and must  be  of  sufficiently  light
weight so as not to cause any increase in postage cost to the
utility.

    Section 25.  Administration of Fund. The Department shall
administer  the  Good  Samaritan  Energy  Trust Fund with the
advice and consent of the Low Income Energy Assistance Policy
Advisory Council established under the Energy Assistance  Act
of  1989.  Donations  received  for  the  Fund  shall be made
available  for  the  purpose  of  alleviating  utility   bill
arrearages  for  households  determined  eligible for LIHEAP,
except that the Department may use up to 10%  of  the  moneys
donated  for  the Fund for the expenses of the Department and
the local area agency incurred  in  administering  the  Fund.
Resources  from  the  Fund  shall  be  awarded  to local area
agencies that have existing contracts with the Department  to
administer LIHEAP in Illinois.

    Section  30.  Distribution  of moneys from Fund.  Subject
to  appropriations  made  by  the   General   Assembly,   the
Department  may  spend  moneys from the Good Samaritan Energy
Trust Fund for the purpose of providing assistance authorized
under Section 25. The Department, with the advice and consent
of the Low Income Energy Assistance Policy Advisory  Council,
shall  establish  priorities  for  the distribution of moneys
from the Good  Samaritan  Energy  Trust  Fund  to  low-income
consumers  to  enable  them  to  pay  gas  or  electric  bill
arrearages in order to have household gas or electric utility
service  connected.  Low-income  consumers  who are unable to
have their service connected even with a LIHEAP  grant  shall
be given preference.  The Department shall ensure that moneys
donated   for   the   Fund   (other   than  moneys  used  for
administrative expenses as  authorized  in  Section  25)  are
distributed  to low-income consumers who reside in the county
from which those moneys were received.

    Section 35.  Annual report. On or before May 31  of  each
year,  beginning  in  2005,  the  Department shall provide an
annual  report  to  the  General  Assembly  on  the  use  and
effectiveness of the Good Samaritan Energy  Trust  Fund.  The
report  shall  include the amount of money deposited into the
Fund, the amount of money  allocated  by  the  Fund  for  the
direct   benefit  of  low-income  consumers,  the  number  of
low-income households served by  the  Fund,  by  county,  and
recommendations for improving the operation and effectiveness
of the Fund.

    Section  90.  The  State Finance Act is amended by adding
Section 5.595 as follows:

    (30 ILCS 105/5.595 new)
    Sec. 5.595.  The Good Samaritan Energy Trust Fund.

    Section 99.  Effective date. This Act takes  effect  upon
becoming law.