HB2586 EngrossedLRB098 08124 KTG 38215 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 13 as follows:
 
6    (305 ILCS 20/13)
7    (Section scheduled to be repealed on December 31, 2013)
8    Sec. 13. Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund.
9    (a) The Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund is
10hereby created as a special fund in the State Treasury. The
11Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund is authorized
12to receive moneys from voluntary donations from individuals,
13foundations, corporations, and other sources, moneys received
14pursuant to Section 17, and, by statutory deposit, the moneys
15collected pursuant to this Section. The Fund is also authorized
16to receive voluntary donations from individuals, foundations,
17corporations, and other sources, as well as contributions made
18in accordance with Section 507MM of the Illinois Income Tax
19Act. Subject to appropriation, the Department shall use moneys
20from the Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund for
21payments to electric or gas public utilities, municipal
22electric or gas utilities, and electric cooperatives on behalf
23of their customers who are participants in the program

 

 

HB2586 Engrossed- 2 -LRB098 08124 KTG 38215 b

1authorized by Sections 4 and 18 of this Act, for the provision
2of weatherization services and for administration of the
3Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund. The yearly
4expenditures for weatherization may not exceed 10% of the
5amount collected during the year pursuant to this Section. The
6yearly administrative expenses of the Supplemental Low-Income
7Energy Assistance Fund may not exceed 10% of the amount
8collected during that year pursuant to this Section.
9    (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 16-111 of the
10Public Utilities Act but subject to subsection (k) of this
11Section, each public utility, electric cooperative, as defined
12in Section 3.4 of the Electric Supplier Act, and municipal
13utility, as referenced in Section 3-105 of the Public Utilities
14Act, that is engaged in the delivery of electricity or the
15distribution of natural gas within the State of Illinois shall,
16effective January 1, 1998, assess each of its customer accounts
17a monthly Energy Assistance Charge for the Supplemental
18Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund. The delivering public
19utility, municipal electric or gas utility, or electric or gas
20cooperative for a self-assessing purchaser remains subject to
21the collection of the fee imposed by this Section. The monthly
22charge shall be as follows:
23        (1) $0.48 per month on each account for residential
24    electric service;
25        (2) $0.48 per month on each account for residential gas
26    service;

 

 

HB2586 Engrossed- 3 -LRB098 08124 KTG 38215 b

1        (3) $4.80 per month on each account for non-residential
2    electric service which had less than 10 megawatts of peak
3    demand during the previous calendar year;
4        (4) $4.80 per month on each account for non-residential
5    gas service which had distributed to it less than 4,000,000
6    therms of gas during the previous calendar year;
7        (5) $360 per month on each account for non-residential
8    electric service which had 10 megawatts or greater of peak
9    demand during the previous calendar year; and
10        (6) $360 per month on each account for non-residential
11    gas service which had 4,000,000 or more therms of gas
12    distributed to it during the previous calendar year.
13    The incremental change to such charges imposed by this
14amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly shall not (i) be
15used for any purpose other than to directly assist customers
16and (ii) be applicable to utilities serving less than 100,000
17customers in Illinois on January 1, 2009.
18    In addition, electric and gas utilities have committed, and
19shall contribute, a one-time payment of $22 million to the
20Fund, within 10 days after the effective date of the tariffs
21established pursuant to Sections 16-111.8 and 19-145 of the
22Public Utilities Act to be used for the Department's cost of
23implementing the programs described in Section 18 of this
24amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly, the Arrearage
25Reduction Program described in Section 18, and the programs
26described in Section 8-105 of the Public Utilities Act. If a

 

 

HB2586 Engrossed- 4 -LRB098 08124 KTG 38215 b

1utility elects not to file a rider within 90 days after the
2effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General
3Assembly, then the contribution from such utility shall be made
4no later than February 1, 2010.
5    (c) For purposes of this Section:
6        (1) "residential electric service" means electric
7    utility service for household purposes delivered to a
8    dwelling of 2 or fewer units which is billed under a
9    residential rate, or electric utility service for
10    household purposes delivered to a dwelling unit or units
11    which is billed under a residential rate and is registered
12    by a separate meter for each dwelling unit;
13        (2) "residential gas service" means gas utility
14    service for household purposes distributed to a dwelling of
15    2 or fewer units which is billed under a residential rate,
16    or gas utility service for household purposes distributed
17    to a dwelling unit or units which is billed under a
18    residential rate and is registered by a separate meter for
19    each dwelling unit;
20        (3) "non-residential electric service" means electric
21    utility service which is not residential electric service;
22    and
23        (4) "non-residential gas service" means gas utility
24    service which is not residential gas service.
25    (d) Within 30 days after the effective date of this
26amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly, each public

 

 

HB2586 Engrossed- 5 -LRB098 08124 KTG 38215 b

1utility engaged in the delivery of electricity or the
2distribution of natural gas shall file with the Illinois
3Commerce Commission tariffs incorporating the Energy
4Assistance Charge in other charges stated in such tariffs,
5which shall become effective no later than the beginning of the
6first billing cycle following such filing.
7    (e) The Energy Assistance Charge assessed by electric and
8gas public utilities shall be considered a charge for public
9utility service.
10    (f) By the 20th day of the month following the month in
11which the charges imposed by the Section were collected, each
12public utility, municipal utility, and electric cooperative
13shall remit to the Department of Revenue all moneys received as
14payment of the Energy Assistance Charge on a return prescribed
15and furnished by the Department of Revenue showing such
16information as the Department of Revenue may reasonably
17require; provided, however, that a utility offering an
18Arrearage Reduction Program pursuant to Section 18 of this Act
19shall be entitled to net those amounts necessary to fund and
20recover the costs of such Program as authorized by that Section
21that is no more than the incremental change in such Energy
22Assistance Charge authorized by this amendatory Act of the 96th
23General Assembly. If a customer makes a partial payment, a
24public utility, municipal utility, or electric cooperative may
25elect either: (i) to apply such partial payments first to
26amounts owed to the utility or cooperative for its services and

 

 

HB2586 Engrossed- 6 -LRB098 08124 KTG 38215 b

1then to payment for the Energy Assistance Charge or (ii) to
2apply such partial payments on a pro-rata basis between amounts
3owed to the utility or cooperative for its services and to
4payment for the Energy Assistance Charge.
5    (g) The Department of Revenue shall deposit into the
6Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund all moneys
7remitted to it in accordance with subsection (f) of this
8Section; provided, however, that the amounts remitted by each
9utility shall be used to provide assistance to that utility's
10customers. The utilities shall coordinate with the Department
11to establish an equitable and practical methodology for
12implementing this subsection (g) beginning with the 2010
13program year.
14    (h) On or before December 31, 2002, the Department shall
15prepare a report for the General Assembly on the expenditure of
16funds appropriated from the Low-Income Energy Assistance Block
17Grant Fund for the program authorized under Section 4 of this
18Act.
19    (i) The Department of Revenue may establish such rules as
20it deems necessary to implement this Section.
21    (j) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may
22establish such rules as it deems necessary to implement this
23Section.
24    (k) The charges imposed by this Section shall only apply to
25customers of municipal electric or gas utilities and electric
26or gas cooperatives if the municipal electric or gas utility or

 

 

HB2586 Engrossed- 7 -LRB098 08124 KTG 38215 b

1electric or gas cooperative makes an affirmative decision to
2impose the charge. If a municipal electric or gas utility or an
3electric cooperative makes an affirmative decision to impose
4the charge provided by this Section, the municipal electric or
5gas utility or electric cooperative shall inform the Department
6of Revenue in writing of such decision when it begins to impose
7the charge. If a municipal electric or gas utility or electric
8or gas cooperative does not assess this charge, the Department
9may not use funds from the Supplemental Low-Income Energy
10Assistance Fund to provide benefits to its customers under the
11program authorized by Section 4 of this Act.
12    In its use of federal funds under this Act, the Department
13may not cause a disproportionate share of those federal funds
14to benefit customers of systems which do not assess the charge
15provided by this Section.
16    This Section is repealed effective December 31, 2018 2013
17unless renewed by action of the General Assembly. The General
18Assembly shall consider the results of the evaluations
19described in Section 8 in its deliberations.
20(Source: P.A. 95-48, eff. 8-10-07; 95-331, eff. 8-21-07; 96-33,
21eff. 7-10-09; 96-154, eff. 1-1-10; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)
 
22    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
23becoming law.