§ 209c. Electricity affordability program

(a) The Public Utility Commission shall design a proposed electricity affordability program in the form of draft legislation. The program shall be developed with the aid of an electricity affordability program collaborative. The collaborative, composed of representatives from the electric utilities, residential customers, consumer representatives, low-income program representatives, representatives from programs for elders, the Department of Public Service, the Agency of Human Services, and other stakeholders identified by the Commission, shall aid in the development of an electricity affordability program, as well as requirements for the implementation and funding of the program. The proposed electricity affordability program will be presented to the Vermont General Assembly in the form of draft legislation for consideration in January 2007.

(b) The proposed electricity affordability program shall provide assistance in the payment of electricity bills for eligible low-income residential customers served by electric companies subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission.

(c) In developing the electricity affordability program, the Commission shall review the successes and administrative burdens of similar programs in operation in other states and consider the following goals, which shall be afforded equal weight in formulating the program:

(1) the need to provide payment assistance to low-income customers at and below 150 percent of the federal poverty level;

(2) the need for automatic screening and enrollment methods of eligible customers by means of information obtained from existing means-tested financial assistance programs administered by other Vermont agencies such as food stamps, Medicaid, LIHEAP, or TANF; and

(3) the need to design a program that is funded by all customer classes in an equitable and reasonable manner and that results in the reimbursement of net incremental costs incurred by electric utilities to implement the program, taking into consideration the benefits as well as the costs. (Added 2005, No. 208 (Adj. Sess.), § 10a; amended 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 191.)