Sec. 16a-41h. Energy assistance program funded through electric distribution company, gas company and municipal utility customer donations.
Sec. 16a-41h. Energy assistance program funded through electric distribution
company, gas company and municipal utility customer donations. (a)(1) Each electric distribution company, gas company and municipal utility furnishing electric or gas
service, shall include in its monthly bills a request to each customer to add a donation
in an amount designated by the customer to the bill payment. Such company shall provide
to all of its customers the opportunity to donate one dollar, two dollars, three dollars or
another amount on each bill provided to a customer either through the mail or electronically. Such designation shall be made available and included where customers are either
electronically billed or bill payment is handled electronically. The opportunity to donate
one dollar, two dollars, three dollars or another amount shall be included on the bill in
such a way that facilitates such donations.
(2) Operation Fuel, Incorporated, shall provide fundraising inserts and remittance
envelopes to retail dealers of fuel oil that volunteer to include the inserts and envelopes
in their customers' bills for one or more billing cycles each year. Such retail dealers of
fuel oil shall inform Operation Fuel, Incorporated, as to the number of inserts and envelopes needed to conduct such a mailing.
(3) Each electric, gas or fuel oil company shall transmit all such donations received
each month, as well as their own contributions, if any, to Operation Fuel, Incorporated,
a state-wide nonprofit organization designed to respond to people within the state who
are in financial crisis and need emergency energy assistance. Operation Fuel, Incorporated shall distribute donations to nonprofit social services agencies and private fuel
banks in accordance with guidelines established by the board of directors of Operation
Fuel, Incorporated, provided such funds shall be distributed on a priority basis to low-income elderly and working poor households that are not eligible for public assistance
or state-administered general assistance but are faced with a financial crisis and are
unable to make timely payments on winter fuel, electricity or gas bills. Such companies
shall coordinate their promotions of this program, holding promotions during the same
month and using similar formats.
(b) If Operation Fuel, Inc. ceases to exist, such electric and gas companies shall
jointly establish a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation for the purpose of holding in trust
and distributing such customer donations. The board of directors of such corporation
shall consist of eleven members appointed as follows: Four by the companies, each of
which shall appoint one member; one by the president pro tempore of the Senate; one
by the minority leader of the Senate; one by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
one by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; and three by the Governor.
The board shall distribute such funds to nonprofit organizations and social service agencies which provide emergency energy or fuel assistance. The board shall target available
funding on a priority basis to low-income elderly and working poor households which
are not eligible for public assistance or state-administered general assistance but are
faced with a financial crisis and are unable to make timely payments on winter fuel,
electricity or gas bills.
(c) Not later than the first of September annually, Operation Fuel, Inc. shall submit
to the General Assembly a report on the implementation of this section. Such report
shall include, (1) a summary of the effectiveness of the program, (2) the total amount
of the donations received by electric and gas companies and transmitted to Operation
Fuel, Inc. under subsection (b) of this section, and (3) an accounting of the distribution
of such funds by Operation Fuel, Inc. indicating the organizations and agencies receiving
funds, the amounts received and distributed by each such organization and agency and
the number of households each assisted. On and after October 1, 1996, the report shall
be submitted to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance
of matters relating to energy and, upon request, to any member of the General Assembly.
A summary of the report shall be submitted to each member of the General Assembly
if the summary is two pages or less and a notification of the report shall be submitted
to each member if the summary is more than two pages. Submission shall be by mailing
the report, summary or notification to the legislative address of each member of the
committee or the General Assembly, as applicable.
(P.A. 83-505, S. 2, 3; P.A. 88-220, S. 7, 11; P.A. 89-291, S. 6; P.A. 96-251, S. 8; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 17,
165; P.A. 04-76, S. 4; P.A. 05-288, S. 67; P.A. 07-242, S. 82.)
History: P.A. 88-220 amended Subsec. (c) to make the reporting requirement annual; P.A. 89-291 in Subsecs. (a) and
(d) changed name of corporation and in Subsecs. (a) and (b) made technical changes in definition of those eligible for
assistance; P.A. 96-251 amended Subsec. (d) by requiring that on and after October 1, 1996, reports be submitted to the
legislative committee on energy and upon request to legislators and by adding provisions re submission of summaries;
June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 made technical changes, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 04-76 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) by
replacing references to "general assistance" with references to "state-administered general assistance"; P.A. 05-288 made
a technical change in Subsecs. (a) and (b), effective July 13, 2005; P.A. 07-242 divided existing provisions of Subsec. (a)
into Subdivs. (1) and (3), amended Subsec. (a)(1) to change electric company to electric distribution company, include
municipal utilities, change amount of donation from $1.00 to amount designated by customer, specify that company shall
provide the opportunity to donate $1.00, $2.00, $3.00 or another amount, and specify that company shall allow donations
to be made with bill payment through the mail or electronically, added Subsec. (a)(2) re fundraising inserts and remittance
envelopes and amended Subsec. (a)(3) to specify that companies and municipal utilities may add own contributions to
donations transmitted monthly, make technical changes, and require companies to coordinate promotions of program,
effective June 4, 2007.