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90_SB1265
305 ILCS 20/14
Amends the Energy Assistance Act of 1989. Provides that
the Energy Assistance Program Design Group shall have 13
members.
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1 AN ACT to amend the Energy Assistance Act of 1989 by
2 changing Section 14.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The Energy Assistance Act of 1989 is amended
6 by changing Section 14 as follows:
7 (305 ILCS 20/14)
8 Sec. 14. Energy Assistance Program Design Group.
9 (a) This Section establishes an Energy Assistance
10 Program Design Group to advise the General Assembly with
11 respect to designing a low-income energy assistance program
12 for the period beginning on January 1, 2003.
13 (b) As promptly as practicable following the enactment
14 of this amendatory Act of 1997, the General Assembly, or a
15 Joint Committee thereof, shall establish an Energy Assistance
16 Program Design Group. The Energy Assistance Program Design
17 Group shall be composed of 13 members. The Energy Assistance
18 Program Design Group shall be chaired by the Director of the
19 Department of Commerce and Community Affairs and shall
20 include one representative of each of the following: (i) the
21 Illinois Commerce Commission; (ii) the Department of Natural
22 Resources; (iii) electric public utilities; (iv) gas public
23 utilities; (v) combination gas and electric public utilities;
24 (vi) municipal utilities and electric cooperatives; (vii)
25 electricity and natural gas marketers; (viii) low-income
26 energy customers; (ix) local agencies engaged by the
27 Department of Commerce and Community Affairs to assist in the
28 administration of the Energy Assistance Act of 1989; (x)
29 residential energy customers; (xi) commercial energy
30 customers; and (xii) industrial energy customers.
31 (c) Within 3 months of its establishment, the Energy
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1 Assistance Program Design Group shall meet to begin
2 consideration of the design and implementation of an energy
3 assistance program in Illinois for the period beginning on
4 January 1, 2003. Within 12 months of its establishment, the
5 Program Design Group shall hold public hearings to assist its
6 deliberations.
7 (d) The Program Design Group shall provide a report
8 containing its recommendations to the General Assembly on or
9 before January 1, 2002. This report must include the
10 following:
11 (1) recommendations on the definition of an
12 eligible low-income residential customer;
13 (2) recommendations regarding the continuation of
14 the program authorized by Section 4 of this Act and the
15 Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund;
16 (3) recommendations on ensuring low-income
17 residential customers have access to essential energy
18 services;
19 (4) recommendations on addressing past due amounts
20 owed to utilities by low-income persons in Illinois;
21 (5) demographic and other information (including
22 household consumption information) necessary to determine
23 the total number of customers eligible for assistance,
24 the total number of customers likely to apply for
25 assistance, and funding estimates for any recommended
26 program;
27 (6) recommendations on appropriate measures to
28 encourage energy conservation, efficiency, and
29 responsibility among low-income residential customers;
30 (7) any recommended changes to existing
31 legislation; and
32 (8) an estimate of the cost of implementing the
33 Program Design Group's recommendations.
34 (e) The recommendations adopted by the Program Design
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1 Group shall be competitively neutral in their impact on
2 providers in the energy market and shall spread program costs
3 across the broadest possible base.
4 (f) The Department of Commerce and Community Affairs
5 shall hold public hearings on the recommendations of the
6 Energy Assistance Program Design Group during calendar year
7 2002.
8 (Source: P.A. 90-561, eff. 12-16-97.)
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