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91_HB0050sam001
LRB9100312JStmam
1 AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 50
2 AMENDMENT NO. . Amend House Bill 50 by replacing the
3 title with the following:
4 "An Act to amend the Energy Assistance Act of 1989 by
5 changing Section 6."; and
6 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
7 following:
8 "Section 5. The Energy Assistance Act of 1989 is amended
9 by changing Section 6 as follows:
10 (305 ILCS 20/6) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 1406)
11 Sec. 6. Eligibility, Conditions of Participation, and
12 Energy Assistance.
13 (a) Any person who is a resident of the State of
14 Illinois and whose household income is not greater than an
15 amount determined annually by the Department, in consultation
16 with the Policy Advisory Council, 125% of the federal nonfarm
17 poverty level as established by the federal Office of
18 Management and Budget may apply for assistance pursuant to
19 this Act in accordance with regulations promulgated by the
20 Department. In setting the annual eligibility level, the
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1 Department shall consider the amount of available funding and
2 may not set a limit higher than 150% of the federal nonfarm
3 poverty level as established by the federal Office of
4 Management and Budget.
5 (b) Applicants who qualify for assistance pursuant to
6 subsection (a) of this Section shall, subject to
7 appropriation from the General Assembly and subject to
8 availability of funds to the Department, receive energy
9 assistance as provided by this Act. The Department, upon
10 receipt of monies authorized pursuant to this Act for energy
11 assistance, shall commit funds for each qualified applicant
12 in an amount determined by the Department. In determining
13 the amounts of assistance to be provided to or on behalf of a
14 qualified applicant, the Department shall ensure that the
15 highest amounts of assistance go to households with the
16 greatest energy costs in relation to household income. The
17 Department shall include factors such as energy costs,
18 household size, household income, and region of the State
19 when determining individual household benefits. In setting
20 assistance levels, the Department shall attempt to provide
21 assistance to approximately the same number of households who
22 participated in the 1991 Residential Energy Assistance
23 Partnership Program. Such assistance levels shall be
24 adjusted annually on the basis of funding availability. In
25 promulgating rules for the administration of this Section the
26 Department shall assure that a minimum of 1/3 of funds
27 available for benefits to eligible households are made
28 available to households who are eligible for public
29 assistance and that elderly and disabled households are
30 offered a one-month application period.
31 (c) If the applicant is not a customer of an energy
32 provider for winter energy services or an applicant for such
33 service, such applicant shall receive a direct energy
34 assistance payment in an amount established by the Department
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1 for all such applicants under this Act; provided, however,
2 that such an applicant must have rental expenses for housing
3 greater than 30% of household income.
4 (d) If the applicant is a customer of an energy
5 provider, such applicant shall receive energy assistance in
6 an amount established by the Department for all such
7 applicants under this Act, such amount to be paid by the
8 Department to the energy provider supplying winter energy
9 service to such applicant. Such applicant shall:
10 (i) make all reasonable efforts to apply to any
11 other appropriate source of public energy assistance; and
12 (ii) sign a waiver permitting the Department to
13 receive income information from any public or private
14 agency providing income or energy assistance and from any
15 employer, whether public or private.
16 (e) Any qualified applicant pursuant to this Section may
17 receive or have paid on such applicant's behalf an emergency
18 assistance payment to enable such applicant to obtain access
19 to winter energy services. Any such payments shall be made
20 in accordance with regulations of the Department.
21 (Source: P.A. 87-14; 88-391.)
22 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
23 becoming law.".