Sec. 16a-41h. Energy assistance program funded through electric distribution company, gas company and municipal utility customer donations. - Connecticut Statutes

      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.