NY State Senate Bill 2025-S1530

Senate Bill S1530

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Authorizes the department of public service to develop a temporary middle income home energy assistance program; appropriation

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 10, 2025	referred to finance

co-Sponsors

2025-S1530 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Appropriations
Laws Affected:: Add §28, Pub Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: S2457
2011-2012: S1064
2013-2014: S1614
2015-2016: S2529
2017-2018: S2357
2019-2020: S4179
2021-2022: S3322
2023-2024: S2588

2025-S1530 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Authorizes the department of public service to develop, implement, administer and operate a temporary middle income home energy assistance program; makes an appropriation therefor.

2025-S1530 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S1530

SPONSOR: PARKER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public service law, in relation to authorizing the
department of public service to develop a temporary middle income home
energy assistance program; making an appropriation therefor and provid-
ing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof

 
PURPOSE:

To establish a program which will provide home heating fuel assistance
to middle-income families who would otherwise not qualify under the
State/Federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one of the legislation establishes, within the Department of
Public Service, the Temporary Middle Income Home Energy Assistance
Program.

Section two appropriates $1,000,000 for the purpose of enacting this
temporary program of assistance to middle-income New Yorkers.

Section three enacts the legislation immediately and sunsets the program
on April 1, 2025.

 
EXISTING LAW:

This is a new program. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program,
after which this program is modeled, is established in Social Services
Law § 97. LIHEAP is administered by the Office of Temporary and Disabil-
ity Assistance, is federally-funded, and has income eligibility criteri-
a.(See, http://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap)

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Although natural gas prices have stabilized, the cost of heating oil,
wood pellets and propane have not remained stable. With the onset of
colder weather, it is anticipated home heating costs may approach or
exceed the record costs seen in the winter of 2010-2011. When coupled
with the continuing slow recovery of New York's employment, stagnation
of wages and erosion of middle-class savings during the "Great
Recession," it is a clear that there may be widespread inability of New
Yorkers to pay their heating bills. At the same time, funding for low
income heating assistance is falling. Over the last two years, heating
assistance funding has been cut to $3.5 billion from $5.1 billion in
2010. Finally, the number of households receiving assistance fell by 1.1
million over that period. Averting a catastrophe is imperative. And by
providing a State-funded Middle Income Home Energy Assistance program we
are delivering immediate help on an emergency basis to middle-income
families.

The program will be funded through proceeds from carbon permits
auctioned as part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023/24:S2588A- REFERRED TO FINANCE

2020/21:S3322 - REFERRED TO FINANCE

2019/20:S4179 - REFERRED TO FINANCE

2017/18:S.2357 - Referred to Energy & Telecommunications

2015-16:S.2529A - Referred to Energy & Telecommunications

2013-14:5.16148-Referred to Energy & Telecommunications

2011-12:S.1064-A- Referred to Energy & Telecommunications

2009-2010: S.2457 - Referred to Energy & Telecommunications

2008-2009: S.8757-A- Referred to Rules

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

This bill is estimated to cost $1 million in State revenue.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed
repealed April 1, 2025.

2025-S1530 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1530
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  PARKER, BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
 
 AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to  authorizing  the
   department of public service to develop a temporary middle income home
   energy  assistance  program;  making  an  appropriation  therefor  and
   providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The public service law is amended by adding a new section
 28 to read as follows:
   § 28. TEMPORARY MIDDLE INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 1.   THE
 DEPARTMENT IS AUTHORIZED TO DEVELOP, IMPLEMENT, ADMINISTER AND OPERATE A
 PLAN, AND HOLD FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR SUCH PLAN, TO MAKE AVAILABLE ONE-TIME
 SUPPLEMENTING GRANTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSISTING ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS TO
 OBTAIN HOME HEATING FUEL.
   2.  FOR  PURPOSES  OF THIS SECTION, THE TERM "HOME HEATING FUEL" SHALL
 MEAN FUEL OIL, COAL, WOOD, PROPANE,  NATURAL  GAS,  ELECTRICITY,  STEAM,
 KEROSENE AND ANY OTHER FUEL WHEN USED FOR RESIDENTIAL HEATING PURPOSES.
   3. THE DEPARTMENT IS REQUIRED, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PLAN ESTABLISHED
 IN  SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF  THIS  SECTION, TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TEMPORARY
 MIDDLE INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE  PROGRAM  AND  TO  ASSIST  ELIGIBLE
 HOUSEHOLDS TO OBTAIN MIDDLE INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE.
   4.  PERSONS  WHO  QUALIFY  FOR MIDDLE INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE IN
 ACCORDANCE WITH STANDARDS PROMULGATED BY THE DEPARTMENT, SHALL BE CERTI-
 FIED AS ELIGIBLE FOR AND ENTITLED TO RECEIVE SUCH  HOME  ENERGY  ASSIST-
 ANCE.  NO  PERSON, HOWEVER, SHALL BE CERTIFIED AS ELIGIBLE FOR AND ENTI-
 TLED TO RECEIVE SUCH HOME  ENERGY  ASSISTANCE  IF  NO  STATE  FUNDS  ARE
 AVAILABLE FOR SUCH PURPOSE.
   5.  NOTWITHSTANDING ANY INCONSISTENT PROVISION OF LAW TO THE CONTRARY,
 THE AMOUNT OF ANY HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS OR ALLOWANCES PROVIDED
 TO AN ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLD UNDER SUCH PLAN SHALL NOT BE CONSIDERED  INCOME
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04533-01-5

 S. 1530                             2
 
 OR  RESOURCES  OF  SUCH  HOUSEHOLDS,  OR  OF ANY MEMBER THEREOF, FOR ANY
 PURPOSE UNDER ANY STATE LAW.
   §  2.  The sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000), or so much thereof
 as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the department of  public
 service  out  of any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to
 the credit of the state purposes fund, not otherwise  appropriated,  and
 made  immediately available, for the purpose of supporting the temporary
 middle income home energy assistance program.    Such  moneys  shall  be
 payable  on  the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers certi-
 fied or approved by the department  of  public  service  in  the  manner
 prescribed by law.
   §  3.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
 deemed repealed April 1, 2027.

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Senate Bill S1530

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Sponsored By

Kevin S. Parker