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A04876 Summary:

BILL NOA04876
 
SAME ASSAME AS S04548
 
SPONSORSolages
 
COSPNSRSimon, Pheffer Amato, Thiele, Hevesi, Darling, Stern, Anderson, Shimsky, Mamdani, Reyes, Stirpe, Kelles, Lunsford, Wallace, Shrestha, Bores, Raga, De Los Santos, Meeks, Sillitti, Colton, Lupardo
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Add 131-ss, Soc Serv L
 
Provides for the automated identification of affordability program participants to enable such participants to be automatically entered into utility corporation energy affordability programs.
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A04876 Actions:

BILL NOA04876
 
02/24/2023referred to social services
05/23/2023reported referred to ways and means
06/08/2023reported referred to rules
06/08/2023reported
06/08/2023rules report cal.695
06/08/2023substituted by s4548
 S04548 AMEND= PARKER
 02/10/2023REFERRED TO SOCIAL SERVICES
 06/08/2023COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES
 06/08/2023ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.1742
 06/08/2023PASSED SENATE
 06/08/2023DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
 06/08/2023referred to ways and means
 06/08/2023substituted for a4876
 06/08/2023ordered to third reading rules cal.695
 06/08/2023passed assembly
 06/08/2023returned to senate
 12/12/2023DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR
 12/22/2023SIGNED CHAP.764
 12/22/2023APPROVAL MEMO.85
 02/10/2023REFERRED TO SOCIAL SERVICES
 06/08/2023COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES
 06/08/2023ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.1742
 06/08/2023PASSED SENATE
 06/08/2023DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
 06/08/2023referred to ways and means
 06/08/2023substituted for a4876
 06/08/2023ordered to third reading rules cal.695
 06/08/2023passed assembly
 06/08/2023returned to senate
 12/12/2023DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR
 12/22/2023SIGNED CHAP.764
 12/22/2023APPROVAL MEMO.85
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A04876 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A4876
 
SPONSOR: Solages
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the social services law, in relation to providing for the automated identification of affordability program participants   PURPOSE: For the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) to coordi- nate with utility companies on automated file matching to identify eligible affordability program participants.   SUMMARY: Section 1. Amends the social services law by adding a new section 131-ss. Section 2. Sets the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: New York's utilities offer Energy Affordability Programs (EAPs) that follow guidance from the New York Public Service Commission which requires utilities to set low-income program discount levels that keep customer energy burden at or below a target goal of 6% of household income. EAPs offer customers a monthly bill credit using a tiered discount structure that considers whether the customer is a heating or a non-heating customer. Utility customers who receive Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) grants paid to the utility on the customer's behalf are automatically enrolled in the utility corporation's Energy Affordability Programs (EAP). However, not all low-income customers receive HEAP even if they qualify to receive it. The New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) conducts a file matching process to capture customers who partic- ipate in other qualifying programs, including: *Public Assistance *Supplemental Security Income *Medicaid *Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) *Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program *Veterans' Disability Program *Veterans' Surviving Spouse Pension *Child Health Plus The inclusion of these programs and the corresponding file-matching process dramatically increases participation in EAP programs. Outside of New York City, customers are largely responsible for self-identifying for being eligible for the program - limiting the number of those who benefit. An automated process is also more efficient and less costly to administer than identifying customers on a case-by-case manner. Making file matching a statewide practice is a more efficient utilization of state and utility resources. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating financial impact on New Yorkers, especially those who were already struggling to make ends meet. AARP recently estimated that 1.2 million New York households are in energy utility arrears, totaling more than $1.7 billion  1. It is essen- tial that utility customers throughout the state are connected to any and all assistance programs for which they are eligible. This legis- lation would require OTDA to coordinate with utilities to automate that process in a manner similar to the HRA process in New York City. This will help ensure that more low-income New Yorkers are receiving the assistance to which they are entitled.   RACIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: People of color and low-income New Yorkers are disproportionately impacted by rising utility costs. Specifically, redlining and housing discrimination has resulted in Black and Latino households paying more in utilities than their White counterparts. Several studies have shown that low-quality housing stock due to racial segregation is a major driving factor of this disparity  2. This bill will create a program to automatically match New Yorkers who receive certain public benefits with Energy Affordability Programs.   GENDER JUSTICE IMPACT: TBD.   LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2022: A9099; passed in the Assembly.   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: TBD.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.   1 AARP. "AARP and PULP: Governor Hochul Must Address Utility Arrears Crisis in Budget Amendment."   HTTPS://STATES.AARP.ORG/NEW-VORK/ AARO-PULB-HOCHUL-MUST-ADDRESS-UTILITY-ARREARS-CRISIS.   2 Constantine Kontokosta, Vincent Reina, Bartozs Bonczak, "Energy Cost Burdens for Low-Income and Minority Households: Evidence From Energy Benchmarking and Audit Data in Five U.S. Cities," Journal of the Ameri- can Planning Association 86 no. 1, (Sept. 2019): 89-105,   HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1080/01944363.2019.1647446; Brentin Mock, "Neigh- borhoods With More People of Color Pay Higher Energy Bills," Bloomberg, November 25, 2019,   HTTPS ://WWW,BLOOMBERG.COM/NEWS/ARTICLES/2019-11-25/ WHY-WHITE-HOUSEHOLDS-PAY- LESS-FOR-UTI1ITIES.ct.
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