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1 Electric Rate Reduction Financing and Commission Action; Declaration of Purpose and Findings. Amend RSA 369-B:1, XIII to read as follows:
XIII. The commission should design low income programs in a manner that targets assistance and has high operating efficiency, so as to maximize the benefits that go to the intended beneficiaries of the low income program .
2 New Paragraph; Electric Rate Reduction Financing and Commission Action; Definitions. Amend RSA 369-B:2 by inserting after paragraph III the following new paragraph:
III-a. "Department" means the department of energy.
3 Electric Utility Restructuring; Implementation. Amend RSA 374-F:4, VIII(c) to read as follows:
(c) The portion of the system benefits charge due to programs for low-income customers shall not exceed 1.5 mills per kilowatt hour. If the commission determines that the low-income program fund has accumulated an excess of $1,000,000 and that the excess is not likely to be substantially reduced over the next 12 months, it shall suspend collection of some or all of this portion of the system benefits charge for a period of time it deems reasonable . The commission shall take no action to determine the accumulation of any excess in the low-income program fund or otherwise suspend the collection of some or all of the system benefits charge related to the low-income program fund before June 30, 2024.
4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
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1 Electric Rate Reduction Financing and Commission Action; Declaration of Purpose and Findings. Amend RSA 369-B:1, XIII to read as follows:
XIII. The commission and the department shall design low-income programs in a manner that targets assistance and has high operating efficiency, so as to maximize the benefits that go to the intended beneficiaries of the low-income programs .
2 New Paragraph; Electric Rate Reduction Financing and Commission Action; Definitions. Amend RSA 369-B:2 by inserting after paragraph III the following new paragraph:
III-a. "Department" means the department of energy.
3 Electric Utility Restructuring; Implementation. Amend RSA 374-F:4, VIII(c) to read as follows:
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the system benefits charge shall include 1.5 mills per kilowatt-hour to fund an electricity assistance program for low-income customers. The department of energy shall be the agency with authority over any such program. The department of energy shall be the agency with authority over any such program. The department of energy may, using a non-adjudicative hearing process, order among other things, eligibility tiers, benefit levels, administrative budgets, expenditures, and modification of any such program. Authority over the low-income assistance program funded through the system benefits charge and implemented by the public utilities commission prior to July 1, 2025, along with the commission orders creating and implementing that program, are transferred to the department of energy to be administered in conformity with this paragraph. If the department of energy determines that the low-income program fund has accumulated an excess of $1,000,000 and that the excess is not likely to be substantially reduced over the next 12 months, it may, using a non-adjudicative procedures, suspend by order the collection of some or all of this portion of the system benefits charge for a period of time it deems reasonable to reduce the program fund to the level necessary to achieve the programs ' purposes . Actions taken using a non-adjudicative hearing process shall be by written decision of the department, in which the department shall state its reasons for the actions taken.
4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.