Not long before adjournment for the remainder of 2011, the Legislature was able to reach an agreement on Legislation designed to assist those in need of help paying their home heating bills this winter. Senate Bills 364 and 864, containing the compromise, were passed by the House shortly following the announcement of the agreement. The Senate then concurred in the House changes without discussion, placing the bills on the road to the Governor’s desk.
Earlier this year, the Court of Appeals found that the Public Service Commission no longer had the authority to manage the problem, ruling that 2009 action by the Legislature indicated a desire for the Low-Income and Energy Efficient Fund to continue.
The compromise calls for the return of the roughly $48 million previously collected from customers and to continue the surcharge customers have been paying for another nine months to restore the $48 million. This will be combined with a $10 million general fund appropriation to equal the $58 million that was appropriated last year.