Expands Lifeline Credit and Tenants' Lifeline Assistance Programs to include assistance for water utility bill.

A1976

ASSEMBLY, No. 1976

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Expands Lifeline Credit and Tenants' Lifeline
Assistance Programs to include assistance for water utility bill.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

concerning utility assistance and amending
P.L.1979, c.197 and P.L.1981, c.210.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 2 of P.L.1979,
c.197 (C.48:2-29.16) is amended to read as follows:

���� 2.��� Any residential electric

[
or
]
,
gas
,
or water
customer who on July 1 of any year or at any time during the
succeeding six months is:� a. enrolled in, found eligible for, or, except for
the provisions of section 4 of P.L.1975, c.194 (C.30:4D-23), would be eligible
for benefits under the program of "Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged
and Disabled," established pursuant to P.L.1975, c.194 (C.30:4D-20 et
seq.), as amended and supplemented;
[
or
]
b. receiving
or is eligible to receive benefits under the program of Supplemental Security
Income (P.L.1973, c.256, C.44:7-85 et seq.); or ���������� c. receiving
disability benefits pursuant to the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
s.416(i)) and meets the income and residency requirements of the
"Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled" program, shall
be eligible for the "Lifeline Credit Program" established by
[
this act
]

P.L.1979,
c.197 (C.48:2-29.15 et seq.)
.

���� The Commissioner of
[
the Department
of
]

Human Services shall establish a schedule of eligible customers who meet
[
such
]

these

qualifications.

(cf: P.L.1985, c.291, s.3)

���� 2.��� Section 3 of P.L.1979,
c.197 (C.48:2-29.17) is amended to read as follows:

���� 3.��� The "Lifeline
Credit Program" shall consist of an annual credit against the electric
[
or
]
,
gas
,
or water
utility bill of each eligible residential electric
[
or
]
,
gas
,
or water
customer at his principal residence.�
[
Such
]

The
credit shall be
applied to the electric
[
or
]
,
gas
,
or water
utility bills of
[
such
]

the
customer
as soon as may be practicable, but in no case later than the bills issued in
October of each year or as soon thereafter as eligibility is determined, and
shall be applied to each subsequent utility bill after the first until the full
amount of the credit is exhausted.� No household shall receive more than one
annual credit.

����
One-third of the total
annual credit shall each be applied to the gas, electric, and water utility
bills of the customer.
� In the event that electric and gas are provided to
the same customer by the same utility,
two-thirds of
the total annual
credit shall be applied to the combined bills from such utility.�
[
In the event
that electric and gas are provided to the same customer by two separate
utilities, half of the total annual credit shall be applied to the bills from
each such utility.
]
�
The annual credit shall be
[
$200.00
]

$200
.�
Subject to the availability of appropriations, the level of credit shall be
increased to
[
$225.00
]

$225

beginning in October, 1984.

(cf: P.L.1983, c.251, s.1)

���� 3.��� Section 4 of P.L.1979,
c.197 (C.48:2-29.18) is amended to read as follows:

���� 4.��� Upon certification by
the Commissioner of
[
the
Department of
]

Human Services, the State Treasurer shall pay to each electric
[
and
]
,
gas
,
and water
utility the amount of the credit provided for each eligible
residential customer served by
[
such
]

the

utility.� The payments shall be made pursuant to a schedule approved by the
Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting and payments made for unused
credit shall be returned to the Casino Revenue Fund pursuant to a plan approved
by
[
him
]

the
director
.� For eligible residential customers receiving benefits pursuant
to the program of Supplementary Security Income under P.L.1973, c.256 (C.
44:7-85 et� seq.), the credit shall consist of a special State utility
supplement to the Supplementary Security Income program and shall be made in 12
monthly� installments.� If, at the end of a year, a person eligible for the
special State utility supplement has not received the full credit for that
year, a payment for the balance thereof, shall, upon certification by the
commissioner, be issued by the State Treasurer.� This special State utility
supplement shall be in addition to existing supplementary payments which have
been or may be authorized and made pursuant to P.L.1973, c.256 (C.44:7-85 et
seq.).

(cf: P.L.1984, c.159, s.1)

���� 4.��� Section 6 of P.L.1979,
c.197 (C.48:2-29.20) is amended to read as follows:

���� 6.��� The Commissioner of
[
the Department
of
]

Human Services is authorized to direct each electric
[
and
]
,
gas
, and water

utility to inform each eligible residential customer of the "Lifeline
Credit Program" by separate notice.� The commissioner shall approve the
content of
[
any
such
]

the

notice.� Prior to issuing
[
any
such
]

the

direction to a utility, and prior to approving
[
any such
]

the

notice, the commissioner shall consult with the President of the Board of
Public Utilities.

(cf: P.L.1980, c.92, s.7)

���� 5.��� Section 7 of P.L.1979,
c.197 (C.48:2-29.21) is amended to read as follows:

���� 7.��� The Commissioner of
[
the Department
of
]

Human Services shall submit a report on the "Lifeline Credit Program"
to the Legislature on August 15, 1981, and annually thereafter.�
On or after
the effective date of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill), the report to the Legislature shall be submitted
pursuant to P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).
�
[
Such
]

The
report shall include,
but shall not be limited to, a summary of the implementation of the program, a
study of its impact, any recommendations for its revision, and an estimate of
the practicability and feasibility of expanding the program to include other
needy residential electric
[
and
]
,
gas
,
and water
utility customers.� The report shall also include an examination
of alternative revenue sources to fund
[
such
a
]

the

program.

(cf: P.L.1981, c.210, s.9)

���� 6.��� Section 3 of P.L.1981,
c.210 (C.48:2-29.32) is amended to read as follows:

���� 3.��� Any residential tenant
not receiving an individual electric
[
or
]
,
gas
,
or water
utility bill who at any time between July 1 and December 31, 1981,
or at any time between July 1 and December 31 of any year thereafter, is:� a.
enrolled in, found eligible for, or, except for the provisions of section 4 of
P.L.1975, c.194 (C.30:4D-23), would be eligible for benefits under the program
of "Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled," established
pursuant to P.L.1975, c.194 (C.30:4D-20 et seq.), as amended and supplemented;
[
or
]
b. receiving
or is eligible to receive benefits under the program of Supplemental Security
Income (P.L.1973, c.256, C.44:7-85 et seq.); or c. receiving disability
benefits pursuant to the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. s.416(i)) and
meets the income and residency requirements of the "Pharmaceutical
Assistance to the Aged and Disabled" program, shall be eligible for the
"Tenants' Lifeline Assistance Program."� The commissioner shall
establish a schedule of eligible residential tenants who meet such
qualifications.� For the purposes of this act, "residential tenant"
means a person renting or leasing real property, including a mobile home park
site, as his principal residence, including a net lease residential tenant, as
well as a person who is a resident shareholder in a
[
nonprofit residential cooperative
or mutual housing corporation, both defined pursuant to P.L.1977, c.241
(C.54:4-3.80 et seq.), or an owner of a condominium as such is defined pursuant
to P.L.1963, c.168 (C.46:8A-1 et seq.) and P.L.1969, c.257 (C.46:8B-1 et seq.)
]

planned
real estate development, as defined pursuant to subsection h. of section 3 of
P.L.1977, c.419 (C.45:22A-23)
.

(cf: P.L.1985, c.291, s.4)

���� 7.��� Section 7 of P.L.1981,
c.210 (C.48:2-29.36) is amended to read as follows;

���� 7.��� The commissioner shall
submit a report on the "Tenants' Lifeline Assistance Program" to the
Legislature and the Governor on August 15 of each year, in conjunction with the
annual report submitted on the "Lifeline Credit Program," pursuant to
P.L.1979, c.197 (C.48:2-29.15 et seq.).�
[
Such
]

The

report shall include, but shall not be limited to, a summary of the
implementation of the program, a study of its impact, any recommendations for
its revision, and an estimate of the practicability and feasibility of
expanding the program to include other needy residential electric
[
and
]
,

gas,
and water
utility customers.

(cf: P.L.1981, c.210, s.7)

���� 8.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the seventh month next following the date of
enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill adds assistance for
water utility bills to the Lifeline Credit Program, established pursuant to
P.L.1979, c.197 (C.48:2-29.15 et seq.), and the Tenants' Lifeline Assistance
Program, established pursuant to P.L.1981, c.210 et seq. (C.48:2-29.30 et
seq.).

���� Under current law, these
programs provide a $225 benefit only on gas and electric utility bills to
eligible customers who are participating in the Pharmaceutical Assistance to
the Aged and Disabled Program (PAAD), receiving or eligible to receive benefits
under the Supplemental Security Income program established pursuant to
P.L.1973, c.256 (C.44:7-85), or receiving disability benefits under the federal
Social Security Act and also meet eligibility requirements for PAAD.� Under
this legislation, these programs would be expanded to include water utility
bills.