AB 2715, as amended, Eduardo Garcia. Agricultural Working Poor Energy Efficient Housing Program.
Existing law establishes the Department of Community Services and Development and requires the department to administer, among other things, the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Existing law requires the department to develop and administer the Energy Efficiency Low-Income Weatherization Program and to expend moneys appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of the program.
This bill would require the department to develop and administer the Agricultural Working Poor Energy Efficient Housing Program and to expend moneys appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of the program to improve energy efficiency in farmworker-owned housing.begin insert The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature on the program with respect to balances and expenditures, households reached, demographics of the households reached, measures funded, and energy savings.end insert
Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to supervise certain low-income targeted energy efficiency programs administered by electrical corporations, gas corporations, or 3rd-party administrators, and requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to undertake various activities and administer various programs to promote energy efficiency.
This bill would require the department, in developing the Agricultural Working Poor Energy Efficient Housing Program, to consult with the PUC and the Energy Commission in order tobegin insert ensure compatibility with the state’s energy policies and goals and toend insert avoid duplicationbegin delete withend deletebegin insert
ofend insert the energy efficiency programs supervised by those commissions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 12087.6 is added to the Government
2Code, to read:
(a) The department shall develop and administer the
4Agricultural Working Poor Energy Efficient Housing Program
5and expend moneys appropriated by the Legislature for the
6purposes of the program.
7(b) (1) Moneys appropriated for the program shall be used to
8improve energy efficiency inbegin delete
farmworker-ownedend delete
9 housing,begin delete includingend deletebegin insert including, but not limited to,end insert for all of the
10following:
11(A) Weatherization of homes and other residences.
12(B) Replacement of energy inefficient appliances with Energy
13Star-certified appliances.
14(C) Replacement of lighting with light-emitting diode,
15commonly known as LED, lighting.
16(D) Installation of photovoltaic solar panels and solar water
17heating
systems.
P3 1(E) Installation of battery backups.
2(2) When distributing moneys appropriated for the program,
3the department shall give preference to an association of federally
4designated farmworker organizations and other organizations that
5have a proven track record of assisting farmworkers.
6(c) (1) The departmentbegin delete may develop requirements, guidelines, begin insert shall develop program requirements and guidelines, including
7andend delete
8income-based program eligibility limits, and may developend insert
9 subgrantee contract provisions for the program.
10(2) The department shall do all of the following:
11(A) Consult with the Public Utilities Commission and the State
12Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission
13in developing the program in order tobegin insert ensure compatibility with
14the state’s energy policies and goals and toend insert avoid duplicationbegin delete withend delete
15begin insert ofend insert the energy efficiency programs supervised by those
16commissions.
17(B) Not less than 30 days before finalization of the program
18guidelines, post the draft program guidelines
on the department’s
19Internet Web site.
20(C) Hold a public hearing to obtain public input on the draft
21program guidelines with notice of the hearing published
22prominently on the department’s Internet Web site no less than 15
23days before the hearing.
24
(D) By January 1 of the third calendar year following receipt
25of funding for the program, report to the budget committees and
26appropriate policy committees of each house of the Legislature
27on program balances and expenditures, the number of households
28reached by the program, the demographics of households reached,
29including whether the household is owner occupied or occupant
30rented, a list of measures funded by the program, and an estimate
31of the energy saved by the program.
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