BILL NUMBER: AB 2614 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 17, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 15, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 13, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 15, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member John A. Perez
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Tom Berryhill, Bradford, Carter,
Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Ma, Skinner, Swanson, and Villines)
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
An act to add and repeal Chapter 5.10
(commencing with Section 25499) to of
Division 15 of the Public Resources Code, relating to energy.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2614, as amended, John A. Perez. Energy: home retrofit: federal
program.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and
Development Commission to administer federal funds pursuant to
specified federal programs to eligible entities to reduce fossil fuel
emissions, improve energy efficiency, and reduce overall energy use.
This bill would require the commission, upon the enactment of the
federal Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, in consultation with
the United States Department of Energy, to develop programs that are
required by, and that complement, the federal act. The bill would
require the commission, in consultation with specified entities, to
take specified actions to implement the federal Home Star program.
This bill would be repealed on January 1, 2012.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) The United States Congress is currently working to enact
bipartisan legislation related to the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act
of 2010. The federal Home Star program is a
six-billion-dollar six billion-dollar
($6,000,000,000) national effort designed to create jobs, spur
manufacturing, and promote technological innovation by providing
incentives for residential energy efficiency improvements.
(b) The federal Home Star program is comprised of Silver Star and
Gold Star rebates, comprehensive energy audits, independent quality
assurance checks, and various financing options. Nationwide, the
federal Home Star program is projected to create almost 200,000 jobs
and enable 3,000,000 home energy retrofits.
(c) It is critically important that California integrate the
federal Home Star program with existing state energy efficiency
programs, including the investor owned and municipal utility efforts,
the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission's
actions to implement the provisions of Chapter 470 of the Statutes
of 2009 and to expand the development and the use of Property
Assessed Clean Energy bonds to finance energy or water efficiency
improvement improvements .
(d) California also received two hundred twenty-six million
dollars ($226,000,000) from the federal American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) for the State Energy
Program (SEP). California's SEP will increase residential and
commercial building energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption and
utility bills, cut reliance on imported energy, and decrease the
impacts on the environment caused by energy production.
(e) California needs to ensure that it is in the best position to
maximize and fully leverage the federal resources that will flow to
its homeowners and businesses from the federal Home Star program.
SEC. 2. Chapter 5.10 (commencing with Section 25499) is added to
Division 15 of the Public Resources Code, to read:
CHAPTER 5.10. HOME STAR PROGRAM
25499. (a) Upon the enactment of the federal Home Star Energy
Retrofit Act of 2010, the commission shall, in consultation with the
United States Department of Energy, develop programs that are
required by, and that complement, the federal act that, among other
things, do all of the following:
(1) Establish a quality assurance program.
(2) Ensure that a qualified pool of professionals is available to
perform quality assurance checks.
(3) Ensure that the requisite quality assurance is performed.
(4) Develop financing options.
(b) The commission, working in conjunction with the Department of
Community Services and Development and the Public Utilities
Commission, shall streamline procedures for eligible low-income
homeowners to receive assistance for energy efficiency retrofit.
(c) The commission shall, working in conjunction with the Public
Utilities Commission, the electric utilities, and the gas utilities,
coordinate program implementation efforts and provide proper outreach
to minimize consumer confusion and the orderly implementation of the
federal Home Star program.
(d) The commission shall, in coordination with the Green Collar
Jobs Council, ensure that the council's programs, policies, and
participants are complementary to the federal Home Star program to
the greatest extent possible.
(e) (1) The commission may adopt guidelines governing the award,
eligibility, and administration of funding pursuant to this section
at a publicly noticed meeting.
(2) For the initial adoption of guidelines, the commission shall
provide written notice to the public of not less than 30 days.
(3) For substantive amendments to the guidelines, the commission
shall provide written public notice of not less than 15 days.
(4) Notwithstanding any other law, guidelines adopted pursuant to
this subdivision shall be exempt from the requirements of Chapter 3.5
(commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2
of the Government Code.
25499.5. This chapter shall remain in effect only until January
1, 2012, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2012, deletes or extends
that date.