Legislation to create a Low-Income Water Residential Affordability Program received testimony before a Senate committee. Senate Bills 248-256 are similar to a package of bills from last session and would ensure that a water customer who had a household income of up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or who was eligible for certain assistance programs did not pay more than 3% of the customer’s household income on a water bill. The bills would create the program Low-Income Water Residential Affordability Fund and would require water or sewage customers to pay a monthly $1.25 fee on each retail water meter to be deposited into the fund for the program’s implementation. This would not impact individuals on a septic system or with well water. Under the legislation, a water provider (municipality) could opt out of the statewide program if it were to implement its own local option program that corresponded with the state Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) program. A provider with 6,000 or fewer retail water customers (meters) can also opt out of the program and fee, but it could not shut off water or pursue debt collections. The bills would require providers and the Water Affordability Task Force to submit certain reports to the DHHS and Legislature concerning funding factors and program information.
Additionally, the legislation would prohibit a water provider from shutting off water services to a critical care customer and a customer enrolled in a program within 120 days of delinquency and only after specified requirements were met. Customers who were unable to comply with a program’s requirements would have to undergo triage to prevent disenrollment and service shut-off. The bills also would prohibit a person from tampering with a provider’s service lines to restore water after a shut-off because of an inability to pay and prescribe penalties for violations. The bills are anticipated to receive a vote by the committee soon.