PRINTER'S NO. 4028
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2620
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY A. DAVIS, MURT, KINSEY, CALTAGIRONE, SCHLOSSBERG,
HILL-EVANS, BURGOS, GALLOWAY, T. DAVIS, SANCHEZ, ROZZI,
HOWARD, MERSKI, KORTZ, MADDEN, WILLIAMS, GREEN, PASHINSKI,
INNAMORATO, LEE, McCLINTON AND DELLOSO, JUNE 29, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS, JUNE 29, 2020
AN ACT
Providing for water hardship funds and for powers and duties of
the Public Utility Commission and the Auditor General.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Pennsylvania
Water Hardship Fund.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Commission." The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
"Community sewage system." The term as defined in section 2
of the act of January 24, 1966 (1965 P.L.1535, No.537), known as
the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act.
"Fund." Pennsylvania Water Hardship Fund.
"Household." An individual or group of individuals who are
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living together as one economic unit and whose water or
wastewater services are customarily purchased in common or who
make undesignated payments for water or wastewater services as
part of a rental payment. A boarder who is related to a member
of the applicant household is considered to be a member of the
household.
"Supplier of water." The term as defined in section 3 of the
act of May 1, 1984 (P.L.206, No.43), known as the Pennsylvania
Safe Drinking Water Act.
"Water or wastewater service." The provision of water
service by a water supplier or the provision of wastewater
service by an owner or operator of a community sewage system.
Section 3. Water hardship funds.
(a) General rule.--A supplier of water or a community sewage
system shall establish a water hardship fund to which
residential customers may donate a minimum of one dollar and a
maximum of $500 per residential customer per year.
(b) Use.--Money in a water hardship fund shall be used by
the supplier of water or community sewage system to pay
delinquent residential water or wastewater service bills of
customers within the supplier of water or community sewage
system's network.
(c) Nondiscrimination.--Suppliers of water and community
sewage systems may not discriminate against a customer and must
fairly distribute money from a fund to qualified applicants.
Section 4. Applications.
(a) Eligibility.--A household applying for benefits from a
water hardship fund must meet the following eligibility
requirements:
(1) The household members must have an annual income at
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or below 100% of the Federal poverty guidelines.
(2) The household must receive one of the following:
(i) A water bill from a supplier of water.
(ii) A wastewater bill from a community sewage
system.
(iii) A bill that is a combination of subparagraphs
(i) and (ii).
(3) The household must have a delinquent bill for water
or wastewater services.
(b) Statement.--A supplier of water or community sewage
system shall provide an accepted applicant a statement
confirming payment made towards the household's water or
wastewater bill from a water hardship fund.
Section 5. Reporting requirements.
Beginning one year after the effective date of this act, a
supplier of water or community sewage system shall submit an
annual report to the commission on the receipts and
disbursements from its water hardship fund. The commission shall
post the reports on its publicly accessible Internet website.
Section 6. Powers and duties of Auditor General.
(a) Performance audit.--The Auditor General shall conduct
and complete a performance audit of each water hardship fund
within five years of the effective date of this section.
Thereafter, the Auditor General shall conduct performance audits
at intervals of not greater than five years from the date of
completing the immediately preceding performance audit. The
suppliers of water, community sewage systems and the commission
shall make available for the inspection of the Auditor General
all records, documents and other information that reasonably
relate to the conduct of the performance audit prescribed. The
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audit shall make detailed recommendations to the Governor, the
General Assembly and the commission on changes, if any, in the
water hardship funds that will further the purposes of this act.
(b) Distribution of performance audits.--A copy of each
performance audit shall be transmitted to all of the following:
(1) The Governor.
(2) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the chairperson
and minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of
the House of Representatives.
(3) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Health and Human Services Committee of the Senate and the
chairperson and minority chairperson of the Human Services
Committee of the House of Representatives.
(4) The Attorney General.
(5) The Office of Inspector General.
(6) The commission.
(c) Fraud reporting.--The Auditor General shall transmit
information uncovered during the conduct of the performance
audit relating to fraud to the Attorney General, the Office of
Inspector General and the commission.
Section 7. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 90 days.
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