E.__"Commission" means the Public Utilities Commission established pursuant to Title 35-A, section 103.

F.__"Fund" means the Electric Assistance Program Fund established in section 4962.

G.__"Program" means the electric assistance program established by the commission pursuant to Title 35-A, section 3214.

2.__Program administration.__The authority shall administer the program directly or through regional contract agents.__The program may be administered in conjunction with other programs of the authority.

3.__Reporting requirements.__The authority shall report annually to the commission information to determine the amount of funding necessary for the program, including the amount of electric assistance paid on behalf of each eligible household, the total amount of electric assistance paid on behalf of eligible households, the number of eligible households served and other reasonably necessary information required by the commission in connection with the program.

4.__Rulemaking.__The authority may adopt rules to implement this subchapter.__Rules adopted pursuant to this subchapter are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A.

§4962.__Electric Assistance Program Fund

1.__Established.__The fund is established under the jurisdiction of the authority.

2.__Sources of the fund.__The funds consists of:

A.__All funds collected by an electric utility at a rate set by the commission pursuant to Title 35-A, section 3214;

B.__All money appropriated by the State for inclusion in the fund;

C.__Subject to any pledge, contract or other obligation, all interest, dividends and pecuniary gains from the investment of money in the fund; and

D.__All other money deposited in the fund to implement the provisions of this subchapter.

3.__Application of fund.__The authority shall apply money in the fund to provide electric assistance for the benefit of eligible households and for other purposes authorized by this subchapter.__Money in the fund not currently needed for purposes of this subchapter may be deposited with the authority to the credit of the fund and may be invested as provided by law.__Ten percent of the fund may be used by the authority to pay for the administrative expenses of the fund and operation of the program.

4.__Accounts within the fund.__The authority may divide the fund into separate accounts as it determines necessary or convenient to accomplish the purposes of this subchapter.

5.__Revolving fund.__The fund is a revolving fund.__The authority shall continuously apply the money in the fund to accomplish the purposes of this subchapter.

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this Act takes effect when approved.

SUMMARY

This bill requires the Maine State Housing Authority to administer the electric assistance program established by the Public Utilities Commission to provide electric assistance to low-income households.