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Text Posted For Texas Committee Substitute Bill On Low-Income Bill Payment Assistance Program, REP Reimbursements
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Text has been posted for the committee substitute for Texas bill HB 1359, which was reported favorably out of the House State Affairs committee earlier this month
As anticipated, the committee substitute for HB 1359 drops from the introduced bill a proposed low-income rate discount program which retail electric providers would have had to administer through bills to eligible customers (similar to the former Lite-up program)
Instead, HB 1359 only provides for creation of a fund for bill payment assistance for:
• low-income electric customers for bills due during an extreme weather emergency, and
• critical care residential customers who have received notice of an impending service disconnection for nonpayment (under "one-time" bill payment assistance)
Funding for the program would be from legislative appropriations (if any) and gifts, grants, or donations. There would not be a nonbypassable charge on REP electric bills to fund the program, as was the case under the old Lite-up program
The PUC would be authorized to develop the program and establish various processes, including the reimbursement process for REPs providing bill payment assistance under the program
Under HB 1359, a retail electric provider may not
charge the customer a fee for receiving bill payment assistance under the program
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April 11, 2025
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Copyright 2025 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com
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