(a)
Any natural gas customer who enrolls in the CARE program after the effective date of this section, but before October 1, 2001, shall receive the same one-time bill credit based on the amount of each gas corporation’s average CARE customer discount applied for each month in October 2000 to March 2001, inclusive. The credit does not apply to a customer who initiates service with a gas corporation after the effective date of this section, and who has no prior history of service with the gas corporation. CARE program funds shall be used for the
purpose of providing these credits. The commission shall adjust CARE program income requirements annually to reflect the increased cost-of-living due to inflation.
(b)
The commission shall require all electrical and gas utilities through which CARE program rates are available to do all of the following, in multilingual formats to the extent printed and recorded information is provided, to facilitate better penetration rates for the CARE program and to protect low-income and senior households from unwarranted disconnection of necessary electric and gas services:
(1)
Provide an outgoing message on all calls, where the customer is seeking to establish service or is put on hold, to customer service lines that briefly describes the CARE program in standard language approved by the commission, and that provides a toll-free phone number for customers to call to subscribe to the program
or for further information.
(2)
Provide information to customers about the CARE program and facilitate subscription to CARE, on all calls in which customers are making payment arrangements, on all collections calls, and on all calls for reconnection of service.
(3)
(A)Provide information about the CARE program and other assistance programs, and attempt to qualify customers for CARE, and provide information about individual payment arrangements that allow customers to pay the amounts due over a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 12 months, and attempt to enroll customers in a payment arrangement program, before effecting any disconnection of service for nonpayment or inability to pay energy bills in full.
(B)
(i)Offer individual payment arrangements to customers so
that the customer is able to pay amounts due over a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 12 months.
(ii)
Prohibit the disconnection of customers that have made, and are in compliance with, payment arrangements offered by an electric or gas utility pursuant to this subparagraph.
(C)
Prohibit the disconnection of a delinquent residential customer for amounts due in which the electric or gas utility receives a commitment pledge, letter of intent, purchase order, or other notification that a provider of energy assistance is forwarding payment sufficient to prevent disconnection.
(D)
(i)Advise residential customers facing disconnection or who contact the utility to make payment arrangements of the levelizing payment program that allows them to pay a monthly average bill based on 12 months
usage.
(ii)
Advise residential customers about enrollment in the levelizing payment program in conjunction with completion of payment arrangements, payment under terms of subparagraph (B), or at the customer’s request absent those arrangements.
(E)
Nothing in this paragraph is intended to reduce the revenues of any utility extending payment arrangements subject to the terms of the paragraph.
(4)
Provide information on customer bills, presented in a conspicuous manner on a front facing page, that indicates that a customer may be eligible for the CARE program. This notice shall be provided quarterly on customer bills.
(c)
The commission shall conduct targeted outreach about the program using census block data to effectively target low-income and senior
households throughout the state.
(d)
CARE program funds shall be used for the purposes of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) and outreach pursuant to subdivision (c). The commission’s costs for outreach pursuant to subdivision (c) may not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) above the amount that the commission currently expends on similar activities related to the CARE program. Energy corporations may recover all reasonable costs from the CARE program funds of implementing this section.