ASSEMBLY TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND UTILITIES COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 3283

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: MARCH 20, 2025

      The Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 3283. 

      As amended and reported, this bill requires unclaimed property deposits from an electric, gas, or water public utility (utility) in the Unclaimed Utility Deposits Trust Fund (trust fund) to be paid to a Statewide nonprofit public utility assistance organization (assistance organization) meeting certain criteria.  Under the bill, in order to be eligible to receive trust fund monies, an assistance organization designated by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is required to have:  (1) a network of no less than 200 partner organizations that collectively have a physical presence in every county in this State, providing secure online or in-person grant application access; (2) a board of directors comprised of not less than five utility representatives; and (3) an on-site customer service call center providing access to assistance offered in a minimum of 150 languages.  Within 10 months after the trust fund administrator disburses grant monies to the assistance organization designated by the BPU, and annually thereafter, the assistance organization is to issue a report to the BPU providing the number of applicants applying for household utility assistance grants, the number of households receiving utility assistance grants, the average amount of assistance provided to households, the average gross income of households receiving assistance, the methods and procedures used for the verification of household income or hardship, and any other information the BPU requires.

     Further, the bill provides that for the State fiscal year starting on July 1, 2025, the BPU is to dedicate $25 million from available balances collected through the societal benefits charge to provide grants to help pay the utility bills of households seeking temporary assistance from an assistance organization having the same qualifications required for payments of the trust fund as described above.  Within one year after the BPU completes the disbursement of grant monies to the assistance organization, the assistance organization is to issue a report to the BPU providing the same information, as is also required in the annual report required for the receipt of payments from the trust fund as described above.

      This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1) clarify that certain monies in the Unclaimed Utility Deposits Trust Fund are to be exclusively used to pay expenses associated with electric, gas, and water public utility ratepayers seeking certain assistance from a nonprofit public utility assistance organization that is designated by the board;

      (2) update the fiscal year referenced throughout the bill; and

      (3) make technical changes to the bill.