Low-income utility customer assistance programs: concurrent application process.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas corporations and electrical corporations. Existing law requires the commission to ensure that an electrical corporation or gas corporation with a commission-approved program to provide discounts based on economic need uses a single application form to enable an applicant to alternatively apply for any assistance program for which the applicant may be eligible. This bill would require the commission, on or before June 30, 2024, in coordination and consultation with the Department of Community Services and Development and other relevant state agencies that provide low-income electric or gas utility customer assistance programs, to develop a process that enables customers to concurrently apply, or begin to apply, to multiple low-income customer assistance programs, as specified. Existing law establishes the Low-Income Oversight Board to advise the commission on low-income electric, gas, and water customer issues and to serve as a liaison for the commission to low-income ratepayers and representatives. The Moore Universal Telephone Service Act establishes the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service program in order to provide low-income households with access to affordable basic residential telephone service. The act requires the program's third-party administrator to verify each subscriber's identity using the personally identifiable information that the administrator has on file. This bill would require the board, on or before June 30, 2023, to submit a report to the Legislature regarding the opportunity and process for expanding the third-party administrator contract used for the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service program, or establishing a similar new contract, to include water, gas, and electric utility service for purposes of facilitating enrollment between low-income assistance programs, minimizing privacy and data sharing concerns, and expediting eligibility verification processes, as specified. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the above provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.