The bill, H.B. No. 1359, aims to establish a program to provide assistance to low-income retail electric customers in Texas. It amends the Utilities Code to require the Health and Human Services Commission to develop an automatic process for identifying low-income customers, enabling retail electric providers and telecommunications utilities to offer various forms of assistance, including discounts and bill payment help. A new income-based assistance fund is created, financed by a nonbypassable fee collected from retail electric providers and municipally owned utilities that have adopted customer choice. The fee, which cannot exceed 65 cents per megawatt hour, will be set by the commission and is intended to cover the costs of administering the assistance programs.

Additionally, the bill outlines the specific purposes for which the funds can be used, prioritizing assistance programs for low-income customers, customer education, and administrative expenses. It mandates the commission to adopt rules for these programs, including a discount program for eligible low-income customers and a bill payment assistance program for critical care residential customers facing disconnection. The bill also specifies that no fees can be charged to customers for receiving discounts and establishes a reimbursement process for utilities providing assistance. The act is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Utilities Code 17.007, Utilities Code 39.002, Utilities Code 40.001, Utilities Code 41.001 (Utilities Code 39, Utilities Code 40, Utilities Code 41, Utilities Code 17)