The bill, S.B. No. 1513, aims to establish a program to assist low-income retail electric customers in Texas by creating an income-based assistance fund. The Health and Human Services Commission is tasked with developing an automatic process to identify low-income customers, enabling retail electric providers and telecommunications utilities to offer various forms of assistance, including discounts and bill payment help. The bill introduces new provisions under Section 39.9035, which outlines the fund's structure, including its sources of revenue and the prioritization of funding for programs that assist low-income customers, customer education, and administrative expenses.

Additionally, the bill amends existing sections of the Utilities Code to clarify the applicability of certain provisions to municipally owned utilities and electric cooperatives, specifically regarding customer choice. It establishes that the new assistance programs must not target areas served by utilities that have not adopted customer choice. The bill also mandates that the commission set eligibility criteria for the discount program and ensures that no fees are charged to customers receiving discounts. 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 41, Utilities Code 17, Utilities Code 40, Utilities Code 39)