SENATE BILL NO. 980
August 15, 2024, Introduced by Senators DAMOOSE and CHANG and referred to the Committee
on Housing and Human Services.
A bill to amend 1939 PA 280, entitled
"The social welfare act,"
(MCL 400.1 to 400.119b) by adding section 14q.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
1 Sec. 14q. (1) Not later than 30 days after the effective date
2 of the amendatory act that added this section, the department shall
3 create a low-income water residential affordability program task
4 force.
5 (2) The department director shall appoint members of the task
OOI S06454'24
 2
1 force that include, but are not limited to, representatives of a
2 provider with a population served of less than 3,300; a provider
3 with a population served of between 3,300 and 10,000; a provider
4 with a population served of over 10,000; water and sewerage
5 consumer advocacy groups; community action agencies; municipal
6 governments; small rural counties and suburban and urban areas; and
7 environmental groups.
8 (3) The task force shall do all of the following:
9 (a) Discuss, and advise the department on, best practices for
10 administering the affordability program.
11 (b) By no later than 9 months after the effective date of the
12 amendatory act that added this section, develop further guidance
13 for the affordability program. The department shall implement this
14 plan no later than 18 months after the effective date of the
15 amendatory act that added this section.
16 (c) Work with the department to develop educational outreach
17 materials about the affordability program.
18 (d) Seek additional funding sources for the affordability
19 program.
20 (e) Explore ways to expand the affordability program to
21 include more types of providers.
22 (f) Review and make recommendations to the department
23 regarding any potential changes to the water usage limits described
24 in section 14o(13).
25 (4) The department shall collaborate with the department of
26 treasury to distribute funding from the fund to the providers to
27 make up the difference between the total of customers' actual
28 water, sewerage, and stormwater bill and the total discounted water
29 and sewerage bills provided through the department's or a
OOI S06454'24
 3
1 provider's affordability program. The department shall collaborate
2 with the department of treasury to distribute funds to assist with
3 plumbing repairs and other repairs necessary as described in
4 section 14o(11). The department of treasury shall set aside a
5 specific funding amount for plumbing repairs.
6 (5) The department shall collaborate with the department of
7 treasury to distribute funds to third party organizations that the
8 department collaborates with to administer the affordability
9 program to cover the administrative costs.
10 Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect
11 unless all of the following bills of the 102nd Legislature are
12 enacted into law:
13 (a) Senate Bill No. 549.
14 (b) Senate Bill No. 550.
15 (c) Senate Bill No. 551.
OOI Final Page S06454'24


Statutes affected:
Senate Introduced Bill: 400.1, 400.119