Budget Amendment ID: FY2023-S4-77

ENV 77

Equitable Access to Water Pilot Program

Ms. Rausch moved that the proposed new text be amended in section 2, in item 2000-0100, by inserting the following:- "provided further that not less than $500,000 shall be expended by the executive office of energy and environmental affairs to develop and administer a water access monitoring pilot program to measure and evaluate equity in the implementation of water utility policies; provided further, that participation in this competitive grant program shall be limited to municipal and regional water utility entities; provided further, that a qualifying water utility entity shall submit to the executive office of energy and environmental affairs a customer payment assistance plan in writing, including an attestation certifying  information about the customer payment assistance plan is distributed to all of the applicant’s residential customers; provided further, that not later than June 30, 2023, grantees shall submit to the executive office of energy and environmental affairs an equity audit report that includes, but shall not be limited to: (i) the number of water utility customers; (ii) the numbers and dates of water utility shutoff notices; (iii) the number of lien referrals of customer accounts for non-payments; (iv) the number of customer requests for water bill payment plans; (v) the number of water bill payment plans negotiated with customers; (vi) the debt level of customers who experience a water utility shut-off, enroll in payment assistance programming, or receive a lien; (vii) the methods and time required by the water utility to recuperate customer water utility  debt under current policies and practices; (viii) the types of customer assistance plans and discounts available to water consumers; (ix) the numbers of consumers utilizing each category of assistance and discounts; (x) the number of customers who apply and who receive or are denied such assistance; (xi) information regarding the means by which water consumers are notified of utility customer assistance policies, including the frequency of such notifications; and (xii) information concerning the methods developed for gathering and managing the required data; provided further, that data shall be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, disability status, and household size whenever possible; provided further, that no later than November 30, 2023, the executive office of energy and environmental affairs shall report to the senate and house committees on ways and means and the joint committee on environment, natural resources and agriculture data concerning the results of such equity audit reports and the success of said pilot program; and

by striking out the figure “$14,800,779” and inserting in place thereof the following:- "$15,300,779."