SF0177 - Supplemental energy assistance program-2.
|
2001 |
State of Wyoming |
01LSO-0634 |
SENATE FILE NO. SF0177
Supplemental energy assistance program-2.
Sponsored by: Senator(s) Roberts, Boggs, Kinnison, Massie,
Miller, C. and
Scott and Representative(s)
Luthi
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to a
supplemental energy assistance
2 program; creating a state supplemental energy assistance
3
program; establishing eligibility criteria; providing
4
definitions; providing an appropriation; and providing for
5 an
effective date.
6
7 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
8
9 Section 1. W.S. 42-2-115 is created to read:
10
11 42-2-115. Supplemental energy
assistance program;
12 eligibility; limitations.
13
14 (a) There is
created a state supplemental energy
15 assistance program. To qualify for
assistance under the
16 program, a family shall be ineligible for
assistance under
Page 1
1 the
low income energy assistance program administered by
2 the
department and:
3
4 (i) Have an
adult member of the family working
5 an
average of thirty (30) hours per week;
6
7 (ii) Have
members of the family working a
8
sufficient number of hours per week cumulative among the
9
family members to qualify toward meeting the state's work
10 participation requirements under the federal
temporary
11 assistance to needy families block grant; or
12
13 (iii) Have a head
of household who is sixty-five
14 (65) years of age or older.
15
16 (b) Under the
state supplemental energy assistance
17 program, the state shall pay, in the form of
a cash
18 voucher, to the eligible family:
19
20 (i) Eighty
percent (80%) of the eligible
21 family's monthly gas and electric or other
energy source
22 heating bill over seventy-five dollars
($75.00) per month
23 if the gross family income is not more than
one hundred
24 fifty percent (150%) of the federal poverty
level;
Page 2
1
2 (ii) Fifty
percent (50%) of an eligible family's
3
monthly gas and electric or other energy source heating
4 bill
over one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) per month if
5 the
gross family income is more than one hundred fifty
6
percent (150%) and less than two hundred percent (200%) of
7 the
federal poverty level.
8
9 (c) The program
established by this subsection is not
10 an entitlement. If the applications in any
month exceed the
11 funds that may be available in the program
to provide
12 benefits for approved recipients and the new
applicants,
13 the department shall limit approval of new
applications
14 based on projections of funds available and
applications
15 received and shall approve new applications
in the order
16 received to the extent funds may be
available.
17
18 (d) The
department shall advise each applicant that
19 any month for which the applicant receives
assistance under
20 the program created by this section shall
count against the
21 applicant's lifetime limit under the federal
temporary
22 assistance to needy families program.
23
Page 3
1
2 (a) There is
appropriated ten million dollars
3
($10,000,000.00) from the restricted TANF funds to which
4 the
state is entitled to the department of family services
5 for
the state supplemental energy assistance program and to
6
supplement the funds available for the existing low income
7
energy assistance program.
8
9 (b) For
purposes of this act, "restricted TANF funds"
10 means the funds the state is entitled to
receive from the
11 federal government under the temporary assistance
to needy
12 families block grant that, due to the time
of receipt of or
13 entitlement to the funds, the federal
government restricts
14 the use of the funds for cash grants to
needy families or
15 persons and similar closely related uses.
16
17 Section 3. This act is
effective immediately upon
18 completion of all acts necessary for a bill
to become law
19 as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the
Wyoming
20 Constitution.
21
22 (END)
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