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The California Legislature has enacted Senate Bill No. 222 (“SB 222”) which is described as the first state-wide water and sewer rate assistance program in the United States.
SB 222 would establish:
- Water Affordability Assistance Fund in the California Treasury
- Water Affordability Assistance program providing affordability assistance for drinking/wastewater services to low-income ratepayers experiencing economic hardships
The legislation would require the State Water Resources Control Board (“Board”) to develop guidelines for:
- Program implementation
- Funding oversight
- Expenditure plan containing enumerated components
The expenditure plan is required to identify funding needs for disadvantaged communities and low-income households.
Investor and publicly owned utilities are required to share data with the Board pertaining to energy and utility customers enrolled in low-income affordability programs to facilitate enrollment.
A copy of SB 222 can be downloaded here.
