House Special Session, Short-Term Utility Relief Plan and more!

December 2, 2022





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Dear Neighbor,



I hope you had a great holiday with friends and family. This past week we were at the Capitol for a Special Session to extend the gas tax holiday, allocate additional funds to home heating assistance, allocate additional funds and tweak the formula for pandemic hero pay, and make some technical changes to the Bottle Bill. Please find more details below. We know that families are getting hit hard by rising energy costs and inflation generally and are working to expand supports to our families who need it the most. This work will continue in earnest all session. 

In this week's email, you will find information on:

  • House Special Session
  • DECD Economic Summit
  • COVID EIDL Informative Webinar - December 6th & 15th
  • Short-Term Customer Relief Plan With Utilities To Reduce Cost Of Energy





House Special Session

As we head into the holiday season, we are reminded that many families in Connecticut are still facing added financial strain.

 

To continue our efforts in easing the burden on families, my colleagues and I today voted to extend sweeping tax relief for the state, provide additional funding for energy assistance programs, and continue premium pay for frontline workers.




$90M Cut in Gas Taxes

The suspension of the 25-cent-per-gallon gas tax was set to expire November 30.With numerous factors still causing increased gas prices, my colleagues and I voted to cut $90 million in gas taxes by extending the gas tax suspension for an additional month, then offering reduced gas tax prices through April 2023.

 

Gas Tax Schedule:

  • November 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022 --> $0
  • January 1, 2023 – January 31, 2023 --> $.05
  • February 1, 2023 – February 28, 2023 --> $.10
  • March 1, 2023 – March 31, 2023 --> $.15
  • April 1, 2023 – April 30, 2023 --> $.20
Free Bus Service

Free Bus Service was also scheduled to end on November 30. The bill we passed extends the Free Bus Service through March 31, 2023.

  • Because fares were halted in April 2022, collection must resume on April 1, 2023, to remain compliant with federal rules.
Energy Assistance

We also voted to increase funding for Operation Fuel, an additional energy assistance resource for qualifying low-income families. The increase in funding is sourced by requiring PURA to direct at least 95% of specified proceeds to Operation Fuel, which is expected to roughly double the resources available.

 

To learn more about Operation Fuel, or to apply for upcoming assistance beginning December 19th, please click the button below:
Learn More & Apply for Operation Fuel
To learn more and apply for energy assistance, click the button below:
Learn More & Apply for LIHEAP
Premium Pay for Frontline Workers
I was proud to support premium pay for the over 100,000 Connecticut workers who were on the front lines throughout the pandemic. Our goal is to provide the most low-income essential worker applicants with the majority of the financial aid.
DECD Economic Summit

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure to attend the Dept. of Economic and Community Development's Annual Economic Development Forum, focused on building business in CT. It was an excellent forum with a wide diversity of panelists including the president of Electric Boat, IBM, multiple entrepreneurs, the president of UConn, AdvanceCT, who is responsible for marketing our state, among many others. 

 

The news was uplifting- we had more new business registrations in 2021 than any year since 2006. We had more visits to our state during the pandemic than ever before. Electric Boat announced they are scaling up to hire over 20,000 new employees over the next decade and working closely with the state to ensure we are preparing our students to fill this workforce. Another element that many organizations highlighted was their shift away from requiring 4-year degrees for their employees. Many of these organizations highlighted their internal training programs to give workers the specific skills they need without the cost of a four-year degree. If you're able, I highly recommend watching this forum. In particular, the "
Myth Busters" conversation and the final panel on workforce were extremely insightful.

Rewatch the Summit Here

COVID EIDL Informative Webinar - December 6th & 15th

COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) deferment periods are approaching an end. As such, business owners must start preparing to make payments. The following are key points and resources for all COVID EIDL borrowers. Register to join SBA for an informative webinar on your COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) servicing requirements.



Learn the following:

  • Where to find your COVID EIDL loan details
  • How to access SBA's digital loan platform and where to download step-by-step instructions on CAFS
  • Where to make payments on your COVID EIDL loan
  • Where to get help and much more!

Tuesday, December 6th

12:00 - 1:00pm ET

Free Registration Here

 

Thursday, December 15th

12:00 - 1:00pm ET

Free Registration Here

Short-Term Customer Relief Plan With Utilities To Reduce Cost Of Energy

In response to calls from legislators, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Office of Consumer Counsel to do more for customers in the state amid historically high electric prices, utility companies Eversource and United Illuminating (UI) have agreed to work with state leaders on a short-term/interim Customer Relief Plan to provide immediate relief to electric customers this winter.

 

The Customer Relief Plan has multiple elements:

 

  • Eversource and UI will file a motion with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) seeking approval for the establishment of bill credits to fast-track the return of long-term power contract earnings to all customers starting January 1, 2023. This proposal will provide Eversource customers with a monthly bill credit of around $10 per month – approximately 12.5% of the average customer increase this winter – for the peak winter months starting January 1, 2023, and continuing through April. Data on how this will impact UI customers is being calculated and is expected to be available soon.
  • The companies will also seek approval for a discount for low-income hardship customers to accelerate the 2021 Take Back Our Grid Act provision enabling a low-income discount rate by providing a flat-rate credit to financial hardship customers starting in January 2023 until the new PURA-approved low-income discount rate goes into effect in 2024.
  • In order to provide additional assistance to customers struggling with unusually high energy prices this winter, the Customer Relief Plan also includes an Eversource shareholder expense of $10 million for energy assistance to customers in need, including moderate and middle-income customers who are struggling to pay their bills.
  • UI has agreed to pay $3 million to Operation Fuel for direct assistance for electricity and heating costs, subject to PURA’s approval of a settlement agreement with the Office of Consumer Counsel.

 

Background information on the rate increases and Connecticut’s efforts to keep prices lower and less volatile is available
here.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.



Sincerely,



Jennifer Leeper

State Representative

 

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