§ 2602a. Office of Home Energy Assistance

(a) There is created an Office of Home Energy Assistance to be assigned to a department within the Agency of Human Services as designated by the Secretary and to be headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary.

(b) The responsibilities of the Office of Home Energy Assistance shall include:

(1) administering the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), 42 U.S.C. § 8621 et seq., and coordinating it with other related heating and weatherization programs;

(2) developing and recommending policy changes for the Secretary;

(3) coordinating home energy advocacy training and statewide outreach;

(4) monitoring related federal developments and projects in other states;

(5) exploring alternative and additional funding possibilities to LIHEAP, both private and public;

(6) preparing a written annual report addressing the functions set forth in this chapter as well as energy needs; caseload and funding projections; recommendations, if any, for appropriate pilot projects; and, in coordination with the Home Energy Assistance Task Force, recommendations to the General Assembly; and

(7) coordinating with the Vermont Housing Finance Agency and the Vermont Economic Development Authority in establishing income, efficiency, and administrative guidelines for the Energy Efficiency Loan Program.

(c) A Home Energy Assistance Task Force shall advise the Office of Home Energy Assistance. The Task Force shall be composed of the Commissioner of the designated department or the Commissioner’s designee, one member of the low-income community selected by the Vermont Low Income Advocacy Council, Inc., one representative of elders selected by the Community of Vermont Elders, one representative of people with disabilities selected by the Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights, one representative of unregulated fuel providers selected by unregulated fuel providers, one representative of electric utilities selected by the electric utilities, one representative of gas utilities selected by the gas utilities, one representative of the State Office of Economic Opportunity, and one representative of the Department of Public Service. If any constituency group cannot agree on its representative, the Secretary shall make those selections. Members of the Task Force shall be entitled to reimbursement for reasonable travel and meal expenses. The Task Force shall report regularly to the Director and on request to the General Assembly for the purpose of making recommendations for improving Vermont’s Home Energy Assistance Programs. (Added 1993, No. 182 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2007, No. 192 (Adj. Sess.), § 6.019, eff. June 7, 2008; 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 212; 2013, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 54, eff. May 20, 2014; 2021, No. 20, § 316.)