An Act Regarding Home Heating Fuel Assistance
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1952
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: BALDACCI
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004-I, 22 MRSA §1700-G

Legislative Document
No. 1952
S.P. 760
In Senate, May 7, 2025
An Act Regarding Home Heating Fuel Assistance
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BALDACCI of Penobscot.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§36-G is enacted to read:
36-G.   
Human 
Services 
Home Heating Fuel Assistance Task 
Force 
Expenses Only 
MRSA 
§1700-G
Sec. 2.  22 MRSA c. 279 is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 279
HOME HEATING FUEL ASSISTANCE
§1700-E.  Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms 
have the following meanings.
1.  Applicant.  "Applicant" means an individual who applies to the program for 
assistance.
2.  Dwelling unit.  "Dwelling unit" means any room, group of rooms or other areas of 
a structure designed or used for human habitation.
3.  Household.  "Household" means an individual or group of individuals who live 
together as one household for whom home heating fuel is customarily purchased in 
common or who make undesignated payments for home heat in the form of rent.
A.  The following individuals are members of the same household based on their being 
legally responsible for the financial support of the applicant or recipient or another 
member of the household:
(1)  An individual residing in the dwelling unit who is the spouse, domestic partner 
or minor child of the applicant or recipient; and
(2)  An individual residing in the dwelling unit who is the parent of any minor child 
included in the household; any minor child of such parent not already included in 
the household; the spouse or domestic partner of any minor child included in the 
household; or the minor child of any minor child included in the household.
B.  The following individuals are presumed to be members of the same household, 
unless the applicant or recipient provides to the office reasonable evidence that those 
individuals are not members of the same household:
(1) An individual residing in the dwelling unit who is related by blood, marriage, 
domestic partnership or adoption to another resident of the dwelling unit and has 
not been included in the household under paragraph A.  Those relationships include 
the relationship of the applicant or recipient to the applicant's or recipient's parent, 
grandparent, adult child, grandchild, sibling, stepparent or stepsibling; and
(2) An unrelated individual residing in the dwelling unit who does not pay 
reasonable compensation to rent one or more rooms in the dwelling unit as separate 
living quarters, or who does not make reasonable compensation in the form of 
caregiver services in the case of an applicant or recipient who is 60 years of age or 
older or has a disability.
C.  The following individuals are presumed not to be members of the same household, 
unless the applicant or recipient provides to the office reasonable evidence that those 
individuals are members of the same household:
(1)  An individual in foster care and individuals placed in a home by or through a 
program administered by the department; and
(2) An individual providing medically necessary caregiver services or homemaker 
services to a member of the household who is 60 years of age or older or has a 
disability.
4.  Office.  "Office" means the Office of Home Heating Fuel Assistance established in 
section 1700-G, subsection 1.
5.  Program.  "Program" means the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program 
established in section 1700-F, subsection 1.
6.  Recipient.  "Recipient" means an individual who receives assistance from the 
program.
7.  Task force.  "Task force" means the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Task Force 
established in Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 36-G and described in section 1700-G, 
subsection 3.
§1700-F.  Program established; administration
1.  Program established.  The Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program is established.  
The department shall administer the program through the Office of Home Heating Fuel 
Assistance.
2. Rules.  The commissioner shall adopt rules necessary for the implementation of this 
chapter or pursuant to any applicable federal laws or regulations.  Rules adopted under this 
subsection are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
3.  Purchasing practices.  The commissioner shall engage in cost-effective purchasing 
practices to maximize the use of public funds used in connection with the program.  These 
practices must include, before the heating season begins, purchases of home heating fuel, 
fixed price agreements, automatic home heating fuel delivery and negotiations with home 
heating fuel suppliers on behalf of program recipients for additional home heating fuel price 
discounts. The practices required by this subsection must be used in connection with all 
applicable home heating fuels purchased by program recipients. The commissioner must 
make available to program recipients the list of home heating fuel suppliers that have 
agreed to provide home heating fuel price discounts.
§1700-G.  Office of Home Heating Fuel Assistance
1.  Office established.  The Office of Home Heating Fuel Assistance is established 
within the department and is headed by a director appointed by the commissioner.
2.  Duties.  The duties of the office include:
A.  Administering the program;
B.  Administering the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program under 
United States Code, Section 8621 et seq., and coordinating the Low-Income Home 
Energy Assistance Program with other related heating and weatherization programs;
C.  Developing and recommending policy changes for the commissioner;
D.  Coordinating home energy advocacy training and statewide outreach;
E.  Monitoring related federal developments and projects in other states;
F.  Exploring alternative and additional funding possibilities in addition to the federal 
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program under 42 United States Code, Section 
8621 et seq., both private and public; and
G.  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 Heating Fuel 
Assistance Task Force, recommendations to the Legislature.
3.  Task force.  The Home Heating Fuel Assistance Task Force is established pursuant 
to Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 36-G to advise the office.  The task force is composed 
of the commissioner or the commissioner's designee and the following members appointed 
by the commissioner: one member of the low-income community, one representative of 
older residents of this State, one representative of individuals with disabilities, one 
representative of unregulated home heating fuel providers, one representative of electric 
utilities and one representative of gas utilities.  Members of the task force are entitled to 
reimbursement for reasonable travel and meal expenses. The task force shall report 
regularly to the director of the office and, on request, to the Legislature for the purpose of 
making recommendations for improving the program.
§1700-H.  Eligible recipients; requirements
1.  Income requirements.  The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall by 
rule establish household income eligibility requirements of recipients under the program, 
including the income of all members of the household. The income eligibility requirements 
must require that households have a gross household income no greater than 185% of the 
federal poverty level and not in excess of the maximum income established by the federal 
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program under 42 United States Code, Section 
8621, et seq. in order to be potentially eligible for benefits.
2.  Cost estimate table.  The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall by 
rule establish a table that contains amounts that function as a proxy for applicant 
households' annual home heating fuel cost for the previous year. The seasonal home heating 
fuel expenditure estimates contained within the table must closely approximate the actual 
home heating costs experienced by recipients under the program. The table must be revised 
at least every 3 years based on data supplied by certified home heating fuel suppliers and 
other industry sources to the office. The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall 
provide a draft of the table to the task force and solicit input from the task force prior to 
finalizing the table.
3.  Determination of home heating fuel costs.  In determining home heating fuel costs 
for households:
A.  Residents of housing units subsidized by the federal, state or local government must 
be considered to have incurred no annual home heating fuel costs, except to the extent 
required by any federal law or regulation if federal funds are used for the program. 
Housing unit residents who receive federal supplemental security income or municipal 
general assistance benefits that are used in whole or in part to pay for housing or utility 
costs and do not receive other federal, state or local government assistance targeted 
specifically to housing or utility needs, with the exception of households for which the 
cost of heat is supplied by the landlord, must be assumed to incur annual home heating 
fuel costs and their eligibility for annual home heating fuel assistance may not be 
limited by this section; and
B.  The annual home heating fuel cost for a household may include only the cost of the 
primary home heating fuel source of the household, including wood, electricity or any 
other home heating fuel source, except that annual home heating fuel costs may include 
only the cost of heat and may not include the cost of the fuel for any other uses of the 
household.
§1700-I.  Benefit amounts
1.  Percentage table.  The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall by rule 
establish a table that specifies maximum percentages of applicant households' annual home 
heating fuel costs, based on the cost estimate table established pursuant to section 1700-H, 
subsection 2, that may be authorized for payment as annual home heating fuel assistance 
benefits for the following year. The maximum percentages contained within this table must 
vary by household size and annual household income. The percentage may not exceed 90% 
of applicant households' annual home heating fuel costs.
2. Maximum percentages of costs.  The maximum percentages contained in the table 
established in subsection 1 must provide proportionally higher benefit percentages to 
households with a gross income of 154% of the federal poverty level or less and 
proportionally lower benefit percentages to households with a gross income of 155% to 
185% of the federal poverty level.
3.  Payment rate.  Annually, based on the number of eligible households that have 
applied to or are projected to apply for the program, and on the eligibility of households in 
the benefit categories under subsection 2, the commissioner or the commissioner's designee 
shall by rule set the payment rate that must be used to determine the amount of annual home 
heating fuel assistance for each eligible household. The payment rate may not be greater 
than 100% of the maximum percentages under subsection 1.
4.  Calculation of benefits.  In the case of a household for which the cost of heat is not 
supplied by the landlord, the household's annual home heating fuel assistance benefit is the 
household's annual home heating fuel cost as described in section 1700-H, subsection 2 
multiplied by the maximum percentage for that household in the table established by 
subsection 1 and multiplied by the payment rate established in subsection 3.
5.  Certain households not participating in programs. Households that are not 
participating in a public, subsidized or Section 8 housing program under the United States 
Housing Act of 1937, Public Law 75-412, 50 Stat. 888, Section 8, as amended, are eligible 
for an annual home heating fuel assistance benefit under the program in an amount equal 
to 30% of the benefit the household would have received if the household were purchasing 
home heating fuel directly or in the amount of $50, whichever amount is greater.
6.  Certain households participating in programs.  Households that are participating 
in a public, subsidized or Section 8 housing program under the United States Housing Act 
of 1937, Public Law 75-412, 50 Stat. 888, Section 8, as amended, are eligible for an annual 
home heating fuel assistance benefit in the amount of $21.
7.  Residents paying room rent.  Residents of a dwelling unit who make reasonable 
compensation in the form of room rent and who are not members of the same household 
are eligible for an annual home heating fuel assistance benefit in the amount of $21.
§1700-J. Application period; assistance
1.  Acceptance of applications.  The commissioner or the commissioner's designee 
may accept applications for the program beginning April 1, 2026. The commissioner or the 
commissioner's designee may establish by rule the procedure for accepting applications 
and determining eligibility under this subsection.
2.  Late-filed application.  An eligible applicant may not be penalized through a 
reduction of benefits for a late-filed application, except that the applicant may not receive 
benefits for any period prior to the month of application.
3.  Duties of commissioner. The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall 
process applications and perform related tasks, including assisting households in applying 
and providing required information for the program and locating and contacting home 
heating fuel suppliers certified under section 1700-K.
§1700-K.  Payments to home heating fuel suppliers
1.  Certification of home heating fuel suppliers. The commissioner or the 
commissioner's designee shall certify home heating fuel suppliers, excluding firewood and 
wood pellet suppliers, to be eligible to participate in the program. A recipient may use the 
home heating fuel assistance benefit to obtain home heating fuel only from a home heating 
fuel supplier certified by the commissioner, except that a recipient who heats with firewood 
or wood pellets may obtain firewood or wood pellets from any supplier that the recipient 
chooses.
2.  Duties of certified home heating fuel suppliers.  Certified home heating fuel 
suppliers shall agree to conduct reasonable efforts in order to inform and assist recipients 
in the supplier's service area, maintain records of amounts and costs of all home heating 
fuel deliveries and send periodic statements to recipients receiving home heating fuel 
assistance informing the recipients of account credit or debit balances as of the last 
statement, deliveries or usage since that statement and the charges for those deliveries or 
that usage, payments made or applied since that statement, indicating their source, and the 
ending credit or debit balance.  Certified home heating fuel suppliers shall also agree to 
provide the commissioner or the commissioner's designee that information considered 
necessary for the efficient administration of the program.
3.  Disclosure prohibited.  Certified home heating fuel suppliers may not disclose the 
recipient status of recipients of program benefits, the names of recipients or other 
information pertaining to recipients to anyone, except for purposes directly connected with 
the administration of the program or when required by law.
4.  Budget agreements and discounts.  Certified home heating fuel suppliers shall 
agree to enter into budget agreements with recipients for monthly payments itemized for 
the year for home heating fuel supplies, as long as the recipient meets accepted industry 
credit standards, and shall grant recipients such cash discounts, delivery savings before the 
heating season begins, automatic home heating fuel delivery agreements and any other 
discounts granted to any other home heating fuel customer or as the commissioner or the 
commissioner's designee may negotiate with certified home heating fuel suppliers.
5.  List.  The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall provide each certified 
home heating fuel supplier with a list of the households eligible for the program that are 
the supplier's customers, the total amount of annual home heating fuel assistance that has 
been authorized for each household and the allocation of the total amount for the winter 
heating season. Each authorized amount functions as a line of credit for each eligible 
household. The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall disburse authorized 
home heating fuel assistance benefits to certified home heating fuel suppliers on behalf of 
eligible households. Authorized benefits for oil, propane, kerosene, dyed diesel and coal 
must be paid after home heating fuel is delivered and invoiced to the commissioner or the 
commissioner's designee. Authorized benefits for electricity and natural gas must be paid 
in full and credited to the eligible household’s account at the same time benefit notices are 
issued to the eligible household.
6.  Natural gas suppliers.  The Public Utilities Commission shall require natural gas 
suppliers to provide a discount program to customers with incomes no greater than 200% 
of the federal poverty level or who meet the income eligibility requirements for the crisis 
home heating fuel assistance component of the program under section 1700-L.  Eligibility 
for the discount must be verified by the department.
In implementing the discount program, the Public Utilities Commission shall consider:
A.  Low-income discount programs, rates and cost structures of other regulated utilities 
in this State;
B.  Low-income discount programs, rates and cost structures for gas customers in other 
states; and
C.  Options for allocating the costs of the discount program that avoid or reduce the 
cost impact of the program on ineligible ratepayers, including consideration of each of 
the following:
(1) Use of revenues collected from ratepayers that are in excess of the revenue 
requirement most recently determined by the Public Utilities Commission; and
(2)  Use of revenues collected from ratepayers to fund system expansions that have 
not been placed in service.
§1700-L. Crisis reserves; eligibility and assistance
1.  Crisis home heating fuel assistance.  Annually, the commissioner or the 
commissioner's designee shall determine an appropriate amount of funds to be set aside for 
expenditure for the crisis home heating fuel assistance component of the program. The 
commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall also adopt rules to define crisis 
situations for the expenditure of the home heating fuel crisis funds and to establish the 
income eligibility requirements of households for receipt of crisis home heating fuel 
assistance. The rules must provide that a household whose gross household income is 
greater than 200% of the federal poverty level based on the income of all individuals 
residing in the household is not eligible. Rules adopted under this subsection are routine 
technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
2.  Limits.  Crisis home heating fuel grants may be limited per winter heating season 
to one grant for households that are eligible under subsection 1 and have received a seasonal 
fuel assistance grant and meet all eligibility requirements for crisis home heating fuel 
assistance.  Crisis home heating fuel grants may also be limited to 2 grants for households 
that are not eligible under subsection 1 for seasonal home heating fuel assistance benefits 
under the program and meet all eligibility requirements for crisis home heating fuel 
assistance.
Sec. 3.  Duties of Public Utilities Commission.  On or before January 15, 2027, 
the Public Utilities Commission shall:
1.  Implement the provisions of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 1700-K, 
subsection 6 by order to each natural gas supplier under the jurisdiction of the Public 
Utilities Commission; and
2.  Report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
health and human services matters and the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over utilities matters on the implementation of those provisions, 
including consideration of the matters described in Title 22, section 1700-K, subsection 6 
and the results of that consideration.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program and the Office of 
Home Heating Fuel Assistance within the Department of Health and Human Services.  The 
Commissioner of Health and Human Services must engage in cost-effective purchasing 
practices to maximize the use of public funds, including purchases of home heating fuel 
before the heating season begins, fixed price agreements, automatic home heating fuel 
delivery and negotiations with home heating fuel suppliers on behalf of program recipients.  
The commissioner must establish by rule income eligibility requirements and how to 
determine the amount of benefits an eligible person may receive.  The commissioner is also 
required to certify home heating fuel suppliers to be eligible to participate in the program.
The Office of Home Heating Fuel Assistance administers the program and the federal 
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, develops and recommends policy changes 
for the commissioner, explores alternative and additional funding possibilities, both public 
and private, and prepares an annual report.  The bill establishes the Home Heating Fuel 
Assistance Task Force to advise the office.
The bill requires the commissioner to set aside funds for the crisis home heating fuel 
assistance component of the program and adopt rules governing crisis situations for the 
expenditure of the home heating fuel crisis funds and to establish the income eligibility 
requirements of households for receipt of crisis home heating fuel assistance.
The bill also directs the Public Utilities Commission to require natural gas suppliers to 
provide a discount program to income-eligible customers.