reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
33 V.S.A. § 2107
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 21 - General Assistance|§ 2107. Disqualification

§ 2107. Disqualification|(a) When the Commissioner or a person designated by the Commissioner pursuant to section 2104 of this title has reason to believe that an applicant for or recipient of General Assistance came into the State for the purpose of receiving General Assistance, he or she may find the applicant or recipient ineligible for General Assistance.(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, an applicant in immediate need of General Assistance for himself or herself or a person dependent upon him or her shall be granted General Assistance on an emergency basis, which may include the furnishing of transportation to the nearest boundary of this State in the direction in which he or she desires to go to leave the State. (Added 1967, No. 147, § 7, eff. Oct. 1, 1968; amended 1971, No. 176 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; 2013, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 51, eff. May 20, 2014.)
33 V.S.A. § 2108
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 21 - General Assistance|§ 2108. Residential weatherization for fuel assistance recipients

§ 2108. Residential weatherization for fuel assistance recipients|(a) Recipients of emergency heating fuel or emergency aid for utility services, which are provided under the General Assistance Program, and any other federal Fuel Assistance Programs, shall receive a form which they may sign to request that their names and addresses be made available as potential recipients of Home Energy Audits and Weatherization Programs.(b) The Commissioner by rule shall specify the names of organizations eligible to receive a list of the names and addresses of persons signing the consent form established in subsection (a) of this section. (Added 1981, No. 25.)
33 V.S.A. § 2109
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 21 - General Assistance|§ 2109. Relief by private persons and hospitals

§ 2109. Relief by private persons and hospitals|(a) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, when a person, including a transient, is injured, suddenly taken sick or lame, or is otherwise disabled and confined to a house or hospital in this State, and is in need of relief, the person at whose house or hospital he or she is shall be at the expense of relieving and supporting the person, until notice in writing of the situation of the person is given to the Department, after which the Department shall provide for the relief and support of the person.(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, in the case of a hospital, the notice required in subsection (a) of this section shall be supplemented, as soon as reasonably possible, with a plan or proposed method of collecting from the person for relief and care and other pertinent information requested by the Department. In the case of a person, after giving notice required in subsection (a) of this section, he or she shall file additional information with the Department on a form prescribed by the Commissioner.(c) The Commissioner may provide by rule for an exemption from the notice and report requirements of subsections (a) and (b) of this section in the case of a hospital that makes and observes satisfactory arrangements considered adequate by the Commissioner. When so exempted, the provisions of subsection 2110(b) of this chapter shall not apply. (Added 1967, No. 147, § 7, eff. Oct. 1, 1968; amended 1969, No. 126, § 2; 1973, No. 207 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; 2013, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 52, eff. May 20, 2014; 2021, No. 20, § 311.)
33 V.S.A. § 2110
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 21 - General Assistance|§ 2110. Reimbursement for relief expenditures

§ 2110. Reimbursement for relief expenditures|(a) If the Department fails to provide relief for a person, including a transient, the person or hospital relieving him or her may recover for the relief provided in an action on this statute against the State of Vermont.(b) Notwithstanding (a) of this section, no recovery may be had for any period in excess of 72 hours before notice is given to the Department if the plaintiff has failed to timely file the information required under subsection 2109(b) of this title.(c) This section shall only be operative to the extent that funds are appropriated for it by the General Assembly. (Added 1967, No. 147, § 7, eff. Oct. 1, 1968; amended 1969, No. 126, § 3; 1973, No. 207 (Adj. Sess.), § 6; 1975, No. 254 (Adj. Sess.), § 148; 2021, No. 20, § 312.)
33 V.S.A. § 2111
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 21 - General Assistance|§ 2111. Death

§ 2111. Death|When a person, including a transient, dies in the State in other than a State institution and no one appears to make funeral arrangements, the person in charge thereof shall report the death of the person to the nearest Economic Services Division office. (Added 1967, No. 147, § 7, eff. Oct. 1, 1968; amended 1969, No. 130, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1968; 1973, No. 207 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2015, No. 71 (Adj. Sess.), § 5.)
33 V.S.A. § 2113
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 21 - General Assistance|§ 2113. Action for recovery of expenditures

§ 2113. Action for recovery of expenditures|Whenever a person who has received General Assistance from the Department owns or thereafter acquires real or personal property or an interest in real or personal property or becomes employed, the Department on behalf of the State of Vermont may recover on this statute against the person the amount the Department has expended for General Assistance furnished to the person or the person's family. If the person is deceased, the amount expended by the Department shall be allowed as a claim against the person's estate as a debt due the State. All statutory exemptions shall apply in the civil action. Statutes of limitations shall not be a defense or bar a debt due the State. (Added 1967, No. 147, § 7, eff. Oct. 1, 1968; amended 2021, No. 20, § 313.)
33 V.S.A. § 2115
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 21 - General Assistance|§ 2115. General assistance program report

§ 2115. General assistance program report|On or before September 1 of each year, the Commissioner for Children and Families shall submit a written report to the Joint Fiscal Committee; the House Committees on Appropriations, on General, Housing, and Military Affairs, and on Human Services; and the Senate Committees on Appropriations and on Health and Welfare. The report shall contain the following:  (1) an evaluation of the General Assistance program during the previous fiscal year; (2) any recommendations for changes to the program; (3) a plan for continued implementation of the program; (4) statewide statistics using deidentified data related to the use of emergency housing vouchers during the preceding State fiscal year, including demographic information, client data, shelter and motel usage rates, clients' primary stated cause of homelessness, average lengths of stay in emergency housing by demographic group and by type of housing; and (5) other information the Commissioner deems appropriate. (Added 2015, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 9; amended 2017, No. 85, § E.321.2.)
33 V.S.A. § 2501
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 25 - Home Weatherization Assistance Program|§ 2501. Home Weatherization Assistance Fund

§ 2501. Home Weatherization Assistance Fund|(a) There is created in the State Treasury a fund to be known as the Home Weatherization Assistance Fund to be expended by the Director of the State Office of Economic Opportunity in accordance with federal law and this chapter.(b) The Fund shall be composed of the receipts from the gross receipts tax on retail sales of fuel imposed by section 2503 of this title, such funds as may be allocated from the Oil Overcharge Fund, such funds as may be allocated from the federal Low Income Energy Assistance Program, such funds as may be deposited or transferred into the Fund by the Vermont Low Income Trust for Electricity, and such other funds as may be appropriated by the General Assembly.(c) All balances in the Fund at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward and remain part of the Fund. Interest earned by the Fund shall be deposited into the Fund. Disbursements from the Fund shall be made by the State Treasurer on warrants drawn by the Commissioner of Finance and Management. Disbursements may be made from the Fund only to support the programs established by this chapter or otherwise as authorized by this chapter. (Added 1989, No. 272 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1991, No. 262 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 2007, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 30; 2013, No. 50, § E.324.3; 2019, No. 62, § 4.)
33 V.S.A. § 2503
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 25 - Home Weatherization Assistance Program|§ 2503. Fuel tax

§ 2503. Fuel tax|(a)(1) There is imposed a tax on the retail sale of heating oil, propane, kerosene, and other dyed diesel fuel delivered in Vermont, at the rate of $0.02 per gallon.  (2) There is imposed a gross receipts tax of 0.75 percent on the retail sale of natural gas and coal. (3) There is imposed a gross receipts tax of 0.5 percent on the retail sale of electricity.   (b) The tax shall be levied upon and collected monthly from the seller. Fuel sellers may itemize the tax on the invoice or bill, and if the seller does itemize the amount, the invoice or bill shall include a statement that the tax is "for support of Vermont's Low Income Home Weatherization Program."(c) The tax shall be administered by the Commissioner of Taxes, and all receipts shall be deposited by the Commissioner in the Home Weatherization Assistance Fund. All provisions of law relating to the collection, administration, and enforcement of the sales and use tax imposed by 32 V.S.A. chapter 233 shall apply to the tax imposed by this chapter.(d) No tax under this section shall be imposed for any month ending after June 30, 2024. (Added 1989, No. 272 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1991 No. 262 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 5-7; 1993, No. 230 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 1, 2; 2003, No. 9, § 2; 2007, No. 65, § 132; 2007, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 32; 2009, No. 22, § 9a; 2009, No. 3 (Sp. Sess.), § 18, eff. June 10, 2009; 2009, No. 160 (Adj. Sess.), § 44; 2011, No. 45, §§ 32, 32a, eff. May 24, 2011; 2013, No. 50, § E.324.3; 2013, No. 73, § 56, eff. June 5, 2013; 2013, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 55, eff. May 20, 2014; 2013, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 48; 2015, No. 134 (Adj. Sess.), § 35; 2015, No. 134 (Adj. Sess.), § 39, eff. Jan. 1, 2017; 2019, No. 71, § 18.)
33 V.S.A. § 2601
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 26 - Home Heating Fuel Assistance|§ 2601. Policy and purpose

§ 2601. Policy and purpose|(a) It is the purpose of this chapter to secure the safety and health of low income Vermont households by providing needy Vermonters with assistance for the purchase of essential home heating fuel. To further this purpose, application acceptance, processing, and eligibility determination should as much as is practical be coordinated with other economic benefit programs administered by the Agency of Human Services.(b) This chapter establishes a Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program in the Agency of Human Services with both a seasonal fuel assistance component and a crisis component. (Added 1995, No. 158 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 10, 1996; amended 2009, No. 88 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 29, 2010.)
33 V.S.A. § 2601a
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 26 - Home Heating Fuel Assistance|§ 2601a. Definitions

§ 2601a. Definitions|As used in this chapter:  (1) "Household" means any individual or group of individuals who live together as one economic unit:  (A) for whom energy for home heating fuel is customarily purchased in common; or (B) who make undesignated payments for energy for home heat in the form of rent.  (2) 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:  (A) an individual residing in the dwelling unit who is the husband, wife, or civil union partner, or minor daughter or son of the applicant or recipient; (B) an individual residing in the dwelling unit who is the parent of any minor daughter or son included in the household, any minor daughter or son of such parent not already included in the household, the husband, wife, or civil union partner, of any minor included in the household, or the minor daughter or son of any minor included in the household.  (3) The following individuals shall be presumed to be members of the same household, unless the applicant or recipient provides to the Office of Home Heating Fuel Assistance reasonable evidence that such individuals are not members of the same household economic unit:  (A) An individual residing in the dwelling unit who is related by blood, civil marriage, or adoption to another resident of the dwelling unit and has not been included in the household in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (2) of this section. Such relationships include the relationship of the adult applicant or adult recipient to his or her father, mother, grandmother, grandfather, adult son, adult daughter, grandson, granddaughter, brother, sister, stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, or stepsister. (B) An unrelated individual residing in the dwelling unit who does not pay reasonable compensation to rent one or more rooms as separate living quarters, or who does not make reasonable compensation in the form of caretaker or companionship services in the case of an applicant or recipient who is 60 years of age or older or disabled.  (4) The following individuals shall be presumed not to be members of the same household, provided that the applicant or recipient provides to the Office of Home Heating Fuel Assistance reasonable evidence that such individuals meet the following standards for exclusion from the economic unit:  (A) individuals in the custody of and placed in foster care by the Department for Children and Families, and individuals placed in a home by or through a program administered by the Department of Health or of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living; (B) individuals providing medically necessary personal care or homemaker services to a member of the household who is 60 years of age or older or disabled. (Added 1999, No. 59, § 1, eff. June 1, 1999; amended 2005, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 108; 2007, No. 172 (Adj. Sess.), § 12; 2009, No. 3, § 12a, eff. Sept. 1, 2009; 2021, No. 20, § 315.)
33 V.S.A. § 2602
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 26 - Home Heating Fuel Assistance|§ 2602. Administration

§ 2602. Administration|(a) The Agency of Human Services shall administer the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program through an Office of Home Heating Fuel Assistance to be assigned within the Agency as determined by the Secretary, and to be headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary.(b) The Secretary of Human Services shall adopt rules, pursuant to 3 V.S.A. chapter 25, necessary for the implementation of this chapter, or pursuant to any applicable federal laws or regulations.(c) The Secretary shall engage in cost-effective purchasing practices to maximize the purchasing power of public funds used in connection with the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program. Such practices shall include preseason purchases of fuel, fixed price agreements, automatic fuel delivery, and negotiations with fuel suppliers on behalf of Program beneficiaries for additional fuel price discounts. The practices authorized by this subsection shall be used in connection with all applicable fuels purchased by Program beneficiaries. The Secretary shall make available to Program recipients the list of fuel suppliers who have agreed to provide fuel discounts.(d) [Repealed.]  (Added 1995, No. 158 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 10, 1996; amended 2001, No. 63, § 129a, eff. June 16, 2001; 2005, No. 93 (Adj. Sess.), § 38, eff. March 3, 2006; 2007, No. 172 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; 2013, No. 50, § E.324.4, eff. July 2, 2013; 2013, No. 89, § 17; 2017, No. 3, § 65, eff. March 2, 2017.)
33 V.S.A. § 2602a
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 26 - Home Heating Fuel Assistance|§ 2602a. Office of Home Energy Assistance

§ 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.)
33 V.S.A. § 2602b
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 26 - Home Heating Fuel Assistance|§ 2602b. LIHEAP and weatherization

§ 2602b. LIHEAP and weatherization|Notwithstanding section 2501 of this title, the Secretary of Human Services may transfer up to 15 percent of each federal fiscal year's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) block grant to the Home Weatherization Assistance Program to be used for weatherization projects and program administration allowable under LIHEAP in the same State fiscal year. At the same time, an equivalent transfer shall be made to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program from the Home Weatherization Assistance Fund to provide home heating fuel benefits and program administration in the same State fiscal year. (Added 2018, No. 11 (Sp. Sess.), § E.324.1.)
33 V.S.A. § 2606
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 26 - Home Heating Fuel Assistance|§ 2606. Application period; assistance

§ 2606. Application period; assistance|(a) The Secretary of Human Services or designee may accept applications on an ongoing basis beginning on April 1, 2010. The Secretary or designee may establish by rule the procedure for accepting applications and determining eligibility under this subsection.(b) No qualified applicant shall be penalized through a reduction of benefits for a late-filed application, except that such applicant shall not receive benefits for any period prior to the month of application.(c) The Secretary of Human Services or designee shall process applications and related tasks, including assisting households in applying and providing required information, and locating and contacting fuel suppliers certified under section 2607 of this title. (Added 1995, No. 158 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 10, 1996; amended 1999, No. 59, § 5, eff. June 1, 1999; 2009, No. 1 (Sp. Sess.), § E.324.2; 2009, No. 88 (Adj. Sess.), § 5, eff. April 29, 2010.)
33 V.S.A. § 2608
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 33 - Human Services|Chapter 26 - Home Heating Fuel Assistance|§ 2608. Weatherization program agreements

§ 2608. Weatherization program agreements|The Director of the Home Energy Assistance Program shall inform the Administrator of the Home Weatherization Assistance Program, established under chapter 25 of this title, of all participants in the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program. The Agency of Human Services shall provide all participants in the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program with information regarding the efficiency utility established under 30 V.S.A. § 209. All participants in the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program shall be deemed to comply with any income requirements of the Home Weatherization Program, but to receive weatherization services, recipients shall be required to meet any other eligibility requirements of the Home Weatherization Program. As a condition of receipt of benefits under the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program, a recipient shall consent to receive services of the Home Weatherization Assistance Program. The Home Weatherization Assistance Program shall give the highest priority to providing services to participants within the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program and, among those participants, to those who require the highest energy usage. (Added 1995, No. 158 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 10, 1996; amended 2005, No. 208 (Adj. Sess.), § 16; 2013, No. 50, § E.324.7; 2013, No. 89, § 20; 2017, No. 85, § F.3, eff. June 28, 2017.)