1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to energy; establishing the emergency energy 
  1.3             contingency account; appropriating money; proposing 
  1.4             coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 216B.
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [216B.099] [HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE TRUST FUND.] 
  1.7      Subdivision 1.  [FUND ESTABLISHED.] The home energy 
  1.8   assistance trust fund account is established in the state 
  1.9   treasury.  Interest, dividends, and other earnings arising from 
  1.10  account assets must be credited to the account.  Amounts in the 
  1.11  account do not cancel and are available until expended. 
  1.12     Subd. 2.  [FUND USES.] Upon declaration by the governor of 
  1.13  a state energy emergency, the commissioner of economic security 
  1.14  may disburse grants from the account to provide payment 
  1.15  assistance to residential energy consumers in the state.  
  1.16     Subd. 3.  [ENERGY EMERGENCY DEFINED.] The governor may 
  1.17  declare an energy emergency on determining that low-income 
  1.18  energy consumers are at risk due to the existence of any of the 
  1.19  following conditions:  
  1.20     (1) prices for heating fuels or electricity are at 
  1.21  unseasonably high levels; 
  1.22     (2) the state, or a region of the state, is experiencing 
  1.23  unexpected extreme weather conditions; 
  1.24     (3) service disconnections are increasing or have increased 
  1.25  at a substantial rate; or 
  2.1      (4) heating fuel or electric supplies are low.  
  2.2      Subd. 4.  [REPORT.] In any year in which an emergency is 
  2.3   declared under subdivision 3, the governor shall issue a report 
  2.4   to the legislature on the use of the funds disbursed. 
  2.5      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.6      $25,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund in fiscal 
  2.7   year 2001 and transferred to the emergency energy contingency 
  2.8   account for the purposes specified in section 1.  This 
  2.9   appropriation does not lapse but remains available for the 
  2.10  purposes of the account.  
  2.11     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.12     Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final 
  2.13  enactment.