1997 Minnesota Statutes

     268.37 Coordination of federal and state residential 
  weatherization programs. 

    Subdivision 1.    Agency designation.  The department of 
 economic security is the state agency to apply for, receive, and 
 disburse money made available to the state by federal law for 
 the purpose of weatherizing the residences of low-income 
 persons.  The commissioner of economic security shall coordinate 
 available federal money with state money appropriated for this 
 purpose. 

    Subd. 2.    Grants.  The commissioner shall make grants 
 of federal and state money to community action agencies and 
 other public or private nonprofit agencies for the purpose of 
 weatherizing the residences of low-income persons.  Grant 
 applications shall be submitted in accordance with rules 
 promulgated by the commissioner. 

    Subd. 2a.    Benefits of weatherization.  In the case of 
 any grant made to an owner of a rental dwelling unit for 
 weatherization, the commissioner shall require that (1) the 
 benefits of weatherization assistance in connection with the 
 dwelling unit accrue primarily to the low-income family that 
 resides in the unit; (2) the rents on the dwelling unit will not 
 be raised because of any increase in value due solely to the 
 weatherization assistance; and (3) no undue or excessive 
 enhancement will occur to the value of the dwelling unit. 

    Subd. 3.    Rules.  The commissioner shall promulgate 
 rules by July 1, 1980.  The rules shall describe:  (a) 
 procedures for the administration of grants, (b) data to be 
 reported by grant recipients, and (c) other matters the 
 commissioner finds necessary for the proper administration of 
 the grant program including compliance with relevant federal 
 regulations.  The commissioner must require that a rental unit 
 weatherized under this section be rented to a household meeting 
 the income limits of the program for 24 of the 36 months after 
 weatherization is complete.  In applying this restriction to 
 multiunit buildings weatherized under this section, the 
 commissioner shall require that occupancy continue to reflect 
 the proportion of eligible households in the building at the 
 time of weatherization.  

    Subd. 4.    Grant allocation.  The commissioner shall 
 distribute supplementary state grants in a manner consistent 
 with the goal of producing the maximum number of weatherized 
 units.  Supplementary state grants are provided primarily for 
 the payment of additional labor costs for the federal 
 weatherization program, and as an incentive for the increased 
 production of weatherized units. 

    Criteria for the allocation of state grants to local 
 agencies include:  (a) existing local agency production levels, 
 (b) emergency needs, and (c) the potential for maintaining or 
 increasing acceptable levels of production in the area.  

    An eligible local agency may receive advance funding for 90 
 days' production, but thereafter shall receive grants solely on 
 the basis of program criteria.  

    Subd. 5. Repealed, 1996 c 339 s 10 

    Subd. 6.    Eligibility criteria.  To the extent allowed 
 by federal regulations, the commissioner shall ensure that the 
 same income eligibility criteria apply to both the 
 weatherization program and the energy assistance program. 

    HIST: Ex1979 c 2 s 37; 1980 c 579 s 19; 1983 c 339 s 3-5; 1984 
 c 640 s 32; 1Sp1985 c 14 art 9 s 75; 1987 c 403 art 2 s 132; 
 1989 c 282 art 1 s 18; 1989 c 338 s 7; 1994 c 483 s 1; 1996 c 
 305 art 2 s 55