Senate File 208 - Introduced





                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT
                                           AND ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

                                       (SUCCESSOR TO SF 135)


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to the membership and administration of the Iowa
  2    propane education and research council, increasing an
  3    assessment, and providing an effective date.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 2089SV 83
  6 rn/nh/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 101C.2, Code 2009, is amended by adding
  1  2 the following new subsections:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  2A.  "Energy star certification" means
  1  4 meeting energy efficiency standards and guidelines pursuant to
  1  5 the energy star program developed and jointly administered by
  1  6 the United States environmental protection agency and United
  1  7 States department of energy.
  1  8    NEW SUBSECTION.  13.  "Weatherization" means activities
  1  9 designed to promote or enhance energy efficiency in a
  1 10 residence or other building including but not limited to the
  1 11 installation of attic, wall, foundation, crawlspace, water
  1 12 heater, and pipe insulation; air sealing including caulking
  1 13 and weather=stripping of windows and doors; installation of
  1 14 windows and doors that qualify for energy star certification;
  1 15 the performance of home energy audits; programmable thermostat
  1 16 installation; and carbon monoxide and radon inspection and
  1 17 detection system installation.
  1 18    Sec. 2.  Section 101C.2, subsection 8, Code 2009, is
  1 19 amended by striking the subsection.
  1 20    Sec. 3.  Section 101C.3, subsections 1 and 4, Code 2009,
  1 21 are amended to read as follows:
  1 22    1.  The Iowa propane education and research council is
  1 23 established.  Members of the council shall be appointed by the
  1 24 governor from a list of nominees submitted by qualified
  1 25 propane industry organizations within thirty days after May
  1 26 24, 2007, and by December 15 of each year thereafter.  The
  1 27 council shall consist of ten voting members, nine of whom
  1 28 represent retail propane marketers and one of whom shall be a
  1 29 public member the administrator of the division of community
  1 30 action agencies of the department of human rights, or the
  1 31 administrator's designee.  Qualified propane industry
  1 32 organizations shall together nominate all members of the
  1 33 council.  Members of the council other than the administrator,
  1 34 or the administrator's designee, shall be appointed by the
  1 35 fire marshal from a list of nominees submitted by qualified
  2  1 propane industry organizations by December 15 of each year.  A
  2  2 vacancy in the unfinished term of a council member shall be
  2  3 filled for the remainder of the term in the same manner as the
  2  4 original appointment was made.  Other than the public member
  2  5 administrator, or the administrator's designee, council
  2  6 members shall be full=time employees or owners of a propane
  2  7 industry business or representatives of an agricultural
  2  8 cooperative actively engaged in the propane industry.  An
  2  9 employee of a qualified propane industry organization shall
  2 10 not serve as a member of the council.  An officer of the board
  2 11 of directors of a qualified propane industry organization or
  2 12 propane industry trade association shall not serve
  2 13 concurrently as a member of the council.  The fire marshal or
  2 14 a designee may serve as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the
  2 15 council.
  2 16    4.  A council member, other than the public member, shall
  2 17 not receive compensation for the council member's service and
  2 18 shall not be reimbursed for expenses relating to the council
  2 19 member's service.  The public member shall receive a per diem
  2 20 as specified in section 7E.6 and shall be reimbursed for
  2 21 actual expenses incurred in performing official duties of the
  2 22 council not to exceed forty days per year.  A member of the
  2 23 council shall not be a salaried employee of the council or of
  2 24 any organization or agency which receives funds from the
  2 25 council.
  2 26    Sec. 4.  Section 101C.4, subsection 1, Code 2009, is
  2 27 amended to read as follows:
  2 28    1.  The council and its activities shall be funded by an
  2 29 annual assessment.  Upon establishment of the council and each
  2 30 year thereafter the annual assessment shall be made at a rate
  2 31 of one=tenth two=tenths of one cent on each gallon of odorized
  2 32 propane sold.  One=half of the assessment shall be used for
  2 33 energy efficiency programs dedicated to weatherization,
  2 34 acquisition and installation of energy=efficient customer
  2 35 appliances that qualify for energy star certification,
  3  1 installation of low=flow faucets and showerheads, and energy
  3  2 efficiency education.  The council shall by rule establish
  3  3 quality standards in relation to weatherization and appliance
  3  4 installation.
  3  5    Sec. 5.  Section 101C.11, Code 2009, is amended to read as
  3  6 follows:
  3  7    101C.11  REPORT.
  3  8    The council shall prepare and submit an annual report to
  3  9 the fire marshal and the auditor of state summarizing the
  3 10 activities of the council conducted pursuant to this chapter.
  3 11 The report shall show all income, expenses, and other relevant
  3 12 information concerning assessments collected and expended
  3 13 under this chapter.  The report shall also include a summary
  3 14 of the energy efficiency programs administered pursuant to the
  3 15 assessment in section 101C.4, subsection 1, and energy
  3 16 efficiency expenditures made pursuant thereto.
  3 17    Sec. 6.  Section 101C.14, Code 2009, is repealed.
  3 18    Sec. 7.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  The section of this Act amending
  3 19 section 101C.4, subsection 1, takes effect January 1, 2010.
  3 20                           EXPLANATION
  3 21    This bill modifies the membership of the Iowa propane
  3 22 education and research council.  Current law provides for nine
  3 23 members of the council representing retail propane marketers,
  3 24 and one "public member" of the council who represents a
  3 25 significant user of propane, a public safety official, a state
  3 26 regulatory official, or another group knowledgeable about
  3 27 propane.  The bill deletes references to a public member,
  3 28 instead providing that the tenth member shall be the
  3 29 administrator of the division of community action agencies of
  3 30 the department of human rights or the administrator's
  3 31 designee.  The bill makes conforming changes elsewhere in Code
  3 32 chapter 101C.
  3 33    The bill also provides for an increase in the annual
  3 34 assessment imposed pursuant to Code section 101C.4 to fund the
  3 35 expenses and activities of the council from the current rate
  4  1 of one=tenth of 1 cent to two=tenths of 1 cent on each gallon
  4  2 of odorized propane sold.  The bill directs that one=half of
  4  3 the assessment shall be used for energy efficiency programs
  4  4 dedicated to weatherization, acquisition, and installation of
  4  5 energy star certified customer appliances, and energy
  4  6 efficiency education.  The bill defines "weatherization" to
  4  7 refer to a nonexclusive list of energy efficiency activities
  4  8 specified in the bill, and defines what is meant by "energy
  4  9 star certification".  The bill provides that the assessment
  4 10 increases and the dedication of a portion of the assessments
  4 11 specifically to energy efficiency programs take effect January
  4 12 1, 2010.
  4 13    The bill adds to current reporting requirements a summary
  4 14 of the council's energy efficiency activities and
  4 15 expenditures.
  4 16    The bill additionally repeals a future repeal date for the
  4 17 Code chapter of December 31, 2014.
  4 18 LSB 2089SV 83
  4 19 rn/nh/5