Water rate assistance program.

(1) Existing federal law, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, among other things, requires the federal Department of Health and Human Services to carry out a Low-Income Household Drinking Water and Wastewater Emergency Assistance Program, which is also known as the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, for making grants to states and Indian tribes to assist low-income households that pay a high proportion of household income for drinking water and wastewater services, as provided. Existing law requires the Department of Community Services and Development to administer the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program in this state, and to receive and expend moneys appropriated and allocated to the state for purposes of that program, pursuant to the above-described federal law. The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program was only operative until March 31, 2024. This bill would repeal the above-described requirements related to the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program. (2) Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act, requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. Existing law declares it to be the established policy of the state that every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes. Existing law requires the state board, by January 1, 2018, to develop a plan for the funding and implementation of the Low-Income Water Rate Assistance Program, as prescribed. Existing law requires the state board, by February 1, 2018, to report to the Legislature on its findings regarding the feasibility, financial stability, and desired structure of the program, including any recommendations for legislative action that may need to be taken. Existing law requires a public water system to submit a technical report to the state board as part of the permit application or when otherwise required by the state board. This bill would authorize a public urban retail water supplier to provide water rate assistance to its ratepayers, as specified, and would define the term "water rate assistance" to mean any offset of the cost of drinking water service provided through a low-income water rate assistance program, including, but not limited to, a reduction in a water bill, a percentage reduction of a water utility bill, a water account credit, or crisis assistance used to reduce or eliminate a water bill arrearage or potential arrearage. The bill would authorize the water rate assistance to be provided to specified eligible ratepayers, including, among others, residential ratepayers with an annual household income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline level. The bill would authorize a public urban retail water supplier to use any funding it has available to provide water rate assistance to its ratepayers, as specified, including voluntary contributions sought from other ratepayers. The bill would require an urban retail water supplier to, beginning January 1, 2028, include in the technical report to the state board specified information regarding its water rate assistance program. The bill would require the state board to conduct a voluntary survey of urban retail water suppliers, as provided, by July 1, 2026.