Bill
H 3509
Requires online LIHEAP portal to auto-reenroll eligible recipients for the next heating season (Nov 1 to Apr 30), boosting benefit continuity and reducing interruptions.
Status & Sponsors
- Bill number: H.3509 (House Docket No. 1318)
- Primary petitioner / presenter: Rep. Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (with Kimberly N. Ferguson, Paul K. Frost, Todd M. Smola, Hannah Kane listed)
- Member added as sponsor: Burns (requested 2025-02-26)
- Introduced / first read: 2025-01-14 (prefiled 2024-12-05)
- Referred to: Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (2/27/2025); earlier committee reference to Judiciary appears in docket history.
- Committee hearing: scheduled/rescheduled for 09/25/2025 (times and virtual updates listed).
- Senate concurrence noted 2025-02-27.
Purpose / Intent
- Require that agencies building an online portal for fuel assistance ensure that individuals and households who apply for and receive federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) benefits are automatically re‑enrolled for the following heating season, provided they continue to meet federal and state eligibility criteria. The goal is to promote continuity of fuel assistance across heating seasons and reduce procedural lapses that can interrupt benefits.
Key Provisions
- Amends Section 1 of Chapter 174 of the Acts of 2022 (as amended by Chapter 7 of the Acts of 2023) by inserting language requiring automatic re‑enrollment into LIHEAP through the portal.
- Automatic re‑enrollment is conditioned on continued satisfaction of federal and state eligibility requirements, as determined by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC).
- Defines “heating season” for the purposes of this section as November 1 through April 30 each year, unless EOHLC designates otherwise.
- Requires that the agencies developing the portal implement automatic re‑enrollment functionality.
Who Would Be Affected
- Primary beneficiaries: households currently enrolled in LIHEAP who continue to meet eligibility requirements (they would be automatically re‑enrolled for the next heating season).
- Administrative bodies: state agencies responsible for the portal and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (responsible for eligibility determinations and implementation).
- Potential indirect effects on fuel vendors, community action agencies, and other program partners due to changes in enrollment flows.
Potential Impacts & Implementation Considerations
- Positive: likely reduces benefit interruptions, lowers administrative burden on recipients, and improves continuity of low‑income energy assistance during heating months.
- Operational: requires portal development/updates, interoperability with eligibility verification systems, secure handling of personal data, and clear communications to recipients about automatic re‑enrollment and opt‑out procedures.
- Fiscal: may have implementation costs for IT/administration; bill text does not specify funding or appropriation mechanisms.
- Legal/administrative: EOHLC retains authority to determine continued eligibility and to adjust the heating season dates if needed.
Note on document contents
- The legislative text provided also contains duplicate/unrelated draft language from a South Carolina bill concerning removal of guests from recreational vehicle parks. That South Carolina text is distinct and not part of Massachusetts H.3509; the summary above pertains only to the Massachusetts LIHEAP automatic re‑enrollment language contained in H.3509.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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