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H 3495

Inspector General

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Annie McDaniel

Creates a low-income cooling assistance program, protects heat-vulnerable households from utility shutoffs during extreme heat, and forms an interagency extreme heat task force.

Referred to Committee on Judiciary
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Bill Summary · H 3495

Summary — H.3495 (Garballey) — "An Act promoting resilience against the heat‑related impacts of climate change"

Status & procedure
- Prefiled: 12/05/2024. Introduced/read 1st time: 01/14/2025. Referred to Committee on Judiciary (01/14/2025) and to the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (02/27/2025). Hearings scheduled 09/25/2025. (Senate concurrence and some calendar entries are listed in the legislative history.)
- Note: the provided bill text file includes an unrelated, truncated South Carolina Inspector General draft; this summary focuses on the Massachusetts H.3495 text.

Purpose
- To reduce heat‑related health risks and improve resilience to extreme heat through (1) a low‑income cooling assistance program, (2) protections against utility shutoffs during extreme heat or poor air quality, (3) a Department of Public Health study on maximum indoor temperatures for habitability standards, and (4) creation of an interagency “extreme heat” task force.

Key provisions

  1. Low‑Income Cooling Assistance Program (Chapter 23B — new §24C)
  2. Establishes a DHCD‑administered program (subject to appropriation) to assist low‑income households with cooling needs, including payment assistance for cooling‑related electric bills and distribution of energy‑efficient cooling appliances.
  3. Eligibility: household income ≤ 60% of state median income. Priority given to households with “vulnerable persons” (age ≥65, under 5, or certain medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes).
  4. Administration: primary partnership with community action agencies; coordination with councils on aging, FQHCs, community development corporations, local housing authorities, and LIHEAP outreach partners.

  5. Reporting & outreach: DHCD must publish an annual report (applicants, accepted applications, assisting entities, costs) to specified legislative committees and conduct annual targeted outreach (website, letters/emails to LIHEAP participants). DHCD may promulgate regulations.

  6. Utility shutoff protections (Amendment to G.L. c.164, §124F)

  7. Prohibits gas/electric utilities from shutting off (or maintaining a shutoff of) residential service for customers who cannot pay due to financial hardship when that service is used for space cooling on:

    • Any day when the National Weather Service forecast for the next 48 hours includes a heat index ≥ 95°F in the utility’s service area;
    • Any day preceding a holiday or weekend when forecasts predict a heat index ≥ 95°F during the holiday/weekend; or
    • Any day when the Department of Environmental Protection or EPA forecasts an Air Quality Index (AQI) ≥ 151 in the service territory.

  8. DPH study on maximum indoor temperature standards (G.L. c.111, §127A)

  9. DPH, consulting with DHCD, must study whether and how to amend the State Sanitary Code to incorporate maximum temperature requirements for habitable rooms and rooms containing bathing/toilet facilities.

  10. Study must analyze costs/benefits, and impacts on public health, environmental justice, housing affordability, and climate resilience.

  11. Report due to the Legislature by December 31, 2026.

  12. Extreme Heat Task Force (Executive Office of Public Safety & Security)

  13. Establishes a task force chaired by the Secretary of Public Safety with specified state officials, legislative leaders (or designees), public health and academic representatives, labor/occupational safety groups, school and local government representatives, and others. (Full duties and complete membership list are included in the bill; the provided text is partially truncated.)

  14. Intended to coordinate policy, planning, and recommendations to address extreme heat risks statewide.

Who is affected
- Low‑income households (especially those with vulnerable individuals), electric and gas utilities, DHCD and DPH, community action agencies, local housing authorities, health providers, landlords and housing developers, schools and municipalities, and the state budget (program subject to appropriation).

Potential impacts
- Directly increases protections for households during extreme heat and high pollution days, likely reducing heat‑related morbidity/mortality among vulnerable populations.
- Could increase near‑term costs for state agencies (program funding) and utilities (restrictions on shutoffs), and may prompt regulatory or housing standard changes with implications for building owners and housing affordability.
- The DPH study and task force could produce further recommendations (and potential future regulations or funding needs) to strengthen heat resilience.

For further review
- See full bill text for the complete task force membership and any additional operational details.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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