[atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to addressing health problems that significantly increase energy needs; adding a new section to chapter 82.16 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds and declares that patients with certain chronic debilitating medical conditions have a critical need to live in high temperature environments in order to sustain their functioning and prevent a worsening of health conditions that are likely life-threatening. Their ability to maintain a comfortable body temperature can directly affect the course of their illnesses. Temperature-sensitive patients include those on life-support equipment; or who are paraplegic or quadriplegic; with scleroderma, compromised immune systems; or suffering from other life-threatening illnesses, including spinal cord injuries, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. With inadequate heating, a patient's internal organs degenerate with diminished blood supply ultimately leading to emergent and more costly health services such as transplants and dialysis. The financial trauma of the onset or progression of these serious illnesses, coupled with inordinate heating costs, may require these patients to become dependent on the state for the costs of meeting more serious and intractable conditions. With the hope of preventing the onset of more debilitating conditions and avoiding higher health costs associated with them, it is the intent of the legislature to encourage power, light, and gas distribution businesses in this state to offer discounts on heating costs to temperature-sensitive patients by providing credits against the taxes imposed by this chapter for customer payment reductions in accordance with the provisions of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 82.16 RCW to read as follows:

(1) A light and power business or a gas distribution business may take a credit against the tax imposed by this chapter for customer payment reductions, subject to subsection (2) of this section.

(2) A customer must submit an application for a payment reduction to the department of community, trade, and economic development. The application must contain a signed statement from a licensed physician or osteopathic physician who certifies that the patient is a temperature-sensitive person with a qualifying illness or condition as provided under subsection (3)(b) of this section. After reviewing the application, the department of community, trade, and economic development will transmit an approved application to the light and power and gas distribution businesses currently servicing the customer. Upon receipt of an approved application, a light and power business and gas distribution business must begin providing the customer with a payment reduction and begin taking the credit authorized under subsection (1) of this section.

(3) For the purposes of this section and unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following definitions apply:

(a) "Payment reduction" means a financial diminution in the amount of money a customer must remit to a light and power business or gas distribution business for services which qualify a light and power business or gas distribution business for a tax credit authorized under subsection (1) of this section. A payment reduction must not exceed fifty percent of the money owed to a light and power business or gas distribution business for services.

(b) "Customer" means an individual that requires light and power service or gas service and that:

(i) Has peripheral circulatory problems, including paraplegia, quadriplegia, hemiplegia, diabetes, raynaud's disease or raynaud's phenomenon, or multiple sclerosis;

(ii) Has a disease that affects the joints such as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, osteoarthritis; or

(iii) Requires regular use of life-support equipment.

(4) Application for a payment reduction may only be made in the form and manner prescribed by the department of community, trade, and economic development. The department may adopt any rules necessary for the effective administration of this section.