HB1567 HD1

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1567
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO ENERGY EQUITY.

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawaiʻi's electricity costs create disproportionately high energy burdens on low-income households and medically fragile individuals. High electricity burden is associated with adverse health outcomes, increased hardship for seniors and caregivers, barriers to distributed energy resource adoption, and increased risk of disconnection during extreme heat and climate-driven emergencies.

The legislature further finds that allowing the public utilities commission to develop standards and programs that reduce energy burdens, advance public health, and align with the performance-based regulation framework would improve affordable access to essential electricity for all residents and strengthen protections for households with medically essential electricity needs.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to allow the public utilities commission to establish a lifeline baseline performance standard and medically essential needs energy program based on proposals from electric utilities.

SECTION 2. Chapter 269, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§269- Lifeline baseline performance standard; medically essential needs energy program. (a) The public utilities commission may establish a lifeline baseline performance standard and medically essential needs energy program based on electric utility proposals, while considering the following objectives:

(1) Addressing affordability for essential household electricity use;

(2) Addressing energy burdens for low-income and medically fragile households;

(3) Supporting medically necessary electricity consumption;

(4) Promoting resilience during outages and service disruptions; and

(5) Supporting energy equity and climate resilience objectives.

(b) In response to electric utility proposals submitted pursuant to subsection (a), the public utilities commission may establish a lifeline baseline performance standard that reflects the monthly electricity consumption necessary to meet essential household needs, including considerations for:

(1) Household size and multigenerational residence;

(2) Climate zone, island-specific heat risk, and extreme temperature trends; and

(3) Household medical and health-related electricity needs.

(c) In response to electric utility proposals submitted pursuant to subsection (a), the public utilities commission may establish a medically essential needs energy program to protect households with medically essential electricity requirements. The program may include:

(1) Providing for an enhanced baseline allowance at the lifeline rate for certified medical need;

(2) Allowing for certification by licensed health care providers, including via telehealth;

(3) Prohibiting disconnection of certified households during conditions such as heat advisories, grid reliability disruptions, and health care emergencies;

(4) Ensuring that participation does not affect eligibility for any other assistance or energy customer program; and

(5) Incentivizing distributed energy resource adoption to address reliability and affordability concerns.

(d) If a lifeline baseline performance standard or medically essential needs program is proposed or established, the public utilities commission and electric utilities shall submit a report of their findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session. The report shall include:

(1) Lifeline and medical program enrollment;

(2) Disconnection notices and completed disconnections, disaggregated by island and zip code;

(3) Household electricity burden by income decile;

(4) Access to and enrollment in distributed energy resource programs; and

(5) Heat-risk and emergency event data affecting household energy stability."

SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 3000.