AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF FEDERAL FUNDING TO PAY CERTAIN SYSTEMS BENEFITS CHARGES.

SB 419 allocates Connecticut's federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (2021) to cover specific "systems benefits charges" accrued by electric distribution companies. These charges resulted from pandemic-era hardship protection programs that helped low-income customers pay their electricity bills. The bill directs state funds to pay these existing charges, directly benefiting electric companies that provided hardship assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. It does not create new programs or alter customer rates.