The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall administer an emergency fuel assistance program to provide: (1) Emergency fuel assistance on behalf of private, nonprofit group homes and halfway houses receiving state aid and licensed by or under contract with the Department of Public Health, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Department of Correction or the Department of Developmental Services, provided no group home or halfway house shall receive emergency fuel assistance in excess of one thousand dollars unless the commissioner finds additional assistance is necessary to protect the health and safety of the residents of such group home or halfway house; (2) grants to municipalities for emergency fuel assistance to receivers of rents appointed pursuant to section 47a-56a, to prevent and respond to abandonment by landlords of tenant-occupied dwelling units, provided no municipality shall receive an amount in excess of one thousand five hundred dollars for each receivership established within such municipality unless the commissioner finds additional assistance is necessary to protect the health and safety of the residents of such dwelling units; and (3) emergency fuel assistance to housing authorities for state-financed housing projects, for fuel costs incurred after October 1, 1979. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, establishing eligibility criteria for the distribution of state funds appropriated to the Department of Economic and Community Development for such program. The commissioner may, in his discretion and based on his determination of need, allocate any funds appropriated for the purposes of this section among group homes and halfway houses, municipalities and housing authorities.

(Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 79-2, S. 1, 3; P.A. 80-92; 80-369, S. 1, 3; P.A. 93-91, S. 1, 2; 93-381, S. 12, 39; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; 95-257, S. 11, 12, 21, 58; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(a).)

History: P.A. 80-92 substituted alcohol and drug abuse commission for alcohol and drug abuse council; P.A. 80-369 deleted formula for allocating emergency fuel assistance and added provision for allocating funds at commissioner's discretion; P.A. 93-91 substituted commissioner and department of children and families for commissioner and department of children and youth services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner and department of health services and executive director and Connecticut alcohol and drug abuse commission with commissioner and department of public health and addiction services and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health and replaced Commissioner and Department of Mental Health with Commissioner and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, effective July 1, 1995; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 “Department of Mental Retardation” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Developmental Services”, effective October 1, 2007.