12087.8.
(a) The department shall develop and administer the Agricultural Working Poor Energy Efficient Housing Program and expend moneys appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of the program.(b) (1) Moneys appropriated for the program shall be used to improve energy efficiency in farmworker housing, including, but not limited to, for all of the following:
(A) Weatherization of homes and other residences.
(B) Replacement of energy inefficient appliances with Energy Star-certified appliances.
(C) Replacement of lighting with
light-emitting diode, commonly known as LED, lighting.
(D) Installation of photovoltaic solar panels and solar water heating systems and bringing farmworker housing into building code compliance to allow installation of those systems.
(2) When distributing moneys appropriated for the program, the department shall give preference to an association of federally designated farmworker organizations and other organizations that have a proven track record of assisting farmworkers.
(c) (1) The department shall develop program requirements and guidelines, including income-based program eligibility limits, and may develop subgrantee contract provisions for the program.
(2) The department shall do all of the following:
(A) Consult with the Public Utilities Commission and the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission in developing the program in order to ensure compatibility with the state’s energy policies and goals and to avoid duplication of the energy efficiency programs supervised by those commissions.
(B) Not less than 30 days before finalization of the program guidelines, post the draft program guidelines on the department’s internet website.
(C) Hold a public hearing to obtain public input on the draft program guidelines with notice of the hearing published prominently on the department’s internet website no less than 15 days before the hearing.
(D) By January 1 of the third calendar year following receipt of funding for the program, report to
the budget committees and appropriate policy committees of each house of the Legislature on program balances and expenditures, the number of households reached by the program, the demographics of households reached, including whether the household is owner occupied or occupant rented, a list of measures funded by the program, and an estimate of the energy saved by the program.