,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eifh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #be1       
#bjbj,mr4 ,lujn 7for himself and ,ms4   
,haaland7 introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition 
to the ,committee on ,oversight and     
,reform1 for a period to be subsequently
 determined by the ,speaker1 in each    
case for consideration of such          
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to require the ,secretary of
 ,energy to establish a program to      
increase participation in community     
solar and the receipt of associated     
benefits1 and for other purposes4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,community ,solar ,consumer ,choice 
,act of #bjbj4  #b4 ,community solar    
consumer choice program2 ,federal       
,government participation in community  
solar  7a7 ,definitions ,in this        
section3 7#a7 ,community solar ,the term

 community solar means a solar power    
plant1 the benefits of the electricity  
produced by which are shared by two or  
more electricity customers4  7#b7       
,secretary ,the term ,secretary means   
the ,secretary of ,energy4  7#c7        
,subscriber ,the term subscriber means  
an electricity customer who receives a  
benefit associated with the proportional
 output of the community solar facility 
of the customer4  7b7 ,establishment of 
community solar consumer choice program 
7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year
 after the date of enactment of this    
,act1 the ,secretary shall establish a  
program to expand community solar       
options to-- 7,a7 individuals1          
particularly individuals that do not    
have regular access to onsite solar1    
including low- and moderate-income      
individuals2  7,b7 businesses2  7,c7    
nonprofit organizations2 and  7,d7      
,states and local and ,tribal           
governments4  7#b7 ,alignment with      
existing ,federal programs ,the         

,secretary shall align the program under
 paragraph 7#a7 with existing ,federal  
programs that serve low-income          
communities4  7#c7 ,assistance to ,state
 and local governments ,in carrying out 
the program under paragraph 7#a71 the   
,secretary shall-- 7,a7 provide         
technical assistance to ,states and     
local and ,tribal governments for       
projects to increase community solar2   
7,b7 assist ,states and local and       
,tribal governments in the development  
of new and innovative financial and     
business models that leverage           
competition in the marketplace in order 
to serve community solar subscribers2   
and  7,c7 use ,national ,laboratories   
7as defined in section #b of the ,energy
 ,policy ,act of #bjje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#aehja77 to collect and disseminate data
 to assist private entities in the      
financing of1 subscription to1 and      
operation of community solar projects4  
7c7 ,federal ,government participation  
in community solar ,the ,secretary will 

expand the existing grant1 loan1 and    
financing programs to include community 
solar projects 7as defined in paragraph 
7#bj7 of section #aaa7;d7 of the ,public
 ,utility ,regulatory ,policies ,act of 
#aigh 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #bfba7;d771 as     
added pursuant to section #c of this    
,act74  #c4 ,establishment of community 
solar programs  7a7 ,in general ,section
 #aaa7;d7 of the ,public ,utility       
,regulatory ,policies ,act of #aigh 7#af
 ,u4,s4,c4 #bfba7;d77 is amended by     
adding at the end the following3  7#bj7 
,community solar programs ,each electric
 utility shall offer a community solar  
program4 ,for the purposes of this      
paragraph1 the term community solar     
program means a service provided to any 
electric consumer that the electric     
utility serves through which the value  
of electric energy generated by a       
community solar facility may be used to 
offset charges billed to the electric   
consumer by the electric utility4 ,a    
community solar facility is-- 7,a7 a    

solar photovoltaic system that allocates
 electricity to multiple electric       
consumers of an electric utility2  7,b7 
connected to a local distribution of the
 electric utility2  7,c7 located either 
on or off the property of the electric  
consumers2 and  7,d7 may be owned by an 
electric utility1 an electric consumer1 
or a third party4  4  7b7 ,compliance   
7#a7 ,time limitations ,section #aab7;b7
 of the ,public ,utility ,regulatory    
,policies ,act of #aigh 7#af ,u4,s4,c4  
#bfbb7;b77 is amended by adding at the  
end the following3  7#g7 7,a7 ,not later
 than #a year after the date of         
enactment of this paragraph1 each ,state
 regulatory authority 7with respect to  
each electric utility for which the     
,state has ratemaking authority7 and    
each nonregulated utility shall commence
 consideration under section #aaa1 or   
set a hearing date for consideration1   
with respect to the standard established
 by paragraph 7#bj7 of section #aaa7;d74
  7,b7 ,not later than #b years after   

the date of enactment of this paragraph1
 each ,state regulatory authority 7with 
respect to each electric utility for    
which the ,state has ratemaking         
authority71 and each nonregulated       
electric utility shall complete the     
consideration and make the determination
 under section #aaa with respect to the 
standard established by paragraph 7#bj7 
of section #aaa7;d74  4  7#b7 ,failure  
to comply  7,a7 ,in general ,section    
#aab7;c7 of the ,public ,utility        
,regulatory ,policies ,act of #aigh 7#af
 ,u4,s4,c4 #bfbb7;c77 is amended-- 7i7  
by striking such paragraph 7#ad7 and all
 that follows through paragraphs 7#af7  
and inserting such paragraph 7#ad74 ,in 
the case of the standard established by 
paragraph 7#ae7 of section #aaa7;d71 the
 reference contained in this subsection 
to the date of enactment of this ,act   
shall be deemed to be a reference to the
 date of enactment of that paragraph    
7#ae74 ,in the case of the standards    
established by paragraphs 7#af72 and    

7ii7 by adding at the end the following3
 ,in the case of the standard           
established by paragraph 7#bj7 of       
section #aaa7;d71 the reference         
contained in this subsection to the date
 of enactment of this ,act shall be     
deemed to be a reference to the date of 
enactment of that paragraph 7#bj744     
7,b7 ,technical correction  7i7 ,in     
general ,section #abed7;b7 of the       
,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje 7,public  
,law #aji-eh2 #aai ,stat4 #iga7 is      
amended-- 7,i7 by striking paragraph    
7#b72 and  7,,ii7 by redesignating      
paragraph 7#c7 as paragraph 7#b74  7ii7 
,treatment ,the amendment made by       
paragraph 7#b7 of section #abed7;b7 of  
the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje       
7,public ,law #aji-eh2 #aai ,stat4 #iga7
 7as in effect on the day before the    
date of enactment of this ,act7 is void1
 and section #aab7;d7 of the ,public    
,utility ,regulatory ,policies ,act of  
#aigh 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #bfbb7;d77 shall be
 in effect as if those amendments had   

not been enacted4  7#c7 ,prior ,state   
actions  7,a7 ,in general ,section #aab 
of the ,public ,utility ,regulatory     
,policies ,act of #aigh 7#af ,u4,s4,c4  
#bfbb7 is amended by adding at the end  
the following3  7g7 ,prior ,state       
actions ,subsections 7b7 and 7c7 shall  
not apply to the standard established by
 paragraph 7#bj7 of section #aaa7;d7 in 
the case of any electric utility in a   
,state if1 before the date of enactment 
of this subsection-- 7#a7 the ,state has
 implemented for the electric utility   
the standard 7or a comparable standard72
  7#b7 the ,state regulatory authority  
for the ,state or the relevant          
nonregulated electric utility has       
conducted a proceeding to consider      
implementation of the standard 7or a    
comparable standard7 for the electric   
utility2 or  7#c7 the ,state legislature
 has voted on the implementation of the 
standard 7or a comparable standard7 for 
the electric utility4  4  7,b7          
,cross-reference ,section #abd of the   

,public ,utility ,regulatory ,policies  
,act of #aigh 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #bfcd7 is  
amended by adding at the end the        
following3 ,in the case of the standard 
established by paragraph 7#bj7 of       
section #aaa7;d71 the reference         
contained in this subsection to the date
 of enactment of this ,act shall be     
deemed to be a reference to the date of 
enactment of that paragraph 7#bj744  #d4
 ,federal contracts for public utility  
services ,section #eja7;b77#a7 of title 
#dj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended  
by striking subparagraph 7,b7 and       
inserting the following3  7,b7 ,public  
utility contracts ,a contract under this
 paragraph for public utility services  
may be for a period of not more than #bj
 years4  4