A-1779

Sponsored by: Assemblyman WAYNE P. DEANGELO District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by: Assemblyman Thomson

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to verify the income of applicants for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) benefits before awarding benefits under LIHEAP. The bill requires the DCA to cross-check applicants with income data supplied by both the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury before awarding LIHEAP benefits. This bill also permits the DCA to utilize a third-party commercial consumer reporting agency, in accordance with the federal “Fair Credit Reporting Act,” for the purpose of acquiring an applicant’s necessary income information. The cross-check required by this bill may be made on a random or risk basis, except that every applicant claiming to have no income is to be subjected to an income verification review.