PRINTER'S NO. 824
No. 122 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY GEORGE, ADOLPH, BARRAR, BELFANTI, BIANCUCCI,
BISHOP, BUXTON, CASORIO, CONKLIN, DALLY, DePASQUALE, DeWEESE,
DONATUCCI, EACHUS, FABRIZIO, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GINGRICH,
GOODMAN, HENNESSEY, HESS, JAMES, JOSEPHS, LEACH, LEVDANSKY,
MAHONEY, MANDERINO, MANN, MARKOSEK, MILLARD, R. MILLER,
MUNDY, MYERS, M. O'BRIEN, OLIVER, PALLONE, PARKER, PETRARCA,
PETRONE, PRESTON, READSHAW, ROEBUCK, RUBLEY, SAMUELSON,
SCAVELLO, McILVAINE SMITH, K. SMITH, SOLOBAY, SONNEY,
STABACK, STURLA, SURRA, SWANGER, J. TAYLOR, WALKO, WHEATLEY,
WILLIAMS, WOJNAROSKI, YUDICHAK, HORNAMAN AND GRUCELA,
MARCH 19, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS,
MARCH 19, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Petitioning the President and Congress of the United States to
2 increase funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance
3 Program (LIHEAP).
4 WHEREAS, According to the Energy Information Administration's
5 Short-Term Energy Outlook, 2006-2007 winter heating costs for
6 the average household living in the Northeast are forecast to be
7 $1,377; and
8 WHEREAS, According to the Campaign for Home Energy
9 Assistance, while the residential energy burden for all United
10 States households in 2001 was 7.0% of their income, for LIHEAP
11 recipient households the residential energy burden was 17.2%,
12 nearly 2.5 times the average burden; and
13 WHEREAS, The high energy burden for low-income families, the
1 elderly and the working poor has resulted in less money during
2 the heating season for other basic necessities of life such as
3 food, clothing and shelter; and
4 WHEREAS, LIHEAP assists low-income households, particularly
5 lowest-income households, in meeting immediate home energy
6 needs; and
7 WHEREAS, In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 79% of LIHEAP
8 grant recipients and 74% of crisis recipients were households
9 with at least one senior citizen, disabled person or child under
10 five years of age; and
11 WHEREAS, In fiscal year 2004-2005, 340,447 Pennsylvanian
12 households received a LIHEAP grant, and 118,440 received
13 additional crisis funds; and
14 WHEREAS, State officials anticipate growth in LIHEAP
15 applications; and
16 WHEREAS, Fifteen percent of LIHEAP grant funding is allocated
17 to weatherization efforts; and
18 WHEREAS, The Statewide waiting list for weatherization
19 services is approximately 1.5 times the program's annual number
20 of homes weatherized and is growing by approximately 400
21 households per year; and
22 WHEREAS, The President of the United States proposed a budget
23 with a cut of 18% to the Health and Human Services LIHEAP
24 funding and a 53% cut when accounting for the additional $1
25 billion cut from the Budget Reconciliation Act; and
26 WHEREAS, For the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, this proposal
27 would represent a 25% cut ($32,764,000) in the State formula
28 block grant from the previous year; and
29 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is seeking
30 appropriate supplemental LIHEAP funds to meet present needs for
20070H0122R0824 - 2 -
1 heating assistance; therefore be it
2 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
3 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania petition the President and Congress
4 of the United States to increase LIHEAP funding; and be it
5 further
6 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
7 the President of the United States, to the presiding officers of
8 each house of Congress and to each member of Congress from
9 Pennsylvania.
C12L82SFL/20070H0122R0824 - 3 -