PRINTER'S NO. 4018
No. 2795 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY GEORGE, THOMAS, WALKO, STURLA, PRESTON,
L. I. COHEN, LaGROTTA, COY, PISTELLA, WILLIAMS, CAPPABIANCA,
MANDERINO, GRUCELA, BATTISTO, DALEY, KIRKLAND, SURRA, OLIVER,
SOLOBAY, BROWNE, TANGRETTI, BISHOP, READSHAW, HALUSKA,
MAYERNIK, MARKOSEK, HESS, TRAVAGLIO, HANNA, TRICH,
YOUNGBLOOD, BEBKO-JONES, STABACK, GORDNER, FRANKEL, DALLY,
TRELLO, PETRARCA, CASORIO, BUXTON, STETLER, STEELMAN,
CALTAGIRONE, McCALL, BELARDI, SANTONI, LESCOVITZ, SCRIMENTI,
CAWLEY, DeWEESE, ROONEY, LEVDANSKY, MUNDY, PESCI, SHANER,
COSTA, JOSEPHS, VAN HORNE, LAUGHLIN, JADLOWIEC, CORRIGAN,
WASHINGTON, M. COHEN, SEYFERT, RUFFING, WOJNAROSKI, FICHTER,
BELFANTI, ROBERTS, BARRAR, CLARK, TIGUE, HORSEY, LUCYK,
RUBLEY, HARHAI AND FREEMAN, OCTOBER 3, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
OCTOBER 3, 2000
AN ACT
1 Authorizing the Department of Public Welfare to issue Low-Income
2 Home Energy Assistance Grants; and making an appropriation.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Low-Income
7 Home Energy Assistance Grant Act.
8 Section 2. Definitions.
9 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11 context clearly indicates otherwise:
12 "Department." The Department of Public Welfare of the
1 Commonwealth.
2 "Household." An individual or group of individuals,
3 including related roomers, who live together as one economic
4 unit that customarily pays for its home heating energy either
5 directly to a vendor or indirectly as an undesignated part of
6 rent.
7 "LIHEAP." The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
8 authorized by the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981
9 (Public Law 97-35, 42 U.S.C. § 8621 et seq.) and administered by
10 the Department of Public Welfare.
11 Section 3. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance.
12 (a) Authorization.--The department shall apply for and
13 expend Federal funds for LIHEAP and shall establish the
14 Pennsylvania Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Cash and Crisis
15 Program.
16 (b) Income eligibility requirements.--A household may apply
17 for benefits under the programs established in subsection (a)
18 and shall receive benefits if the household meets the following
19 income eligibility requirements: the household has a dwelling
20 unit occupied by one person with an income below $14,000, by two
21 persons with an income below $17,102 and by three or more
22 persons with an income below $17,102 plus $3,102 per person in
23 excess of two persons.
24 (c) Amount of grants.--
25 (1) The department shall make crisis and cash awards on
26 a sliding scale based on household income with grants for
27 each program ranging from a minimum of $50 for each type of
28 grant to a maximum of $300.
29 (2) The department shall establish guidelines to
30 prioritize available funds for potential eligible households
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1 of a weatherization component.
2 (3) If any LIHEAP recipient is not eligible under
3 Federal eligibility guidelines for a LIHEAP cash or crisis
4 grant or if there are not enough Federal funds to assist all
5 eligible households under Federal rules and regulations, then
6 the department shall issue State grants up to the maximum
7 level under paragraph (1).
8 Section 4. Regulations.
9 The department shall promulgate rules and regulations
10 necessary to implement this act.
11 Section 5. Appropriation.
12 The sum of $10,000,000, or as much thereof as may be
13 necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of Public
14 Welfare for the payment of benefits under the Low-Income Home
15 Energy Assistance Program authorized by this act.
16 Section 6. Effective date.
17 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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