Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) reintroduced the Heating and Cooling Relief Act to invest in and expand LIHEAP by providing financial assistance to struggling families.
The Heating And Cooling Relief Act To Reintroduce In Expanding LIHEAP And Provide Financial Assistance To Americans (PHOTO: National Council on Aging)
The Heating And Cooling Relief Act
As American households struggle to afford the skyrocketing home heating costs this winter, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) established the Heating and Cooling Relief Act to invest in and expand the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to be certain that people, especially families, and individuals who are underserved, obtain the financial assistance they need to stay warm during winter and cool throughout the summer. The legislation also provides states leverage LIHEAP funding to invest in climate adaptation, including a shift from fossil fuels to clean energy sources, a vital step for lowering energy costs for the long term and combatting the extreme weather that results from climate change.
Millions more Americans can benefit from the LIHEAP financial funding courtesy of the legislation, which would also aid the program to improve outreach efforts and serve all eligible households. Additionally, it also takes action to reduce the energy of LIHEAP beneficiaries and cut fossil fuel usage by increasing weatherization expenditures. The Heating and Cooling Relief Act is ambitious and comprehensive legislation that demands support for the health and safety of American families and a just transition away from fossil fuel consumption.
Moreover. Cosponsors of this legislation in the Senate include Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Additionally, A copy of the bill text can be found HERE.
To Be More Precise The Heating and Cooling Relief Act Would
- To Boost annual funding for LIHEAP to $40 billion and expands eligibility to supply every household to provide more than 3 percent of its annual income on energy costs
- Minimize the barriers to administering and applying LIHEAP by allowing households to self-attest to eligibility criteria; raising the administrative limit for outreach, technological, and staffing purposes; and ensuring LIHEAP coordinators are paid at least a living wage
- Protect consumers by ensuring that no eligible household has its utility shutoff or pays late fees, that every household receiving funds can have its utility debt cleared, and that utility companies set up discounted payment plans to support consumers
- States can use LIHEAP to address climate adaptation by increasing funding for cooling assistance and households can access utility assistance
- Funding available for weatherization through LIHEAP, and establishing a new Just Transition Grant for states and localities to help reduce energy burdens for LIHEAP-eligible households and promote renewable energy usage.
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