PRINTER'S NO. 6
No. 5 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY GEORGE, BUNT, SURRA, DeWEESE, RUBLEY, BEBKO-JONES,
BELARDI, BELFANTI, BARRAR, CRUZ, CURRY, DONATUCCI, FRANKEL,
GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HERMAN, HERSHEY, KOTIK, LaGROTTA, LEDERER,
MANN, MARKOSEK, MELIO, PALLONE, PISTELLA, READSHAW, SAINATO,
SANTONI, YUDICHAK, WALKO, MANDERINO, FABRIZIO, TIGUE,
PETRARCA, SAMUELSON, MUNDY, EACHUS, FREEMAN AND BLACKWELL,
JANUARY 25, 2005
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS,
JANUARY 25, 2005
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the President of the United States to immediately release
2 $200 million in emergency contingency funds for the Low
3 Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for fiscal
4 year 2005.
5 WHEREAS, The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
6 (LIHEAP) was established by Congress under Title XXVI of the
7 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 and was implemented in
8 1982; and
9 WHEREAS, LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps
10 senior citizens, low-income households, the disabled and other
11 eligible persons, including the unemployed, meet their
12 residential heating and cooling needs; and
13 WHEREAS, The United States Energy Information Agency (EIA)
14 reports that home heating fuel bills have increased dramatically
15 over the past three out of four heating seasons when compared to
16 the 1997 to 1999 heating seasons; and
1 WHEREAS, The EIA forecasts that the average cost of heating a
2 home this winter with natural gas will be $993; with oil,
3 $1,094; and with propane, $1,271; and
4 WHEREAS, Many Pennsylvanians who received assistance when the
5 LIHEAP program started in November 2004 will have exhausted the
6 fuel paid for by this program by the end of December; and
7 WHEREAS, The distribution of current LIHEAP funds so far
8 during fiscal year 2004-2005 has not kept pace with rising fuel
9 costs; and
10 WHEREAS, The President of the United States is authorized to
11 release an additional $200 million in contingent LIHEAP funding
12 to the states; therefore be it
13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
14 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania strongly urge the President of the
15 United States to release emergency contingency funds for LIHEAP
16 in fiscal year 2005; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
18 the President of the United States.
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