SENATORS COLLINS, SNOWE CALL ON SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE TO APPROVE $5.1 BILLION IN LIHEAP FUNDING
In a letter to the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe requested $5.1 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in fiscal year 2008 to help the elderly, low-income families and disabled individuals pay their home heating bills. In addition, Senators Collins and Snowe requested an additional $5.1 billion be appropriated in advance for fiscal year 2009.
“It is our hope that our colleagues will support this important program by providing $5.1 billion for LIHEAP,” said Senators Collins and Snowe in a joint statement. “With the increased costs of heating our homes, we must provide adequate funding for an essential program that serves as a lifeline to some of our most vulnerable citizens. In addition, we remain committed to protecting the long-term strength of this program and will work to secure additional LIHEAP funding for 2009.”
Advanced funding enables states to pre-purchase fuel and start planning for the winter season in spring and early summer. Advanced LIHEAP funding allows states to plan more efficiently and improve program management. It also helps to ensure that states provide timely assistance to low-income families who cannot afford to wait.
LIHEAP is a federal block grant program that provides states with annual funding to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. Each year, 4.5 million low-income families, including 45,000 in Maine, rely on LIHEAP to assist with the costs of heating their homes. In addition to helping to pay energy bills for low-income families and the elderly, LIHEAP helps to fund energy crisis intervention programs, low-cost residential weatherization, and other energy-related home repairs.
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