HR0842 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0842 LRB094 15503 HSS 50702 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program was authorized by Congress in 1981 to assist low-income households, particularly those with the lowest income that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy, in meeting their immediate home energy needs; and

WHEREAS, The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides vital heating and cooling assistance to low-income families, including working poor households, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, The LIHEAP program in Illinois is funded through State and federal appropriations and cash donations on the local level; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois, the winter heating program is expected to reach approximately 300,000 households this winter with an estimated $150 million in State and federal funding; and

WHEREAS, Due to insufficient funding, LIHEAP has reached just 15% of the more than 30 million eligible for assistance nationwide in recent years; and

WHEREAS, Federal LIHEAP funding levels for 2006 have not yet been established; although Congress has authorized $5.1 billion for LIHEAP, no money has been appropriated; and

WHEREAS, The United States Energy Information Administration announced that Americans nationwide should be prepared to pay up to 48% more on home heating costs this winter; in light of rising energy prices, funding at the same level year after year is not sufficient; and

WHEREAS, A national survey of LIHEAP recipients conducted in 2005 by the National Energy Agency Director's Association (NEADA) found that 32% of families in the survey sacrificed medical care, 24% failed to make a rent or mortgage payment, 20% went without food for at least a day, and 44% said that they skipped paying or paid less than their home energy bill in the past year; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois, winter temperatures average 28.2 degrees Fahrenheit, and an average of 18 deaths are annually attributed to cold temperatures; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge President George W. Bush to support the LIHEAP program; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Congress to provide an increase in LIHEAP funding to a level sufficient to keep pace with rising energy prices; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be delivered to President George W. Bush and to each member of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.