State-Federal Relations

Agriculture, Environment & Energy Committee

January 23, 2008

Dear Senator,

I am writing on behalf of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) to strongly urge you to support the amendment offered by Senator Sanders and Senator Snowe that would add an additional $800 million to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding for FY 2008. The amendment would divide the additional funding equally between the formula and emergency contingency portions of the program.

LIHEAP is a highly efficient federal block grant program that helps our most vulnerable low-income households pay their heating bills in the winter and cooling bills in the summer. LIHEAP prioritizes at-risk households that shelter America’s elderly, disabled, and very young and protects public health and safety by helping low-income families cover energy costs. By leveraging private dollars to supplement federal dollars, LIHEAP has nurtured positive, effective partnerships between the private sector and both federal and our state governments.

Millions of low-income families are burdened with the hardship of paying arrearage from both last winter’s heating bills and summer’s cooling bills, in addition to grappling with impending and actual shut-off situations. At a time of heightened need and with energy prices expected to continue to climb, state legislatures do not want our citizens choosing between paying an energy bill and putting food on the table, or purchasing necessary medications. For individuals and households facing these difficult choices, funding from LIHEAP makes an intrinsic difference in their ability to address such formidable challenges.

Since LIHEAP’s inception, the number of eligible households has increased by 78 per cent, yet in FY 2006, states were only able to serve less than a quarter of the 24.4 million eligible households. An increase in funding for LIHEAP will help ensure that households in all regions are prepared to handle both the cold and warm, and in the past few years unpredictable, weather. NCSL believes that increased LIHEAP funding should be a top priority to help low-income families, senior citizens, and disabled individuals maintain economic stability while addressing ever-increasing energy prices.

We urge you to support the Sanders-Snowe LIHEAP amendment, and to continue the fight for full funding of LIHEAP.

Sincerely,

Representative Pete Hershberger
Arizona
Chair, NCSL Committee on Human Services & Welfare