Goals for State-Federal Action

Policy: Low Income Home Energy

Committee: Human Services and Welfare

Type: Consent

Low Income Energy Assistance

The cost of energy fuels makes it difficult for low income households to adequately heat or cool their homes without assistance from federal, state, and local governments. NCSL believes that the development of an efficient and effective energy assistance program is dependent upon coordination and cooperation on the part of all levels of government and the private sector.

The federal energy assistance program should have two major components: a cash assistance program to help low income households meet their immediate financial obligations to their energy supplier and a weatherization assistance and conservation education program to help low income households lower energy consumption and costs. In recent years, some LIHEAP funding has been provided as emergency funding, and NCSL urges the federal government to appropriate and release such funding in a timely manner. In addition, NCSL supports the use of interest subsidized loans to assist households to weatherize their homes.

NCSL believes that the low income energy assistance programs should: (1) include all states in the funding allocation formula; (2) afford states the flexibility to shape the program in a way which best suits the needs of its citizens and maintains strong state oversight of such programs; (3) target assistance to households with the lowest incomes and to households with infant, elderly, and/or disabled members; (4) authorize states to draw down program funds on an as needed basis; (5) prohibit counting energy assistance payments as income for the purpose of determining eligibility and/or benefit levels in the public assistance programs. NCSL supports full federal funding at the highest level consistent with the need for energy assistance.

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