July 18, 2008
The Honorable Bernard Sanders
United States Senate
Dirksen Senate Office Building, SD-332
Washington, DC 20510-4503
Dear Senator Sanders,
We are writing on behalf of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) to convey our support for S. 3186, the Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer Act, legislation you have introduced that would add an additional $2.53 billion to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding for FY 2008.
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 arrearages 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.
NCSL is grateful for your leadership on this issue and we look forward to working with you and your staff to continue the fight for full funding of LIHEAP and support passage of S. 3186,the Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer Act..
Sincerely,
Beverly Gard Pete Hershberger
Senator, Indiana Representative, Arizona
Chairwoman, NCSL Agriculture, Environment Chairman, NCSL Human Services &
& Energy Committee Welfare Committee
***Similar letter also sent on July 18 to all Senators in support of S. 3186***
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