{ "id": "RL31865", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL31865", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 584873, "date": "2018-06-22", "retrieved": "2019-12-20T21:15:39.246218", "title": "LIHEAP: Program and Funding", "summary": "The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), established in 1981 as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (P.L. 97-35), is a program through which the federal government makes annual grants to states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. The LIHEAP statute authorizes two types of funds: regular funds (sometimes referred to as formula or block grant funds), which are allocated to all states using a statutory formula, and emergency contingency funds, which are allocated to one or more states at the discretion of the Administration in cases of emergency as defined by the LIHEAP statute. \nStates may use LIHEAP funds to help low-income households pay for heating and cooling costs, for crisis assistance, weatherization assistance, and services (such as counseling) to reduce the need for energy assistance. The LIHEAP statute establishes federal eligibility for households with incomes at or below 150% of poverty or 60% of state median income, whichever is higher, although states may set lower limits.\nThe largest share of LIHEAP funding goes to pay for heating assistance. In FY2014, the most recent year for which data are available, approximately 49% of funds went to pay for heating assistance, 7% was used for cooling aid, 21% went to crisis assistance, and 9% was used for weatherization. Funds are also used for administration (9% in FY2014) and up to 10% of a state\u2019s allotment can be carried over for use in the next fiscal year (4% in FY2014). In FY2014, approximately 6.3 million households received heating and/or winter crisis assistance, and 800,000 received cooling and/or summer crisis assistance.\nFor FY2018, the LIHEAP appropriation was $3.640 billion in regular funds, enacted as part of the FY2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 115-141), an increase of $250 million over the FY2017 funding level. Before enactment of P.L. 115-141, on March 23, 2018, LIHEAP had been funded through a series of continuing resolutions (CRs) at the FY2017 appropriations level of $3.390 billion in regular funds, less an across-the-board reduction of 0.6791% (P.L. 115-56). On October 20, 2017, HHS announced the first distribution of FY2018 LIHEAP funds under the CR, and on April 23, 2018, HHS announced the distribution of the remainder of funds appropriated pursuant to P.L. 115-141. For FY2018 funds distributed to states, tribes, and territories, see Table B-1.\nFor FY2019, as in FY2018, the President\u2019s budget proposed to eliminate funding for LIHEAP (see Table B-3). As of the date of this report, the House Appropriations Committee had released its draft FY2019 funding bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), which proposed funding LIHEAP at its FY2018 level of $3.640 billion. The Senate Appropriations Committee had not yet released an FY2019 LHHS funding bill.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31865", "sha1": "8ddf3acdc17210713dd16de9594a65669b6cf857", "filename": "files/20180622_RL31865_8ddf3acdc17210713dd16de9594a65669b6cf857.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31865", "sha1": "85805bac2287a504f2a4eb05e4637a3cd21eaa2e", "filename": "files/20180622_RL31865_85805bac2287a504f2a4eb05e4637a3cd21eaa2e.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4853, "name": "Housing Assistance" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 578011, "date": "2018-02-01", "retrieved": "2018-05-10T11:35:12.262099", "title": "LIHEAP: Program and Funding", "summary": "The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), established in 1981 as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (P.L. 97-35), is a program through which the federal government makes annual grants to states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. The LIHEAP statute authorizes two types of funds: regular funds (sometimes referred to as formula or block grant funds), which are allocated to all states using a statutory formula, and emergency contingency funds, which are allocated to one or more states at the discretion of the Administration in cases of emergency as defined by the LIHEAP statute. \nStates may use LIHEAP funds to help low-income households pay for heating and cooling costs, for crisis assistance, weatherization assistance, and services (such as counseling) to reduce the need for energy assistance. The LIHEAP statute establishes federal eligibility for households with incomes at or below 150% of poverty or 60% of state median income, whichever is higher, although states may set lower limits.\nThe largest share of LIHEAP funding goes to pay for heating assistance. In FY2014, the most recent year for which data are available, approximately 49% of funds went to pay for heating assistance, 7% was used for cooling aid, 21% went to crisis assistance, and 9% was used for weatherization. Funds are also used for administration (9% in FY2014) and up to 10% of a state\u2019s allotment can be carried over for use in the next fiscal year (4% in FY2014). In FY2014, approximately 6.3 million households received heating and/or winter crisis assistance, and 800,000 received cooling and/or summer crisis assistance.\nAs of the date of this report, FY2018 funding for LIHEAP was provided through a series of continuing resolutions (CRs) at the FY2017 appropriations level of $3.390 billion in regular funds, less an across-the-board rescission of 0.6791% (P.L. 115-56). On October 20, 2017, HHS announced the first distribution of FY2018 LIHEAP funds under the CR. For FY2018 funds distributed to states, tribes, and territories, see Table B-1.\nPrior to passage of the CRs, the President\u2019s budget for FY2018 had proposed to eliminate funding for LIHEAP, the first time an administration proposed no funding for the program since its enactment (see Table B-3). Neither the House nor the Senate appropriations committees followed the President\u2019s proposal to stop funding LIHEAP. The House Appropriations Committee approved its FY2018 bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) on July 24, 2017 (H.R. 3358). The bill included $3.390 billion for LIHEAP regular funds. On August 16, 2017, H.R. 3358 was one of multiple bills incorporated into H.R. 3354, the FY2018 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. H.R. 3354 was to be used as a legislative vehicle for a consolidated appropriations bill, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act. However, the first CR was enacted before action on H.R. 3354 was complete. LIHEAP provisions in H.R. 3354 are the same as those in H.R. 3358. On September 7, 2017, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its LHHS bill (S. 1771). The Senate Committee-reported bill also contained $3.390 billion for LIHEAP regular funds.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31865", "sha1": "1103767a4ba57f81330195848159a86affad701b", "filename": "files/20180201_RL31865_1103767a4ba57f81330195848159a86affad701b.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31865", "sha1": "b8be422272b48a2f5eefe5881be52c9821464e57", "filename": "files/20180201_RL31865_b8be422272b48a2f5eefe5881be52c9821464e57.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4853, "name": "Housing Assistance" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 575528, "date": "2017-09-21", "retrieved": "2017-11-28T14:49:55.998384", "title": "LIHEAP: Program and Funding", "summary": "The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), established in 1981 as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (P.L. 97-35), is a program through which the federal government makes annual grants to states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. The LIHEAP statute authorizes two types of funds: regular funds (sometimes referred to as formula or block grant funds), which are allocated to all states using a statutory formula, and emergency contingency funds, which are allocated to one or more states at the discretion of the Administration in cases of emergency as defined by the LIHEAP statute. \nStates may use LIHEAP funds to help low-income households pay for heating and cooling costs, for crisis assistance, weatherization assistance, and services (such as counseling) to reduce the need for energy assistance. The LIHEAP statute establishes federal eligibility for households with incomes at or below 150% of poverty or 60% of state median income, whichever is higher, although states may set lower limits.\nThe largest share of LIHEAP funding goes to pay for heating assistance. In FY2014, the most recent year for which data are available, approximately 49% of funds went to pay for heating assistance, 7% was used for cooling aid, 21% went to crisis assistance, and 9% was used for weatherization. Funds are also used for administration (9% in FY2014) and up to 10% of a state\u2019s allotment can be carried over for use in the next fiscal year (4% in FY2014). In FY2014, approximately 6.3 million households received heating and/or winter crisis assistance, and 800,000 received cooling and/or summer crisis assistance.\nAs of the date of this report, FY2018 funding for LIHEAP was provided through a continuing resolution (CR) through December 8, 2017, at the FY2017 appropriations level of $3.390 billion in regular funds (P.L. 115-56). Prior to passage of the CR, the President\u2019s budget for FY2018 had proposed to eliminate funding for LIHEAP, the first time an administration proposed no funding for the program since its enactment (see Table B-3). Prior to enactment of the CR, neither the House nor the Senate appropriations committees followed the President\u2019s proposal to stop funding LIHEAP. The House Appropriations Committee passed its FY2018 bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHE) on July 24, 2017 (H.R. 3358). The bill included $3.390 billion for LIHEAP regular funds. On August 16, 2017, H.R. 3358 was one of multiple bills incorporated into H.R. 3354, the FY2018 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. H.R. 3354 was to be used as a legislative vehicle for a consolidated appropriations bill, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act. However, the CR was enacted before action on H.R. 3354 was complete. LIHEAP provisions in H.R. 3354 are the same as those in H.R. 3358. On September 7, 2017, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its LHE bill (S. 1771). The Senate Committee-passed bill also contained $3.390 billion for LIHEAP regular funds.\nFY2017 appropriations for LIHEAP were funded at $3.390 billion in regular funds as part of the FY2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 115-31), the same amount appropriated the three previous fiscal years. Of the amount appropriated, $491 million was distributed using the \u201cnew\u201d LIHEAP formula, and the remainder using the \u201cold\u201d LIHEAP formula. (For more information on how funds are distributed using the \u201cold\u201d and \u201cnew\u201d formulas, see CRS Report RL33275, The LIHEAP Formula, by Libby Perl.) For FY2017 funds distributed to states, tribes, and territories, see Table B-1.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31865", "sha1": "23ab7b595b1d46bd467724751ff7396e2bb36d65", "filename": "files/20170921_RL31865_23ab7b595b1d46bd467724751ff7396e2bb36d65.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31865", "sha1": "f0a1a1e8da795dfae94835ce81380d3701b8f8fc", "filename": "files/20170921_RL31865_f0a1a1e8da795dfae94835ce81380d3701b8f8fc.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4853, "name": "Housing Assistance" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 458230, "date": "2017-01-11", "retrieved": "2017-01-24T17:01:34.840106", "title": "LIHEAP: Program and Funding", "summary": "The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), established in 1981 as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (P.L. 97-35), is a program through which the federal government makes annual grants to states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. The LIHEAP statute authorizes two types of funds: regular funds (sometimes referred to as formula or block grant funds), which are allocated to all states using a statutory formula, and emergency contingency funds, which are allocated to one or more states at the discretion of the Administration in cases of emergency as defined by the LIHEAP statute. \nStates may use LIHEAP funds to help low-income households pay for heating and cooling costs, for crisis assistance, weatherization assistance, and services (such as counseling) to reduce the need for energy assistance. The LIHEAP statute establishes federal eligibility for households with incomes at or below 150% of poverty or 60% of state median income, whichever is higher, although states may set lower limits.\nThe largest share of LIHEAP funding goes to pay for heating assistance. In FY2014, the most recent year for which data are available, approximately 49% of funds went to pay for heating assistance, 7% was used for cooling aid, 21% went to crisis assistance, and 9% was used for weatherization. Funds are also used for administration (9% in FY2014) and up to 10% of a state\u2019s allotment can be carried over for use in the next fiscal year (4% in FY2014). In FY2014, approximately 6.3 million households received heating and/or winter crisis assistance, and 800,000 received cooling and/or summer crisis assistance.\nAs of the date of this report, FY2017 appropriations for LIHEAP were funded through a continuing resolution (P.L. 114-254) at the FY2016 level of $3.39 billion less an across-the-board rescission of 0.1901% through April 28, 2017 (or enactment of full-year appropriations). For FY2017 funds distributed to states, tribes, and territories, see Table B-1.\nPrior to enactment of the FY2017 continuing resolution, the Senate Appropriations Committee-passed bill (S. 3040) proposed the same funding for LIHEAP as in FY2016\u2014$3.39 billion for regular funds, with $491 million distributed using the new LIHEAP formula. The House Appropriations Committee-passed bill (H.R. 5926) would have appropriated $100 million more for LIHEAP than in FY2016 and the Senate Committee bill, a total of $3.49 billion for regular funds. Under H.R. 5926, $591 million would have been distributed using the new LIHEAP formula.\nThe President\u2019s FY2017 budget proposed that LIHEAP receive $3 billion in discretionary appropriations, all allocated as regular funds. The budget also included a proposal made in previous years, that emergency contingency funds be mandatory, with their availability triggered by increases in energy prices, extreme temperatures, or increased poverty as measured by participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The budget estimated that $769 million in emergency contingency funds would be made available under this formulation in FY2017.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31865", "sha1": "2fe262234c47e5f3ba6cd6fa8e9f110137d58c66", "filename": "files/20170111_RL31865_2fe262234c47e5f3ba6cd6fa8e9f110137d58c66.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31865", "sha1": "314a7940f89d17258b46a5fbf4fa5a923bb4baf6", "filename": "files/20170111_RL31865_314a7940f89d17258b46a5fbf4fa5a923bb4baf6.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4853, "name": "Housing Assistance" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4921, "name": "Labor, HHS, & Education Appropriations" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 456396, "date": "2016-10-06", "retrieved": "2016-11-28T21:26:22.516571", "title": "LIHEAP: Program and Funding", "summary": "The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), established in 1981 as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (P.L. 97-35), is a program through which the federal government makes annual grants to states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. The LIHEAP statute authorizes two types of funds: regular funds (sometimes referred to as formula or block grant funds), which are allocated to all states using a statutory formula, and emergency contingency funds, which are allocated to one or more states at the discretion of the Administration in cases of emergency as defined by the LIHEAP statute. \nStates may use LIHEAP funds to help low-income households pay for heating and cooling costs, for crisis assistance, weatherization assistance, and services (such as counseling) to reduce the need for energy assistance. The LIHEAP statute establishes federal eligibility for households with incomes at or below 150% of poverty or 60% of state median income, whichever is higher, although states may set lower limits.\nAvailable federal information regarding use of LIHEAP funds and households assisted is dated. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) releases annual LIHEAP Reports to Congress, but the most recent report available is from FY2010. In its FY2017 budget justifications, HHS reported limited preliminary LIHEAP data for FY2014. Of funds expended for heating, cooling, crisis assistance, and weatherization, approximately 57% of funds went to pay for heating assistance, 8% was used for cooling aid, 25% went to crisis assistance, and 10% was used for weatherization. (Note that these percentages do not account for administrative expenses or services to reduce the need for energy assistance.) Also in FY2014, an estimated 6.3 million households received an average of $366 in heating assistance for the year.\nAs of the date of this report, FY2017 appropriations for LIHEAP were funded through a continuing resolution (P.L. 114-223) at the FY2016 level of $3.39 billion less an across-the-board rescission of 0.496% through December 9, 2016 (or enactment of full-year appropriations). For FY2017, the Senate Appropriations Committee-passed bill (S. 3040) proposed the same funding for LIHEAP as in FY2016\u2014$3.39 billion for regular funds, with $491 million distributed using the new LIHEAP formula. The House Appropriations Committee-passed bill (H.R. 5926) would appropriate $100 million more for LIHEAP than in FY2016 and the Senate Committee bill, a total of $3.49 billion for regular funds. Under H.R. 5926, $591 million would be distributed using the new LIHEAP formula.\nThe President\u2019s FY2017 budget proposed that LIHEAP receive $3 billion in discretionary appropriations, all allocated as regular funds. The budget also included a proposal made in previous years, that emergency contingency funds be mandatory, with their availability triggered by increases in energy prices, extreme temperatures, or increased poverty as measured by participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The budget estimated that $769 million in emergency contingency funds would be made available under this formulation in FY2017.\nIn FY2016, Congress appropriated $3.39 billion for LIHEAP as part of the FY2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 114-113), all distributed as regular funds. The bill allocated $491 million of total regular funds according to the statutory, or \u201cnew,\u201d LIHEAP formula, and the remainder according to the \u201cold\u201d formula. Additionally, $3 million was set aside for training and technical assistance. HHS allocated funds in three distributions, announced October 23, 2015, April 1, 2016, and September 16, 2016. Approximately $19 million of the amount appropriated was transferred elsewhere within HHS. For state-by-state allocations, see Table B-1.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31865", "sha1": "7a112b62dc4a93aae6831e6233a7b4ae8a34c4f0", "filename": "files/20161006_RL31865_7a112b62dc4a93aae6831e6233a7b4ae8a34c4f0.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31865", "sha1": "84c2bd27f41289455a71d1c21acb4b982d497314", "filename": "files/20161006_RL31865_84c2bd27f41289455a71d1c21acb4b982d497314.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4853, "name": "Housing Assistance" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4921, "name": "Labor, HHS, & Education Appropriations" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 455699, "date": "2016-09-02", "retrieved": "2016-09-16T18:06:44.124622", "title": "LIHEAP: Program and Funding", "summary": "The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), established in 1981 as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (P.L. 97-35), is a program through which the federal government makes annual grants to states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. The LIHEAP statute authorizes two types of funds: regular funds (sometimes referred to as formula or block grant funds), which are allocated to all states using a statutory formula, and emergency contingency funds, which are allocated to one or more states at the discretion of the Administration in cases of emergency as defined by the LIHEAP statute. \nStates may use LIHEAP funds to help low-income households pay for heating and cooling costs, for crisis assistance, weatherization assistance, and services (such as counseling) to reduce the need for energy assistance. The LIHEAP statute establishes federal eligibility for households with incomes at or below 150% of poverty or 60% of state median income, whichever is higher, although states may set lower limits.\nAvailable federal information regarding use of LIHEAP funds and households assisted is dated. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) releases annual LIHEAP Reports to Congress, but the most recent report available is from FY2010. In its FY2017 budget justifications, HHS reported limited preliminary LIHEAP data for FY2014. Of funds expended for heating, cooling, crisis assistance, and weatherization, approximately 57% of funds went to pay for heating assistance, 8% was used for cooling aid, 25% went to crisis assistance, and 10% was used for weatherization. (Note that these percentages do not account for administrative expenses or services to reduce the need for energy assistance.) Also in FY2014, an estimated 6.3 million households received an average of $366 in heating assistance for the year.\nIn FY2016, Congress appropriated $3.39 billion for LIHEAP as part of the FY2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 114-113), all distributed as regular funds. The bill allocated $491 million of total regular funds according to the statutory, or \u201cnew,\u201d LIHEAP formula, and the remainder according to the \u201cold\u201d formula. Additionally, $3 million was set aside for training and technical assistance. As of the date of this report, HHS had distributed all but 1% of appropriated funds, with the first distribution announced October 23, 2015, and the second April 1, 2016. For state-by-state allocations, see Table B-1.\nFor FY2017, the Senate Appropriations Committee-passed bill (S. 3040) proposes the same funding for LIHEAP as in FY2016\u2014$3.39 billion for regular funds, with $491 million distributed using the new LIHEAP formula. The House Appropriations Committee-passed bill (H.R. 5926) would appropriate $100 million more for LIHEAP than in FY2016 and the Senate Committee bill, a total of $3.49 billion for regular funds. Under H.R. 5926, $591 million would be distributed using the new LIHEAP formula.\nThe President\u2019s FY2017 budget proposed that LIHEAP receive $3 billion in discretionary appropriations, all allocated as regular funds. The budget also included a proposal made in previous years, that emergency contingency funds be mandatory, with their availability triggered by increases in energy prices, extreme temperatures, or increased poverty as measured by participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The budget estimated that $769 million in emergency contingency funds would be made available under this formulation in FY2017.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31865", "sha1": "9dc7b5cad26270ade40f4c6695938f475476c3c1", "filename": "files/20160902_RL31865_9dc7b5cad26270ade40f4c6695938f475476c3c1.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31865", "sha1": "3cfa44e397e1f084d5c5a65d289b88b463488e08", "filename": "files/20160902_RL31865_3cfa44e397e1f084d5c5a65d289b88b463488e08.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2347, "name": "Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4326, "name": "Benefits and Services for Low-Income Households" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 453177, "date": "2016-05-27", "retrieved": "2016-06-21T21:12:50.828819", "title": "LIHEAP: Program and Funding", "summary": "The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), established in 1981 as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (P.L. 97-35), is a program through which the federal government makes annual grants to states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. The LIHEAP statute authorizes two types of funds: regular funds (sometimes referred to as formula or block grant funds), which are allocated to all states using a statutory formula, and emergency contingency funds, which are allocated to one or more states at the discretion of the Administration in cases of emergency as defined by the LIHEAP statute. \nStates may use LIHEAP funds to help low-income households pay for heating and cooling costs, for crisis assistance, weatherization assistance, and services (such as counseling) to reduce the need for energy assistance. The LIHEAP statute establishes federal eligibility for households with incomes at or below 150% of poverty or 60% of state median income, whichever is higher, although states may set lower limits.\nAvailable federal information regarding use of LIHEAP funds and households assisted is dated. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) releases annual LIHEAP Reports to Congress, but the most recent report available is from FY2010. In its FY2017 budget justifications, HHS reported limited preliminary LIHEAP data for FY2014. Of funds expended for heating, cooling, crisis assistance, and weatherization, approximately 57% of funds went to pay for heating assistance, 8% was used for cooling aid, 25% went to crisis assistance, and 10% was used for weatherization. (Note that these percentages do not account for administrative expenses or services to reduce the need for energy assistance.) Also in FY2014, an estimated 6.3 million households received an average of $366 in heating assistance for the year.\nIn FY2016, Congress appropriated $3.39 billion for LIHEAP as part of the FY2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 114-113), all distributed as regular funds. The bill allocated $491 million of total regular funds according to the statutory, or \u201cnew,\u201d LIHEAP formula, and the remainder according to the \u201cold\u201d formula. Additionally, $3 million was set aside for training and technical assistance. As of the date of this report, HHS had distributed all but 1% of appropriated funds, with the first distribution announced October 23, 2015, and the second April 1, 2016. For state-by-state allocations, see Table B-1.\nThe President\u2019s FY2017 budget proposed that LIHEAP receive $3 billion in discretionary appropriations, all allocated as regular funds. The budget also included a proposal made in previous years, that emergency contingency funds be mandatory, with their availability triggered by increases in energy prices, extreme temperatures, or increased poverty as measured by participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The budget estimates that $769 million in emergency contingency funds would be made available under this formulation in FY2017.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31865", "sha1": "98d1994171042121364a55170e4afee57d28221f", "filename": "files/20160527_RL31865_98d1994171042121364a55170e4afee57d28221f.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31865", "sha1": "18c161b7a79322b493928a45929d2ab2bc5e434d", "filename": "files/20160527_RL31865_18c161b7a79322b493928a45929d2ab2bc5e434d.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2347, "name": "Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4326, "name": "Benefits and Services for Low-Income Households" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 447036, "date": "2015-11-06", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T17:59:47.224548", "title": "LIHEAP: Program and Funding", "summary": "The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), established in 1981 as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (P.L. 97-35), is a program through which the federal government makes annual grants to states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. The LIHEAP statute authorizes two types of funds: regular funds (sometimes referred to as formula or block grant funds), which are allocated to all states using a statutory formula, and emergency contingency funds, which are allocated to one or more states at the discretion of the Administration in cases of emergency as defined by the LIHEAP statute. \nStates may use LIHEAP funds to help low-income households pay for heating and cooling costs, for crisis assistance, weatherization assistance, and services (such as counseling) to reduce the need for energy assistance. The LIHEAP statute establishes federal eligibility for households with incomes at or below 150% of poverty or 60% of state median income, whichever is higher, although states may set lower limits.\nAvailable federal information regarding use of LIHEAP funds and households assisted is dated. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) releases annual LIHEAP Reports to Congress, but the most recent report available is from FY2010. In its FY2016 budget justifications, HHS reported limited preliminary LIHEAP data for FY2012. Of funds expended for heating, cooling, crisis assistance, and weatherization, 57% of funds went to pay for heating assistance, 8% was used for cooling aid, 24% went to crisis assistance, and 11% was used for weatherization. (Note that these percentages do not account for administrative expenses or services to reduce the need for energy assistance.) Also in FY2012, an estimated 6.6 million households received an average of $374 in heating assistance for the year.\nIn FY2015, Congress appropriated $3.39 billion for LIHEAP as part of the FY2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act (P.L. 113-235), all distributed as regular funds. (See Table B-2 for amounts available to states, tribes, and territories pursuant to the FY2015 appropriations act.) For FY2016, the House Appropriations Committee-passed bill (H.R. 3020) would provide a total of $3.365 billion for LIHEAP, all as regular funds. The Senate Appropriations-passed bill (S. 1695) would provide $3.39 billion for LIHEAP regular funds, the same amount appropriated in FY2015. Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committee-passed bills would allocate $491 million of total regular funds according to the statutory, or \u201cnew,\u201d LIHEAP formula, and the remainder according to the \u201cold\u201d formula. In addition, both bills would set aside approximately $3 million for training and technical assistance. \nThe President\u2019s FY2016 budget proposed that LIHEAP be funded at $3.39 billion, the same amount that was appropriated in FY2015. However, unlike FY2015, when all funds were appropriated as regular funds, the FY2016 budget proposed that $200 million of the total be appropriated for a new competitive grant, called the Utility Innovation Fund, to help reduce the home energy burdens of low-income households. The remainder, $3.19 billion, was proposed to be appropriated as regular funds.\nAs of the date of this report, FY2016 funding for LIHEAP was provided as part of a continuing resolution (CR). The FY2016 Continuing Appropriations Act (P.L. 114-53), enacted on September 20, 2015, provides funding at FY2015 levels less an across-the-board rescission of 0.2108% through December 11, 2015. HHS announced the release of approximately $3.02 billion pursuant to the CR on October 23, 2015. For state-by-state allocations, see Table B-1.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31865", "sha1": "b5066a842f043052deae042cdc0475dad4b4b60e", "filename": "files/20151106_RL31865_b5066a842f043052deae042cdc0475dad4b4b60e.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31865", "sha1": "fee9d2d1d933465d94b44376df3c62d8cac975d8", "filename": "files/20151106_RL31865_fee9d2d1d933465d94b44376df3c62d8cac975d8.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2347, "name": "Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4326, "name": "Benefits and Services for Low-Income Households" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc807073/", "id": "RL31865_2015May22", "date": "2015-05-22", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "LIHEAP: Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150522_RL31865_0c79451bb2d158ddff70c88573ea31637f46f0ca.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150522_RL31865_0c79451bb2d158ddff70c88573ea31637f46f0ca.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc503423/", "id": "RL31865_2015Jan28", "date": "2015-01-28", "retrieved": "2015-04-30T17:37:21", "title": "LIHEAP: Program and Funding", "summary": "This report discusses two types of formulas used to allocate funding to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) through regular and contingency funding.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": 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Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20110204_RL31865_a639edfcbd21f4b7d49023e8ccc2f0845a886630.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20110204_RL31865_a639edfcbd21f4b7d49023e8ccc2f0845a886630.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc810114/", "id": "RL31865_2011Jan13", "date": "2011-01-13", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20110113_RL31865_7f76aa1eba520e108cb052b7940b9b55dbdd72a5.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": 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Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20090506_RL31865_a1b8689e0256d410a0ba536eb8baeede74c9089b.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20090506_RL31865_a1b8689e0256d410a0ba536eb8baeede74c9089b.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc809150/", "id": "RL31865_2008Oct21", "date": "2008-10-21", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20081021_RL31865_fefca4175cfe64b3896a0b36dcca5f86d2dfbbfc.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20081021_RL31865_fefca4175cfe64b3896a0b36dcca5f86d2dfbbfc.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc93967/", "id": "RL31865_2008Sep18", "date": "2008-09-18", "retrieved": "2012-07-24T12:39:36", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": "This report describes appropriations of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP) funds for FY2008 and FY2007. It also discusses current issues and legislation related to LIHEAP. The report also discusses LIHEAP rules, including household eligibility and how funds may be used, and presents the most recent data available from HHS regarding household characteristics and benefit levels. Finally, the last section discusses how each category of LIHEAP funds is distributed to states, as well as a breakdown of funds to the states during the last several fiscal years.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080918_RL31865_2147a09058b40bbcd774c625f0711c1c0150ba09.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080918_RL31865_2147a09058b40bbcd774c625f0711c1c0150ba09.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy assistance for the poor", "name": "Energy assistance for the poor" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy policy", "name": "Energy policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Welfare", "name": "Welfare" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc807650/", "id": "RL31865_2008Jan17", "date": "2008-01-17", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080117_RL31865_a6807042285b3839b53e894d3121291e31e55292.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080117_RL31865_a6807042285b3839b53e894d3121291e31e55292.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc805114/", "id": "RL31865_2007Oct11", "date": "2007-10-11", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20071011_RL31865_39d12c64b73c5e18fe38f0bbb7fc73a8cced5fd6.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20071011_RL31865_39d12c64b73c5e18fe38f0bbb7fc73a8cced5fd6.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc820634/", "id": "RL31865_2007Feb27", "date": "2007-02-27", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20070227_RL31865_dfc4c36503ca4f0b27b5f2a36169d60bae74cd75.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20070227_RL31865_dfc4c36503ca4f0b27b5f2a36169d60bae74cd75.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc818887/", "id": "RL31865_2006Sep26", "date": "2006-09-26", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20060926_RL31865_11920fa7afef89daa470e732343003545c9b7321.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20060926_RL31865_11920fa7afef89daa470e732343003545c9b7321.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc847626/", "id": "RL31865_2006Apr06", "date": "2006-04-06", "retrieved": "2016-06-02T05:26:07", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": "This report discusses Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP) funds for FY2006 and FY2007. It also discusses current issues and legislation related to LIHEAP.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20060406_RL31865_51c670dd7f0d011e9c1f0bca2de7e77b5abaac13.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20060406_RL31865_51c670dd7f0d011e9c1f0bca2de7e77b5abaac13.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy assistance for the poor", "name": "Energy assistance for the poor" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy policy", "name": "Energy policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Welfare", "name": "Welfare" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc820921/", "id": "RL31865_2006Mar23", "date": "2006-03-23", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20060323_RL31865_a87a11d6d8dfd7d1222267f6f2f62a896dc4b254.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20060323_RL31865_a87a11d6d8dfd7d1222267f6f2f62a896dc4b254.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc818976/", "id": "RL31865_2005Jul18", "date": "2005-07-18", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20050718_RL31865_c1a28ab73767940dc624f958878e244c0d1dc327.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20050718_RL31865_c1a28ab73767940dc624f958878e244c0d1dc327.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc807406/", "id": "RL31865_2005Jun17", "date": "2005-06-17", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20050617_RL31865_1c789e79fc0696ba1c67bee4d3a0fc84e491bd1d.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20050617_RL31865_1c789e79fc0696ba1c67bee4d3a0fc84e491bd1d.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc815227/", "id": "RL31865_2005May17", "date": "2005-05-17", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20050517_RL31865_c805a00940e60e8f9da0197887a8e4049bc5ff65.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20050517_RL31865_c805a00940e60e8f9da0197887a8e4049bc5ff65.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc808100/", "id": "RL31865_2004Feb05", "date": "2004-02-05", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20040205_RL31865_4f2dabdca8dfb15b79d95951f6d5e5d27b627415.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20040205_RL31865_4f2dabdca8dfb15b79d95951f6d5e5d27b627415.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc810588/", "id": "RL31865_2003Oct16", "date": "2003-10-16", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20031016_RL31865_b3113c2ec0d4f3952ea94c06afcfb68bf476ff82.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20031016_RL31865_b3113c2ec0d4f3952ea94c06afcfb68bf476ff82.html" } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Appropriations", "Domestic Social Policy" ] }