Full Text of HR0842 94th General Assembly
HR0842 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR0842 |
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LRB094 15503 HSS 50702 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program was | 3 |
| authorized by Congress in 1981 to assist low-income households, | 4 |
| particularly those with the lowest income that pay a high | 5 |
| proportion of household income for home energy, in meeting | 6 |
| their immediate home energy needs; and
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| WHEREAS, The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program | 8 |
| (LIHEAP) provides vital heating and cooling assistance to | 9 |
| low-income families, including working poor households, senior | 10 |
| citizens, and persons with disabilities; and
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| WHEREAS, The LIHEAP program in Illinois is funded through | 12 |
| State and federal appropriations and cash donations on the | 13 |
| local level; and
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| WHEREAS, In Illinois, the winter heating program is | 15 |
| expected to reach approximately 300,000 households this winter | 16 |
| with an estimated $150 million in State and federal funding; | 17 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Due to insufficient funding, LIHEAP has reached | 19 |
| just 15% of the more than 30 million eligible for assistance | 20 |
| nationwide in recent years; and
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| WHEREAS, Federal LIHEAP funding levels for 2006 have not | 22 |
| yet been established; although Congress has authorized $5.1 | 23 |
| billion for LIHEAP, no money has been appropriated; and
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| WHEREAS, The United States Energy Information | 25 |
| Administration announced that Americans nationwide should be | 26 |
| prepared to pay up to 48% more on home heating costs this | 27 |
| winter; in light of rising energy prices, funding at the same | 28 |
| level year after year is not sufficient; and
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HR0842 |
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LRB094 15503 HSS 50702 r |
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| WHEREAS, A national survey of LIHEAP recipients conducted | 2 |
| in 2005 by the National Energy Agency Director's Association | 3 |
| (NEADA) found that 32% of families in the survey sacrificed | 4 |
| medical care, 24% failed to make a rent or mortgage payment, | 5 |
| 20% went without food for at least a day, and 44% said that | 6 |
| they skipped paying or paid less than their home energy bill in | 7 |
| the past year; and
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| WHEREAS, In Illinois, winter temperatures average 28.2 | 9 |
| degrees Fahrenheit, and an average of 18 deaths are annually | 10 |
| attributed to cold temperatures; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 12 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 13 |
| we urge President George W. Bush to support the LIHEAP program; | 14 |
| and be it further | 15 |
| RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Congress to | 16 |
| provide an increase in LIHEAP funding to a level sufficient to | 17 |
| keep pace with rising energy prices; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be delivered to | 19 |
| President George W. Bush and to each member of the Illinois | 20 |
| Congressional Delegation.
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