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92_SR0328
LRB9215981RHrh
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, During the past year, many states exhausted
3 their Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
4 allocations as the energy assistance program served million
5 more households than it had in the previous year; and
6 WHEREAS, According to the National Energy Assistance
7 Directors' Association, a combination of circumstances has
8 left many low-income households with utility debts at levels
9 considerably higher than in previous years and applications
10 for the current heating season coming in at rates higher than
11 last year; and
12 WHEREAS, On January 30, 2002, intake site directors in
13 Illinois were informed that the State of Illinois was already
14 running out of LIHEAP funds for this program year; therefore,
15 be it
16 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
17 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we call on the Bush
18 Administration to immediately release the $600,000,000 in
19 emergency LIHEAP funds that have been appropriated to reduce
20 the energy burden on low-income households ($300,000,000 from
21 the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2001 and $300,000,000
22 from the FY 2002 Labor/HHS/Education spending bill); and be
23 it further
24 RESOLVED, That these contingency LIHEAP funds were
25 authorized to meet the additional home energy assistance
26 needs of one or more states arising from, among other things,
27 increases in the cost of home energy, increases in home
28 energy disconnections, and increases in layoffs and
29 unemployment; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That the members of the Senate recognize that
31 the latest U.S. Department of Labor employment data indicate
-2- LRB9215981RHrh
1 the unemployment rate has risen almost one full percentage
2 point in the last two months, while payroll employment across
3 the nation has fallen by nearly 800,000; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, Under these conditions, the members of the
5 Senate believe it is imperative that the Bush Administration
6 release to state LIHEAP programs the $600,000,000 currently
7 available in emergency LIHEAP funds; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
9 presented to President George W. Bush and to each member of
10 the Illinois congressional delegation.