This website will be unavailable from Friday, April 26, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, April 29, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. due to data center maintenance.
78S40915 CLE-D
By: Chisum, et al. H.C.R. No. 11
Substitute the following for H.C.R. No. 11:
By: West C.S.H.C.R. No. 11
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, More than four million Texans are at or below 125
percent of federal poverty guidelines, but only 220,000, or 5.5
percent, are served by the federal Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program (LIHEAP), according to the Texas Department of
Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), which administers the
program in our state; and
WHEREAS, Income guidelines for LIHEAP, which provides
funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program and the
Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program at TDHCA, allow households
to have income levels of up to 125 percent of current poverty
guidelines; however, based upon 2000 census data, Texas has more
than three million persons who are at or below 100 percent of the
poverty guidelines; and
WHEREAS, Home energy assistance is particularly important in
Texas due to the intense heat, which is a critical health threat to
the elderly, persons with disabilities, and very young children; in
fact, the Texas Department of Health reports that in our state more
individuals die due to heat-related stress than exposure to
excessive cold; and
WHEREAS, LIHEAP funds are distributed based on an outdated
formula that disproportionately favors heating degree days in
northern states over cooling degree days in southern states and
does not utilize the most current state-specific population,
income, and energy price data; and
WHEREAS, Current appropriations for LIHEAP do not include
advance funds, which are vital to ensuring the timely and orderly
delivery of services during the period after funding for the
program is authorized by Congress and before Texas is notified of
its final appropriation level for the program year; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas,
4th Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the
United States to increase appropriations to the full-funding level
of the $3.4 billion authorized and include advance funds for the Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program and to pursue a more
equitable funding allocation formula for the program; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the
senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the
Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.