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Corman's Efforts Add Nearly $25 Million to LIHEAP
Program
Funding Targeted to Low Income Families Facing Increased
Heating Costs This Winter
HARRISBURG -- Sen.
Jake Corman's (R-34) long-time efforts to supplement Federal Low Income Energy
Assistance (LIHEAP) Program funding with state funding was met with unanimous
support today in the state Senate.
“Today we were proactive and
supplemented this year's federal LIHEAP funding before a crisis in Pennsylvania
occurred,” Corman said.
Concerned that rapidly rising
home fuel prices could put poor families at risk this winter, Senator Jake
Corman today successfully added $24.6 million in state funding to the federally
funded LIHEAP program by redirecting 1.0 mills of the Pennsylvania Gross
Receipts Tax to the Emergency Energy Assistance Fund, which will go toward
low-income families' home heating costs this winter.
Corman said that with the
recent weather-related catastrophes that have hit the United States and the
predicted increases in the price of home heating energies, predominately home
heating oil and natural gas, the current federal funding of LIHEAP will produce
much less assistance than was anticipated.
Corman noted that prior to
today's action in the Senate, Pennsylvania has $21 million less in federal
LIHEAP funding this year than it had in 2004-2005, meaning that it would serve
approximately 25,000 fewer low-income households. However, with today's action
in the Senate, Pennsylvania has more funding for LIHEAP this winter than last
year.
“Acting too late would have
done little to help those families who won't qualify for LIHEAP assistance if we
had done nothing,” said Corman. “Today, the Senate averted an emergency that
would have affected the health, safety and welfare of many Pennsylvanians and I
am pleased we were able to solve this issue with bipartisan support.”
During the 2004-05 winter,
340,447 Pennsylvania households received LIHEAP cash assistance, including 2,157
in Centre County, 2,096 in Mifflin County, 653 in Juniata County, 1,108 in Perry
County and 757 in Union County.
The Federally funded Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps pay winter heating bills of
low-income and elderly people. It is administered in Pennsylvania by the
Department of Public Welfare. Sen. Jake Corman is chairman of the Senate Public
Health & Welfare Committee. In September of this year, Corman wrote to the
Governor and suggested he immediately use Rainy Day Funds to supplement LIHEAP.
 
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