To amend the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to increase the availability of heating and cooling assistance, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill massively expands the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), increasing authorized funding from $2 billion to $400 billion over 10 years (2024-2033). It adds new cooling assistance for heat waves, expands eligibility to households at 250% of poverty or 80% of state median income, and creates a 'just transition' grant program to help low-income households move away from fossil fuels.
Who Benefits and How
Low-income households benefit from expanded eligibility, higher income thresholds, and new protections against energy shutoffs for one year after receiving assistance. Utility customers gain protection from late fees for 6 months before and after HEAP payments. Immigrant households benefit from provisions explicitly allowing them to receive assistance regardless of citizenship status. The bill allows self-attestation of eligibility, reducing paperwork barriers. Weatherization contractors and renewable energy companies benefit from requirements that 25-35% of funds go toward home repairs prioritizing electrification and community solar.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Home energy suppliers (utilities) face new requirements including: prohibition on shutoffs for 1 year after households receive assistance, mandatory refund of late fees within 7 days, data sharing requirements with states, and mandatory percentage of income payment plans within 2 years. States must operate HEAP year-round within 5 years and implement technological upgrades for online applications. Fossil fuel appliance manufacturers face reduced demand as the bill prioritizes replacing fossil fuel appliances with electric alternatives.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes $400 billion for LIHEAP over fiscal years 2024-2033 (vs. prior $2 billion)
- Creates $1 billion/year for additional cooling assistance during heat events
- Expands eligibility to 250% of poverty line or 80% state median income
- Prohibits energy shutoffs for 1 year after household receives assistance
- Requires states to allow self-attestation of eligibility without proof of income or citizenship
- Increases weatherization allocation from 15% to 25%, with priority for electrification
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Dramatically expands the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP/HEAP) by increasing funding authorization to $400 billion over 10 years, expanding eligibility to 250% of poverty or 80% of state median income, adding cooling assistance for heat waves, increasing weatherization funding with focus on electrification and decarbonization, and creating new protections against energy shutoffs and late fees.
Key Policy Areas
Energy Assistance, Social Safety Net, Housing, Climate Adaptation, Environmental Justice
Primary Purpose
Dramatically expands the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP/HEAP) by increasing funding authorization to $400 billion over 10 years, expanding eligibility to 250% of poverty or 80% of state median income, adding cooling assistance for heat waves, increasing weatherization funding with focus on electrification and decarbonization, and creating new protections against energy shutoffs and late fees.
Policy Domains
Heating and Cooling Relief Act
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Low-income households
- Immigrant households
- Households in climate-vulnerable areas
- Weatherization contractors
- Renewable energy and electrification contractors
- Community solar providers
- Labor unions and minority/women-owned businesses
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Home energy suppliers (utilities)
- Fossil fuel appliance manufacturers
- State HEAP agencies (administrative burden)
- Taxpayers (funding source)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Warren, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Blumenthal, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
High-energy-use low-income households, Households between 150-250% of poverty line, Households with high energy burdens (3%+ of income)
HEAP program administrators, State HEAP agencies, State and local governments
State HEAP agencies faces effects in multiple directions
Minority and women-owned businesses, Minority and women-owned businesses in construction, Weatherization and retrofit contractors
Home energy suppliers (utilities), Home energy suppliers receiving LIHEAP payments, Home energy suppliers with delinquent accounts
Positive-direction: Home energy suppliers receiving LIHEAP payments, Home energy suppliers with delinquent accounts
Negative-direction: Home energy suppliers (utilities)
Federal budget (taxpayers), HHS and DOE (administrative burden)
Air conditioner retailers and installers
Electric heat pump manufacturers and installers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "secretary_of_energy"
- → Secretary of Energy
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Any local organization or local office that receives funds under section 2602(b) to perform customer intake or approval of benefits on behalf of the State agency
Heat that exceeds local climatological norms in terms of duration, intensity, season length, or frequency
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology