City of Philadelphia - File #: 080809

• File #: 080809
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 10/23/2008
• In control: CITY COUNCIL
• Final action: 10/23/2008
• Title: Urging the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide supplemental state funds to the federally-funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program ("LIHEAP"), adopt the recommendation of the LIHEAP Advisory Committee, and spend all available LIHEAP funds during the program year in which it was appropriated.
• Sponsors: Councilmember Tasco, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Goode, Council President Verna, Councilmember Rizzo, Councilmember Clarke, Councilmember Green, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember Kenney, Councilmember Krajewski, Councilmember Sanchez, Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember Miller, Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember Kelly, Councilmember DiCicco

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
10/23/2008	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED
10/23/2008	0	CITY COUNCIL	READ
10/23/2008	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced	Pass

Title
Urging the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide supplemental state funds to the federally-funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program ("LIHEAP"), adopt the recommendation of the LIHEAP Advisory Committee, and spend all available LIHEAP funds during the program year in which it was appropriated.
Body
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Gas Works' ("PGW") rates are the highest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and these high rates include substantial expenses for uncollectible billings and programs that provide rate discounts to low-income and senior citizen customers; and

WHEREAS, The federal government recently released $5.1 billion dollars for LIHEAP and Pennsylvania will receive approximately $308 million dollars, a 100% increase in funding from prior years; and

WHEREAS, Even with a 100% increase, federal energy assistance to Pennsylvania is only sufficient to provide funds to 60% of all households who are qualified to receive assistance under federal guidelines, both statewide and within Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is only one of two cold weather states in the Northeast and Midwest that does not regularly provide supplemental assistance to households that qualify for LIHEAP; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby urge the Commonwealth to adopt the recommendation of the LIHEAP Advisory Committee and allocate at least $30 million of the federal LIHEAP funds for low-income utility customers that are not eligible for Crisis grants but are in danger of losing utility service as of April 1.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we hereby urge the Commonwealth to appropriate approximately $40 million in supplemental state funds to LIHEAP and become a substantial partner in the federal LIHEAP leveraging program.

RESOLVED FURTHER, That we hereby urge the Commonwealth to spend all available LIHEAP funds during the program year in which it was appropriated.

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