[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1961 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1961

  To provide level funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance 
                                Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 7, 2011

 Mr. Reed (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. 
 Kerry, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Franken, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
 Casey, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Lieberman, Ms. Collins, 
  Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, Ms. Ayotte, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Webb, Mr. 
 Begich, and Mr. Cardin) introduced the following bill; which was read 
         twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide level funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance 
                                Program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``LIHEAP Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section--
            (1) is to ensure the appropriation for fiscal year 2012 of 
        the total amounts described in subsection (b), for payments 
        described in that subsection, under this Act or prior 
        appropriations Acts; and
            (2) is not to require the appropriation of additional 
        amounts for those payments, under appropriations Acts enacted 
        after this Act.
    (b) Appropriation.--In addition to any amounts appropriated under 
any provision of Federal law, as of the date of enactment of this Act, 
there is appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 
appropriated, for fiscal year 2012--
            (1) an amount sufficient to yield a total amount of 
        $4,501,000,000, for making payments under subsections (b) and 
        (d) of section 2602 of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance 
        Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621), and all of such total amount 
        shall be used under the authority and conditions applicable to 
        such payments under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations 
        Act, 2011; and
            (2) an amount sufficient to yield a total amount of 
        $200,000,000, for making payments under section 2602(e) of the 
        Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 
        8621(e)), notwithstanding the designation requirement of such 
        section 2602(e), and all of such total amount shall be used 
        under the authority and conditions applicable to such payments 
        under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

    It is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) this Act should be carried out in a manner consistent 
        with the Budget Control Act of 2011 (Public Law 112-25; 125 
        Stat. 240);
            (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services should 
        continue and expedite program integrity efforts to identify 
        best practices used by grant recipients under the Low-Income 
        Home Energy Assistance Program, provide training and technical 
        assistance to such grant recipients, recommend policy changes, 
        and assess and mitigate risk at the Federal, State and local 
        levels, in order to eliminate any waste, fraud, and abuse in 
        the Program and strengthen the Program so all Program funds 
        reach the households who need them most; and
            (3) every Program dollar going to waste, fraud, and abuse 
        is a dollar not being spent as the dollar is needed or 
        intended.
                                 <all>