II 112th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1961 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.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the LIHEAP Protection Act.

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.

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.