[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 79 (Monday, June 2, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7194-S7196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

  SA 840. Mr. DOMENICI (for himself and Mr. Bingaman) proposed an 
amendment to the bill S. 14, to enhance the energy security of the 
United States, and for other purposes, as follows:

       At the appropriate place in the bill, insert the following 
     new title:

                    TITLE XII--STATE ENERGY PROGRAMS

     SEC. 1201. LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

       (a) Home Energy Grants.--Section 2602(b) of the Low-Income 
     Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621(b)) is 
     amended by striking ``each of the fiscal years 2002 through 
     2004'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2002 and 2003, and 
     $3,400,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2006.''.
       (b) State Allotments.--Section 2604(e) of the Low-Income 
     Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8623(e)) is 
     amended--
       (1) by inserting after (e) ``(1)'';
       (2) striking ``or any other program;'' and
       (3) adding at the end the following:
       ``(2) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this 
     subsection, the Governor of a State may apply to the 
     Secretary for certification of an emergency in that State and 
     an allotment of amounts appropriated pursuant to section 
     2602(e).
       ``(3) The Secretary shall, in consultation with the 
     Department of Energy and States, adopt by rule procedures for 
     the equitable consideration of such applications. Such 
     procedures shall require--
       ``(A) consideration of each of the elements of the 
     definition of ``emergency'' in section 2603;
       ``(B) consideration of differences between geographic 
     regions including: sources of energy supply for low-income 
     households, relative price trends for sources of home energy 
     supply, and relevant weather-related factors including 
     drought; and
       ``(C) that the Secretary shall grant such applications 
     within 30 days unless the Secretary certifies in writing that 
     none of the emergency conditions defined in section 2603 have 
     been demonstrated.''.
       (c) Report on Methodology.--
       (1) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
     prepare and submit to Congress a report that makes 
     recommendations regarding the methodology for allocating 
     funds to States to carry out the Low-Income Home Energy 
     Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.).
       (2) In preparing the report, the Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services shall--
       (A) use the latest, best available statistical data and 
     model to develop the recommendations for the methodology; and
       (B) recommend a methodology that--
       (i) consists of a mechanism that uses estimates of 
     expenditures for energy consumption (measured in British 
     thermal units) for low-income households in each State, for 
     each source of heating or cooling in residential dwellings; 
     and
       (ii) employs the latest available annually updated heating 
     and cooling degree day and fuel price information available 
     (for coal, electricity, fuel oil, petroleum gas, and natural 
     gas) at the State level.
       (3) In preparing the report, the Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services shall consult with appropriate officials in 
     each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia.
       (4) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
     this subsection such sums as may be necessary for each of 
     fiscal years 2004 through 2006.
       (d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services shall transmit to Congress a report on the 
     programmatic impacts of using the National Academy of 
     Science's poverty measure with different equivalence scale, 
     known as DES, to determine low-income households.

     SEC. 1202. WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

       (a) Elibilibility.--Section 412 of the Energy Conservation 
     and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6862) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (7)(A), by striking ``125'' and inserting 
     ``150'', and
       (2) in paragraph (7)(C), by striking ``125'' and inserting 
     ``150''.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 422 of the 
     Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6872) is 
     amended by striking the period at the end and inserting ``, 
     $325,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, $400,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2005, and $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.''.

     SEC. 1203. STATE ENERGY PLANS.

       (a) State Energy Conservation Plans.--Section 362 of the 
     Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6322) is 
     amended by inserting at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(g) The Secretary shall, at least once every 3 years, 
     invite the Governor of each State to review, and, if 
     necessary, review the energy conservation plan of such State 
     submitted under subsection (b) or (e). Such reviews should 
     consider the energy conservation plans of other States within 
     the region,

[[Page S7196]]

     and identify opportunities and actions carried out in pursuit 
     of common energy conservation goals.''.
       (b) State Energy Efficiency Goals.--Section 364 of the 
     Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6324) is 
     amended to read as follows:


                    ``state energy efficiency goals

       ``Sec. 364. Each State energy conservation plan with 
     respect to which assistance is made available under this part 
     on or after the date of enactment of this title shall contain 
     a goal, consisting of an improvement of 25 percent or more in 
     the efficiency of use of energy in the State concerned in 
     calendar year 2010 as compared to calendar year 1990, and may 
     contain interim goals.''.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 365(f) of the 
     Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6325(f) is 
     amended by striking the period at the end and inserting ``, 
     $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 and 2005 and 
     $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 841. Mr. DOMENICI (for Mr. Gregg (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
Alexander, Mr. Dodd, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Reed)) proposed an amendment 
to amendment SA 840 proposed by Mr. Domenici (for himself and Mr. 
Bingaman) to the bill S. 14, to enhance the energy security of the 
United States, and for other purposes; as follows:

       Strike section 1201 (relating to the Low-Income Home Energy 
     Assistance Program) and insert the following:

     SEC. 1201. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE REAUTHORIZATION 
                   OF THE LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE ACT OF 
                   1981.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate finds that--
       (1) the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (referred 
     to in this section as ``LIHEAP'') is the primary Federal 
     program available to help low-income households, individuals 
     with disabilities, and senior citizens meet their home energy 
     bills and maintain their health and well-being;
       (2) home energy costs are unaffordable for many low-income 
     households, individuals with disabilities, and senior 
     citizens living on fixed incomes;
       (3) those households often carry a higher energy burden 
     than most United States households, spending up to 20 percent 
     of their household income on home energy bills;
       (4) States provided more than 4,000,000 households with 
     LIHEAP assistance in 2002;
       (5) LIHEAP is currently able to serve only 15 percent of 
     the 30,000,000 households who are income-eligible for 
     assistance under LIHEAP; and
       (6) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
     has jurisdiction over the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance 
     Act of 1981, which provides authority for LIHEAP, and is 
     working towards reauthorizing the Act prior to its expiration 
     in 2004.
       (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that, when the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
     Pensions reauthorizes the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance 
     Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.), the committee should 
     consider increasing the authorization of appropriations under 
     section 2602(b) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 8621(b)) to 
     $3,400,000,000, in order to better serve the needs of low-
     income and other eligible households.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 842. Mr. McCONNELL (for Mr. Hatch) proposed an amendment to the 
resolution S. Res. 136, recognizing the 140th anniversary of the 
founding of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and congratulating 
members and officers of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers for the 
union's many achievements; as follows:

  Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the following: 
``That the Senate--
       ``(1) recognizes that unions have made tremendous 
     contributions to the structural development and building of 
     the United States, and to the well-being of tens of thousands 
     of workers;
       ``(2) congratulates unions for their many achievements and 
     the strength of their members; and
       ``(3) expects that unions will continue their dedicated 
     work and will have an even greater impact in the 21st century 
     and beyond, and will enhance the standard of living and 
     working environment for rail workers and other laborers in 
     generations to come.''.

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