[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 119 (Monday, July 21, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S6974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
        Lieberman, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. Cantwell, and Mr. 
        Dodd):
  S. 3292. A bill to provide emergency energy assistance, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Emergency Energy 
Assistance Act of 2008, which will provide emergency relief to families 
in Massachusetts and around the country who are suffering from record 
energy costs. I am joined by Senators Kennedy, Lieberman, Cardin, 
Menendez, Whitehouse, Cantwell and Dodd in introducing this important 
and timely piece of legislation. This legislation will help some of the 
85 percent of American families who are eligible for assistance from 
the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance, but have been unable to obtain 
it due to budget restrictions.
  Consumers around the country are facing skyrocketing prices for 
transportation and heating fuels. Heating oil prices in the Northeast 
averaged $3.40 in the first quarter of 2008, compared to just $2.52 in 
2007, putting severe strains on the approximately 960,000 Massachusetts 
families who simply cannot afford these skyrocketing prices. Today, 
100,000 Massachusetts households are still behind on their energy bills 
from last winter and remain at risk of shut-offs of vital energy 
services.
  These high costs are expected to continue through this year's heating 
season. Home heating oil prices in Massachusetts are already averaging 
$4.60/gallon. The typical family uses approximately 1,000 gallons of 
heating oil during the course of the winter--Massachusetts households 
could realistically be looking at heating bills approaching $5,000--an 
impossible sum for thousands of families around the state. When coupled 
with the escalating costs of transportation fuels, the burden is simply 
too much to bear.
  The primary Federal energy assistance program for low-income 
households is the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program LIHEAP. As 
energy costs rise, the demand for LIHEAP funds grows. 5.8 million 
families received LIHEAP funds in 2008, the highest participation 
levels in 16 years. In Massachusetts, over 145,000 families receive 
LIHEAP funds. However, as energy costs rise and demand for LIHEAP 
grows, the program's budget has not kept pace and we just can't cover 
all the people that need help. In fact, only 15 percent of eligible 
households nationally are receiving funding. Even in those households 
that do receive LIHEAP funds, the money isn't going very far--the 
average LIHEAP grant only pays for 18 percent of the total cost of 
heating a home with heating oil.
  I have been a long-time, strong supporter of legislation introduced 
by Senator Sanders--the Warm in Winter, Cool in Summer Act that would 
fund the LIHEAP program for 2008 at the fully-authorized level of $5.1 
billion, and I have incorporated that essential provision into the 
legislation I am introducing today.
  In addition, the Emergency Energy Assistance Act of 2008 includes 
critical emergency funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program at 
the U.S. Department of Energy. This program enables service providers 
to install energy efficiency measures in the homes of qualifying 
homeowners free of charge, and it provides real, short-term 
opportunities for homeowners to bring down their energy bills. My 
legislation would fund the program at $750 million, the fully-
authorized level for 2008.
  Finally, this legislation would provide a temporary increase in the 
Earned Income Tax Credit EITC for 2008 to help families pay their 
increasing energy bills. The EITC is a refundable tax credit for low-
income working families. These households are bearing the burden of 
escalating energy costs, yet many of these beneficiaries did not 
receive the full rebates provided through the Economic Stimulus Act of 
2008.
  This legislation would increase the maximum EITC credit amount by 
$300 for 2008. By increasing the credit amount, more families will be 
eligible for the credit than under current law. Beneficiaries will 
receive the increased EITC when they file their 2008 tax returns. This 
$300 will help working families with rising heating and transportation 
costs.
  In the face of skyrocketing energy prices, we must take serious and 
immediate measures to assist low-income working families. We cannot 
stand idly by as American families are forced to make impossible 
decisions about whether to heat their homes or put food on their 
tables. This is a crisis of tremendous proportions, and it is incumbent 
upon us to take steps now to ensure that millions of households are not 
literally left out in the cold this winter.
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