[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 12 (Monday, January 26, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 156. Mr. REED (for himself and Ms. Collins) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 1, to approve the 
Keystone XL Pipeline; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate finds the following:
       (1) The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (referred 
     to in this section as ``LIHEAP'') is the main Federal program 
     that helps low-income households and senior citizens with 
     their energy bills, providing vital assistance during both 
     the cold winter and hot summer months.
       (2) Recipients of LIHEAP assistance are among the most 
     vulnerable individuals in the country, with about 90 percent 
     of LIHEAP households having at least one member who is a 
     child, a senior citizen, or disabled, and approximately 20 
     percent of LIHEAP households including at least one veteran.
       (3) The number of households eligible for LIHEAP assistance 
     continues to exceed available funding, with current funding 
     reaching just 20 percent of the eligible population.
       (4) The average LIHEAP grant covers just a fraction of home 
     energy costs, leaving many low-income families and senior 
     citizens struggling to pay their energy bills and with fewer 
     resources available to meet other essential needs.
       (5) Access to affordable home energy is a matter of health 
     and safety for many low-income households, children, senior 
     citizens, individuals with disabilities, and veterans.
       (6) Funding LIHEAP at $4,700,000,000 annually would ensure 
     that more low-income households, households with children, 
     senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, and veterans 
     can meet basic home energy needs.
       (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that LIHEAP should be funded at not less than $4,700,000,000 
     annually.
       (c) Date of Enactment.--This section takes effect on the 
     day after the date of enactment of this Act.
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