[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 27, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2959. Mr. HATCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2953 proposed by Ms. Murkowski to the bill S. 2012, to 
provide for the modernization of the energy policy of the United 
States, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; 
as follows:

       On page 69, between lines 21 and 22, insert the following:
       (d) Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income 
     Persons.--Section 415 of the Energy Conservation and 
     Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6865) (as amended by subsection 
     (c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(g) Administration.--
       ``(1) In general.--A State shall use up to 8 percent of any 
     grant made by the Secretary under this part to track 
     applicants for and recipients of weatherization assistance 
     under this part to determine the impact of the assistance and 
     eliminate or reduce reliance on the low-income home energy 
     assistance program established under the Low-Income Home 
     Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.), over 
     a period of not more than 3 years.
       ``(2) Use of savings.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
     of law, of any savings obtained by the Secretary of Health 
     and Human Services due to eliminated or reduced reliance on 
     the low-income home energy assistance program established 
     under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (42 
     U.S.C. 8621 et seq.) as a result of the weatherization 
     assistance provided under this part, as determined under 
     paragraph (1)--
       ``(A) 50 percent shall be transferred to the Secretary to 
     provide assistance to States under this part, to be 
     reallocated to the States pro rata based on the savings 
     realized by each State under this part; and
       ``(B) 50 percent shall be deposited into the general fund 
     of the Treasury for purposes of reducing the annual Federal 
     budget deficit.
       ``(3) Annual state plans.--A State may submit to the 
     Secretary for approval within 90 days an annual plan for the 
     administration of assistance under this part in the State 
     that includes, at the option of the State--
       ``(A) local income eligibility standards for the assistance 
     that are not based on the formula that are used to allocate 
     assistance under this part; and
       ``(B) the establishment of revolving loan funds for 
     multifamily affordable housing units.
       ``(4) Evaluation.--Of amounts appropriated for headquarters 
     training and technical assistance for the Weatherization 
     Assistance Program each fiscal year, the Secretary shall use 
     not more than 25 percent--
       ``(A) to carry out a 3-year evaluation of the plans 
     submitted under paragraph (3); and
       ``(B) to disseminate to each State weatherization program a 
     report describing the results of the evaluation.
       ``(5) Report to congress.--As soon as practicable, the 
     Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing the 
     training and technical assistance efforts of the Department 
     to assist States in carrying out paragraph (1).''.
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