The Senate granted its final approval to HF 2374, a bill providing $20 million additional dollars for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Under the Senate-endorsed plan, only five percent of the appropriation can be used for administrative costs.
Senator Tom Saxhaug: “I don’t want any Minnesotans to worry about their heating this winter. There is help available, and we need to make sure that the LIHEAP program remains funded until this propane shortage is resolved.”
Senator Dan Sparks: “Families across the state have been struggling to deal with the effects of the shortage and price spikes. Hopefully this will provide some relief through the rest of this year’s cold weather months as we continue to work on the larger issue.”
Senator David Tomassoni: “My first priority was making sure that Minnesotans are taken care of and can stay warm in their own homes. This propane crisis has disproportionally affected rural and Northern Minnesotans – however I want to caution that this bill is a short-term solution to a much bigger problem. Not even the law of supply and demand justifies a 500 percent increase in cost.”
With the LIHEAP program running out of funding, this legislation will provide an additional $20 million to the fund. Information about applying is available online at: http://mn.gov/commerce/energy/consumers/Heating-Assistance/ or by calling 1-800-657-3710.
