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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 823 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 823

       Supporting the goals and ideals of ``Weatherization Day''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 30, 2023

 Ms. Bonamici (for herself, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Tonko, and Mrs. Ramirez) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
       Supporting the goals and ideals of ``Weatherization Day''.

Whereas the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program has 
        successfully met its goals to reduce energy bills and improve the health 
        and safety of Americans with the lowest incomes during its four-decade 
        history;
Whereas the Weatherization Assistance Program supports about 8,500 jobs and 
        provides weatherization assistance to approximately 35,000 homes 
        annually;
Whereas, since it began in 1976, the Weatherization Assistance Program has 
        helped improve the lives and homes of more than 7,000,000 families 
        through its weatherization assistance;
Whereas the Weatherization Assistance Program develops effective techniques, 
        tools, and professional training for the home retrofit industry;
Whereas low-income families pay a disproportionate share, almost 14 percent, of 
        their annual income on energy costs, the need for weatherization 
        assistance is urgent;
Whereas homes occupied by low-income families eligible for assistance under the 
        Weatherization Assistance Program are predominantly energy inefficient 
        and more likely to contain old appliances and equipment that do not meet 
        contemporary safety or energy efficiency standards;
Whereas rigorous evaluations by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have 
        demonstrated that average energy usage for households benefitting from 
        weatherization assistance drops by more than 20 percent, and residents 
        also experience improved health, including fewer hospital visits, in 
        homes that have received assistance for upgrades under the 
        Weatherization Assistance Program;
Whereas community action agencies and their nonprofit partners and State 
        administrators that support home weatherization services and retrofits 
        for eligible households also effectively mobilize local, utility, and 
        charitable funding to maximize Federal investments, increasing the reach 
        and benefits of the Weatherization Assistance Program threefold; and
Whereas community action agencies and their nonprofit partners and State 
        administrators that administer the Weatherization Assistance Program 
        recruit residents of underserved and disadvantaged communities to be 
        trained, and employed in the program, and subsequently start careers in 
        the retrofit and homebuilding industry: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of ``Weatherization 
        Day'', a day--
                    (A) to raise awareness about and celebrate the 
                accomplishments and potential of the Weatherization 
                Assistance Program; and
                    (B) to inform the public of the benefits of the 
                Weatherization Assistance Program, including 
                opportunities for eligible individuals to participate 
                in the program;
            (2) urges the Departments of Energy, Housing and Urban 
        Development, and Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection 
        Agency to increase efforts to provide weatherization assistance 
        that will improve the quality of life for low-income 
        individuals and their families; and
            (3) recognizes the value of community action agencies and 
        their nonprofit partners and State administrators in connecting 
        low-income residents with critical resources through the 
        Weatherization Assistance Program.
                                 <all>
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