‘‘(m) The Secretary shall allow, to the greatest extent 
possible, eligible households to obtain assistance with 
minimal administrative burden, by carrying out subsection 
(c)(1)(A)(i). 
‘‘(n) The Secretary shall, by grant or contract, pro-
vide for a study that examines the rates of home energy 
shutoffs and assessments of late fees among eligible house-
holds, relative to those rates for households that are not 
eligible households, over a period of several years. 
‘‘(o) The Secretary shall provide technical assistance 
to States to support partnerships described in subsection 
(b)(8)(H). 
‘‘(p)(1) The Secretary, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of Education, shall issue guidance for use of funds 
for administrative activities described in subsection 
(b)(10) to increase, through partnerships with elementary 
schools, secondary schools, and local educational agencies, 
enrollment in the program funded under section 2602(b) 
among eligible households that include children and that 
have high energy burdens. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall issue guidance for use by 
States on outreach relating to assistance through the pro-
gram funded under section 2602(b) to high-risk individ-
uals, with relevant medical conditions, that benefit from 
the use of medical equipment that requires electricity, in-
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cluding a ventilator, an oxygen concentrator, or another 
medical device that requires electricity. 
‘‘(3) The Secretary shall issue guidance for use by 
States on how to ensure that eligible households are aware 
of additional grants, tax credits, and rebates, made avail-
able under Public Law 117–169, or an amendment made 
by such law. 
‘‘(q) Not later than 1 year after the date of enact-
ment of the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, the Secretary 
shall require each State receiving funds under this title, 
including allotments under subsection (a) or (e) of section 
2604, to develop and update as necessary, an action plan 
for a period of extreme heat, which shall describe how the 
State will use its allotments under this title to assist eligi-
ble households in covering cooling costs and mitigating 
heat-related health risks. 
‘‘(r) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, the Secretary shall 
conduct a review of eligibility criteria for assistance under 
this title and identify additional vulnerable populations to 
include under such criteria, such as pregnant women and 
individuals with medical conditions exacerbated by a pe-
riod of extreme heat. 
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‘‘(s) The Secretary, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of Energy, shall require State energy offices receiv-
ing Federal funds under this title to develop plans— 
‘‘(1) to retrofit low-income housing stock to 
adapt to rising temperatures and address environ-
mental hazards, including— 
‘‘(A) deploying highly efficient cooling sys-
tems, including heat pumps; 
‘‘(B) expanding weatherization and passive 
cooling strategies; 
‘‘(C) addressing structural and health haz-
ards, including mold, lead, asbestos, and pest 
infections; and 
‘‘(D) ensuring that necessary electrical 
panel and wiring upgrades are completed to 
support the installation of cooling systems and 
energy efficiency improvements; and 
‘‘(2) to assess and adapt existing (as of the 
date of development of the plan) shutoff policies to 
protect all households while considering the impact 
on energy affordability and energy grid reliability. 
‘‘(t)(1) Not later than 1 year after the date of enact-
ment of the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, the Secretary, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development, shall submit a report to Congress that— 
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‘‘(A) identifies safe residential temperature 
standards for federally assisted dwelling units, con-
sidering risks of periods of extreme heat and ex-
treme cold and regional climate variations; and 
‘‘(B) proposes strategies to ensure compliance 
with the standards, including permitting covered 
utility allowances to be used for cooling assistance 
where feasible, taking into account regional climate 
variations and housing stock differences. 
‘‘(2) In this subsection, the term ‘covered utility al-
lowance’ means a utility allowance— 
‘‘(A) applicable to public housing dwelling units 
under section 3 of the United States Housing Act of 
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a); or 
‘‘(B) under the housing choice voucher program 
under section 8(o)(2)(D) of the United States Hous-
ing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(2)(D)).’’. 
SEC. 8. WEATHERIZATION. 
Section 2605(k) of the Low-Income Home Energy 
Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8624(k)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘15 percent’’ 
and inserting ‘‘25 percent’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), in the matter 
preceding clause (i)— 
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(i) by striking ‘‘subparagraph (B)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘subparagraph (C)’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘the greater of 25 per-
cent’’ and inserting ‘‘a portion equal to the 
greater of 35 percent’’; 
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 
subparagraph (C); and 
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 
the following: 
‘‘(B) The State— 
‘‘(i) shall, to the extent practicable— 
‘‘(I) use the portion described in subpara-
graph (A) for energy-related home repair that 
reduces dependence on fossil fuel energy 
sources; and 
‘‘(II) use the portion to facilitate the use 
of funds made available under section 2602(b) 
to increase the participation of eligible house-
holds in community solar programs, or to other-
wise increase access to and ownership of dis-
tributed renewable energy infrastructure among 
eligible households; and 
‘‘(ii) shall if possible give the highest priority to 
using the portion for home repair that replaces ap-
pliances that rely on fossil fuels with appliances that 
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use electric heating or cooling technology, powered 
by renewable energy.’’. 
SEC. 9. HOME ENERGY PAYMENT ARREARS DATA COLLEC-
TION. 
Section 2605 of the Low-Income Home Energy As-
sistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8624), as amended by 
section 7, is further amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(u)(1)(A) The Secretary, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Energy, shall develop a standardized template 
for States and home energy suppliers to use to track and 
report data on eligible households in arrears in home en-
ergy payments, including data on the related fees and dis-
connections for such households. 
‘‘(B) The template developed under subparagraph 
(A) shall— 
‘‘(i) include a definition of an eligible household 
in arrears, with respect to home energy payments, as 
an eligible household that has not made payment on 
a home energy bill for more than 60 to 90 days, as 
determined by the State agency or local coordinating 
agency, unless otherwise specified by State law; 
‘‘(ii) include metrics on related disconnections, 
late fees, reconnections, and arrearage balances for 
eligible households; and 
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‘‘(iii) align with existing (as of the date of the 
development) Federal and State reporting mecha-
nisms where applicable. 
‘‘(2) Not later than 1 year after the date of enact-
ment of the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, the Secretary 
shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, issue 
guidance on best practices for States (including through 
partnerships with home energy suppliers) to pay for home 
energy payment arrearages with assistance provided 
through the program funded under section 2602(b), in-
cluding by paying for such arrearages at the time of dis-
semination of assistance through that program. Such 
guidance shall prohibit any home energy supplier receiving 
funds through the program from recovering arrearage as-
sistance costs through rate increases or other charges to 
customers, including cost recovery mechanisms that dis-
proportionately impact low-income households. 
‘‘(3) To the extent practicable, the Secretary and the 
Secretary of Energy shall jointly— 
‘‘(A) implement a data tracking system, aligned 
with the standardized reporting template developed 
under paragraph (1), to collect aggregate data re-
garding the number of eligible households in arrears 
and their respective energy burdens and develop rec-
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ommendations to HEAP coordinators on how to 
minimize energy burdens for the households; and 
‘‘(B) issue guidance to home energy suppliers 
with recommendations for working with State agen-
cies to address home energy payment arrearages of 
eligible households. 
‘‘(4) The Secretary, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of Energy, may make grants to States to assist the 
States in implementing data tracking and reporting re-
quirements under this subsection. 
‘‘(5) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this subsection such sums as may be necessary.’’. 
SEC. 10. PROGRAM NAME CHANGE. 
(a) LIHEAP.—The Low-Income Home Energy As-
sistance Act of 1981 is amended— 
(1) in section 2607A(b) (42 U.S.C. 8626a(b)), 
in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
‘‘low-income’’ the first place it appears; and 
(2) in section 2607B(e)(2)(B)(ii) (42 U.S.C. 
8626b(e)(2)(B)(ii)), by striking ‘‘Low-Income’’. 
(b) OTHER LAW.—A reference in any other Federal 
law (other than that Act), Executive order, rule, regula-
tion, or delegation of authority, or any document, of or 
relating to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Pro-
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gram, shall be deemed to refer to the Home Energy As-
sistance Program. 
SEC. 11. JUST TRANSITION GRANTS. 
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 
1981 is amended by inserting after section 2607B (42 
U.S.C. 8626b) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 2607C. HEAP JUST TRANSITION GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Secretary and the Sec-
retary of Energy shall jointly carry out a grant program 
under this section. In carrying out the program, the Secre-
taries shall make grants for a period of 3 years to States 
and local governments to support the development and im-
plementation of interagency plans to reduce energy bur-
dens for eligible households with high home energy use. 
The plans shall promote the reduction of those burdens 
in a manner that supports a just transition away from 
fossil fuel energy and protects eligible households from the 
threats of climate change. The Secretaries shall make the 
grants for a period of 3 years. 
‘‘(b) PREFERENCES.—In making the grants, the Sec-
retary shall give a preference to States, and local govern-
ments, who set up coordination systems— 
‘‘(1) to identify eligible households, that are re-
cipients of assistance through the program funded 
under section 2602(b), with high home energy use; 
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‘‘(2) to prioritize eligible households with the 
highest energy burdens and lowest incomes, in align-
ment with the priority provisions in paragraphs (2) 
and (3) of section 2605(b), to receive emergency re-
pair, weatherization, and retrofit assistance that re-
sults in decarbonization and reductions in energy 
use; and 
‘‘(3) to partner with entities carrying out work-
force development initiatives, unions, or minority or 
women-owned business enterprises to provide emer-
gency repairs, weatherization, and retrofit assist-
ance. 
‘‘(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—At the conclusion of 
the 3-year grant period, the Secretaries shall— 
‘‘(1) conduct an evaluation of the program’s 
outcomes; and 
‘‘(2) prepare and submit to Congress a report 
containing the results of the evaluation and policy 
recommendations.’’. 
SEC. 12. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 
1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 2607B(e)(2)(K) (42 U.S.C. 
8626b(e)(2)(K)) by striking ‘‘paragraphs (2), (3), 
(4), (5), (7), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), and (14) of 
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section 2605(b)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2), (4), 
(5), (6), (8), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), and (15) 
of section 2605(b)’’; and 
(2) in section 2610(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 8629) by 
striking ‘‘clauses (2), (5), (8), and (15) of section 
2605(b)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2), (6), (9), 
and (16) of section 2605(b)’’. 
Æ 
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