Supporting the goals and ideals of "Weatherization Day".

Bill: 118-hres-823
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1]
Introduced: 2023-10-30
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Commemorative events and holidays

Community life and organization

Congressional tributes

Energy assistance for the poor and aged
Latest action: action_date: 2023-11-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-10-30
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution supports the goals and ideals of Weatherization Day, which (1) celebrates the accomplishments and potential of the Weatherization Assistance Program, and (2) informs the public of the program's benefits. It also urges the Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency to increase efforts that provide weatherization assistance to improve the quality of life for low-income individuals and their families.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 823 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

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.