HARTFORD, Conn. — A federal program providing assistance to families struggling to pay their energy bills will see a cut in funding.
“It helps families not to have to make the difficult decisions of one basic need over another,” said interim director of the Connecticut Association for Community Action Rhonda Evans.
State legislators on both sides of the aisle agree something needs to be done about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), but after a more than four-hour-long hearing Monday, lawmakers eventually voted to approve a plan to implement the program with 31% less funding.
“You're seeing the money shrink at the same time the demand is increasing,” said House Minority Leader, State Rep. Vincent Candelora. “That's a really bad scenario.”
State lawmakers’ approval of the new plan comes as the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) said demand is up 10%.
“The dollars have moved back to pre-pandemic dollars and we are specifically concerned about an increase in the demand for support,” Andrea Barton Reeves, the department’s commissioner, said.
State officials said these funding cuts are the result of extra, pandemic-era money ending.
“The proposal that you have in front of us shows a significant drop in the maximum benefit level and the minimum benefit level, and I have a lot of concerns about the real-world impact,” said state Sen. Matt Lesser, (D-Middletown), during Monday’s hearing.
Last year, the basic benefit for the most vulnerable residents was $600. This year, that will drop to $530. These residents will also lose a third round of crisis assistance funding–the new plan only allocates two rounds of $410 each.
“We will not be able to take care of our citizens who are in need,” state Sen. Saud Anwar, (D-South Windsor), said. “This disaster is pretty clear. It is coming.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are concerned, but many said their hands are tied, as the state is constrained by its spending cap.
“These are the federal dollars that are available,” explained state Sen. Cathy Osten, (D-Sprague). “We can not change what the federal dollars are that are available to us.”
“Last year, there was room to be able to put more money into it, this is a bigger challenge, because we would have to unwork, you know, undo some of the budget and figure out how to make it work,” added Candelora.
DSS said they are in contact with Connecticut’s federal lawmakers to try and get more LIHEAP funding from Congress.
When it comes to any extra state allocations, Candelora said there could be another special session this fall. If not, he said changing the LIHEAP approval process will be a big conversation next session.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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