Committee hears bill to extend energy-assistance year‑round; author’s amendment adopted

The Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate Committee heard testimony on a proposal to create a supplemental energy assistance program that would extend Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)‑style grants into the summer months, aiming to prevent utility shutoffs and provide cooling assistance for vulnerable Minnesotans.

Senator Scott Dibble, the bill’s chief author, told the committee that Senate File 486 would “create [a] energy assistance program administered by the department of commerce as an adjunct or a complimentary energy assistance effort, to what we know as LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.” He said the bill would provide both crisis grants for households facing imminent shutoff and ongoing monthly grants for households with persistent need.

The bill uses LIHEAP’s current infrastructure, eligibility and procedures as a model, according to Dibble. He described the program’s priority as expanding the number of households served rather than increasing individual grant sizes and said the proposal would allow funds to be accepted throughout the year and used until exhausted.

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