Summary
# Weatherization Assistance Program Improvements Act of 2023
## WHAT THIS BILL DOES
This bill amends existing law about the weatherization assistance program. The bill makes changes to help low-income people repair their homes so that weatherization measures (improvements that reduce energy loss) can be installed.
## WHO IT AFFECTS
The Department of Energy Secretary and the states that receive weatherization assistance funding. Low-income people who live in homes with structural defects or hazards that prevent weatherization work.
## KEY PROVISIONS
* The Secretary of Energy must create a Weatherization Readiness Fund to distribute money to states for repairs to homes with significant defects or hazards that block weatherization work (Sec. 2(a)).
* States must use funds from this new program only to fix the structural defects or hazards in low-income homes so that weatherization measures can be installed (Sec. 2(a)).
* The bill increases the spending limit per home from $6,500 to $12,000 for the basic weatherization program (Sec. 2(b)).
* The bill increases another spending limit from $3,000 to $6,000 (Sec. 2(b)).
* The Secretary may increase spending beyond these new limits if market conditions require it to achieve the program's goals (Sec. 2(b)).
## WHAT CHANGES
Money limits for weatherization work increase. A new fund is created specifically for fixing home problems that prevent weatherization. The Secretary gets authority to spend more money per home when necessary based on market conditions.
## IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
Not specified in bill text
## EFFECTIVE DATE
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 1005
To amend the Energy Conservation and Production Act to improve the
weatherization assistance program, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 28, 2023
Mr. REED (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. COONS, and Mrs. SHAHEEN) intro-
duced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Natural Resources
A BILL
To amend the Energy Conservation and Production Act to
improve the weatherization assistance program, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Weatherization Assist-
4
ance Program Improvements Act of 2023’’.
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SEC. 2. WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
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(a) WEATHERIZATION READINESS FUND.—Section
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414 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42
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U.S.C. 6864) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
1
lowing:
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‘‘(d) WEATHERIZATION READINESS FUND.—
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
4
lish a fund, to be known as the ‘Weatherization
5
Readiness Fund’, from which the Secretary shall dis-
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tribute funds to States receiving financial assistance
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under this part, in accordance with subsection (a).
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‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—A State receiving
10
funds under paragraph (1) shall use the funds
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for repairs to dwelling units described in sub-
12
paragraph (B) that will remediate the applica-
13
ble structural defects or hazards of the dwelling
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unit so that weatherization measures may be in-
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stalled.
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‘‘(B) DWELLING
UNIT.—A dwelling unit
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referred to in subparagraph (A) is a dwelling
18
unit occupied by a low-income person that, on
19
inspection pursuant to the program under this
20
part, was found to have significant defects or
21
hazards that prevented the installation of
22
weatherization measures under the program.
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‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In
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addition to amounts authorized to be appropriated
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•S 1005 IS
under section 422, there is authorized to be appro-
1
priated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary
2
to carry out this subsection.’’.
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(b) STATE AVERAGE COST PER UNIT.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 415(c) of the En-
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ergy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C.
6
6865(c)) is amended—
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(A) in paragraph (1)—
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(i) in the matter preceding subpara-
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graph (A)—
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(I) in the first sentence, by strik-
11
ing
‘‘$6,500’’
and
inserting
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‘‘$12,000’’; and
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(II) by striking ‘‘(c)(1) Except as
14
provided in paragraphs (3) and (4)’’
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and inserting the following:
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‘‘(c) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
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graphs (3), (4), and (6)’’;
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(ii) by conforming the margins of sub-
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paragraphs (A) through (D) to the margin
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of subparagraph (E);
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(iii) in subparagraph (D), by striking
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‘‘, and’’ and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
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(iv) in subparagraph (E), by adding a
1
period at the end;
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(B) in paragraph (2), in the first sentence,
3
by striking ‘‘weatherized (including dwelling
4
units partially weatherized)’’ and inserting
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‘‘fully weatherized’’;
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(C) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘$3,000’’
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and inserting ‘‘$6,000’’;
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(D) in paragraph (5)—
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(i) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking
10
‘‘(6)(A)(ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘(7)(A)(ii)’’; and
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(ii) by striking ‘‘(6)(A)(i)(I)’’ each
12
place
it
appears
and
inserting
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‘‘(7)(A)(i)(I)’’;
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(E) by redesignating paragraph (6) as
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paragraph (7); and
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(F) by inserting after paragraph (5) the
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following:
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‘‘(6) LIMIT INCREASE.—The Secretary may in-
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crease the amount of financial assistance provided
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per dwelling unit under this part beyond the limit
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specified in paragraph (1) if the Secretary deter-
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mines that market conditions require such an in-
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crease to achieve the purposes of this part.’’.
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(2)
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section
1
414D(b)(1)(C) of the Energy Conservation and Pro-
2
duction Act (42 U.S.C. 6864d(b)(1)(C)) is amended
3
by
striking
‘‘415(c)(6)(A)’’
and
inserting
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‘‘415(c)(7)’’.
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Æ
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