Senate Democrats Want Home-Heating Bill Brought To Floor
From Heather Senison, our new intrepid GNS Albany intern:
Senate Democrats are calling on the state and federal governments to help middle and low-income families across the state pay their energy bills this winter in response to rising home heating and energy prices.
“We are looking to ensure that the families that live in the state of New York, whether upstate or downstate, don’t have to make serious determinations about home heating costs,†said Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, D-Mt. Vernon.
Senators said the package is similar to the one being pushed by Assembly Democrats, but better targets the middle class. They plan to try to get it to the floor of the Senate when they return to session tomorrow.
The package includes creating a new Middle-Income Home Energy Assistance Package (MIHEAP), which would award emergency energy bill assistance to families earning up to $85,000 per year. Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, said he has held meetings with Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer asking for federal funding for the program.
The proposal would expand the existing Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Package to double the average benefits for families making up to $45,000 per year during the 2008-09 winter season.
The third part of the package would include a large-scale investment in home weatherization improvements that legislators estimate will save families up to 40 percent in energy costs. Funding for this program is expected to come from state tax exempt bonds, legislators said. The program would create tens of thousands of new “green-collar” jobs, Senate Democrats said.
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All the senate democrats are doing here is giving cover to the assembly democrats. Because the assembly dem’s don’t want a property tax cap. They think the people will be confused and not focused. But guys we still want a tax cap.
What am I missing here are we broke or are we not?
I
Oh. – I forgot this is pandering.
Property Tax Cap Now.
The Middle-Income Home Energy Assistance should be for those making up to $120K a year. You need to make that kind of salary in Westchester County in order to stay at middle-income. Anything less than that is low-income now in Westchester County. Food, fuel, clothing, taxes have gone up double digits that you can’t possibly keep up. CEOs, CFOs, VPs of companies are making 800% more than the average worker in their company. This is why prices of homes in Westchester County have gone sky high and this is why million dollar homes are still selling in Westchester County. Many people who were middle-income are now low-income. Us so called Westchester middle-income cannot afford to live in our homes any longer in Westchester County (even in Yonkers). The average workers raise is about 2% if you are even lucky enough to get a raise when you work in the private sector or still have a job. It’s all about corporate greed and the government and corporations trying to keep the average American down. Tax us to death, make us fearful of losing our jobs (outsourcing to overseas where it’s less costly) and keep us in debt. So low and middle-income Americans what are we going to do about it. Neither the Democrats or Republicans are listening to us. They serve only themselves and the special interests group. Just as the Roman Empire failed from greed, I think America is headed in the direction.