Washington-- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced that Indiana will receive $2.8 million from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) contingency fund to help Hoosier homeowners and renters struggling to pay their home energy bills.

Earlier this month, U.S. Senator Evan Bayh sent a letter to President Bush urging the administration to release a $131 million balance in the contingency fund, which was set to expire on Sept. 30. The funding would not have carried over to next year, leaving thousands of families struggling with the recent energy price spike unable to benefit from dedicated dollars allocated to help them.

“Though it took more prodding than it should have, I am glad the administration has taken steps to ensure these funds were made available to families making hard financial choices due to their high energy bills,” Senator Bayh said. “No family should have to choose between paying their electric bill and putting food on the table. No senior should have to choose between heating their home and paying for their medicine.”

In a Sept. 11 letter to the President, Bayh was one of 52 senators calling for the release of the remaining balance in the LIHEAP contingency fund. The letter noted that a recent survey by the National Energy Directors Association found that millions of low-income households this year are facing a severe hardship in paying arrearages from last winter’s heating bills. As a result, families were coping with impending and actual shutoffs of service.

Senator Bayh has repeatedly urged the administration to release LIHEAP contingency funds, including signing letters to the President in July and February. He has also consistently called for full funding of the program.

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