OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT OF 1981 * TITLE XXVI-LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE SHORT TITLE SEC. 2601. This title may be cited as the "Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981". HOME ENERGY GRANTS AUTHORIZED SEC. 2602. (a) The Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to make grants, in accordance with the provisions of this title, to States to assist eligible households to meet the costs of home energy. (b) There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the provisions of this title $2,140,000,000 for the fiscal year 1985, and $2,275,000,000 for the fiscal year 1986. (42 U.S.C. 8621) Enacted August 13, 1981, P.L. 97–35, 95 Stat. 893; amended October 30, 1984, P.L. 98-558, sec. 601. DEFINITIONS SEC. 2603. As used in this title: (1) The term "energy crisis" means weather-related and supply shortage emergencies and other household energy-related emergencies. (2) the term "household" means any individual or group of individuals who are living together as one economic unit for whom residential energy is customarily purchased in common or who make undesignated payments for energy in the form of rent. (3) the term "home energy" means a source of heating or cooling in residential dwellings. (4) The term "poverty level" means, with respect to a household in any State, the income poverty line as prescribed and revised at least annually pursuant to section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act, as applicable to such State. (5) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (6) The term "State" means each of the several States and the District of Columbia. (7) The term "State median income" means the State median income promulgated by the Secretary in accordance with procedures established under section 2002(a)(6) of the Social Security Act (as such procedures were in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act) and adjusted, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary, to take into account the number of individuals in the household. (42 U.S.C. 8622) Enacted August 13, 1981, P.L. 97-35, 95 Stat. 894; amended October 30, 1984, P.L. 98-558, sec. 602. STATE ALLOTMENTS SEC. 2604. (a)(1)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall, from that percentage of the amount appropriated under section 2602(b) for each fiscal year which is remaining after the amount of allotments for such fiscal year under subsection (b)(1) is determined by the Secretary, allot to each State an amount equal to such remaining percentage multiplied by the State's allotment percentage. (B) From the sums appropriated therefor, if for any period a State has a plan which is described in section 2605(c)(1), the Secretary shall pay to such State an amount equal to 100 percent of the expenditures of such State made during such period in carrying out such plan, including administrative costs (subject to the provisions of section 2605(b)(9)(B)), with respect to households described in section 2605(b)(2). (2) For purposes of paragraph (1), for fiscal year 1985 and thereafter, a State's allotment percentage is the percentage which expenditures for home energy by low-income households in that State bears to such expenditures in all States, except that States which thereby receive the greatest proportional increase in allotments by reason of the application of this paragraph from the amount they received pursuant to Public Law 98-139 shall have their allotments reduced to the extent necessary to ensure that (A)(i) no State for fiscal year 1985 shall receive less than the amount of funds the State received in fiscal year 1984; and (ii) no State for fiscal year 1986 and thereafter shall receive less than the amount of funds the State would have received in fiscal year 1984 if the appropriations for this title for fiscal year 1984 had been $1,975,000,000, and (B) any State whose allotment percentage out of funds available to States from a total appropriation of $2,250,000,000 would be less than 1 percent, shall not, in any year when total appropriations equal or exceed $2,250,000,000, have its allotment percentage reduced from the percentage it would receive from a total appropriation of $2,140,000,000. (3) If the sums appropriated for any fiscal year for making grants under this title are not sufficient to pay in full the total amount allocated to a State under paragraph (1) for such fiscal year, the amount which all States will receive under this title for such fiscal year shall be ratably reduced. (4) For the purpose of this section, the Secretary shall determine the expenditure for home energy by low-income households on the basis of the most recent satisfactory data available to the Secretary. (b)(1) The Secretary shall apportion not less than one-tenth of 1 percent, and not more than one-half of 1 percent, of the amounts appropriated for each fiscal year to carry out this title on the basis of need among the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The Secretary shall determine the total amount to be apportioned under this paragraph for any fiscal year (which shall not exceed one-half of 1 percent) after evaluating the extent to which each jurisdiction specified in the preceding sentence requires assistance under this paragraph for the fiscal year involved. (2) Each jurisdiction to which paragraph (1) applies may receive grants under this title upon an application submitted to the Secretary containing provisions which describe the programs for which assistance is sought under this title, and which are consistent with the requirements of section 2605. (c) Of the funds available to each State under subsection (a), a reasonable amount based on data from prior years shall be reserved until March 15 of each program year by each State for energy crisis intervention. The program for which funds are reserved by this subsection shall be administered by public or nonprofit entities which have experience in administering energy crisis programs under the Low-Income Energy Assistance Act of 1980, or under this Act, experience in assisting low-income individuals in the area to be served, and the capacity to undertake a timely and effective energy crisis intervention program. (d)(1) If, with respect to any State, the Secretary (A) receives a request from the governing organization of an Indian tribe within the State that assistance under this title be made directly to such organization; and (B) determines that the members of such tribe would be better served by means of grants made directly to provide benefits under this title; the Secretary shall reserve from amounts which would otherwise be payable to such State from amounts allotted to it under this title for the fiscal year involved the amount determined under paragraph (2). (2) The amount determined under this paragraph for a fiscal year is the amount which bears the same ratio to the amount which would (but for this subsection) be allotted to such State under this title for such fiscal year (other than by reason of section 2607(b)(2)) as the number of Indian households described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 2605(b)(2) in such State with respect to which a determination under this subsection is made bears to the number of all households described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 2605(b)(2) in such State. (3) The sums reserved by the Secretary on the basis of a determination under this subsection shall be granted to (A) the tribal organization serving the individuals for whom such a determination has been made; or (B) in any case where there is no tribal organization serving an individual for whom such a determination has been made, such other entity as the Secretary determines has the capacity to provide assistance pursuant to this title. (4) In order for a tribal organization or other entity to be eligible for an amount under this subsection for a fiscal year, it shall |