Sponsors (22)
The bill directs dedicated federal funds and administrative limits to expand readiness repairs so more low‑income homes can be weatherized and save on energy, but it increases federal spending and includes funding and eligibility limits that could leave some high‑cost or previously eligible households without needed help.
Low-income households will have more homes made safe and eligible for weatherization through readiness repairs (structural, plumbing, roofing, electrical, hazard remediation), increasing access to upgrades that lower energy bills.
States and tribes receive dedicated, predictable federal funding ($50 million per year, 2026–2030) to support local weatherization and readiness-repair providers, improving program capacity and continuity.
Limits administrative spending to 15% (with any State limited to using up to half the cap), which prioritizes funds for direct repairs and reduces overhead, increasing the share of dollars reaching households.
Taxpayers will cover an additional $50 million per year from 2026–2030, increasing federal spending without specified offsets.
Changes or reductions to the statutory average per-unit funding and allowing States to impose average cost-per-unit limits could reduce the amount available per dwelling, restricting the scope of eligible readiness work and leaving high-cost repairs unfunded (especially in expensive or severely damaged areas).
Removing certain program eligibility references and striking a paragraph of the statute may narrow who or what qualifies for assistance, potentially excluding some vulnerable households from receiving readiness repairs and weatherization.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a grant program to fund pre‑weatherization repairs for low-income dwellings and authorizes $50M/year (FY2026–2030); also edits several existing weatherization rules.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Paul Tonko · Last progress February 13, 2025
Creates a new grant program to pay for repairs and remedial work that make low-income homes ready for weatherization and changes several technical rules in the existing federal weatherization statute. It requires the Department to set up the Weatherization Readiness Program within one year, authorizes $50 million per year for FY2026–2030, and adjusts formulas and cost-accounting requirements in the current weatherization law. The bill also removes or edits several existing statutory provisions and makes a small unspecified edit elsewhere in the weatherization chapter. The new program funds structural, plumbing, roofing, electrical, and environmental-hazard remediation measures so households can receive full weatherization services; it limits administrative spending, exempts these readiness measures from counting as prior weatherization, disallows a savings-to-investment ratio requirement, and generally aligns rules with the current weatherization program where possible.