SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Paul Faraci’s measure to extend utility bill relief so more Illinois households can receive assistance was signed into law on Friday.  

“If we want to help keep people in their homes, especially those on a fixed income, this is the right thing to do,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “The extension of this program is an investment in the health and well-being of our community.”

Faraci’s measure eliminates the scheduled sunset date on a state fund that finances two needs-based assistance programs – the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP). The fund was set to shut down Jan. 1, 2025.

LIHEAP and PIPP offer bill payment assistance to low-income residential utility customers by helping eligible households pay for home energy services. Both assistance programs are administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity.

“The state LIHEAP funding is a critical component of the safety net for the working poor and households on limited fixed incomes,” said State Representative Carol Ammons (D-Urbana). “Not extending the Energy Assistance Act beyond January 1 would have put many vulnerable households at risk for their health and safety because they would not have been able to afford utilities for their homes.”

Had the new law not passed, over 174,000 households statewide could have been affected, including 30,000 households on the Percentage of Income Payment Plan that would have been dropped from the program and lost their benefits on Jan. 1.

House Bill 4471 takes effect immediately.