H.R. 2486: Heating and Cooling Relief Act

Introduced Mar 31, 202547 cosponsors

Sponsor

Yassamin Ansari

Democrat · AZ-3

Bill Progress

IntroducedMar 31

Committee

Pass House

Pass Senate

Signed

Law

Latest Action · Mar 31, 2025

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Referred to Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. for review

No utility shutoffs for two years after energy aid

6 min readLast updated May 19, 2026

Why it matters

The bill's findings cite more than $21 billion in overdue utility bills and nearly 1 in 7 households behind on an electric or gas bill. H.R. 2486 would widen who qualifies for heating and cooling help to incomes up to 250% of the poverty line, bar suppliers from cutting off service for two years after a household receives aid, and back it with $2 billion a year in emergency funding that, for the first time, explicitly covers stretches of extreme heat or cold.

H.R. 2486 rewrites the federal energy-assistance program — the one most people know as LIHEAP — on several fronts at once. The income cutoff to qualify rises to the greater of 250% of the poverty level or 80% of your state's median income, well above the narrower limits most states use today. States couldn't deny a household over a member's citizenship status or demand proof of citizenship, and the bill says this aid wouldn't count as a 'federal public benefit' under the 1996 welfare law.

The heaviest new obligations fall on utilities. Once a household gets assistance, a supplier can't shut off its service for two years. It also can't charge late fees in the six months before or after that aid, and has to refund any it did charge within seven days. Within two years of the law taking effect, suppliers that take program money would have to offer a low-income affordability payment plan and share data on who is behind so the state can reach them.

H.R. 2486 Bill Summary

What H.R. 2486 actually does.

More families qualify — income limit jumps to 250% of poverty

A household qualifies if its income is at or below the greater of 250% of the federal poverty level or 80% of the state median income, far wider than the limits most states apply today. States couldn't exclude a household over a member's citizenship status or require proof of citizenship, and the aid wouldn't count as a federal public benefit under the 1996 welfare law.

Utilities can't shut you off for two years after aid

Once a household receives assistance, its energy supplier couldn't disconnect service for two years. Suppliers also couldn't charge late fees in the six months before or after the aid, and would have to refund any such fees within seven days. Within two years of enactment, suppliers taking program funds would have to offer a low-income affordability payment plan.

$2 billion a year for heat-and-cold emergencies

The bill authorizes $2 billion for fiscal year 2026, and $2 billion plus any additional sums needed each year after, for emergencies and major disasters — now defined to include periods of extreme heat or extreme cold determined by the Secretary, not just hurricanes and storms.

More weatherization money, with a push to electrify

The cap on funds usable for weatherization and energy-related home repair rises from 15% to 25%. States would prioritize repairs that replace fossil-fuel appliances with electric heating and cooling powered by renewable energy, and could steer money toward community solar for eligible households.

States go year-round, online, and heat-ready

States would have to operate the program year-round (using funds above 10% of their administrative allotment), build an extreme-heat action plan within a year, and accept online applications within five years. Program coordinators must be paid at least $15 an hour or the local minimum wage, whichever is higher.

A new $1 billion clean-energy transition grant, and a name change

The bill creates three-year grants funded at $1 billion for fiscal year 2026, and $1 billion plus additional sums each year after, for state and local plans to move households off fossil fuels. It also renames the program, dropping 'Low-Income' so LIHEAP becomes the Home Energy Assistance Program.

Who benefits from H.R. 2486?

Households choosing between energy and essentials

The bill's findings say only 18% of income-eligible households actually received a LIHEAP subsidy in 2023. The higher income limit, year-round operation, and data-matching with SNAP and Medicaid aim to reach more of the rest. The bill also directs states to work toward no eligible household spending more than 3% of its income on home energy.

People hit by heat waves and cold snaps

The bill's findings cite less than 3% of eligible households getting cooling help in fiscal 2023, even as it points to a hotter climate and a heat-wave season it says runs about 46 days longer than in the 1960s. Emergency aid would explicitly cover periods of extreme heat and extreme cold, and a household could get both heating and cooling help in the same year.

Mixed-status immigrant families

States couldn't deny aid over a household member's citizenship or require citizenship documents, and the help wouldn't be treated as a federal public benefit under the 1996 welfare law — removing a common reason families don't apply.

Workers in the energy transition

A new three-year, $1 billion-a-year grant program would fund state and local plans to move households off fossil fuels, with preference for projects that partner with workforce development programs, unions, or minority- and women-owned businesses.

Who is affected by H.R. 2486?

Energy suppliers and utilities

Most of the new obligations land here: no late fees in the year-long window around assistance, refunds within seven days, no shutoffs for two years after aid, sharing data on households behind on bills, and offering a low-income affordability payment plan within two years.

State energy-assistance agencies

States would have to widen eligibility, stop asking for citizenship documents, lean on SNAP and Medicaid data to verify income, build an extreme-heat plan within a year, move applications online within five years, and run the program year-round once spending crosses 10% of their administrative allotment.

Local intake offices and program staff

Local agencies handling applications and benefit approvals would likely see more people as eligibility widens and the program runs all year. Program coordinators would have to be paid at least $15 an hour or the applicable local minimum wage, whichever is higher.

Households carrying utility debt

The bill's findings put overdue utility bills above $21 billion. The bill sets a standard 60-to-90-day definition of arrears for tracking, and bars suppliers that take program money from recouping arrears-assistance costs through higher rates on other customers.

Cost & Funding

Authorization

General program: 'such sums as may be necessary.' Emergency and disaster aid: $2 billion for fiscal year 2026, then $2 billion plus any additional sums needed each year after. Clean-energy transition grants: $1 billion for fiscal year 2026, then $1 billion plus additional sums each year after. Arrears data tracking: such sums as may be necessary.

The general authorization is open-ended — 'such sums as may be necessary' to assist every eligible household. That's a stated goal, not a fixed appropriation; Congress still sets the actual number each year.
Emergency and disaster funding rises from a previous $600 million ceiling to $2 billion for fiscal year 2026, and now explicitly covers periods of extreme heat or cold, not only declared disasters.
The transition-grant program is entirely new money: $1 billion a year, awarded as three-year grants to states and localities.
Raising the weatherization cap from 15% to 25% doesn't add money — it lets a bigger slice of existing program funds go to home repairs and electrification instead of direct bill payment.

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On the Record

What Congress Is Saying

H.R. 2486 hasn't been debated on the floor yet.

This section updates when a legislator speaks about it on the floor or in committee.

HR2486 Legislative Journey

1 actions

House: Committee Action

Mar 31, 2025

Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

About the Sponsor

Yassamin Ansari

Democrat, Arizona's 3rd congressional district · 1 years in Congress

Committees: Natural Resources, Oversight and Government Reform

View full profile →

Cosponsors (47)

No new cosponsors in 133 days — momentum stalled

All 47 cosponsors are Democrats. Cosponsors represent 25 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, and 22 more.

47Democrats·25 states

Nanette Barragán

Democrat · CA

Wesley Bell

Democrat · MO

André Carson

Democrat · IN

Troy Carter

Democrat · LA

Kathy Castor

Democrat · FL

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Democrat · FL

Emanuel Cleaver

Democrat · MO

Steve Cohen

Democrat · TN

Jasmine Crockett

Democrat · TX

Danny Davis

Democrat · IL

Diana DeGette

Democrat · CO

Lloyd Doggett

Democrat · TX

Committee Sponsors

Education and Workforce Committee

16D20R

|6 signed30 not yet

6 of 36 committee members cosponsored

Energy and Commerce Committee

24D30R

|7 signed47 not yet

7 of 54 committee members cosponsored

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Jan Schakowsky

27 Democrats across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents

H.R. 2486 Quick Facts

Cosponsors

+42 more

Committee: Education and Workforce
Chamber: House
Policy: Energy
Introduced: Mar 31, 2025

Mar 31, 2025

Constituent Resources

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Official Sources

H.R. 2486 on Congress.gov

Official bill page with text, status, sponsors, committee referrals, and related actions for the Heating and Cooling Relief Act.

LIHEAP Program (HHS Office of Community Services)

H.R. 2486 amends the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act, so this HHS program page is the primary official source on how LIHEAP eligibility, benefits, and administration work today.

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act — 42 U.S.C. Chapter 94

The official U.S. Code text of the statute the bill rewrites — sections 2602 through 2607C correspond to 42 U.S.C. 8621 onward.

DOE Weatherization Assistance Program

Relevant to the bill's increase in the weatherization spending cap from 15% to 25% and its push to replace fossil-fuel appliances with electric heating and cooling.

U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey

The bill's findings cite the October 2024 Household Pulse Survey report that about 54% of families earning under $35,000 cut back on food or medicine to pay an energy bill.

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H.R. 2486 Common Questions

Does H.R. 2486 stop utilities from shutting off your power?

For two years, yes. If your household receives energy assistance, your supplier couldn't disconnect service for two years from the date you got the aid. The bill would write that protection into the federal energy-assistance program.

Who qualifies for energy bill help under H.R. 2486?

Your household would qualify if its income is at or below the greater of 250% of the federal poverty level or 80% of your state's median income — a wider door than the income limits most states use today.

Does H.R. 2486 ban late fees on utility bills?

For households getting assistance, yes. Suppliers couldn't charge late fees in the six months before or after the aid, and would have to refund any they did charge within seven days of receiving program funds.

Can you get both heating and cooling assistance in the same year?

Yes. States couldn't block a household that already got heating help from also getting cooling help in the same calendar year, or the reverse. The bill also drops any requirement to prove a medical need.

Can states require proof of citizenship for energy assistance under H.R. 2486?

No. States couldn't deny a household over a member's citizenship status or require proof of citizenship, and the bill says this aid wouldn't count as a federal public benefit under the 1996 welfare law.

How much would H.R. 2486 add for energy emergencies in 2026?

It authorizes $2 billion for fiscal year 2026 — up from a previous $600 million ceiling — plus $2 billion and any added sums each year after, now explicitly covering periods of extreme heat or cold, not just storms and disasters.

Does H.R. 2486 pay for heat pumps and weatherization?

Yes. It raises the share of program funds usable for weatherization and home repair from 15% to 25%, with priority for replacing fossil-fuel appliances with electric heating and cooling. It also funds a new $1 billion-a-year grant to move households off fossil fuels.

Has H.R. 2486 passed?

No. It was introduced in March 2025 and referred to two House committees, where it has sat with no further action. It has 47 cosponsors, all Democrats, and the House is controlled by Republicans.

Based on H.R. 2486 bill text