Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Division of Energy Assistance/OCS/ACF

Delay in Due Date for FY 97 Leveraging Applications

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THIS CONTAINS INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES IN LIHEAP INFORMATION MEMORANDUM TRANSMITTAL NO. LIHEAP-IM-97-2,
DATED 10/25/96


TO:               LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP) GRANTEES
                  AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES

SUBJECT:          Delay in Due Date for Submission of Applications for FY 1997
                  Leveraging Incentive Grant Awards

RELATED           Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act, Title XXVI
REFERENCES:       of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, Public Law
                  97-35, as amended; LIHEAP Information Memorandum 96-16 dated
                  7/24/96; notice of request for comments on the proposed
                  Leveraging Report Form, as published in the Federal Register
                  on July 22, 1996 (61 FR 37904-37905); Section 3506(c)(2)(A)
                  of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; and OMB Control No.
                  0970-0121 (Expiration Date - June 30, 1996).

PURPOSE:          To advise grantees that the due date for submission of
                  applications for FY 1997 LIHEAP leveraging incentive grant
                  awards based on FY 1996 leveraging activities will be
                  delayed beyond the statutory date of November 30.

BACKGROUND:       The Augustus F. Hawkins Human Services Act of 1990 (Public
                  Law 101-501) amended the Low Income Home Energy Assistance
                  Act of 1981 to establish a leveraging incentive program that
                  rewards State, tribal and territorial grantees who have
                  acquired nonfederal resources to help low income households
                  meet their home energy needs.  Under the terms of the
                  statute and implementing regulations (found at 45 CFR
                  96.87), a grantee must submit an application reporting its
                  leveraging activities taking place in one fiscal year (or
                  base period) in order to qualify to receive a leveraging
                  incentive award in the following fiscal year (or award
                  period).  By statute, this report must be submitted by
                  November 30 for leveraging activities taking place during
                  the previous fiscal year.

                  Under the terms of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
                  agencies must receive approval from the Office of Management
                  and Budget (OMB) for each information collection activity in
                  which the same question(s) is asked of 10 or more persons,
                  even though the activity is required by statute in order to
                  qualify for funding.  Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 1995 Act
                  also requires that the public be given 60 days to comment on
                  the specific details of the information collection activity.
                  The previous OMB approval for the Leveraging Report Form
                  expired on June 30, 1996 (OMB Control No. 0970-0121).

                  On July 22, 1996, an information collection notice was
                  published in the Federal Register (61 FR 37904-37905)
                  requesting comments and suggestions about the proposed
                  Leveraging Report Form.  The proposed Leveraging Report Form
                  is very similar to the one in use in previous years, but was
                  amended to reflect new statutory and regulatory requirements
                  and wording, and input from grantees obtained at workshops
                  and other grantee gatherings.

CONTENT:          Interested parties were asked to submit any comments and
                  suggestions on the proposed Leveraging Report Form by
                  September 23 (60 days after publication of the Federal
                  Register notice).  Only one comment was received on the
                  proposed report.  The proposed Leveraging Report Form is now
                  being submitted to OMB for approval, along with a summary of
                  the comment received.

                  OMB has 60 days from the receipt of our request for approval
                  of this information collection to approve or disapprove it
                  and to request any changes it deems necessary.  This 60 day
                  period will expire after November 30, 1996, the statutory
                  deadline for submission of the leveraging report form
                  application for FY 1997 grant awards.

                  Accordingly, we are delaying the due date for submission of
                  the leveraging incentive award application.  At this time,
                  we are anticipating that the submission deadline for the FY
                  1997 leveraging report applications will be January 31,
                  1997.  We will advise you of the official due date when we
                  receive approval of the information collection from OMB.  In
                  the interim, we suggest that you use the proposed forms
                  included in LIHEAP Information Memorandum 96-16, dated
                  7/24/96, as the basis for gathering information on your
                  leveraging activities carried out during FY 1996.
                  The conference report on the Omnibus Consolidated
                  Appropriations Act, 1997 (Public Law 104-208), which
                  included appropriations for FY 1997 for the Department of
                  Health and Human Services, recommends that $25 million of
                  the LIHEAP appropriation be earmarked for leveraging
                  incentive grant awards for FY 1997.  Of this amount, up to
                  25% (or $6,250,000) may be set aside for grants under the
                  Residential Energy Assistance Challenge Option program
                  (REACH), leaving a total of $18,750,000 for leveraging
                  incentive grant awards for FY 1997.

INQUIRIES TO:     Ann Bowker, Policy Analyst
                  Division of Energy Assistance
                  Office of Community Services, ACF, HHS
                  370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W.
                  Washington, D.C.  20447
                  Telephone:  (202) 401-5308
                  Fax:  (202) 401-5718






                                          _______________/s____________
                                          Janet M. Fox
                                          Director
                                          Division of Energy Assistance
                                          Office of Community Services

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