S1966 Requires Auto-Reenrollment of LIHEAP Eligible Persons by Social Services Districts

Do you support this bill?

Aye Nay

Get Status Alerts for 2025-S1966

Email Address subscribe

Senate

      Bill
      S1966

2025-2026 Legislative Session Requires social services districts to automatically re-enroll eligible persons or households for the low-income home energy assistance program

download bill text pdf

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Christopher J. Ryan

(D) 50th Senate District

Current

        Bill Status
        - Passed Senate

Please enter your contact information

First Name Last Name Email Address A valid email address is required. Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you. Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Send me alerts for this bill. I can unsubscribe at any time. Learn more. Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation. Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

---

Votes

• View Votes

co-Sponsors

Jacob Ashby

(R) 43rd Senate District

Siela A. Bynoe

(D) 6th Senate District

Dean Murray

(R, C) 3rd Senate District

Peter Oberacker

(R, C) 51st Senate District

View additional
co-sponsors

2025-S1966

       (ACTIVE)
      - Details

Law Section: Social Services Law Laws Affected: Amd §97, Soc Serv L Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session: S2496

2025-S1966

           (ACTIVE)
          - Summary

Requires social services districts to, every heating season, automatically re-enroll persons or households currently receiving assistance through the low-income home energy assistance program, so long as each person or household maintains eligibility.

2025-S1966

         (ACTIVE)
        - Sponsor Memo

BILL NUMBER: S1966

SPONSOR: RYAN C
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring social
services districts to automatically re-enroll eligible persons or house-
holds for the low-income home energy assistance program

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of this bill is to require that all social services
districts in New York State automatically re-enroll eligible households
and individuals in HEAP

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of this bill would amend Section 97 of the social services law
to require that every social services district automatically re-enroll
individuals or households receiving home energy assistance through the
low-income home energy assistance program (HEAP) as long as they contin-
ue to meet federal and state eligibility requirements and standards.
- View More
(44
Lines)

2025-S1966

       (ACTIVE)
      - Bill Text [download pdf](https://legislation.nysenate.gov/pdf/bills/2025/s1966)

S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K

---

                               1966

                    2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                         I N  S E N A T E

                         January 14, 2025
                            ___________

Introduced by Sen. C. RYAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services

AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring social
services districts to automatically re-enroll eligible persons or
households for the low-income home energy assistance program

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 97 of the social services law, as
added by chapter 785 of the laws of 1983, is amended to read as follows:
2. A. Each social services district shall be required, in accordance
with the state plan and federal regulations, to participate in the
federal low-income home energy assistance program and to assist eligible
households found in such districts to obtain low-income home energy
assistance. However, only those persons who qualify for low-income home
energy assistance in accordance with federal and state requirements, and
standards promulgated by the department, shall be certified as eligible
for and entitled to receive said home energy assistance. No person,
however, shall be certified as eligible for and entitled to receive said
home energy assistance if no federal funds are available for such
purpose.
B. EACH SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT SHALL EVERY HEATING SEASON AUTOMAT-
ICALLY RE-ENROLL PERSONS OR HOUSEHOLDS WHO ARE RECEIVING HOME ENERGY
ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, SO
LONG AS SUCH PERSONS OR HOUSEHOLDS CONTINUE TO MEET THE FEDERAL AND
STATE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS
SECTION, "HEATING SEASON" SHALL MEAN THE TIME PERIOD DESIGNATED BY THE
OFFICE OF TEMPORARY AND DISABILITY ASSISTANCE EACH YEAR.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05928-01-5
- View More
(1
Lines)

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

---

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.