S. 983 would modify the standards and procedures governing the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) weatherization assistance and training programs and authorize the appropriation of $350 million for those activities for each of the fiscal years 2020 through 2024. Under the bill, a portion of that funding would be allocated for measures that would improve the energy efficiency of housing units occupied by low-income people, subject to certain conditions. Other provisions would expand eligibility for training programs, allow installations of renewable energy sources, and modify other administrative procedures.
The estimated budgetary effects of S. 983 are shown in Table 1. For this estimate, CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted before the end of 2019, that appropriations will be provided as authorized, and that spending will follow historical patterns for DOE’s weatherization and training programs. The Congress provided $257 million for those programs for fiscal year 2019.