ASSEMBLY DEMS APPLAUD INCREASE TO HOME HEATING ASSISTANCE FUNDING (TRENTON) – Assembly members Wayne P. DeAngelo, Fred Scalera, Joan M. Quigley, Annette Quijano, and Nellie Pou today commended the swift response of Governor Jon S. Corzine and the state Department of Community Affairs in enacting the recommendations of legislation (AR-165) they sponsored to allow more working families to receive help paying their heating bills this winter. The Governor today announced an $88 million increase in state and federal funding to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), raised the income cap for LIHEAP applicants from 175 percent to 225 percent of the federal poverty level ($47,700 for a New Jersey family of four) and expanded temporary energy assistance grants to include residents who heat their homes with oil.The sponsors released the following statements: Assemblyman Wayne P. DeAngelo (D-Mercer): “Continued economic uncertainty coupled with projections of a harsher than normal winter would have forced many New Jersey families living on the brink to go without heat this winter. “Thanks to this infusion of funds, thousands of residents will no longer have to worry if they can afford to keep their families warm in the coming months.” Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Essex): “In simple terms, the funding secured today means that 50,000 New Jersey families can afford to turn the heat on when the temperatures drop. “And for our most vulnerable residents – infants and seniors – that could mean the difference between life and death.” Assemblywoman Joan M. Quigley (D-Hudson): “This expansion of our state’s social safety net could not come at a better time. “These funds will give a much needed cushion to the tens of thousands of New Jersey families living one cold day away from financial ruin.” Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-Union): “With everything but salaries on the rise, many families that could have survived a cold winter in past years may find themselves pushed to the brink this year. “The $88 million expansion will ensure that these families have somewhere to turn to stay warm this winter.” Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-Passaic): “Being warm in the winter is something most of us take for granted.“For the tens of thousands of New Jersey residents struggling to make ends meet, however, being warm was a luxury that, until now, many could not afford.”