The U.S. House of Representatives based an authorization bill for Home Star in early May 2010. On May 25th, the Senate version of the legislation was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, which has not acted on the legislation. Before the legislation can be signed into law by the President, the Senate must pass its version of the legislation, the House and Senate versions of the bill must be reconciled, and both houses must pass an appropriations bill to provide funding for the program.
The funding will be the critical issue on whether the legislation passes or not. With the current concerns over the deficit, many in Congress are eying all new appropriations. This new environment is reflected by the difficulty the Senate is having in getting 60 votes for the popular tax extension.
One interesting provision of the Senate version of the Home Star legislation is a $3,000 homeowner tax credit for a retrofit that meets HERS score targets. For a home that was built prior to 2000, the home must be retrofitted to achieve a HERS score of 100. Homes built since 2000, must be retrofitted to achieve a HERS Index of 85. The credit would expire on December 31, 2013.
To view the status of the legislation, click on http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:S.3177
Despite the hurdle of securing an appropriation for the program, Home Star is continuing to enjoy political support. According to Efficiency First, the Senate version of the bill now has twenty cosponsors including three Republicans. On June 12, 2010, President Obama sent a letter to Senate leaders urging the passage of the program.
RESNET will continue to keep its network informed on the progress of this important legislation.
Tags: energy, home star, Legislation, RESNET, senate
