▶ 0:13:31And the chair recognizes chairman guthrie for an opening statement. >> thank you. Thank you all for being here this morning as we consider vital legislation to support connectivity, address burdensome regulations and lower costs for americans across the country. Americans are confronting the issue of affordability. Today, our committee will aim to improve consumer choice, secure our grid, lower prices for the communities we all represent.
▶ 0:13:58For example, the homeowner energy freedom act would help address home affordability by repealing several costly programs from the misnamed inflation reduction act. Under the biden-harris administration, the department of energy issued efficiency regulations for nearly every appliance in american households.
▶ 0:14:16Energy efficiency is important as a general matter, but it's a major problem when regulations are drafted to meet arbitrary standards despite diminishing returns on actual cost effective gains in efficiency. Don't mess with my home appliance. Act addresses this issue, for example, by requiring doe to consider appliances full life cycle costs, including maintenance, when determining if a new standard is justified.
▶ 0:14:44We cannot allow ill considered standards to hurt our ability to power federal facilities like va hospitals. The reliable federal infrastructure act will repeal the required phase out of fossil fuel it used in federal buildings, which would jeopardize our national security. It is essential that we don't turn away from needed reliable and affordable baseload power sources.
▶ 0:15:12Similarly, closing the digital divide and expanding access to reliable broadband will further drive american wireless and ai leadership. I see this firsthand in parts of my district that still lack the service. They need to take full advantage of the digital economy. Ntia has now signed off nearly 30 states and territories broadband plans in the b program, and with billions of dollars heading out the door to get shovels in the ground and finally close the digital divide, we must also remove other barriers to deployment.
▶ 0:15:42Unpredictable timeliness, expensive and sometimes duplicative reviews, and lack of transparency all contribute to deployment delays. The bills we are marking up today put timelines on state and local permitting reviews, limit application fees, exempt certain projects from redundant environmental and historic preservation reviews, encourage federal agencies to prioritize broadband applications and provide transparency into the opaque federal permitting
▶ 0:16:13Review process. I want to thank each sponsors of these bills, both republicans and democrats, for their commitment to ensuring that every american has access to connectivity. We continue our technological leadership through ai and other exciting new technologies as we address the need to lower cost, secure our grid, and streamline broadband permitting. Today's markup is a chance to work on the issues that matter most to the american people.
▶ 0:16:39I appreciate the chair vice chair for the recognition and I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back, and I recognize the gentleman from new jersey, ranking member, representative pallone, for five minutes for an opening statement. >> thank you. Chairman. Today, the committee will consider 15 bills that were marked up last month by two of our subcommittees. We'll consider seven bills that were marked up by the communications and technology subcommittee.
▶ 0:17:03Six of the bills are bipartisan and aimed to provide common sense solutions to issues that cause unnecessary delays and difficulty in the permitting process, and I applaud members on both sides of the aisle for their bipartisan leadership of these bills that will update antiquated federal agency. I application systems implement standard and transparent fee structures across federal agencies, and remove barriers to deploying broadband across or near railroad infrastructure.
▶ 0:17:34Unfortunately, our republican colleagues have also decided to proceed with consideration of h.r. 2289, their partizan permitting bill. It's important to emphasize that this is the same package of partizan bills that republicans pushed last congress, and ultimately went nowhere, because it is full of bad ideas that are unpopular with both democrats and republicans.
▶ 0:17:57Putting arbitrary deadlines on state, local, and tribal governments to start and finish complicated permit reviews is opposed across the board by local officials who are responsible for doing this work. Other provisions would cut any local communities ability to protect historic and culturally significant sites, especially for tribal communities. These bills also went nowhere because they don't meaningfully address true barriers to broadband deployment.
▶ 0:18:25For instance, this legislation shows our colleagues would rather force unfunded mandates on state, local, or tribal agencies that make even a modest investment to help those offices hire sufficient number of qualified staff to speed up permit reviews. And so I urge all members to oppose h.r. 2289.
▶ 0:18:46We'll also mark up a series of energy bills out of our energy subcommittee that exacerbate the affordability crisis, threaten our power grid, and hurt our ability to compete with china in the artificial intelligence race. Now, congressional republicans and the trump administration spent this year targeting efficiency standards through numerous congressional review act resolutions, gutting clean energy incentives.
▶ 0:19:09And they're big, ugly bill keeping expensive fossil fuel plants online and imposing costly tariffs that are supercharging inflation. From the grocery store to health care costs to their monthly utility bills. Hard working american families are bearing the brunt of rising costs at the hands of republicans. Yet my colleagues continue to turn a blind eye to the affordability crisis and double down on their polluters over people agenda, leaving american families to foot the bill.
▶ 0:19:37I have to tell, it should be obvious that we're in an affordability crisis, and the republicans have no plan to address it, in my opinion. In fact, just yesterday, president trump called the issue of affordability a con job by the democrats. He should tell that to the families all across the nation that are struggling to make ends meet. And not only do republicans have no plan, they're actually moving bills today that will make the affordability crisis worse. That's how out of touch house republicans are with the needs of everyday americans.
▶ 0:20:06Most of the bills we're marking up today got energy efficiency programs, make buildings use more energy and revoke assistance meant to help with the upfront costs of appliances and building code adoption. These bills only serve to further increase monthly energy bills at a time when american families can least afford it.
▶ 0:20:27Electricity prices are already up 11% across the country, climbing twice as fast as inflation, and this jump is even bigger in some parts of the country. And instead of bolstering common sense energy efficiency measures that help to both lower costs and help us meet the growing demand for power driven by ai data expansion or data center expansion, republicans are attempting to completely dismantle them. So republicans, I think, are just paying lip service to lowering costs for american families.
▶ 0:20:56Their real priorities lie with corporate polluters and keeping president trump happy, all at the expense of both american competitiveness and america's wallets. So with that, Mr. chairman, I yield back the balance of my time. Thank you, Mr. chairman. >> the gentleman yields back. The chair reminds members that pursuant to the committee rules, all members opening statements will be made part of the record. Are there any further opening statements? Mr. chairman, I recognize chairman from ohio for three minutes. >> thank you very much, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:21:25Over the last several months, the energy subcommittee has focused on developing legislative solutions to address appliance and home affordability, consumer choice and necessary regulatory structures and energy efficiency. The legislation before the committee today does not reflect abstract issues that rarely impact the day to day lives of americans.
▶ 0:21:44These policies have a real impact on the availability of necessities for families and businesses, and they will have an outsized positive impact on low income communities.
▶ 0:21:57The homeowner energy freedom act will repeal biden era inflation reduction act, programs that have had a chilling effect on home building and adopting states, exacerbating the housing affordability crisis, and making the dream of home ownership unattainable for millions of americans. The shower act codifies the definition of a showerhead to end the constant, unnecessary regulatory changes that result in lower quality of products for consumers. H.r.
▶ 0:22:264626, the don't mess with my home appliance act, reforms the statutory process for energy efficiency standards for appliances. It ensures future standards will be cost effective, prevents the weaponization of standards to pursue fuel restrictions, and strengthens statutory direct to consumer protections. H.r.
▶ 0:22:471355, led by the gentleman from new york, reauthorizes the weatherization assistance program to continue reducing energy costs for low income homes by improving the energy efficiency of those envelopes. The energy choice act of hr, h.r. 3006 99, prioritizes consumer choice over the activist government regulation by prohibiting policies that effectively ban or severely limit energy services based on the source of energy.
▶ 0:23:14The committee will also be considering legislation to approve building federal buildings and facilities, saving taxpayer dollars, and bolstering our national security. H.r. 3074, led by the gentleman from texas, the vice chair of the energy subcommittee, requires an assessment to determine whether mechanical insulation should be updated or installed during comprehensive energy and water evaluations of federal buildings. As the largest consumer of energy, it is important that the federal government prioritizes efficiency measures during routine audits. Lastly, h.r.
▶ 0:23:474690, the reliable federal infrastructure act, repeals requirements to phase out all fossil fuel generated energy consumption in federal buildings, just like consumers, <u>%</u> military installations should not be forced to move away from reliable energy sources. Today, the committee has an opportunity to make statutory reforms that truly prioritize energy efficiency, cost savings for the taxpayer, and consumer choice.
▶ 0:24:10These republican solutions, along with the gentleman from new york, will help lower american electricity bills and make home ownership more attainable for americans across the country. I urge my colleagues to support these pieces of legislation, and I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. Are there any further opening statements? Recognize madam matsui for three minutes for our opening statement. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:24:34I'm glad we're taking up bipartisan broadband permitting bills today because broadband is an essential service. If you can't get online or can't afford to stay online, you shut up. Shut out of modern life. As we begin this markup, our job is to clear real barriers to broadband deployment and maintain safeguards for communities. We can do both, but we need real solutions, not rubber stamps. Local permitting departments, many of them understaffed, are bracing for a once in a generation wave of broadband construction.
▶ 0:25:04Instead of supporting that, the trump administration has thrown into chaos, freezing funds, forcing states to redo plans and ripping out affordability protections. And now president trump is threatening to illegally freeze more than $20 billion in non deployment funds unless states scrap their ai safeguards.
▶ 0:25:26This would force states to choose between closing the digital divide and protecting the residents from ai harms like rogue mental health chat box, or pushing our children to hurt themselves. Once again, the trump administration is pushing for changes that cause delays and cost consumers. We see the consequences. In my district, california is investing big to close the digital divide, including over $38 million in last mile grants for sacramento county alone.
▶ 0:25:55But we still need big dollars to finish the job to reach the dead zone just outside of sacramento and to connect the delta farming communities stuck without reliable service. If we take one step forward on permitting while this administration pushes be two steps back will only widen the digital divide. Now, encouraged by today's bipartisan bills that respect local input while making permitting more predictable and coordinated.
▶ 0:26:23The digital applications act, which I co-lead, would create a one stop online portal for broadband permitting on federal lands so providers can get timely decisions. On the other hand, I oppose the hyper partizan american broadband deployment act, which was slapped local governments with rigid deadlines without added capacity and then automatically approved projects when the clock runs out. That may look like a shortcut, but it sidelines communities and risk more errors and delays.
▶ 0:26:52The real dragon deployment the trump administration's constant disruptions to feed where republicans fixate on outlier permitting horror stories instead of the big picture. Families in sacramento and across our districts just want this to work, and we can deliver that if we choose to.
▶ 0:27:12By advancing bipartisan solutions and rejecting efforts to undermine local communities so we can finally get shovels in the ground and give every household a fair shot in the digital economy. With that, I yield back the balance of my time. >> the gentlelady yields back. Are there any further opening statements? Uh, the chair recognizes the gentlelady from florida, representative castor, for three minutes. >> well, thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:27:38Colleagues, the american people are facing an affordability squeeze, especially when it comes to their energy bills. Um, all of that squeeze is being made worse by the policies of the trump administration and republicans here in congress. Household energy bills are up 11% this year. And in october, the president arbitrarily canceled. Canceled over 300 clean energy projects across the country. That would have helped keep energy bills low.
▶ 0:28:08Lower. Uh, they are essentially taking money away, taking savings away from hard working american families. And to today, republicans on this committee are going to continue to play ostrich. Uh, they are offering the same bills they've introduced and failed to pass year after year, heaping higher costs on our neighbors back home. This republican energy agenda is not helping people. It's making them sicker and poorer.
▶ 0:28:37It's taking away important tools that help consumers save money, like energy efficient appliances and code upgrades. This is a continuation of what they have been doing all year. In july, this committee passed out the big ugly bill. Every republican in the committee voted to gut home energy efficiency tax credits that were helping americans lower their energy bills. It has continued.
▶ 0:29:05The president has offered a budget for this year, which zeros out funding for the low income home energy assistance program. After the president already laid off everyone that works in that office to help hard working americans and on energy efficiency, existing law is very clear.
▶ 0:29:27The energy policy and conservation act requires the department of energy to adopt efficiency standards that reduce household and business utility bills, while ensuring that consumers will continue to enjoy an abundance of models and project features where they have broad choices. So while american families back home are clamoring for some help from the congress to help them lower the cost of living, republicans, uh, are simply offering them inferior products.
▶ 0:29:57Uh, they're saying consume more energy. Uh, why? So they can cater to their big oil and gas interests and the president's vanity projects. Modern energy efficient appliances, lower energy costs, and they will help us power ai competition. Studies show that household energy electric upgrades like rooftop solar and storage or heat pumps, uh, they help.
▶ 0:30:23They could help meet the 100% 100% of the projected electricity demand growth from data centers, while cutting bills for families and strengthening the grid. American families deserve so much better than what the gop majority is offering, and we're going to make that plain today. Thank you. And I yield back. >> the gentlelady yields back. And are there any other further opening statements? All right. The chair calls up h.r. 1343 and ask the clerk to report.
▶ 0:30:54>> h.r. 1343, a bill to require the assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information to submit to congress a plan for the assistant secretary. >> without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for any amendment at any point so ordered. Uh, does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? Uh, we recognize the gentleman from texas, Mr. pfluger, for five minutes to speak. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:31:21Um, and I speak in support of my bipartisan bill, h.r. 1343, the federal broadband deployment tracking act, which I'm also co-leading with my friend from florida, congressman soto. I'm proud that this is the first of many bipartisan bills to be considered in today's markup. And I hope that this committee can come together to deliver some solutions on energy efficiency and broadband permitting, that deliver real results for the american people.
▶ 0:31:47We've been talking about this a long time, but now I think this is the first step in actually making progress. This common sense bill would improve broadband deployment, transparency and efficiency by streamlining the acceptance, processing and disposal of form 299 for communications use authorization. Form 299 is the common federal application used to request access to rights of way or site broadband facilities, such as fiber and towers, on federal lands and buildings.
▶ 0:32:14At the recent broadband permitting hearing, we heard several examples that underscored the need for this particular legislation. Several broadband infrastructure providers detailed instances in which they had crews ready and equipment purchased and federal funds allocated, but were left waiting for permits for extraordinarily long amounts of time. Last congress, the house of representatives unanimously, unanimously passed the federal broadband deployment tracking act.
▶ 0:32:38Passing this act would be a crucial step towards fixing the process and closing the digital divide, creating a more connected future for all americans. I urge both sides of the aisle to support this legislation, as americans cannot afford to be left behind any longer. I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Any further discussion on the bill? We recognize the gentleman from florida, Mr. soto, for five minutes. >> thank you, chairman.
▶ 0:33:07And you know, we've talked about getting permitting reform done. Um, there have been some big bills proposed, but it seems like it doesn't seem to happen. And so here's an opportunity to get something that could actually move forward, some permanent reform in the area of rural broadband. A good bipartisan bill with representative pfluger from texas. I appreciate working with him on that. We have $42 billion in rural broadband that's supposed to be there to help our ranchers and our farmers and other rural businesses.
▶ 0:33:37And there's been a ten month delay, um, even under the new administration. And we know we have to get this money out there. And so streamlining permitting on federal lands, areas like avon air force base, cape canaveral and ocala national forest in central florida, uh, among other federal lands across florida are absolutely critical. So it's time to get this done, and I appreciate and hope everybody would support it. >> the gentleman yields back. Is there any further discussion on the bill? Seeing none.
▶ 0:34:03Um, the question now occurs on adopting h.r. 1343 as amended. Roll call vote has been requested. The clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta. Mr. lauda votes. Aye. Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes aye. Mr. bilirakis, Mr. hudson, Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr.
▶ 0:34:35Palmer. Mr. palmer votes aye. Mr. dunn. >> aye. >> Mr. dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce, Mr. weber. Mr. weber votes aye. Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes aye. Mr. balderson, Mr. balderson votes aye Mr. fletcher. Mr. fletcher votes aye. Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger votes aye. Mrs. harshbarger. Mrs. harshbarger votes aye. Mrs. miller-meeks.
▶ 0:35:06Mrs. carmack. Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes aye. Mr. james. Mr. james votes aye. Mr. bentz, Mr. bentz votes aye. Mr. houchin. Mrs. houchin votes aye. Mr. frey, Mr. frey votes I miss lee. Miss lee, votes aye. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes aye. Mr. cain. Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr.
▶ 0:35:36Evans votes aye Mr. goldman. Mr. goldman votes aye. Mrs. Mrs. votes aye Mr. malone. Mr. malone votes aye. Mr. Mr. get votes. Aye. Mr. schakowsky. Mr. schakowsky. Miss. Schakowsky votes. Aye. Mr. matsui Mrs. matsui votes I miss castor. Miss. Castor votes aye. Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes I miss clark. Miss clark votes aye.
▶ 0:36:07Mr. ruiz, Mr. peters, Mr. peters votes aye. Mrs. dingell. Mrs. dingell, votes aye. Mr. veasey, miss. Kelly. Miss. Barragan, miss. Barragan, votes aye. Mr. soto. Mr. soto, votes aye. Miss schrier, kim schrier votes aye Mr. han. Mr. han votes aye. Miss fletcher, miss fletcher votes aye. Miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes aye. Mr. claus. Mr. claus, votes aye.
▶ 0:36:37Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes aye. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes aye. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes aye. Mr. landsman, Mr. landsman votes aye. Miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes aye. Chairman. Guthrie. >> how's Mr. crenshaw recorded? >> Mr. crenshaw is not recorded. Yeah, Mr. joyce is not recorded.
▶ 0:37:09Mr. joyce votes. Aye. Mr. carter of georgia is not recorded. Mr. carter of georgia votes aye. Mr. crenshaw votes aye. >> how's doctor ruiz? >> Mr. ruiz is not recorded. Mr. Mr. ruiz votes aye. Mr. >> dc Mr. lacey. >> how's Mr. veasey recorded Mr. >> is not recorded Mr. veasey votes aye.
▶ 0:37:39>> are there any other votes? The clerk will report the call. Roll call. >> Mr. chairman on that vote there were 49 yeas and nays. >> the ayes have it. The bill is adopted. We now call up h.r.
▶ 0:38:131588 and ask the clerk to report. >> h.r. 1588 bill to require the assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information to report to congress on any barriers to. >> without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone wish to be recognized on the bill? Uh. Ah, yes. Miss dingell, please.
▶ 0:38:43You're recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I move to strike the last word, uh, to fully realize our broadband investments, we must make smart, targeted improvements to our permitting process. Modernizing these systems will ensure an efficient, transparent, and equitable path to deploy broadband quickly for all americans.
▶ 0:39:05And that's why I'm leading this bipartisan legislation with congresswoman miller-meeks to expedite and improve the tracking of broadband deployment on federal lands. Our facilitating digital application act requires ntia to report to congress on whether the department of interior and agriculture have established online portals to accept and process the broadband application for deployments on federal property.
▶ 0:39:32It updates the outdated paper based process by directing both departments to move to digital porters. Inquires ntia to provide congress with updates every 60 days. Streamlining this process will reduce delays, improve transparency, and accelerate broadband and cell service, especially in rural communities that have waited far too long for reliable connectivity.
▶ 0:39:57The department of interior has already taken steps by enabling electronic submissions, and I believe usda should follow suit. It's a simple fix. It just makes sense moving from paper to an online system finally brings federal permitting into the 21st century, and helps providers deploy service faster where it's needed most.
▶ 0:40:19I want to thank my colleague, congresswoman miller-meeks, for her leadership on this issue, and I look forward to working with everyone on this committee to get this bill to the house floor. Thank you. And I yield back. >> the gentlelady yields back. Is there any further discussion on the bill? Further discussion on the bill. All right. Is there anybody wishes to offer an amendment to the bill? Seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting 1588.
▶ 0:40:43Um, roll call vote has been requested. The clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta. Mr. lada votes. Aye, Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes aye. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. bilirakis votes aye. Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. carter of georgia votes aye. Mr. palmer. Mr. palmer votes aye. Mr. dunn. >> aye. >> Mr. dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw, Mr. joyce, Mr.
▶ 0:41:12Joyce votes aye Mr. weber. Mr. weber votes aye Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes aye Mr. balderson. Mr. balderson votes aye Mr. folger. Mr. fletcher votes aye. Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger votes aye. Mrs. harshbarger, Mrs. harshbarger votes aye. Mrs. miller-meeks. Mrs. carmack, Mr. obernolte, Mr. obernolte votes aye. Mr. james, Mr. pence, Mr. pence votes aye. Mr.
▶ 0:41:42Houchen, Mrs. houchen votes aye. Mr. Mr. fry, Mrs. lee, Mr. langworthy, Mr. langworthy votes aye. Mr. cain, Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr. evans votes aye Mr. goldman. Mr. goldman votes aye. Mrs. fedorchuk. Mr. fedorchuk votes aye. Mr. pallone. Mr. pallone votes aye. Mr. get Mr. get votes. Aye. Mr.
▶ 0:42:12Schakowsky schakowsky votes I Mr. matsui Mr. matsui votes I miss castor miss castor votes aye Mr. tonko Mr. tonko votes I miss clark. Miss clark votes aye. Mr. ruiz, Mr. peters Mr. peters votes aye. Mrs. dingell. Mrs. dingell, votes aye. Mr. veasey, miss. Kelly, miss. Barragan, miss. Barragan, votes aye. Mr. soto. Mr. soto, votes aye. Mr. schreyer, miss schreyer, votes aye Mr. han. Mr. han votes aye Mrs. fletcher.
▶ 0:42:44Mr. fletcher votes aye. Miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes aye. Mr. kloss. Mr. kloss votes aye. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes aye. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes aye. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes aye. Mr. landsman, Mr. landsman votes aye. Miss mcclellan. Mcclellan votes aye. Chairman guthrie. No. >> how is Mr. james recorded? >> Mr. james is not recorded. Mr. james votes aye. >> how's miss lee reported.
▶ 0:43:16>> miss lee is not recorded. Miss lee votes I. >> how's miss miller-meeks? Doctor miller-meeks recorded. >> Mrs. miller-meeks is not recorded. Mr. miller-meeks votes aye. >> doctor ruiz, how's he recorded? >> Mr. rees is not recorded. Mr. reeves votes aye. >> and Mr. veasey? >> Mr. veasey is not recorded. Mr. veasey votes aye. >> oh. >> and how is Mr.
▶ 0:43:44Crenshaw recorded? >> Mr. crenshaw is not recorded. Mr. crenshaw votes aye. >> uh, the clerk will report the roll call. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote, there were 50 eyes and zero no's.
▶ 0:44:16>> the ayes have it. The bill is adopted. The chair now calls up h.r. 1665 and asks the clerk to report. >> h.r. 1665, a bill to require the department of the interior and the department of agriculture to establish online portals to accept, accept. >> without objection, first reading the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill?
▶ 0:44:42Miss matsui, you're recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I move to strike the last word. Reliable. Affordable broadband is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity. As he worked to close the digital divide, the federal government must be a partner, not an obstacle to deploying broadband. That's why I'm proud to co-lead the digital applications act with congresswoman carmack.
▶ 0:45:05This bill creates a one stop online portal to accept, process and track broadband permitting applications on federal lands. This tackles one of the challenges slowing broadband deployment, the parts of federal permitting that are fragmented and outdated. Right now, companies deploying broadband on federal lands often face a maze of inconsistent timelines, forms and agencies.
▶ 0:45:29By making this process more transparent, predictable and accountable, we help providers focus on what matters most getting broadband built for families, small businesses, schools and health clinics. This is real streamlining, practical, efficient and respectful of safeguards and local needs.
▶ 0:45:48It is exactly the type of bipartisan, targeted solution we should be advancing to close the digital divide and ensure every community can fully participate in our digital economy. With that, I yield my colleagues. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. >> gentlelady yields back. Is there any further discussion on the bill? Further discussion? Any amendments to the bill?
▶ 0:46:17Seeing none, the question now occurs on adoption of 1665, as amended. Roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. lada, Mr. lada votes. Aye, Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes. Aye. Mr. bilirakis, Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. carter of georgia votes aye. Mr. palmer, Mr. dunn. Aye. Mr. dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw.
▶ 0:46:48Mr. crenshaw votes aye. Mr. joyce, Mr. joyce votes aye Mr. weber. Mr. weber votes aye Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes aye Mr. balderson. Mr. balderson votes aye Mr. fletcher, Mr. fletcher votes aye Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger votes aye. Mrs. harshbarger. Mr. harshbarger votes aye. Mrs. miller-meeks. Mr. miller votes aye. Mrs. carmack, Mr. obernolte. Mr. votes aye. Mr. james, Mr. bense.
▶ 0:47:18Mrs. houchin. Mrs. houchin votes aye. Mr. frye. Miss. Lee, miss lee votes aye. Mr. langworthy, Mr. cain. Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr. evans votes aye Mr. goldman. Mr. goldman votes aye Mrs. fedorchuk. Mr. fedorchuk votes aye Mr. malone. Mr. malone votes aye. Mr. get Mr. get votes. Aye. Mr.
▶ 0:47:48Koski mishkovsky votes I miss matsui miss. Matsui votes I miss castor miss castor votes aye. Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes aye. Mr. clarke. Miss clarke votes aye. Mr. ruiz, Mr. reeves votes aye. Mr. peters. Mr. peters votes aye. Mrs. dingell, Mrs. dingell votes aye. Mr. Mr. veasey votes I miss kelly. Miss kelly votes aye. Mr. barragan. Mr. barragan votes aye. Mr. soto. Mr.
▶ 0:48:16Soto, votes I miss schreyer. Miss schreyer votes aye Mr. han. Mr. han votes I miss fletcher. Miss fletcher votes aye. Miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes aye. Mr. closs. Mr. austin scott votes aye. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes aye. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes aye. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes aye. Mr. landsman, Mr. landsman votes aye. Mr. mclellan. Miss mcclellan. Votes aye. Chairman. Guthrie.
▶ 0:48:48>> how's Mr. benson recorded? >> Mr. benson is not recorded. Mr. benson votes aye. >> house chairman palmer recorded. >> Mr. palmer is not recorded. Mr. palmer votes aye. >> as chairman bilirakis recorded. >> Mr. bilirakis is not recorded. Mr. bilirakis votes aye. >> Mr. >> is Mr. chairman Mr. james are you recorded. Is Mr.
▶ 0:49:15James recorded. >> Mr. james is not recorded. Mr. james votes aye. >> Mr. langworthy. >> Mr. langworthy is not recorded. Mr. langworthy votes aye. >> all right. The clerk will report the vote.
▶ 0:49:47>> Mr. chairman on that vote there were 51 eyes and zero nose. >> the ayes have it. The bill is adopted. We now call up h.r. 1681 and ask the clerk to report. >> h.r. 1681, a bill to require the assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information to establish an interagency strike force to ensure that certain federal land management agencies, including the.
▶ 0:50:12>> first reading of the bill, is dispensed with and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone wish to be recognized on the bill? Chairman. Okay, Mr. evans from colorado you recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:50:32Um, I speak today in strong support of my bill, the expediting federal broadband deployment review act, this bipartisan legislation, which I'm proud to lead with Rep. angie craig from minnesota, will help streamline broadband expansion to deliver fast, reliable internet to communities who need it most by creating a new system for broadband broadband deployment requests on federal land.
▶ 0:50:55This legislation increases expansion by directing the national telecommunications and information administration to establish an interagency strike force to support federal land management agencies, review of requests to deploy broadband over federal land.
▶ 0:51:10Colorado is the heart of the rocky mountain west, with more than 24 million acres of federal land, roughly 36% of the total acreage of our state is federal land, serving multiple purpose uses, from conservation to recreation to commercial activity.
▶ 0:51:27Of course, these diverse uses mean that federal land is also under the jurisdiction of multiple federal agencies the national park service, the forest service, the bureau of land management, and these agencies often have different and duplicative permitting processes that can result in what should be a simple broadband permit being delayed due to red tape.
▶ 0:51:48Rural and ski communities on our western slope are often surrounded by federal lands, meaning they face greater difficulty in building out basic infrastructure such as broadband. This results in communities which are sometimes left behind compared to other places in colorado and in this day and age, reliable high speed internet should not be considered a luxury. Families, students and small businesses need to be able to access this important service.
▶ 0:52:16In addition, as a former cop for ten years, I know that modern law enforcement relies on broadband access to quickly identify and interdict threats in our communities. Without reliable service, public safety operations would be less coordinated as emergency responders face delays, and this can derail public assistance. By law, federal agencies are required to grant or deny broadband installation applications within 270 days, but unfortunately, these deadlines are often missed.
▶ 0:52:44In fact, the us government accountability office office reports that roughly half the communications use applications submitted to blm and the forest service from fiscal year 2018 to 2022 either exceeded the 270 day deadline, or just didn't have enough data to say whether the deadline had even been met. And the result is broadband developers report that deployments in rural areas are taking an average of 5 to 10 years to complete.
▶ 0:53:11I live in a rural area. I know personally about the challenges of getting access to broadband, and it's completely unacceptable that rural communities who are already underserved are facing these challenges. And so I'm proud to lead to serve as a leading voice for permitting reform, uh, for not just broadband, but also a wide variety of energy generation and other infrastructure projects. The bill we are considering today is an important part of this broader work in the permitting space.
▶ 0:53:40And so I urge my colleagues to join me in this bipartisan legislation and yield back. >> the gentleman yields back is a further discussion on the bill. Uh, seeing none, is there any amendments for the bill? Seeing none. The question now occurs on adopting h.r. 1681, as amended. Roll call vote has been requested, and the clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta, Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes. Aye. Mr.
▶ 0:54:11Bilirakis, Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. carter of georgia votes aye. Mr. palmer. Mr. dunn. >> aye. >> Mr. dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. crenshaw votes aye. Mr. joyce, Mr. joyce votes aye. Mr. weber, Mr. weber votes aye Mr. alan. Mr. alan votes aye Mr. balderson, Mr. balderson votes aye. Mr.
▶ 0:54:40Folger Mr. folger votes aye. Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger votes aye. Mrs. harshbarger, Mr. harshbarger votes aye. Mrs. miller-meeks. Mr. miller-meeks votes aye. Mrs. kat cammack. Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes aye. Mr. james, Mr. pence, Mr. pence votes aye. Mrs. houchin. Mrs. hodgkin votes aye. Mr. frye. Mr. frye votes I miss lee. Miss lee, votes aye Mr. langworthy. Mr. cain. Mr.
▶ 0:55:09Cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr. evans votes aye Mr. goldman. Mr. goldman votes aye. Mrs. dorchak, Mrs. dorchak votes aye. Mr. malone. Mr. pallone votes aye. Mr. get Mr. get votes. Aye. Mr. koski. Schakowsky votes. Aye. Miss. Matsui miss. Matsui votes aye. Miss. Castor, miss.
▶ 0:55:40Castor votes aye. Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes I, miss clark. Miss clark votes aye. Mr. ruiz. Mr. ruiz votes aye. Mr. peters. Mr. peters votes aye. Mrs. dingell. Mrs. dingell, votes aye. Mr. veasey, miss. Kelly. Miss kelly votes I, miss barragan. Barragan, votes aye. Mr. soto. Mr. soto, votes I miss schreyer. Miss schreyer votes aye Mr. han. Mr. han votes aye Mrs. fletcher. Fletcher votes aye. Miss ocasio-cortez.
▶ 0:56:09Miss ocasio-cortez votes aye Mr. claus. Mr. claus votes aye. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes aye. Mr. menendez, Mr. menendez votes aye. Mr. mullen, Mr. mullen votes aye. Mr. landsman, Mr. landsman votes aye. Mr. mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes aye. Chairman. Guthrie. >> how is Mr. lauder recorded? >> Mr. latta is not recorded. Mr. lodha votes. Aye. >> I was chairman palmer recorded. >> Mr. palmer is not recorded. Mr. palmer votes aye.
▶ 0:56:41>> how about Mr. james recorded. >> Mr. james is not recorded. Mr. james votes aye. >> Mr. langworthy. >> Mr. langworthy is not recorded. Mr. langworthy votes aye. >> how is Mr. veasey recorded. >> Mr. veasey is not recorded. Mr. veasey votes aye. >> sir. The clerk will report the eyes and nays.
▶ 0:57:14>> Mr. chairman, on that vote there were 51 eyes and zero noes. >> the ayes have it. The bill is adopted. The chair calls up h.r. 1731 and ask the clerk to report. >> h.r.
▶ 0:57:361731, a bill to amend the middle class tax relief and job creation act of 2012 to establish a uniform fee schedule applicable to. >> without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? Uh, Mr. palmer, you are recognized for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:58:01I'd like to speak in support of the standard fees act, the application process for placing communications facilities on federal property has long been characterized by complex and often ambiguous fees. Federal government manages a significant amount of land near underserved communities. Closing the digital divide requires deploying on this land.
▶ 0:58:24The standard fees act is an important step forward in streamlining our nation's permitting process for telecommunications infrastructure. If passed, the standard fees act would establish a common fee for processing of applications for deploying communication facilities on federal property. The fee would be competitively neutral and would be allowed to cover the cost of granting an easement right of way, or lease. A standard fee schedule will help providers as they plan deployment and help control the cost of deployment.
▶ 0:58:52This fee schedule will ensure that federal broadband money is wisely spent, and that providers are focusing their resources on closing the digital divide. I'm pleased to be joined by my colleague from new york, Mr. ryan, on this bill. I encourage my colleagues to support the bipartisan bill, and I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. Is there any further discussion on the bill? Further discussion. Seeing none, is there are there any amendments to the bill? Seeing none.
▶ 0:59:21The question now occurs on adopting h.r. 1731, as amended. A roll call vote has been requested. The clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta, Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes. Aye. Mr. bilirakis, Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. palmer. Mr. palmer votes aye. Mr. dunn.
▶ 0:59:51>> aye. >> Mr. dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. crenshaw votes aye Mr. joyce, Mr. joyce votes aye Mr. weber, Mr. weber votes aye Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes aye Mr. balderson. Mr. fulcher, Mr. fulcher votes aye Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger votes aye. Mrs. harshbarger, Mr. harshbarger votes aye. Mrs. miller-meeks. Mrs. miller-meeks votes aye. Mrs. cammack, Mr. obernolte, Mr.
▶ 1:00:21Obernolte votes aye. Mr. james, Mr. pence, Mr. pence votes aye. Mrs. houchin. Mr. fry. Mr. fry votes I miss lee. Miss lee votes aye. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes aye Mr. cain. Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans, Mr. goldman Mr. goldman votes aye. Mrs. Mr. votes aye Mr. pallone.
▶ 1:00:52Mr. pallone votes aye. Mr. Mr. get votes I miss schakowsky schakowsky votes I miss matsui miss. Matsui votes I miss castor miss castor votes aye. Mr. tonko Mr. tonko votes I miss clark. Miss clark votes aye. Mr. ruiz. Mr. ruiz votes aye. Mr. peters. Mr. peters votes aye. Mrs. dingell. Mrs. dingell, votes aye. Mr. veasey, Mr. veasey votes I miss kelly. Miss kelly votes aye. Mr.
▶ 1:01:22Barragan, miss barragan, votes aye. Mr. soto. Mr. soto, votes I miss schreyer. Miss schreyer votes aye Mr. han. Mr. han votes I, miss fletcher. Mr. fletcher votes aye. Miss ocasio-cortez. Ocasio-cortez votes aye. Mr. kloss. Mr. votes aye. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes aye. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes aye. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes aye. Mr. landsman, Mr. landsman votes aye. Mr. mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes aye. Chairman. Guthrie.
▶ 1:01:56>> how's Mr. laughton recorded? >> Mr. lott is not recorded. Mr. lodha votes aye. >> how is Mr. john james recorded? >> Mr. james is not recorded. Mr. james votes aye. >> how is Mr. balderson recorded. >> Mr. balderson is not recorded. Mr. balderson votes aye. >> anybody else seeking to be. How's Mr. carter of georgia?
▶ 1:02:26>> Mr. carter of georgia is not recorded. Mr. carter of georgia votes I. >> all right. The clerk will report the eyes and nays. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote there were 49 eyes and zero noes. >> the ayes have it.
▶ 1:02:54The bill is adopted. We now call up h.r. 6046 and ask the clerk to report. >> h.r. 646, a bill to amend the communications act of 1934 to streamline the deployment of telecommunications or broadband services facilities in the public right of ways and the right of way of railroad carriers, and for other purposes.
▶ 1:03:23>> without objection, first reading the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any point. So order. Does anyone wish to be recognized on the bill? The gentleman from pennsylvania. John joyce is recognized for five minutes to discuss the bill. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 1:03:38The timely deployment of affordable, high speed internet to our rural communities is a critical matter for all of america in communities across our country, like the district that I proudly represent in pennsylvania, high speed internet access is a prerequisite for accessing critical health care, economic and government services.
▶ 1:03:59And without it, our families, our farms, our hospitals, our schools and actually all businesses are put at a complete disadvantage. And that is why we're here today to consider legislation that will advance the public interest by working to eliminate the inefficiencies, the redundancies and unnecessary red tape that have slowed down broadband deployment to date. H.r.
▶ 1:04:256046, this bipartisan, bicameral legislation that I was proud to work on with my colleague from california, Mr. Mr. peters and my colleague from ohio, Mr. landsman, eliminates existing hurdles in two ways.
▶ 1:04:39First, it makes clear that when a broadband provider wishes to deploy along a public right of way, which our bill defines as a public street, highway, route or road, then the appropriate governmental authority with jurisdiction over that roadway is responsible for defining the permitting approval process.
▶ 1:05:01This includes setting the terms for appropriate safety reviews, as well as any costs and fees that might be assessed by affected third parties, including rail carriers that might cross the roadway at a designated crossing.
▶ 1:05:14This is a simple, straightforward, common sense clarification that empowers local and state governments to ensure that their communities have access to affordable broadband while avoiding costly, dilatory, and completely arbitrary prohibitions on broadband deployment that are currently imposed by third parties which share the public right of way.
▶ 1:05:39Second, this legislation creates a responsible framework that sets guidelines and guardrails for an application and petition review process. For instances where broadband provider seeks to deploy high speed internet along or across a railroad right of way, the current patchwork structure is not working.
▶ 1:05:59Communities are losing out on available funds, and worse, they're losing valuable time to connect with their constituents because of capricious and unclear standards. Let's be clear the framework set out in our legislation does not cap or limit the costs or fees that a railroad might receive related to a broadband provider. In fact, h.r.
▶ 1:06:246046 requires that the entire cost associated with broadband deployment be borne by the provider, by the broadband provider, again, not the railroad. This includes actual costs incurred, opportunity costs, and the costs required to comply with safety provisions. Let's re-emphasize h.r.
▶ 1:06:466046 explicitly requires interagency coordination between the federal railroad administration and the fcc in setting a process and appropriate regulatory framework to address safety concerns and adjudicate dispute disputes between rail carriers and broadband providers. The fcc currently engages in similar structures with the usda and the ntia as part of its broadband deployment mission. H.r.
▶ 1:07:156046 does not deviate from the current standards of interagency cooperation and coordination. The fra has an explicit seat at the table when it comes to safety in this regulation. Regardless of any feelings about the structure or enactment to date of bead and other broadband deployment programs. The success of these efforts depends on collaboration.
▶ 1:07:43Collaboration among federal, state, and local partners, and collaboration among agencies within the federal government. H.r. 6046 provides necessary clarity and a reasonable framework to allow for this collaboration without undue, unjust, or unnecessary interference, which has led to costly, costly delays and has disadvantaged rural communities across america.
▶ 1:08:08The deployment of affordable, high speed internet to rural america is essential to the future of our communities, and time is of the essence. Thank you, Mr. chair, and I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. Is there any further discussion on the bill? We recognize Mr. peters from california. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I am proud to co-lead the bipartisan broadband and telecommunications rail act with representatives joyce and landsman.
▶ 1:08:35Over the past few months, members of this committee have grappled with ways to speed up broadband deployment to connect our constituents to the internet. Broadband telecom rail act allows us to make progress on this goal. So we hear that when broadband companies try to build out telecommunications infrastructure along railroad crossings, the costs and approval times skyrocket.
▶ 1:08:55It's not acceptable that high costs and lengthy delays keep our constituents from connecting to the internet, and the delays only expand the digital divide in america. So to streamline the deployment process between broadband providers and railroad carriers, our bill would implement firm timelines, conflict resolution processes and fee scales to help the federal communications commission move faster in support of the public interest, would outline the responsibility of each party and give the fcc authority where it previously had none.
▶ 1:09:27This bill solves a real problem we face in helping our constituents get connected to the internet. In the age of technology, it's more important than ever for americans to be connected as quickly as possible so that they can access employment opportunities, education, telehealth care and information. By streamlining broadband deployment and speeding up access to fast, reliable and affordable internet connection, we can work toward bridging the digital divide, ensuring equal access to educational and economic opportunity.
▶ 1:09:55Thanks to my colleagues, representatives joyce and landsman for their dedication here for working with us on this bipartisan bill. I look forward to continuing to work with you both as we continue to move this legislation forward. And I thank you, Mr. chairman. I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. Is there any further discussion on the bill? Further discussion, Mr. landsman, you're recognized for five minutes. Uh, comment on the bill. >> uh, thank you, Mr. chair. Uh, for the last eight months, uh, we have worked really closely with doctor joyce and Mr.
▶ 1:10:27Peters to get this important bipartisan bill. Uh, to this point, uh, I want to thank both of them for their good faith, partnership and incredible leadership on this issue. Doctor joyce has been fully committed to accomplishing this permitting reform in a thoughtful, bipartisan manner and has been a great partner in this work, and so has his staff. Mr. peter, Mr.
▶ 1:10:51Peters is a leading expert in permitting reform, and I appreciate the opportunity to work with him on such an important issue. We have all worked to speed up broadband deployments while making no sacrifices, uh, on safety or labor. The rail act addresses a very important issue.
▶ 1:11:11May have a broadband line running for dozens of miles that can't make a crossing of as little as 30ft, because a railroad company claims they own the land. It's actually owned by the public. This land, the public right of way serve, serves as the purpose of connecting americans, especially rural americans, to gas, electricity, water, and of course, broadband. Broadband isn't just for watching netflix or playing video games. Rob.
▶ 1:11:44Broadband is critically is a critical lifeline to the world employment, healthcare, social interactions and other essentials often require sufficient connection. The people who lack this connection suffer economic, health and emotional consequences. And the solution is simple broadband everywhere. To connect everyone. We have the technology and we know who needs it.
▶ 1:12:11We also have the bipartisan support necessary to get a lot of it done. So let's remove the pointless and meritless obstructions. Get from point a to point b, connect the unserved and the underserved, and help all americans realize the opportunity and benefits of being online. Thank you. And I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. Any further discussion on the bill, any further discussion, any amendments to the bill? Seeing none.
▶ 1:12:39The question now occurs on adoption of h.r. 646. A roll call vote has been requested and the clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta, Mr. lada votes aye. Mr. griffith. Mr. griffin votes aye. Mr. bilirakis, Mr. hudson, Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. palmer, Mr. dunn. Aye. Mr. dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw, Mr.
▶ 1:13:11Joyce, Mr. joyce votes aye. Mr. weber, Mr. weber votes aye Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes aye. Mr. balderson. Mr. balderson votes aye. Mr. fulcher. Mr. fulcher votes aye. Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger votes aye. Mrs. harshbarger. Mr. harshbarger votes aye. Mr. miller-meeks. Mr. miller-meeks votes aye. Mrs. cammack, Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes aye. Mr. james. Mr. james votes aye. Mr. pence. Mr. pence votes aye.
▶ 1:13:42Mrs. houchin. Mr. frey. Mr. frey votes I miss lee. Miss lee votes aye. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes aye. Mr. cain. Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans, Mr. goldman, Mr. goldman votes aye Mrs. fedorchuk. Mr. fedorchuk votes aye. Mr. pallone. Aye. Mr. pallone votes aye. Mr. get Mr.
▶ 1:14:09Get votes I miss schakowsky schakowsky votes I miss matsui miss. Matsui votes I miss castor miss castor votes aye. Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes I miss clark. Miss clark votes aye. Mr. ruiz, Mr. rees votes aye. Mr. peters. Mr. peters votes I miss dingell. Mrs. dingell votes aye. Mr. veasey, Mr. veasey votes aye. Mr. miss kelly. Miss kelly votes aye Mr. barragan. Mr.
▶ 1:14:41Soto. Mr. soto, votes I miss schreyer. Miss schreyer votes aye Mr. han. Mr. han votes I miss fletcher. Miss fletcher votes I miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes aye. Mr. claus. Mr. claus, votes aye. Mr. carter. Louisiana. Mr. carter, louisiana votes aye. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes aye. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes aye. Mr. landsman, Mr. landsman votes aye. Mr. mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes aye. Chairman. Guthrie.
▶ 1:15:12>> how is chairman bill ruckus recorded? >> Mr. bilirakis is not recorded. >> how is chairman carter? >> Mr. carter george is not recorded. Mr. carter of georgia votes I. >> chairman palmer. >> Mr. palmer is not recorded. Mr. palmer votes I. >> Mr. crenshaw. How is Mr. dorsey recorded. >> how is not recorded erin houchin votes I.
▶ 1:15:44>> how's Mr. crenshaw recorded. >> Mr. crenshaw is not recorded. >> Mr. kat cammack recorded. >> Mr. carmack is not recorded. Mr. carmack votes I. >> miss barrett. >> anybody. >> miss berrigan. >> how's doctor ruiz recorded? >> Mr. ruiz is recorded as I. >> how's miss berrigan recorded? >> miss berrigan is not recorded. Miss berrigan votes I. >> anybody else.
▶ 1:16:12>> the clerk will report the roll call. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote, there were 51 eyes and zero no's. >> uh, the ayes have it. The bill is adopted.
▶ 1:16:42Um, the chair now calls up h.r. 2289 and ask the clerk to report. >> h.r. 2289, a bill to provide that an eligible facilities request under section 6409a of the middle class tax relief and job creation act of 2012. >> without objection, the first reading is dispensed with and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? Uh, Mr.
▶ 1:17:14Carter of georgia, you are recognized for five minutes. >> Mr. chairman, I move to strike the last word. Thank you, Mr. chairman. I'd like to express my support for my bill. The american broadband deployment act of 2025. This bill brings together proposals from my republican colleagues to cut red tape and speed broadband deployment. It streamlines approvals for new infrastructure by ensuring fees reflect actual cost, setting clear and timely permitting deadlines, and giving providers relief if they are wrongfully denied access.
▶ 1:17:42It also simplifies upgrades to existing infrastructure like adding 5g, replacing copper with fiber, and deploying open r open ran, especially in areas that have already undergone environmental or historic reviews. Finally, it removes unnecessary environmental reviews for projects and previously disturbed rights of way, and for replacing untrusted chinese equipment, reducing delays that often take years on federal lands.
▶ 1:18:11These reforms will accelerate investment, lower barriers, and help connect all americans. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Uh, doctor rice, you're recognized for five minutes. >> thank you. Um, Mr. chairman, as we consider these permitting bills today, I want to raise serious concerns about provisions in this bill, h.r.
▶ 1:18:402289, that would create broad exemptions to the national historic preservation act, exemptions that could put tribal history, cultural sites and sacred lands at real risk. The national historic preservation act is one of the few safeguards that ensures tribal nations have a voice when federal actions or major projects threaten places of deep cultural, spiritual, and historical significance.
▶ 1:19:05Weakening those protections would undermine that voice and diminish the federal commitment to tribal consultation. And there is a troubling contradiction here. You know, you can't say you respect tribal sovereignty while advancing legislation that strips away their sovereignty by removing tribal participation and tools to protect their lands and heritage, streamlining federal processes is a goal many of us share.
▶ 1:19:35But efficiency cannot come at the expense of stripping tribes of their sovereignty, their self-determination and sacred cultural and historic sites. It cannot come at the expense of cultural preservation, and it cannot come at the expense of the nation to nation relationship that defines our trust responsibility. Tribal sovereignty is not a procedural inconvenience. It is a matter of justice and fairness. And it's encoded in our constitution.
▶ 1:20:05It reflects centuries of history and commitments made by the federal government, commitments that require transparency, consultation and partnerships. Moving forward with this legislation that affects tribal lands without ensuring tribal participation, ensuring their sovereignty, strong protections, adequate resources and meaningful consultation is not just misguided, it is inconsistent with the values and responsibilities that congress is obligated to uphold.
▶ 1:20:35If we truly want to support tribal nations, and our policies must reflect that commitment, that means upholding their sovereignty, respecting their history, and ensuring that federal permitting decisions are made with tribal governments, not around them. That is how we achieve progress that lifts all communities. Instead of leaving some behind, I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill?
▶ 1:21:02Uh, for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek to be recognized? >> Mr. chairman, I wish to be recognized on the underlying legislation. >> you're recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. My legislation, h.r. 5002 73, the broadband competition and efficient deployment act, was included in representative carter's american broadband deployment act of 2025.
▶ 1:21:22The broadband competition and efficient deployment act removes the requirement to prepare an environmental or historic preservation review in order to add or upgrade wireline facilities. It is critical that we remove these unnecessary review requirements that tend to delay or even prevent broadband deployment in the rural areas where it is most needed. Thank you, Mr.
▶ 1:21:49Chairman and representative carter, for your hard work on this important legislation that takes the next step in ensuring broadband access for all americans. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Thank you. And I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. A further discussion on the bill, Mr. fry. You're recognized for five minutes. >> Mr. chairman. I move to strike the last word.
▶ 1:22:20>> you're recognized. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I wanted to highlight a key provision of within h.r. 2289, which is my legislation, the trusted broadband networks act, across the country. As we have seen, small and rural broadband providers are working to remove telecommunications equipment that the federal government has deemed and determined is a national security risk.
▶ 1:22:43These providers want to replace that gear with trusted, secure equipment, but they are being slowed down not because of technical challenges, but because of federal red tape. Right now, providers must navigate full blown environmental and historic preservation reviews simply to remove equipment that has already been designated as insecure. That makes no sense. Uh, if something in our networks is confirmed to be a national security threat, it should not take months of paperwork to get it out.
▶ 1:23:12The trusted broadband networks act solves this problem. When a provider removes insecure equipment and replaces it with a trust, it replaces it with trusted equipment. That action should not be treated as a significant federal action that triggers lengthy nepa and nhpa reviews. That's it. This provision is very narrow. It's targeted. It's fully aligned with existing federal authorities, and it applies only to equipment identified under federal law as insecure.
▶ 1:23:42This is especially critical for the small and rural networks that serve communities like those I represent in south carolina. These providers don't have extra crews sitting around waiting for permits. They're trying to comply with federal requirements and protect their customers. They should not be punished with more delays for doing exactly what the federal government told them to do in the first place. Every month of delay is another month. Adversary linked technology stays in american networks.
▶ 1:24:10This provision puts national security ahead of bureaucracy, ensures rip and replace happens on schedule as congress intended, and helps rural america stay connected and most importantly, secure. I'm proud to have this language included in h.r. 2289, and I strongly support its passage. Thank you, Mr. chairman. I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there any further discussion on the bill, Mr. hudson of north carolina, you're recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 1:24:37Um, listen, before thanksgiving, the communications and technology committee marked up dozens of bipartisan bills, uh, to fold into this package, all with the same, uh, effort of expediting, permitting to enable better access for all americans in all communities.
▶ 1:24:55And a community like mine spanning from fort bragg to the business districts of greensboro, with rural areas and small towns in between, you have to have broadband access for work, for education, for health care, even checking in with loved ones. Too many folks in our community have been waiting way too long to get broadband access. Uh, the bead funding is great, and that funding is finally getting out the door after years of delay under the biden administration. But money's one thing.
▶ 1:25:23But if you have to wait years through duplicative processes, the money's not enough. And so what we're saying is we're not taking away environmental reviews. We want to protect the environment. We want to protect our citizens. And the issue, my colleague on the other side raised tribal sovereignty is an important issue to us. And so we preserved all of those reviews. All we're saying is you shouldn't have to duplicate them. You shouldn't have to do them more than once.
▶ 1:25:53If you've got a tower and you need to replace the antenna on it, you shouldn't have to wait years to do a new environmental review. All you're doing is unscrewing one antenna and screwing another one in. But under the status quo, sometimes that takes years of delays. We want we don't want to do anything to interfere with tribal sovereignty. We don't change anything about the review processes. We just put a shot clock on it. So you you a tribe can certainly, uh, deem that something is not safe for the environment or for their people.
▶ 1:26:23Um, but all we're saying is let's provide a shot clock, let's give a time limit. So there's a little bit of certainty so that we can get this broadband in the ground. So, um, I look forward to seeing broadband to more americans very quickly, uh, with the passage of this legislation. And I urge my colleagues to support it. Thank you. >> the gentleman yields back. Uh, the gentlelady from virginia, miss mcclellan, is recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 1:26:50Speaking to the bill today, I wish that we were considering bills that addressed all of the real and pressing challenges in deploying our broadband infrastructure, which we all agree needs to be done as quickly as possible so that no community is left behind. Yet this bill does not reflect the seriousness of all of those challenges or the bipartisan cooperation that they demand.
▶ 1:27:14We should be working in a meaningful way in which both sides have input, and the final legislative product reflects our shared values and priorities. Instead, this package is one sided policies that will lead to burdensome and likely infeasible regulations and requirements on state and local government, permitting officials that amount to an unfunded mandate.
▶ 1:27:38I am sure that you heard during the committee hearings that the biggest barriers to broadband deployment are inconsistent pole attachment processes, disputes over rights of way, and a lack of of sufficient personnel that are the real barriers. Band project timelines, increased deployment costs, and undermine the timelines for getting communities connected. This bill does not address those issues.
▶ 1:28:02The only path forward is a common sense, bipartisan federal framework that supports cost transparency, establishes predictable and fair joint use protocols and timelines, and ensures adequate investment in state and local permitting staff who are already overburdened by other jobs, particularly in our rural areas, trying to meet all of the requests that they get with insufficient personnel, this bill puts even more of a barrier on them.
▶ 1:28:31Without any additional resources. There are practical solutions that would remove these recurring obstacles, accelerate, build out, and provide long term scalability. And I remain ready and willing to work with the majority to produce legislation that addresses all of these issues that remain barriers. Hopefully we can get that done, but this bill doesn't do it. I yield back. >> the gentlelady yields back. Further discussion on the bill. Miss barragan, you're recognized for five minutes.
▶ 1:29:02>> uh, thanks to strike the last word. Uh, Mr. chairman, um, two weeks ago, I raised serious concerns about the deemed granted provisions in this bill. These provisions impose rigid federal shot clocks on state, local and tribal governments. Miss the deadline, and the application is automatically approved, no matter the risks or the consequences for the people who live in these communities.
▶ 1:29:29My republican colleagues advanced this bill out of the subcommittee anyway, without a single change to protect local communities, let me share a few real world examples that illustrate why the shot clocks don't work in practice. My office recently heard from a wyoming county commissioner who explained exactly why the fcc should not become the prime decision maker for broadband installation in their public rights of way. Anyone who's driven through rural america knows this well.
▶ 1:30:01Rural roads are often narrow, uncurved and maintained by part time crews. Drainage ditches run along nearly every township road, and underground agricultural systems are highly vulnerable to accidental cuts. In places like this. One mistake can wash out a road, flood a field, or take out the infrastructure. A whole community depends on this.
▶ 1:30:23Commissioner responsible for a county covering about 4000mi and 600 miles of roads describes the stakes, and I'm quoting this makes it challenging to monitor the activities inside rights of way, especially if the county is not the decision maker concerning placement and installation of infrastructure. If this potential law is codified, the county would in essence no longer be in charge of our roads rights of way.
▶ 1:30:47We would essentially be at the mercy of infrastructure owners as to how we might go about performing our statutory defined duties associated with roadways in our counties. When a private party can dictate the operations of the government agency responsible for roadways, something has failed. The people who elect county officials expect those officials to perform their duties without seeking permission from private enterprise. End quote.
▶ 1:31:11This isn't a, um this isn't just a theory. This county commissioner is telling us that federal shot clocks would give private companies more control over local roads than the elected officials responsible for them. These are the same rural counties that my republican colleagues claim to champion. That should alarm every member of the committee. We also heard from a suburban county in the midwest.
▶ 1:31:36They typically complete permit reviews for simple broadband infrastructure projects in about 15 working days. This is not a slow county. They are efficient and proactive. But as their county commissioner explained, bead funded broadband infrastructure projects are far from simple. They can stretch for miles across multiple jurisdictions, and a single contractor could submit multiple massive applications at once, covering entire highways and segments.
▶ 1:32:05Local officials need time to make sure that digging doesn't damage roads, disrupt water or sewer lines, or create safety hazards for drivers. Federal shot clocks would force these officials to rush approvals on large, complex projects, ignoring ignoring local expertise and putting communities at risk. The lesson is clear the bill assumes local governments are too slow. But even in efficient counties, rigid federal deadlines could create real world world risk and unsafe outcomes.
▶ 1:32:35These are real stories from rural counties, rural and suburban. They all show the same truth. The federal shot clock's forced local governments to gamble with public safety and surrender control to private companies. We should empower local communities, not strip them of authority. We should respect local expertise, not override it. And we should never put local governments at the mercy of private companies. For these reasons, I strongly oppose this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.
▶ 1:33:05I yield back. >> the gentlelady yields back. Further discussion. Uh, Mr. griffiths from virginia. You recognized for five minutes. >> thank you very much, Mr. chairman. Um, I understand the concerns of local government, but for some reason, the local government sometimes have failed to read the full text of the bill because it says they must approve or deny.
▶ 1:33:31And if they deny, they need to state a reason. So in the examples recently given, if there were in fact a problem with having been inundated by one company with hundreds of requests, they could deny significant number of them, claiming that they need more time, they could deny them based on the fact that they think that the may cause them problem with their road areas, that they need to be able to look into how this will
▶ 1:34:02Impact narrow roads. If it's a rural area where the roads are narrow or they've got other infrastructure issues, the problem has been is that the they get no answer, somebody files the request and there's no answer. It's not a yes answer. It's not a no answer. It's just a non-answer.
▶ 1:34:18If there is some information that the county or the local government needs in order to process further, they can deny it and say, we we can't process it at this point and must deny because we need more information on erosion. If you're going to be digging or we need more information on how your installation will affect our local road system, all that's permissible. This bill doesn't change any of that.
▶ 1:34:43It just says instead of placing the request into a black hole, you have to give us an answer. You can answer yes. You can answer no. If you choose to put the application or the request for the permit into, uh, an obscure box somewhere and never get around to answering it, then the answer is going to be a yes under this bill. That's true.
▶ 1:35:09But they do not lose the ability to say no because we need more information on erosion, on impacts on our road system, on x, y, or z. All that's permissible just says, tell us why.
▶ 1:35:24Because what I suspect may happen is that if the request or the concern is one that can be answered by the permit, uh, applicant, they may go out and spend the money to get data to help the county make that decision. But right now they don't have a clue. They don't know why they're not getting an answer. They just know they're not getting an answer. And that leads them to suspect, mister chairman.
▶ 1:35:48It leads them to suspect that maybe they just don't want to deal with the issue at all. Or maybe they have other interests in mind. I mean, there are some of our, uh, public utilities that also provide internet. Are they afraid of competition? Maybe those aren't legitimate, but concerns about roads, concerns about other infrastructure, concerns about erosion.
▶ 1:36:16If there's digging taking place, nobody's going to question that. Those are legitimate and they can deny with this. And then if if those issues can be resolved, the applicant can reapply at a later date. So these are not unreasonable. And they don't force an automatic. Yes. If you give a negative answer it only forces the automatic approval. If you choose not to respond at all, I yield back. >> gentleman yields back.
▶ 1:36:44Is there further discussion on the bill? Gentleman from new jersey, you're recognized to speak on the bill. >> thank you chairman. And here we are again, the party that claims to be in favor of small government and states rights is once again explicitly undermining state and local governments authority to protect their communities from harm. Automatic approvals hold the potential to threaten the safety of local communities and the workforce.
▶ 1:37:11Installing this infrastructure republicans are imposing unrealistic time frames on understaffed local governments to conduct permit application reviews, which, if not met, are automatically deemed approved without granting them any additional resources. House republicans are doing nothing to support local and state governments after imposing these unrealistic shot clocks.
▶ 1:37:33That's probably why organizations that represent local government, such as the united states conference of mayors, the national league of cities, the national association of counties, and the national association of telecommunications officers and advisors strongly oppose the american broadband deployment act, as they believe it represents another attempt by this republican majority to take away authority and power from local governments to do that which they see is best.
▶ 1:38:03And so, um, you know, I've been hoping for consistency from my friends across the aisle. They have yet to show it. Um, this party is going to harm all of the municipalities, counties and states that we work with and have the good fortune of representing. For that reason, I'll be a no and urge my colleagues to vote no as well, I yield back. I would yield to my great colleague from california. >> uh. Thank you. I just wanted to respond to the argument that was made that local government could just deny it. Uh, they they're not forced to approve it. They could just deny it.
▶ 1:38:32Um, under this argument, they won't have the ability to say, hey, we need more time. You're just saying keep denying these applications and they're going to have to reapply every 60 to 150 days until they have enough time in the process. That would be an expensive ordeal. And talk about inefficiency. Um, so I think that's just a poor argument and why I continue to oppose with that.
▶ 1:39:01I yield back to the gentleman. >> thank you. And I would just I would just ask my colleague from virginia, you know, he talked about all these instances where these requests are put into a black box. I'm just wondering what data he is looking at that shows what percentage of these requests, uh, end up with no response, and what percentage of time that these requests are made. Does that happen? And if he has that information that he can provide, uh, to all of us, um, on this committee.
▶ 1:39:25How can we use names? I don't know if I can use names of colleagues. >> are you looking for an amendment? >> no, I'm asking my colleague. He had made a series of points about that. There's all these instances where things go into a black box, and I'm just asking if he has data available to share with the committee members as to how often that happens and what percentage of requests, uh, received. No response.
▶ 1:39:56>> yeah. You'll yield him time to answer the question. Okay. >> I would say to the gentleman that I don't have specific data, but that the complaints are numerous and it is a consistent problem. And it's part of what we're trying to solve in the bill is to is to make it so that broadband is more accessible in large parts of the country, uh, particularly in areas like mine that are extremely rural and have, uh, less opportunities and less competition. We're trying to bring more competition and more opportunities to have broadband available.
▶ 1:40:26Uh, it's still going to be difficult to get it to every part of my district. But all of the impediments you've heard of in this bill are ones that are addressed to try to make this a smoother process. And, uh, I would just have to say that that that's the reasoning behind this and understand that if there's a denial, the denial has to come with a reason for that denial so that there's some understanding of what's going on. >> thank you. And I'll just reclaim my time.
▶ 1:40:54Do you have you mentioned that do you have one instance, specific instance from your district where this there is an impediment that you could share with us? >> and I would say to the gentleman, because I'm not in the business of doing this, I can only share what has been brought to me by various companies. But it has been a consistent issue in several areas. Now, there are other areas where. >> I'll reclaim my. >> cooperation. >> reclaim my time. It's always preferred to speak with specificity. I yield to my colleague from virginia. >> thank you, Mr. chair.
▶ 1:41:22I would argue that in many of the rural areas, particularly in virginia and the gentleman's district, the biggest impediment is the lack of of funding, which we are working to address, uh, difficulties in getting access to polls. To attach the facilities, you need to run the equipment, which this bill doesn't address the railroad crossings, which we have addressed.
▶ 1:41:47Um, but putting more of a burden on local zoning officials without giving them more resources to address. This is not going to make broadband go out in those districts any faster, I yield back. >> thank you. Gentleman. Yields back. Time is expired. Does anyone speak seeking discussion on the bill? Seeing no further discussion on the bill. On the bill, on the bill. Seeing no discussion on the bill. Uh. What purpose?
▶ 1:42:16So amendments are in order. So what purpose? Gentleman from louisiana seek recognition. The clerk will report the amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I have an amendment at the desk labeled provisional underscore zero one. >> the clerk will report the amendment. >> amendment to the committee.
▶ 1:42:47Print for hr 2289 offered by Mr. carter of louisiana at at the end the following. >> without objection, the amendment is dispense with. And the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for five minutes in support of his amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. My amendment would ensure that the national telecommunications information administration follow the law and connect all americans to high speed, reliable internet as required by broadband equity access and deployment program or bead. Specifically, my.
▶ 1:43:17My amendment would require ntia to certify that all bead projects that has approved that has that it has approved, can meet the needs of the future and build networks that are fast and reliable. And it requires ntia to provide evidence to support those decisions.
▶ 1:43:41In january of this year, louisiana became the first state in the nation to secure federal approval for plans to deploy $1.3 billion in seed funding. This achievement is a testament to the bipartisan nature of louisiana's approach to universal connectivity.
▶ 1:43:56The state was already was ready to have shovels in the ground in march, and completed his plan under republican governor jeff landry, who called the program a generational investment that will create thousands of jobs, drive billions in economic growth, and transform louisiana's communities. In all, 64 parishes.
▶ 1:44:18Unfortunately, the trump administration has spent the last 12 months sabotaging the bead program, upending years of planning and forcing all states, including louisiana, to scrap their work and to start over.
▶ 1:44:33The trump administration has increasingly veered away from the statutory language of bipartisan infrastructure law, changing the bead program to prioritize short term cost savings and elon musk's starlink over faster, more reliable, future proof connectivity of fiber networks.
▶ 1:44:54While louisiana's new plan for bead funded infrastructure deployment has finally been approved again under the trump administration's new rules, many louisianans will now receive second tier internet service. Our country's wireless spectrum constraints are bad enough as it is.
▶ 1:45:12I cannot see the wisdom in adding millions of additional households to our capacity constrained networks, especially given the fact that there are other, better options at our disposal. My amendment is about preventing waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayers dollars that come with very specific instructions from congress.
▶ 1:45:37Additionally, an estimated $800 million in funding allocated to louisiana that the state has planned to use for non deployment initiatives remains in limbo, awaiting further guidance from ntia. This is truly unacceptable. Everyone, regardless of zip code, deserves access to affordable, reliable, high speed internet, especially in rural and underserved communities that have already gone far too long without it.
▶ 1:46:07My dear colleagues, I urge you to vote yes on my amendment and I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the amendment? Gentleman from north carolina seek recognition. >> which speak against the amendment. >> gentleman is recognized to speak on the amendment. >> thank you, chairman, and I want to thank my my friend and colleague from louisiana.
▶ 1:46:27I know he and I share the same goal, which is to get as many people on broadband get as much access, particularly in the rural areas that he and I represent in north carolina and louisiana. And so I appreciate the spirit which he offered this amendment. But I think it's, uh, I think that we should oppose this amendment. Look, the bead program was authorized by the infrastructure investment and jobs act. It was written to be technology neutral so states could determine which technologies work best for them to close the digital divide.
▶ 1:46:56Unfortunately, the biden-harris administration did not run the program in a technology neutral way, delaying the program for years and adding burdensome regulations that added billions of dollars in cost and did nothing to help connect americans. The trump administration's ntia course corrected returning the program to tech neutrality as part of the state broadband plan. States may determinations about what technologies best reliably serve their communities based on their unique challenges.
▶ 1:47:26Bead funds are already on the way out the door. In fact, 29 states and territories broadband plans have been approved by ntia. Delaying enactment of legislation would keep our constituents from getting the connectivity they need. So I oppose this amendment. I encourage my colleagues to vote no and I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the amendment? Chairman. Gentle lady from california seek recognition. >> I move to strike the last word and speak in support. >> of the lady is recognized. >> thank you. Um.
▶ 1:47:54This common sense amendment makes sure the billions of dollars that congress invested in the program do their job delivering long lasting, high quality internet and the to the tens of millions of americans still without a reliable connection. It's simple. It holds the trump administration to the law. It stops nti from ignoring the bipartisan infrastructure laws, rules that funded networks deliver fast, dependable, and scalable broadband.
▶ 1:48:21This amendment should be an easy yes for my republican colleagues, but once again, they rather bend the knee to trump, letting him give handouts to his buddies with the cheapest technologies while turning their backs on the evolving connectivity needs of their constituents, families and businesses.
▶ 1:48:40Trump's ntia steamrolling states and local experts strong arming them into rebuilding broadband projects at rates that result in under-delivering service while keeping the cost calculations mostly in the dark. Americans deserve better. We need smart broadband investments that will last, not short term fixes that leave communities behind and cost taxpayers more in the long run.
▶ 1:49:09That's especially clear in my district, where communities in the california delta are still living with dead zones and unreliable service, even as they power our state's agricultural economy. Feed was intended to change that by finally delivering stable, high quality broadband. These families can count on day in and day out. But instead of focusing on what matters, programs like feed the real backbone of our national broadband strategy.
▶ 1:49:38Republicans are focusing on permitting rubber stamps. We must get back on track and hold entities feet to the fire when it comes to directing our federal dollars toward fast, reliable networks that can keep up with americans changing connectivity needs. With that, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time. >> the lady yields back. Is there any further discussion on the amendment?
▶ 1:50:05Any further discussion on the gentlelady from virginia is recognized to speak on the amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chair. Um, I wanted to remind my colleagues that when the bee program was established, congress also mandated that federally funded broadband networks must be scalable and reliable, that they must meet the ever growing upload and download needs of businesses and consumers.
▶ 1:50:28And that's why the statute directed ntia to define a priority project as one that is scalable to meet current and future broadband needs and support 5g and six g technologies. And while the trump administration now prefers a low cost, uh, alternative, not all technologies are created equal. Not all technologies are capable of meeting the ever increasing upload and download needs of consumers and businesses.
▶ 1:50:58Technologies like starlink and fixed wireless, in many cases are inadequate to meet these needs. And in fact, when elon musk builds a factory, he doesn't connect it with starlink. He connects it with the fiber connection. And particularly in our rural communities, they want they want fiber, uh, not satellite or fixed wireless, because they say that that's what meets their needs and they have the experience getting the short end of the stick.
▶ 1:51:20And so, yes, the bead program is supposed to be technology neutral, but it also needs to make sure that that technology is scalable, reliable and will meet the needs not just of today but of tomorrow. And so including this amendment to make sure that, uh, ntia certifies that whatever technology is used for broadband projects, uh, will be scalable, is basically saying ntia do the job that congress told you to do when we created b to begin with, not follow the
▶ 1:51:53Trump administration's desire to solely use a low cost alternative because the the the fact of the matter is that areas of this country that are not yet connected, they're not connected because it's more expensive to connect them. But that doesn't mean that they should have a technology that does not give them the same reliability that other parts of the country get give back. And I think this amendment is a reasonable way to strike that balance. Uh, and I yield back. >> gentlelady yields back.
▶ 1:52:20The gentleman from texas is recognized to speak on the amendment. >> thank you. Move to strike. The last word. Um, look, I'm not on the subcommittee where this, uh, this bill came out of. But I've been listening to this this debate, and I find it interesting when I see debates where we're folks are just talking past each other. You're playing tennis in two different courts. I don't feel like anybody has addressed Mr. griffiths points, and it's really simple. The shot clock just means you can deny it.
▶ 1:52:51Nobody has addressed that very simple point. And by the way, that's within 150 days. This isn't like a two week shot clock. This isn't some unreasonable idea. This is, this is this is a measure to force communication between entities, which is often a problem we see across government. This is why we use the whole shot clock policy idea on many fronts, because it forces a conversation. As Mr.
▶ 1:53:16Griffith has pointed out, the local government can simply deny it and say you need more information. This this is not an infringement on local rights. Uh, it's it's it's trying to help people get what they need, which I thought we all agreed upon. I fail to see why this is such a such a contested issue. I really do. I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there any further discussion on the amendment?
▶ 1:53:42Seeing no discussion on the amendment, the question now occurs on adopting the. The question now occurs on adopting the amendment. A roll call vote has been requested and the clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta. Mr. griffith, Mr. griffith votes no. Mr. bilirakis, Mr.
▶ 1:54:11Bilirakis votes no. Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes no. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. carter of georgia votes no. Mr. palmer, Mr. dunn. Mr. dunn votes no. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. crenshaw votes no. Mr. joyce. Mr. joyce votes no. Mr. weber. Mr. weber votes no. Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes no. Mr. balderson. Mr.
▶ 1:54:39Balderson votes no. Mr. fulcher, Mr. fletcher votes no. Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger votes no. Mrs. harshbarger, Mr. harshbarger votes no. Mrs. miller-meeks, Mr. miller votes no. Mrs. cammack, Mrs. carmack votes no. Mr. Mr. eleanor norton votes no. Mr. james, Mr. bence, Mr. bense votes no. Mrs. houchin. Mr. frye. Mr. frye votes no. Miss lee. Miss lee votes no. Mr.
▶ 1:55:11Langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes no. Mr. caine. Mr. rowley, Mr. rowley votes no. Mr. evans, Mr. evans votes no. Mr. coleman, Mr. coleman votes no. Mrs. broderick, Mr. dorchak votes no. Mr. pallone. Mr. pallone votes aye. Mr. get. Mr. get votes. I miss schakowsky. Schakowsky votes I miss matsui miss. Matsui votes I miss castor.
▶ 1:55:42Miss castor votes I Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes I miss clark. Miss clark votes I Mr. ruiz. Mr. ruiz votes I Mr. peters. Mr. peters votes I. Mrs. dingle. Mrs. dingell votes I. Mr. Mr. votes I miss kelley. Miss. Kelley votes I miss miss votes I mister soto. Mister soto votes I miss schreyer.
▶ 1:56:12Miss schreyer votes I Mr. han. Mr. han. Mr. han, votes I miss fletcher. Miss fletcher votes I miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes I Mr. claus. Mr. auchincloss, votes I. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes I. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes I Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes I Mr. lansman. Mr.
▶ 1:56:41Lansman votes I miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes I chairman guthrie, chairman. Guthrie votes no. Mr. ladd is not recorded. Mr. latta votes no. >> Mr. james. >> Mr. james is not recorded. Mr. james votes no. >> miss hopkins. >> Mrs. houchin is not recorded. Mrs. houchin votes no.
▶ 1:57:10>> anyone on the democrat side seeking recognition to vote a rival. Seeing none, the clerk will report the result. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote there were 24 eyes and 28 noes. >> the amendment is not agreed to. Are there further amendments? Gentlelady from california. What do you seek? Recognition. >> Mr. chairman?
▶ 1:57:40I have an amendment at the desk. >> it's identified the amendment. >> underscore oh two. >> the clerk will report the amendment. >> amendment to the committee print for h.r. 2289, page 100 after line 18.
▶ 1:58:08>> without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and the gentlelady from california is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment. >> thank you. I'm offering this amendment today to ensure that american families share in the cost savings created by this bill. If congress is helping companies cut costs, then families should see lower bills each month. And that's important because in today's digital age, home internet access is not a luxury. It's a basic necessity.
▶ 1:58:34It's essential for student success, homework, class materials, and tutoring are all online, not just during the school day, but in the evenings, on weekends and over breaks. Broadband also serves as a lifeline to health care. Telehealth allows patients, especially in rural communities, to see providers without traveling hours or waiting months for an appointment with the nearest specialist.
▶ 1:58:59It opens doors to job searchers, searches, online applications, remote work and the digital economy. We all agree high speed internet is critical for participation in modern life. Yet in 2025, nearly 6.8 million households still lack reliable internet. Why? Because most families simply cannot afford it. Let me tell you about terry johnson, a dedicated mother determined to keep her daughter quintana, on track at school.
▶ 1:59:31In 2020, the covid pandemic hit and quintana's entire world shifted online. She tried to keep up in virtual school using her cell phone, but her data plan wasn't up to the task. So terry took quintana and her three small children to mcdonald's parking lot, where the whole family sat for hours so that her oldest daughter could connect to free internet to do her schoolwork. Schools like this are all too common. Since covid, a lot has happened.
▶ 2:00:02Congress created the affordable connectivity program, providing a $30 per month subsidy to low income families could finally afford home internet, but republicans refuse to work with democrats to keep the program funded, and those subsidies vanished. Under a democratic fcc chair, the fcc helped schools and libraries lend out mobile internet devices free of charge, a program that trump's fcc chair quickly eliminated.
▶ 2:00:30My home state of california stepped up with a $30 state internet service subsidy, but most states don't offer anything similar, and at the federal level, the only assistance available to low income families is 9.25 per month, the average home internet bill in the us is $78, but we all know it's much higher in so many places across the country, and our federal affordability solution is $9.25.
▶ 2:01:02That's unacceptable. Right now, congress is debating how to reform the fcc's universal service fund, a fund designed for one purpose. It's to ensure that every american can access high speed internet. There is a simple way to achieve that goal make sure people can afford it. That's why I urge you to support this amendment to my colleagues across the aisle. If this committee is going to give companies new savings, then we owe it to families to make sure those savings show up on their bills. It's not partizan.
▶ 2:01:32It's about doing the right thing. When we, for the people that we represent, families are struggling with the cost of everything, including internet service. They shouldn't have to wait any longer for congress to get this back. To get this right, I yield back. >> gentlelady yields back. Is there any other further discussion? The gentleman from north carolina is recognized for five minutes on the amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 2:01:58Listen, this I know this amendment is well intended, but it looks a lot like rate regulation. And the last thing the federal government needs to be doing is telling providers how to set their own rates. Uh, additionally, many providers already have affordable plans available for those who need it. Many of the areas that will benefit from the reforms here are currently unserved. That would mean there is no cost savings to offer them should this amendment be adopted anyway.
▶ 2:02:21And that's really what we're focusing on, is how do we get to those unserved areas, how do we get broadband access to folks who have been waiting too long, cutting red tape and accelerating deployment will reduce deployment costs and ensure the providers can offer services at the best possible rates, so that mothers like terry don't have to go to mcdonald's to get internet access. That they can they can have access to broadband in their homes. That's the whole point. And so we want to get terry, people like terry in rural areas across this country that access as quickly as possible.
▶ 2:02:51So I oppose this amendment. I encourage my colleagues to vote no and I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the amendment? Seeing none. The question is on the amendment. The roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta, Mr. lada votes no. Mr. griffith. Mr. bilirakis, Mr. hudson, Mr. hudson votes no.
▶ 2:03:22Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. palmer. Mr. dunn. Mr. dunn votes no. Mr. crenshaw, Mr. crenshaw votes no. Mr. joyce, Mr. joyce votes no. Mr. weber, Mr. weber votes no. Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes no. Mr. balderson, Mr. balderson votes no. Mr. fulcher, Mr. fulcher votes no. Mr. pfluger. Mr.
▶ 2:03:54Pfluger votes no. Mrs. harshbarger. Mr. miller-meeks. Mrs. miller-meeks votes no. Mrs. cammack. Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes no. Mr. james. Mr. james votes no. Mr. bentz, Mr. bentz votes no. Mrs. houchin. Mr. frey, Mr. frey, Mr. frey votes no. Miss lee.
▶ 2:04:26Miss lee, votes no. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes no. Mr. caine. Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes no. Mr. evans. Mr. goldman, Mr. goldman votes no. Mrs. fedorchuk, Mrs. fedorchuk votes no. Mr. pallone. Mr. pallone, votes. Aye. Mr. get. Mr. get votes. I.
▶ 2:04:58Schakowsky schakowsky votes I miss. Matsui. Matsui votes I miss castor. Miss. Castor votes I Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes I. Mr. miss. Clark. Miss. Clark votes I Mr. ruiz. Mr. ruiz votes I Mr. peters. Mr. peters votes I. Mrs. dingle. Mrs. dingell votes I. Mr. veasey. Mr. veasey votes I miss kelly.
▶ 2:05:28Miss kelly votes I miss barragan. Mr. barragan votes I mister soto. Mister soto, votes I miss schreyer. Mrs. schreyer votes I Mr. han. Mr. han votes I miss fletcher. Miss fletcher votes I miss ocasio-cortez. Mr. ocasio-cortez votes aye. Mr. Mr. votes I, Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes I. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes I Mr. mullen.
▶ 2:05:58Mr. mullen Mr. mullen votes I. Mr. landsman. Mr. landsman votes I miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes I chairman guthrie chairman guthrie votes no. Mr. griffith is not recorded. Mr. griffith votes no. Mr. carter of georgia is not recorded. Mr. carter of georgia votes no. Mr. palmer is not recorded. Mr. palmer votes no.
▶ 2:06:31>> miss. >> house, Mr. harshbarger recorded. >> harshbarger is not recorded. Mrs. harshbarger votes no. >> how's miss kat cammack? >> rich mccormick is not recorded. Mrs. carmack votes no. >> okay. Is that everybody? >> okay? >> the clerk will report the result. >> Mr.
▶ 2:07:01Chairman, on that vote, there were 24 eyes and 26 no's. >> the amendment is not agreed to. Are there further amendments? Great. Question. Now occurs on adopting h.r. 2289. A roll call vote has been requested. The clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta. >> aye. >> Mr. lot of votes. Aye. Mr.
▶ 2:07:31Griffith. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. hudson. >> aye. >> Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. palmer, Mr. palmer votes aye. Mr. dunn. Mr. dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw, Mr. crenshaw votes aye. Mr. joyce. Mr. joyce votes aye Mr. weber. Mr. weber votes aye Mr. alan. Mr.
▶ 2:08:00Alan votes aye Mr. balderson. Mr. fulcher, Mr. fulcher votes aye. Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger votes aye. Mrs. harshbarger, Mrs. harshbarger votes aye. Mr. miller-meeks, Mrs. miller-meeks votes aye. Mrs. carmack. >> hi. >> Mrs. carmack votes aye. Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes aye Mr. james. Mr. james votes aye. Mr. bentz. Mr. bentz votes aye. Mrs. hodgson. Mr. frye.
▶ 2:08:33Mr. frye votes I miss lee. Miss lee, votes aye. Mr. langworthy. Mr. cain. Mr. rowley, Mr. rowley, votes aye. Mr. evans. Mr. goldman, Mr. goldman votes aye. Mrs. fedorchuk. Mr. fedorchuk votes aye Mr. pallone. No. Mr. pallone votes no. Mr. Mr. get votes. No. Schakowsky.
▶ 2:09:04Schakowsky. Votes no. Miss. Matsui. Miss. Matsui votes no. Miss. Castor, miss. Castor votes no. Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes no. Miss. Clark. Miss clark votes no. Mr. ruiz, Mr. ruiz votes no. Mr. peters, Mr. peters votes no. Mrs. dingell. Mrs. dingell, votes no. Mr. veasey, Mr. veasey votes no. Miss. Kelly, miss kelly votes no. Miss.
▶ 2:09:31Barragan, miss barragan, votes no. Mister soto. Mister soto votes no. Kim schrier. Miss schreyer votes no. Mr. han, Mr. han votes no. Mr. fletcher, miss fletcher votes no. Mr. castillo. Cortez. Mr. claus. >> no. >> Mr. claus votes no. Mr. carter, of louisiana. Mr.
▶ 2:10:02Carter of louisiana. Louisiana votes no. Mr. menendez, Mr. menendez votes no. Mr. mullen, Mr. mullen votes no. Mr. landsman. >> perfect. >> Ms. mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes no. Chairman. Guthrie, chairman. Guthrie votes aye. >> how's Mr. griffith recorded? >> Mr. griffith is not recorded. Mr. griffith votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia is not recorded. Mr. carter of georgia votes aye. >> how's Mr. balderson recorded?
▶ 2:10:32>> Mr. balderson is not recorded. Mr. balderson votes I. >> Mr. langworthy. >> Mr. langworthy is not recorded. Mr. langworthy votes I. >> miss ocasio-cortez recorded. >> miss ocasio-cortez is not recorded. Mr. ocasio-cortez votes no. >> how's Mr. landsman recorded? >> Mr. landsman is not recorded. Mr. landsman votes no. >> anybody else?
▶ 2:11:01Uh, the clerk will report the tally. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote, there were 26 ayes and 24 nos. >> ayes have it. The bill is adopted. The chair calls up h.r. 3074 and ask the clerk to report.
▶ 2:11:33>> h.r. 3474, a bill to clarify that the installation of mechanical installation property is an energy or water efficiency measure that may be used in federal buildings for purposes of section five. >> without objection, the first reading the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone seek recognition on the bill? What purpose does Mr. weber seek recognition? Of 3474? Thank you.
▶ 2:12:19Gentleman is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. I appreciate that. >> sorry. Y'all caught me. >> texting with my wife, and if I didn't, I was going to be in trouble. So I'm just telling it like it is. Guys, um, h.r. 3474, the federal mechanical installation act is a bipartisan, practical effort to strengthen the energy efficiency of federal buildings while reducing costs for taxpayers.
▶ 2:12:46The bill takes a straightforward approach during a federal buildings comprehensive energy and water evaluation. It requires an assessment of whether mechanical insulation should be updated or installed. Remember, I was in the air conditioning business for 35 years. This is a simple addition to an already existing process, and to be clear, it does not create a mandate or on private property or impose new requirements on the american people. The need for the bill's evident.
▶ 2:13:14The federal government is the largest energy consumer in the nation, and much of that demand comes from more than 300,000 federally owned buildings. Too many of these facilities operate with insufficient mechanical insulation, leading to wasted energy and unnecessary taxpayer expenses.
▶ 2:13:41By ensuring the federal buildings evaluate the benefits of improving their installation, we can build a pathway to more efficient and responsible operations. This federal mechanical insulation act prioritizes true energy efficiency, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. And, Mr. chairman, I yield back. >> does anyone seek recognition? Speak on the bill? Mr. carter, you're recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 2:14:10I move to strike the last word. Mr. chairman, I'm proud to co-sponsor and support h.r. 3474, the federal mechanical installation act insulation act introduced by representative weber. This is smart, targeted and cost effective bill that strengthens the federal government's own energy efficiency efficiency standards. By making sure we're not overlooking one of the simplest ways to cut waste mechanical insulation right now.
▶ 2:14:39When federal agencies conduct comprehensive energy and water evaluations on their buildings, they review a range of systems. But mechanical insulation is not included. Even though it's one of the most proven tools for reducing energy loss. This bill fixes that gap by requiring agencies to evaluate whether mechanical insulation should be installed or updated as part of their review.
▶ 2:15:05This is truly a common sense, bipartisan policy that will save money. Federal buildings are among the largest energy consumers in the country, and too often the government pays for wasted energy to escape through uninsulated pipes, ducts and equipment. By modernizing these standards, we can reduce federal energy costs, which ultimately saves taxpayers money.
▶ 2:15:31Better insulation means systems run more efficiently, use less fuel, and emit fewer greenhouse gases. This is one of the lowest cost ways to lower emissions without interrupting operations or requiring expensive overhauls. Importantly, this legislation supports well-paying jobs for skilled workers, particularly pipefitters insulators and other union trades who are essentially who are essential to uplift. Upgrading our federal infrastructure.
▶ 2:16:00These are stable, long term jobs rooted in technical expertise, and this bill ensures that workers remain at the center of our modernization efforts. At its core, h.r. 3474 is about being responsible stewards of the taxpayers dollars, reducing waste and investing in efficient federal operations. I'm proud to stand behind this bill, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it. I yield back. >> thank the gentleman.
▶ 2:16:30Any further. Members wish to be recognized. Seeing none, there's no further discussion. The vote occurs on the. Question now occurs on adopting h.r. 3474. A roll call vote has been requested. The clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. lada. Mr. lot of votes. Aye. Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes. Aye. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. hudson. >> aye. >> Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr.
▶ 2:16:59Carter of georgia votes aye. Mr. palmer, Mr. dunn, Mr. crenshaw, Mr. crenshaw votes aye. Mr. joyce, Mr. weber, Mr. weber votes aye. Mr. alan. Mr. alan votes aye Mr. balderson, Mr. fulcher, Mr. pfluger, Mr. pfluger votes aye. Mrs. harshbarger, Mr. harshbarger, votes aye. Mr. miller-meeks. Mrs. miller-meeks votes aye Mrs. cammack. Mr.
▶ 2:17:29Obernolte, Mr. obernolte votes aye. Mr. james, Mr. pence, Mr. pence votes aye. Mrs. houchin. Mr. fry. Miss lee, Mr. langworthy Mr. langworthy votes aye. Mr. cain, Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. evans, Mr. evans.
▶ 2:18:03Mr. evans votes aye. Mr. goldman, Mr. goldman votes aye Mrs. dorchak. Mr. pallone. Mr. pallone votes aye. Mr. >> get that reflex. >> miss schakowsky. Mr. matsui. Miss. Castor. Mr. tonko miss castor votes I Mr. tonko Mr. tonko votes I miss clark.
▶ 2:18:31Miss clark votes I Mr. ruiz. Mr. ruiz votes I Mr. peters. Mr. peters votes I Mrs. dingle. Mrs. dingle votes aye Mr. veasey okay. >> five minutes. >> miss kelly. Miss kelly votes I. >> know, chairman. >> Mr. barragan. Mr. soto Mr. soto votes I miss schreyer. Miss schreyer votes I Mr. han. Mr. han votes I miss fletcher.
▶ 2:19:01Miss fletcher votes I miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes aye. Mr. Mr. claus votes aye. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes I Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes aye. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes aye. Mr. lansman. Mr. lansman votes aye. Miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan. Votes aye. Chairman. Guthrie, chairman. Guthrie votes aye.
▶ 2:19:33>> house. Matsui recorded. >> miss matsui is not recorded. Miss matsui votes I. >> how's Mr. jet? >> Mr. jet is not recorded. Mr. get votes I. >> how's Mr. barragan recorded? >> miss barragan is not recorded. Miss barragan votes I. >> okay. How's Mr. marc veasey recorded? >> Mr. veasey is not recorded. Mr. veasey votes. Aye. >> we have any on this side, Mr. palmer, how's Mr. palmer? >> Mr. palmer's not recorded. Mr. palmer votes. I Mr. dunn is not recorded. Mr. dunn votes I.
▶ 2:20:05Mr. frye is not recorded. Mr. frye votes I ask. Mr. joyce is not recorded. Mr. joyce votes I Mr. fulcher is not recorded. Mr. fulcher votes I. Mr. balderson is not recorded. Mr. balderson votes I. Miss cammack is not recorded. Mr. cammack votes I. Mr. james is not recorded. Mr. james votes I. Miss lee is not recorded. Miss lee votes I Mr. dorchak is not recorded. Mr. dorchak votes I.
▶ 2:20:37>> was recorded. >> miss cammack is recorded as I. >> miss Mr. schakowsky recorded. >> miss schakowsky is not recorded. Schakowsky votes I. >> clerk will report. >> Mr. chairman on that vote. There were 51 eyes and zero nose. >> the ayes have it. Bill is adopted. Chair calls up h.r.
▶ 2:21:093699 and ask the clerk to report. >> h.r. 3699, a bill to prohibit states or local governments from prohibiting or limiting the connection. Reconnection modification. >> without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? Mr. chairman, gentleman from new york seek to be recognized. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. We wish to speak on h.r. 3699. >> you're recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.
▶ 2:21:38>> as we begin the full committee consideration of the energy choice act. Let's remember what this bill is fundamentally about. It's protecting affordability, preserving choice, preventing government from banning energy options that american families, businesses, schools, hospitals and first responders depend on every single day. This legislation doesn't tell states what energy they must use. It stops them from telling americans what energy they cannot use. Because when governments start banning energy sources, they don't make energy any cheaper.
▶ 2:22:06They make it more expensive. In the numbers couldn't be clearer. According to the national association of home builders, full electrification mandates add between 15,000 and $22,000 for just the construction costs on a new home. That comes at a time when 75% of american households cannot afford a median price home.
▶ 2:22:27In every $1,000 increase in construction costs, prices out roughly 140,000 families, and after families move in, the monthly bills tell an even harsher reality. A typical household using natural gas for winter heat pays about $602, the same home forced to rely solely on electric heat pays over $1,000, a 42% cost increase every single year, according to the us energy information administration winter fuel outlook.
▶ 2:22:57Even nyserda, new york's own energy authority, acknowledges that converting an existing home to full electrification costs between 18,000 and $28,000 in retrofit costs. In panel upgrade costs alone. These affordability problems aren't limited to homeowners, schools, businesses, farms and hospitals. They face even steeper climbs. According to the us department of energy, heating a classroom with electricity costs 85% more than using natural gas.
▶ 2:23:25Restaurants forced to switch from gas to electric cooking face nearly a three times higher annual energy cost, according to the epa, and farmers are hit especially hard. Nearly 80% of farm operations rely on propane, natural gas or diesel for grain drying, greenhouse heating, irrigation pumps in livestock production and switching to electric can double or triple those energy costs during harvest or cold snaps, leading to increased prices at the grocery store and for hospitals, nursing homes, emergency
▶ 2:23:57Shelters, facilities that cannot afford to lose power when lives are on the line. The department of energy's resilience assessment shows that electric only backup power can be 10 to 15 times more expensive to install and maintain than propane, diesel or natural gas systems. Energy bands don't lower costs. They eliminate the most affordable options first. And when government removes choices, families, small businesses and critical institutions are the ones left paying more for less reliability.
▶ 2:24:26And let's let's be clear protecting energy choice does not strip states or localities of their authority. They still control siting, permitting, zoning, land use, safety, environmental review, every single tool that they have today. What this bill prevents is something different. The outright banning of a lawful energy source sold in interstate commerce that is essential to regional reliability and economic stability.
▶ 2:24:52When one state restricts an energy source, it doesn't just affect their residents, it spills across borders, it disrupts regional grids, and it drives up costs for families hundreds of miles away. That is exactly why the constitution protects interstate commerce, to stop one jurisdiction from imposing energy policies that harm others. The energy choice act protects affordability, reliability and the rights of americans to decide what energy works best for them. And when.
▶ 2:25:22Government bans choices, people pay prices. And that's what this bill prevents. And I yield back, Mr. chairman. >> gentleman yields back. Is there discussion on the bill? The gentlelady from california is recognition on the bill. Matsui okay. I'm sorry. >> um. >> I was told. >> wait a minute. I was told, Mr. carter. Okay. Thank you. >> gentleman from louisiana seek recognition on the bill. Gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 2:25:52I move to strike the last word. Mr. chairman, I must voice strong opposition to h.r. 3699, the so-called entity choice act, which is anything but for all of the rhetoric in congress about small, small, smaller government states rights and empowering local decision making, this bill does the exact opposite.
▶ 2:26:16It is a sweeping big government federal power grab that strips state and local governments of their core authorities to keep their residents safe. This bill would prohibit cities, counties and states from adopting or enforcing any building codes, safety standards, or local policies that directly or indirectly affect access to an energy source, whether it's gas, propane, hydrogen, gasoline, or
▶ 2:26:46Electricity. This is about all the implications. Think about all the implications here. That language can be so broad that it can override everything from fire safety codes to resilience standards, to decisions about how communities rebuild after disasters, something that can be incredibly detrimental. In my district in south louisiana, local officials know the needs of their communities best.
▶ 2:27:13They are the first people residents call when there's an explosion, a carbon monoxide leak, a pipeline accident, a wildfire or a grid failure. But under this bill, those same local officials would be prevented from from providing protection in place that fit their community. This bill doesn't create choice.
▶ 2:27:37It takes choice away from the people on the ground who understand their communities and their risk best. It is also important to underscore that this bill would raise energy costs for families that are already stretched. Then state state utility commissions exist for one reason to protect ratepayers from unnecessary or unreasonable utility spending.
▶ 2:28:04But if this commission if if a commission wants to reject a costly, wasteful, obsolete infrastructure project, this bill would stop them. When these commissions can't do their jobs, those costs don't disappear. They get passed straight to the customer.
▶ 2:28:19And in higher monthly energy bills, at a time when families are already struggling with higher energy costs, congress should strengthen ratepayer protections, not handcuff the very entities responsible for holding utilities accountable.
▶ 2:28:37There's nothing small government about a federal law that preempts local control, undermine safety standards, handcuff state regulators, and blocks communities from choosing the energy system that works best for them. If anything, this bill is washington at its worst, imposing a one size fits all mandate on every community in america.
▶ 2:29:03The truth is simple local leaders, not federal politicians, know how to keep their community safe. They know what infrastructure makes sense for them. They know what risk exists. They know how to balance reliability, affordability and public health. This bill strips that judgment away and concentrates power in washington instead of in the communities that know it best. Trust our local government. That's why they're there.
▶ 2:29:30For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to reject this bill, protect local authority, protect public health and safety, protect ratepayers, and vote no on this legislation I yield. >> the gentleman yields back. And the chair recognizes Mr. carter from georgia to speak on the bill. >> Mr. chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. chairman, I'm proud to co-sponsor h.r. 3699, the energy choice act. And I thank my friend, representative langworthy, for introducing this bill.
▶ 2:29:58This common sense legislation prohibits states and local governments from banning energy service connections, modifications, or expansions based on the source of energy that is to be delivered. The american public deserves affordable, reliable energy. Limiting what sources of energy can be used is foolish. Foolish. In a time where ai is on the rise and electricity demand is forecast to skyrocket across the country, we must look at all of the above solution for energy.
▶ 2:30:27We truly need every electron available to power our growth. Top down green energy scam energy regulations will halt growth and raise energy prices. H.r. 3699 ensures that american citizens and businesses have the right to choose what sources of energy best fit their needs. I want to thank representative langworthy for introducing this legislation and urge my colleagues to vote for this bill. Thank you, Mr. chairman, and I yield back.
▶ 2:30:57>> gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from anyone to speak on the bill? Gentleman. Gentlelady from california recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I move to strike the last word and speaking. Thank you. Um, as my colleagues have pointed out, the broad and vague wording of this bill would inadvertently eliminate many of the critical safety regulations that state and local governments use to protect our communities in california and across the west.
▶ 2:31:25We know all too well that energy policy is a matter of life and death when it comes to wildfires, and because of this risk, we've given the california public utilities commission the authority to order a public safety power shutoff during high risk conditions to prevent power lines from sparking a catastrophic wildfire.
▶ 2:31:46Unfortunately, this bill is drafted so broadly it would prohibit public safety power shut offs, putting communities across california at unnecessary and extreme risk. And it doesn't stop there. This same language will be used to attack emergency safety shutoffs during earthquakes. It could ban building codes that help prevent electrical fires. This is not a trivial matter in california. We need every tool available to prevent deadly fires and keep families safe.
▶ 2:32:18This bill would rip those tools away and tie the hands of state and local officials who are working hard to keep us safe. I urge my republican colleagues to put public safety ahead of the needs of their oil and gas buddies, and oppose this bill. I yield back the balance of my time. >> gentlelady yields back the gentleman. Anyone seek recognition to speak on the bill? Gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I move to strike the last word.
▶ 2:32:49Uh, the energy choice act. It restores balance in our energy policy. First, it protects energy choice. It ensures consumers decide how they heat their homes, cook their meals, and power their homes and businesses. The bill does not pick energy source winners and losers. It ensures energy access remains diverse and competitive. Why do we feel like we need this? Because across the country, in states like california and new york, they're pushing misguided bans on natural gas hookups and other reliable and affordable energy sources.
▶ 2:33:18So, of course, the wealthy elites in these states, they can afford to virtue signal with their luxury policy beliefs. Why? Because they don't even look at their electric bills. You know who does? Regular middle class families and businesses. So these top down mandates force families into higher cost options. Instead of choosing what works best for their needs and their budgets.
▶ 2:33:38And so for too long, our country has fallen victim to this, this radical environmentalism instead of rational environmentalism, where alarmist climate change worldview is divorced from reality. Because the truth is that cutting off energy options in an era where we need way more energy, not less, does nothing to help the environment, and does everything to hurt regular americans trying to pay their bills.
▶ 2:34:02That's why I urge my colleagues to support the energy choice act to protect energy freedom, secure energy dominance for our country, and promote prosperity for our own people. Thank you, Mr. chairman. I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Anyone to begin discussion on the bill, the gentlelady from texas recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you so much, chairman guthrie. I move to strike the last word. Great. Thank you.
▶ 2:34:24Um, as co-chair of the natural gas caucus, I understand how damaging arbitrary bans on energy sources can be to providers ability to supply dependable, affordable energy. And as energy prices are projected to increase, as we've talked about repeatedly on this committee and as extreme weather events that disrupt energy delivery become more common, as we've also discussed in this committee, it's really crucial that we on this committee and everyone in this congress work to ensure that
▶ 2:34:55Our energy system becomes more durable and can deliver the energy our constituents need. Arbitrary bans on resources do not serve this purpose, whether they're for traditional energy sources like oil and gas, or whether they're on renewables like wind and solar. And since president trump's inauguration, he's led an unrelenting and pointless attack on renewable energy in texas.
▶ 2:35:18We have seen the devastating impacts of extreme weather events and a dramatic loss in energy supply. And my my friends here from texas, uh, know we all experienced it together during winter storm uri, which I've talked about several times in this committee. Um, we lost more than 200 texans, one of them a little boy who froze to death in his bed not far from where I live.
▶ 2:35:44And I think it's really important to understand, um, that we live in fear of the risk of grid failures. And that's why, you know, one of the things that texas has done in the last couple of years is connected power generation assets to the grid at record pace. Um, it is the diversification of our resources on the grid that gives the grid flexibility and strength.
▶ 2:36:09This year, lots of different studies ranked texas as among the highest risk states for power outages over the summer. And yet, thanks to this really aggressive addition of battery storage and solar generation capacity, the grid manage the high demand without emergencies. So I sincerely hope that other states and local governments will see that the variety that we have in texas of energy supply, uh, is a good model.
▶ 2:36:35Maybe it is the model, um, for the benefits of an all of the above energy strategy, which we talk about a lot on this committee. Um, and so if we look at that and we avoid arbitrary bans on resources like the president has instituted, I think we'd all be much better off. Um, but in this committee, it's our responsibility to ensure that our energy system is positioned to deliver and provide durable, affordable energy.
▶ 2:37:02And unfortunately, I think the bill that we're considering right now falls short of that goal. Um, the amendments that were adopted in subcommittee actually made the bill more vague and ambiguous. And as it stands now, it really strips away state and local authority.
▶ 2:37:18Um, several of my colleagues have talked about that already today, but it takes away the authority for the people closest to the challenges, whether they are weather challenges or other challenges, um, to create safety standards for energy delivery that keep communities safe. And that's what they're there to do.
▶ 2:37:36As the bill is written, it could prevent local governments from enforcing local building, fire and electrical safety codes, from ordering emergency shutoffs during wildfires, floods or grid failures, um, and from regulating neighborhood gas lines to prevent leaks and explosions. And so, you know, since these activities could be seen as limiting the use of energy, this bill could prevent local governments from keeping our communities safe.
▶ 2:37:59It also conflicts with established laws that rely on partnership with state authorities, like the clean air act and pipeline safety laws, creating a legal and regulatory framework. Um, and that really creates a lot of uncertainty. Um, so, you know, as I see it, um, the the president's approach to energy, um, and the tariff policies are already creating extreme uncertainty and confusion, uh, for energy industry stakeholders.
▶ 2:38:28I think we're all hearing that in different ways. And adding to that confusion and adding to that uncertainty really isn't going to help deliver dependable, affordable energy that we need. So I hope the committee, uh, can come together and work on real solutions for these issues. Um, we talked about them. We've had a lot of hearings on them. And I think that, um, we know the issues we're facing.
▶ 2:38:52Uh, certainly we need to address them things like, um, this bill don't help us move forward. Um, other things that we need to do, uh, can help us move forward and help our local governments keep our communities safe. So, uh, thank you, Mr. chairman. With that, I yield back. >> thank you. The gentlelady yields back. Is there any discussion on the bill? Gentlelady from florida is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I yield my time to the gentleman from new york, Mr. langworthy.
▶ 2:39:24>> thank you, Mr. chairman. Let's set the record straight. The energy choice act does not trample over any local control over permitting, zoning, siting or public safety. States and local governments still have full authority to decide where a project goes, how it's reviewed, what environmental standards it must meet, and whether an application is approved or rejected.
▶ 2:39:43They can deny a project for traffic impacts, noise, wetlands, height restrictions, community character, every traditional land use and permitting rationale remains fully intact, as does the public safety components. What this bill prevents is something entirely different a blanket ideological ban on an entire energy source that exists in interstate commerce. That's the key distinction. This legislation doesn't touch permitting, it doesn't touch zoning, it doesn't touch siting, it doesn't touch nepa or state environmental review.
▶ 2:40:13Localities can still reject a solar project. They can still reject a wind turbine. They can still deny a pipeline or a substation if it violates zoning or environmental rules. What they can't do is outlaw the underlying fuel itself. Permitting authority stays with the state's zoning authority, stays with the localities. Land use authority stays exactly where it is today.
▶ 2:40:34The only thing that this bill stops is the use of bans to eliminate lawful, affordable, reliable energy sources and to force every family and business into a single, more expensive option. I may share some of your view, some of the views of my colleague from texas if I lived in texas, but my state has decided to arbitrarily ban safe and reliable fuels that have created a life and death situation for people that live in my cold weather community. This is not preemption of local review.
▶ 2:41:04It is protection against energy and prohibition. I mean, and also on the idea of natural disaster being in danger here that I live this in, in, in one of the harshest blizzards in my community.
▶ 2:41:18And as we see across upstate new york on a regular basis, that's what's created this dilemma for the people of the state of new york, where we had hurricane force winds in six feet of snow all at once in the the grid went down and people froze to death in their homes. And now we have a state that, in their infinite wisdom, has his banned future buildings having anything but fully electrical heat.
▶ 2:41:45Those people would have gotten a death sentence in our death toll would have been ten, if not 100 times higher. So this is a life and death matter for my constituents and many constituencies across the united states of america. And I want to thank the gentlelady from florida for yielding me her time. And I yield back. >> to lady yields back. >> yield back, Mr. >> chairman, yields back. And further discussion on the bill. Gentleman from new jersey is recognized for five minutes on the bill. >> thank you chairman.
▶ 2:42:12I just want to I appreciate my colleagues across the aisle. My colleague from georgia said that limiting sources of energy would be, quote, foolish. I agree. Uh, that's why I'm surprised when president trump, uh, canceled revolution wind that republicans were all silent on it. Um, he even spoke to that. We need all the above strategy and energy production. We've had secretary right here who has said he does not believe in all the above strategy.
▶ 2:42:39So when the administration's not here, you guys speak to the power and all the above strategy on energy production. Uh, when you have the opportunity to press them on why they're canceling offshore wind, why they're rolling back investments in renewable energy that create greater energy production, you have nothing to say. Even our colleague from texas was critical of, quote, cutting off energy options. That's exactly what the trump administration is doing. So where is the criticism of the trump administration when they're they're taking us in the wrong direction, limiting options.
▶ 2:43:09And states like rhode island, new jersey, north carolina want to have you guys are all silent. Then, uh, we know that we need more energy production, but we need to press the administration to stop picking winners and losers like you suggest that they do. And an important reminder from my colleague from texas was talking about new york and california and all these woke states. Texas must be the most woke state, because 30% of their energy production comes from renewable energy. So why wouldn't we want that across the country? It's just ridiculous.
▶ 2:43:37Uh, but I'm glad they're finally saying the right things. I hope they say it when the administration's here, and I hope they push back on all the harm that this administration is doing, not just when it's convenient. And with that, I yield back. >> yields back. Further discussion on the bill. Gentlelady from florida seek recognition on the bill or. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. >> so it's appropriate time for amendments. No further discussion. The lady has amendment at the desk. You report your or identify. >> labeled men underscore 0303.
▶ 2:44:09>> the clerk will report. >> amendment to the committee print for h.r. 369. >> without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and the gentlelady from florida is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment. >> well, thank you, Mr. chairman. My amendment seeks to address some of the very serious flaws with the bill. The bill is overly broad. It has a very disruptive preemption of local and state uh, policies.
▶ 2:44:39It is it's a concerning threat to the health and safety of our neighbors back home. And it really does nothing to address, uh, lowering costs, uh, for, for people back home. It likely makes it worse. And I want to thank my colleagues, uh, on this side of the aisle who have spoken with great clarity, uh, Mr. carter, miss matsui, miss fletcher, Mr. menendez, uh, for laying out, uh, the flaws in the bill.
▶ 2:45:05Uh, my republican colleagues have portrayed the bill as an effort to promote community energy choice, to push back against so-called gas bans. But if you read the text of the bill, in reality, this is much more complicated. There is no energy choice. That is a misnomer. Uh, the bill is a sweeping federal power grab that overrides state and local rights. It impedes safety standards, and it makes it harder for utility commissions to fairly, uh, assign costs.
▶ 2:45:36It's full of vague language that would upend decades of established practice meant to protect the public. Uh, and it will create chaos, uh, when they go to implement it. This bill would make our communities less safe. My neighbors in florida know how quickly our local utilities must respond to emergencies like hurricanes helene and milton, which devastated my community last year.
▶ 2:46:01So in many communities that face other catastrophes, whether it's floods or wildfires or grid failures, utilities will order shutoffs. But this bill could block cities and counties from doing that. And municipalities often have other protections to deny high risk hydrogen or propane installations near homes and schools hospitals. But this bill would block those protections.
▶ 2:46:27This bill could prevent local governments from enforcing local building, fire and electrical safety codes. It could interfere with approving or siting new gas stations, and it could make it harder to regulate neighborhood gas lines to prevent leaks and explosions. You know, builders and inspectors, utilities all depend on stable federal regulation to provide clear rules.
▶ 2:46:51Uh, but if this bill removes those rules, local officials will not have the guidance they need to approve permits or conduct inspections. States will have to enforce other federal laws, like the natural gas pipeline safety act and the clean air act, but this bill will conflict with those provisions. So all of this creates too much confusion. And as a result, projects will be stalled and cost will go up for homeowners and businesses.
▶ 2:47:20Uh, speaking of costs, let's look at the text of the bill. A state or local government may not adopt, implement, or enforce a law or regulation that prohibits or limits the connection, reconnection, modification, or access to an energy service based on the type or source of energy. We discussed this in the energy subcommittee. Uh, this creates a lot of problems.
▶ 2:47:49For example, this could prevent state utility regulators from setting certain electricity rates for data centers or allowing incentives for curtailed loads that could lead to slower ai build out and higher rates for everybody. So my amendment helps alleviate some of this confusion. It clarifies the bill's scope. Uh, but it would still outlaw state and local or local governments from direct prohibition of an energy service, like implementing a natural gas ban.
▶ 2:48:18It would make the bill do what the majority actually says that it does. Uh, my amendment would also explicitly preserve the authorities of local governments and regulators to implement energy rates and tariffs and the safety of energy infrastructure. These are common sense clarifications that we should all agree on. Uh, state and local leaders know how to keep their communities safe. We should trust them to do that, not tie their hands and take choices away from them.
▶ 2:48:50Uh, so if my friends across the aisle are are serious about defending local control and public safety and fair, responsible energy governance governance, they should support my amendment. In the end, the american people want cleaner, cheaper energy. Safe energy. Uh, don't don't let's not move in the opposite direction through this bill and keep higher costs on families back home. Uh, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I yield back my time. >> gentlelady yields back.
▶ 2:49:18Is there any discussion on the amendment? Gentleman from new york is recognized to speak on the amendment. >> Mr. chairman, I move to strike the last word and speak. >> gentleman is recognized to speak on the amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. Once again, states, do not lose a single ounce of their regulatory power under this bill, not one. The energy choice act does not interfere with the states ability to regulate utilities, prevent price gouging, hold rate cases, or protect consumers from unfair billing practices.
▶ 2:49:44States retain full authority over rate setting utility commissions, service reliability standards, billing transparency, consumer protections, and emergency shutdown protocols. Every tool state regulators use today, they keep tomorrow, public utility commissions will still be able to investigate abuses, enforce price caps during emergencies, crackdown on predatory pricing, and regulate exactly how energy is delivered, billed, financed and supplied. All of them remain untouched.
▶ 2:50:11Because this bill isn't about deregulating utilities, it's about stopping governments from banning entire energy sources based solely on what they are, not how they how safely or reliably they operate. Regulating for safety pricing, reliability is constitutional, inappropriate, politically motivated fuel bans that distort interstate commerce are not. So yes, states can still regulate prices. Audit utilities, impose consumer protections, intervene during emergencies, enforce competitive rates and order shutdowns when needed.
▶ 2:50:41Nothing in this bill changes any of that. The energy choice act protects access to lawful energy. It does not deregulate it. It preserves every state level authority that ensures transparency, oversight, affordability and consumer protection. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment because it is a distraction to the underlying legislation and unnecessary.
▶ 2:51:02This amendment would undermine the intent of this legislation to drive competition and protect consumer choice, to ensure lower costs for hardworking american families, states and localities across the country have responsibly enacted energy choice protections that ensure competition in. There has been no discernible effect on safety or rate schedules for the end use of energy. In fact, states and localities that have enacted energy choice protections have seen lower energy costs for families and more affordable housing.
▶ 2:51:31The energy choice act is critical to addressing affordability for the nation, and I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Anyone else seeking recognition on the amendment? None. The. >> which page do you want to read from? >> alright.
▶ 2:51:55Uh, we will now, um, take a vote on this and a roll call has been requested. So if we could have a roll call. Vote, please. >> Mr. latta. Mr. griffith. >> no. >> Mr. griffith votes no. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. hudson. Mr.
▶ 2:52:26Carter of georgia. Mr. palmer, Mr. palmer votes no. Mr. dunn. Mr. dunn votes no. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce, Mr. joyce votes no. Mr. weber. Mr. weber votes no. Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes no. Mr. balderson, Mr.
▶ 2:52:55Balderson votes no. Mr. fulcher, Mr. fulcher votes no. Mr. pflueger. Mrs. harshbarger, Mrs. harshbarger votes no. Mrs. miller-meeks, Mrs. miller-meeks votes no. Mrs. cammack, Mrs. carmack votes no. Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes no. Mr. james, Mr. james votes no. Mr.
▶ 2:53:28Bentz, Mr. bentz votes no. Mrs. houchin. Mr. frey, Mr. frey votes no. Miss lee, miss lee votes no. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes no. Mr. cain, Mr. cain votes no. Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes no. Mr. evans, Mr. evans votes no. Mr. coleman. Mr. coleman votes no. Mr.
▶ 2:53:58Fedorchuk. Mr. fedorchuk votes no. Mr. pallone. Mr. malone votes aye. Mr. get. Mr. get votes. Aye. Mr. schakowsky. Schakowsky. Votes. Aye. Miss. Matsui, miss. Matsui votes I miss castor. Miss castor votes I, Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes I miss clark. Mr. ruiz. Mr. ruiz votes I Mr. peters. Mr.
▶ 2:54:27Peters votes I. Mrs. dingle, Mrs. dingle votes I. Mr. veasey. Miss. Kelly. Mr. barragan, miss. Barragan, votes I Mr. soto. Mr. soto, votes I miss schreyer. Mrs. schreyer, votes I Mr. han.
▶ 2:55:01Miss fletcher. Mr. ocasio-cortez. Mr. auchincloss, Mr. kloss, votes I. Mr. carter, louisiana. Mr. carter, louisiana, votes I Mr. menendez, Mr. menendez, votes I. Mr. mullin. Mr. mullin, votes I Mr. landsman. Mr. landsman votes I miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes I chairman.
▶ 2:55:30Guthrie, chairman. Guthrie votes no. >> Mr. chairman. >> uh, how's Mr. latta recorded? >> Mr. latta is not recorded. >> latta votes no. >> Mr. latta votes no. Mr. carter of georgia is not recorded. Mr. carter of georgia votes no. >> Mr. crenshaw. >> Mr. crenshaw is not recorded. Mr. crenshaw votes no. >> Mr. trahan. >> Mr. trahan is not recorded. Mr. trahan votes I.
▶ 2:56:01>> yes. >> miss fletcher. >> Mrs. fletcher is not recorded. Miss fletcher votes I. >> miss ocasio-cortez. >> miss ocasio-cortez is not recorded. Mr. ocasio-cortez votes I. >> Mr. pelham recorded. He got recorded. Okay. Anyone else seeking recognition so their vote can be recorded. Alright. Seeing none. If the clerk would report the vote please.
▶ 2:56:48>> Mr. chairman, on that vote, there were 21 I's and 26 noes. >> 21 I's, 26 no's. The amendment is not agreed to. Are there further amendments? Seeing no further amendments? It's on passage of the bill. All those in favor say aye. No. No.
▶ 2:57:17Uh, roll call has been requested. If the clerk will please call the roll. >> Mr. latta. >> aye. >> Mr. lot of votes. Aye, Mr. griffith. Aye. Mr. griffith votes aye. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. hudson. Mr. carter of georgia, Mr. carter of georgia, votes aye. Mr. palmer, Mr. palmer votes aye. Mr. dunn. Mr.
▶ 2:57:47Dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce, Mr. joyce votes aye. Mr. weber, Mr. weber votes aye. Mr. alan. Mr. alan votes aye Mr. balderson, Mr. balderson votes aye. Mr. fulcher. Mr. fulcher votes aye Mr. pfluger. Mrs.
▶ 2:58:17Harshbarger, Mr. harshbarger votes aye. Mrs. miller-meeks. Mrs. miller-meeks votes aye. Mrs. carmack, Mrs. carmack votes aye. Mr. obernolte. Mr. james. Mr. james votes aye. Mr. bentz, Mr. bentz votes aye. Mrs. houchin. Mr. frye. Mr.
▶ 2:58:44Frye votes I miss lee, miss lee votes I Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes aye. Mr. cain. Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr. goldman Mr. goldman votes I. Mrs. fedorchuk. Mr. fedorchuk votes aye. Mr. pallone. Mr. pallone votes no. Mr. get Mr.
▶ 2:59:16Get votes. No. Miss. Schakowsky. Schakowsky votes no. Mr. matsui Mr. matsui votes no. Miss. Castor. Miss. Castor votes no. Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes no. Miss. Clark. Mr. ruiz, Mr. ruiz votes no. Mr. peters, Mr. peters votes no. Mrs. dingell, Mrs. dingell, votes no. Mr.
▶ 2:59:46Veasey. Miss. Kelly. Miss. Barragan, miss. Barragan, votes no. Mr. soto, Mr. soto votes no. Miss schreyer, miss schreyer, votes no. Mr. han. Mr. han votes no. Miss fletcher, miss fletcher votes no. Miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes no. Mr. Mr. votes no. Mr.
▶ 3:00:16Carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes no. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes no. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes no. Mr. heinzman. Mr. landsman votes no. Miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes no. Chairman. Guthrie, chairman. Guthrie votes aye. >> house. Mr. crenshaw recorded. >> Mr. crenshaw is not recorded. Mr. crenshaw votes I.
▶ 3:01:47>> alright. Clerk will report to vote. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote there were 24 eyes and 21 noes. >> 24 eyes, 21 nos. The bill is agreed to and forwarded on to the floor.
▶ 3:02:04Chair now calls up h.r. 5184 and asks the clerk to report. >> h.r. 5184, a bill to prohibit the secretary of energy from enforcing energy efficiency standards applicable to manufactured housing and for other purposes.
▶ 3:02:35>> without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any time so ordered. Alright. Does anyone wish to speak on the measure? Recognize the gentlelady from indiana, miss houchin, for five minutes. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I move to strike the last word.
▶ 3:03:05Uh, thank you to chairman guthrie and ranking member pallone. Um, I'm speaking today in support of my bill, h.r. 518 for the affordable homes act, which I introduced with congressman mike flood. Across the country, the housing market continues to tighten, and families are feeling the impact. Manufactured housing is a proven, cost effective solution, serving first time homebuyers, young families and seniors.
▶ 3:03:31Yet washington has created conflicting regulatory regimes that increase compliance costs, compliance costs and slow production. That's what the affordable homes act aims to fix. It's straightforward and common sense. It restores hud's long standing role as the single regulator for manufactured housing construction standards, and removes doe's overlapping authority. The bill also reflects bipartisan collaboration.
▶ 3:04:00We adopted an amendment to allow doe to retain an advisory role, ensuring agencies can share technical expertise without creating conflicting or unworkable requirements. The goal is clarity, not chaos, so manufacturers can build more homes and families can afford them. The bottom line is when standards are clear, homes get built. The affordable homes act delivers that clarity, and I urge my colleagues to support h.r.
▶ 3:04:285184, the affordable homes act. Thank you, Mr. chairman, and I yield back. >> gentlelady yields back. Now, recognize the gentleman from new jersey, Mr. pallone, for five minutes. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. Americans know all too well that we're in the midst of a housing crisis. Not only are we facing a shortage of housing, but also historically high home prices that americans are struggling to afford.
▶ 3:04:52Manufactured homes, however, are an important component of our affordable housing stock, and I appreciate my republican colleagues concern for the cost of buying a new home. The current housing affordability crisis and shortages concerning. And it's crushing american families dreams. However, h.r. 5184 is far from a real solution to solving this crisis. In fact, I'm concerned it will only make matters worse. The bill attempts to revoke the department of energy's may 2022 energy conservation standard for manufactured housing.
▶ 3:05:24Supporters of this bill suggest that doe standards for manufactured homes are negatively impacting affordability, and I think nothing could be further from the truth. What's really impacting housing affordability is trump's disastrous tariffs on essential building materials and appliances, not energy efficiency standards that lower monthly energy bills.
▶ 3:05:42In reality, the department of energy worked with the us department of housing and urban development to balance upfront costs with long term affordability and to revoke the rule is just robbing families of significant and much needed energy cost savings. When talking about affordability, it's imperative that we also consider the cost of actually living in these homes, and energy use is a big part of that. And this is even more important at a time when electricity costs are spiking across the country.
▶ 3:06:10The bill also removes doe's authority to set efficiency standards for manufactured homes and shirks responsibility to hud. Not only does this give away energy and commerce jurisdiction, which I always concerns me, but it also jeopardizes cost savings for millions of americans in the years that hud was previously responsible for setting energy efficiency standards for manufactured homes, prior to 2007, the agency failed to act.
▶ 3:06:39So it's no wonder that energy costs for manufactured homes are 70% more per square feet higher compared to site built homes, so doe's may 2022 standard was long overdue. Manufactured housing residents had gone without an updated standard for nearly 30 years before the department of energy final rule. Now, why should we trust hud to safeguard manufactured housing residents from exorbitantly high energy bills? Now, after so many years of inaction?
▶ 3:07:06While the bill was amended during the subcommittee markup to allow doe to make efficiency recommendations to hud on on energy conservation standards, which hud, I think is likely to ignore. That amendment still failed to address the fatal flaws in the underlying bill. The bill still nullifies doe's manufactured housing rule, jeopardizing billions in savings for families. And this is entirely unacceptable. We should be fighting to raise the standard of living, of manufactured housing residents, not lowering it.
▶ 3:07:36So I still strongly oppose this bill, and I support making housing more affordable for americans. But I don't think that h.r. 5184 is the solution. Mr. chairman, I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. Anyone else seeking recognition on the bill? >> ro khanna roll call? Recognition?
▶ 3:08:03Jake wants to speak. >> jake, welcome. >> thank you. Uh, Mr. klaus is recognized for five minutes. >> thank you. Chair. >> I appreciate the majority. And, uh, the congresswoman from indiana's willingness to work together on this issue and for supporting my amendment, which preserved the advisory role for the department of energy while giving hud final authority to adopt standards for manufactured housing. That final authority and sole authority will create streamlined, clear regulations.
▶ 3:08:36Uh, and that's critical because housing is the single largest expense for american households, and decreasing housing costs is the most important domestic economic issue we face as a country. We need to build 5 million new units of housing this decade, and we are woefully behind. That's why I support this amended bill. Manufactured and modular housing promises to be a critical way to ensure housing supply at scale.
▶ 3:08:59At the same time as we are, uh, building out an industry that promises a lot of good jobs, but only if we remove the regulatory barriers to building manufactured housing at that scale. And streamlined, uh, regulations are a critical part of that. With the inclusion of my amendment, the bill will retain the department of energy's input on energy efficiency standards in an advisory capacity, as is appropriate for the department that has those experts on energy efficiency.
▶ 3:09:28Uh, so that means that doe experts at the national labs will be able to provide input and research into creating those standards. Ultimately, though, hud is going to have the final say on adopting the recommendations from doe. That's appropriate because overall housing affordability takes precedent over just one component of affordability. Hud should be the agency that evaluates the overall impact on housing affordability for consumers. I'm absolutely in favor of ensuring that appliances and houses are efficient, and saving money on total cost of ownership.
▶ 3:09:57There's a lot of factors that go into that total cost of ownership, construction and housing costs, as well as the overall energy usage. And hud should be able to look at all of those factors holistically, taking an input from department of energy and making a determination that will save consumers the most money, including factoring in that, uh, expanded production of modular housing will save save those consumers money.
▶ 3:10:22Boosting manufactured and modular housing is an opportunity to build our way out of our current housing crisis, and we should support common sense reform that will unleash housing production. I support my colleague. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I would reserve the balance of my time. Uh, chairman. >> well, you can yield it. I'm not sure you can reserve it. >> I can't hold on to it in case someone said something else. >> no, but I think I think that's a good effort. I like the ingenuity.
▶ 3:10:54>> well, all. >> right, will the gentleman yield? >> then I. >> yield it. Will the gentleman? Oh, I was going to say. Would the gentleman yield to me? >> yes. Can I. >> gentleman yield back? >> uh. Thank you. I just want to thank, um, Mr. klaus for working with us on this bill. I do think that the amendment made an improvement to, uh, this this, uh, the language that we had. I think it's going to be a good first step toward, um, trying to get us into, um, more housing around which will ultimately reduce housing costs. So. Thank you. I yield back.
▶ 3:11:25>> gentlelady yields. Back to the gentleman. What would the gentleman like to do at this point? >> I would yield to the gentleman from ohio. >> can I. >> thank you. >> mister chair? Um, so I have a couple questions. Just two. The the may 22nd standard question, which is so obviously, uh, the goal here is to build more housing, uh, less expensive housing, which I support.
▶ 3:11:52And having the clear standard makes sense. The doe advisory role is very smart. So I want to thank both of you. Uh, I guess the the concern that folks are going to have is on utility costs.
▶ 3:12:08So I just the may 22nd standard, which obviously plays a role in reducing ultimately the utility costs for those folks who then buy know, this, this manufactured home, uh, is is are the ways in which we should tackle what would be a real challenge if people are going to have to start paying higher utility bills.
▶ 3:12:37>> so the gentleman from ohio is yielding back to the gentleman from massachusetts, who yield to the gentlelady from indiana to answer the question. >> thanks. Uh. >> I'll yield to her first. Yeah, sure. >> uh. >> I was just going to say that, um, my view, uh, which is why we one of the reasons why I brought the bill is that when we're trying to get people in homes. Yes. Do we want to get to energy efficiency standards? We do.
▶ 3:13:03But if they're adding to the cost of the ultimate purchase, then the consumer should be able to choose the price level at which they can get into the home. And that might be getting into the home as a priority over the necessary energy efficiency standards, which may be able to go back to a budgeting issue later in a household. So I'm trying to get people into homes, I think. Not that we're not concerned about energy efficiency. Uh, but we we certainly, in my view, need to prioritize getting the cost down. And this is a way to do that.
▶ 3:13:32>> gentlelady from indiana yields back to the gentleman from massachusetts who now yields the remainder of his time, to the gentleman from ohio. >> you yield back. >> back to massachusetts. Sorry. >> thank you. Um, at the core of this bill is just the question of who decides, right. So energy department put out these standards and hud can adopt them if they want to. The question is, who makes the comprehensive decision about the total cost of ownership for these houses and the former? The status quo before was nobody, right?
▶ 3:14:01It was doe and hud debating it, and that created a very predictable bureaucratic confusion. Uh, what this bill does is it says hud decides. Now, hud, you have to go ask department of energy for their input. But ultimately, hud, we trust you to take into account both energy efficiency issues, which matter for total cost of ownership and the potential increase in cost of production and distribution, which also matters for total cost of ownership. And you hud should balance that to lower overall costs for consumers I yield back.
▶ 3:14:31>> gentleman yields back. Do we have anyone else seeking recognition on gentleman from ohio is recognized for five minutes. >> uh, I just want to thank you both again. I do appreciate the intent here. And I'm I'm on the fence, legitimately on the fence. And, uh, you know, I appreciate the argument and the work clearly standardizing, uh, the the process here makes makes a lot of sense.
▶ 3:14:55Uh, and I know that the cost to build is, is a big part of why we have a housing crisis. And the cost of housing is so much higher than than it should be. The utility cost piece does worry me. Obviously. I know it worries all of you.
▶ 3:15:12So I guess the, uh, the question is not one to be answered in today, but, you know, what should we be doing to monitor, right, to make sure that this isn't leading to folks going into homes where they're then paying, uh, you know, much higher utility rates. And if there is a way, in a bipartisan manner to work on helping folks, if that is the case. Right?
▶ 3:15:42So we want people to be able to make that decision. I get that and get into that home. I, I appreciate that. >> can I ask the gentleman to yield to me when he's. >> finished now? Yeah. Of course. >> okay.
▶ 3:15:57>> I just wanted you to know that the department of energy worked with hud to set the 2022 energy conservation standard for for manufactured housing, and the standard is projected to save consumers $5 billion in costs, even when you include the upfront costs. Now, while there is a slight increase in the upfront purchase price of manufactured housing, that cost is spread over the life of the mortgage, and homeowners will immediately see energy savings on the monthly bills.
▶ 3:16:25So then benefits in energy savings to the consumer offsets the increase in the purchase price, in my opinion. So I didn't want you to think that we, you know, that this wasn't a concerted effort to address affordability, both with the actual energy monthly bill as well as with the cost of the home when you buy it. Yeah, I yield back. >> the gentleman from ohio.
▶ 3:16:50>> yield one one moment I appreciate that I do, I do, uh, realize though that it it does increase the cost. Right. And so for some folks maybe it priced them out of that home. We don't I don't have any of this data in front of me, but I suspect that's probably true. I do think, assuming this passes, that one thing we should work on together is at least monitoring, figuring out how to track this. Uh, but appreciating that it probably will lead to folks having to pay more and utility costs.
▶ 3:17:19And what is it that we should be doing together to ease that burden, which I think we couldn't do? I yield to Mr. chair, can I yield my yields? >> and gentleman from massachusetts. >> uh, just reiterate, nothing stops hud from adopting those standards. Again if they want to. This bill is not actually about any specific standard. It's about who decides and who is best positioned to take into account total cost of ownership and when it's total cost of ownership for a house.
▶ 3:17:47I think the department of housing and urban development is best positioned to do that. Totally agree with you. Uh, about the question of overall utilities costs. I think they're the biggest impact we're going to have, frankly, is on, you know, transmission and generation questions that we're working on this committee as well. Um, and so we don't want to try to boil the ocean in this one, bill. >> fair enough. >> I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Anyone else seeking recognition?
▶ 3:18:14Seeing none, we will now vote on h.r. 5184, and a recorded vote is requested. All those in favor say aye. The clerk will call the roll. >> aye. >> Mr. lada. >> aye. >> Mr. lot of votes, aye. Mr. griffith. >> aye. >> Mr. griffith votes. Aye. Aye. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. hudson. Mr.
▶ 3:18:47Carter of georgia, Mr. carter of georgia, votes aye. Mr. palmer, Mr. palmer votes aye. Mr. dunn. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce, Mr. joyce votes aye. Mr. weber, Mr. weber votes aye. Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes aye. Mr. balderson. Mr. balderson votes aye. Mr. fulcher. Mr.
▶ 3:19:15Fulcher votes aye Mr. pfluger. Mrs. harshbarger, Mrs. harshbarger votes aye. Mrs. miller-meeks. Mr. miller-meeks votes I Mrs. carmack, Mrs. carmack votes I. Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes aye. Mr. james. Mr. james votes aye Mr. bentz. Mr.
▶ 3:19:41Bentz votes aye. Mrs. houchin. Mrs. houchin votes aye. Mr. frye. Mr. frye votes I miss lee. Miss lee, votes aye. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes aye. Mr. cain, Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr. goldman, Mr. goldman votes aye. Mrs.
▶ 3:20:13Fedorchuk. Mr. fedorchuk votes aye. Mr. pallone. >> no. >> Mr. malone votes no. Mr. get. Mr. get votes. No. Miss. Schakowsky votes no. Miss. Matsui. Miss. Matsui votes no. Miss. Castor, miss. Castor votes no. Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes no. Miss. Clark. Mr. ruiz, Mr. ruiz votes no. Mr.
▶ 3:20:41Peters, Mr. peters votes aye. Mrs. dingell, Mrs. dingell, votes no. Mr. veasey. Miss kelly. >> is the one with. >> the falkland islands. >> miss. Barragan. >> yes. >> mister. Soto. Mister soto votes I miss schreyer. Kim schrier votes no, Mr. han.
▶ 3:21:07I Mr. han votes I miss fletcher. Miss fletcher votes no. Miss ocasio-cortez, miss ocasio-cortez votes no. >> Mr. I. >> Mr. claus votes I. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes no. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes no. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes no. Mr. landsman. I Mr.
▶ 3:21:37Landsman votes I miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes no. Chairman guthrie. I chairman guthrie votes I. >> still british. >> Mr. dunn is not recorded. Mr. dunn votes I. >> anyone else not recorded. Um miss barragan. >> miss barragan is not recorded. Mr. barragan votes no.
▶ 3:22:09>> yeah. >> anyone else not recorded? All right. Clerk will report the roll. >> let me just do one thing in.
▶ 3:22:45>> yes, sir. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote, there were 30 eyes and 16 noes. >> 30 eyes. 16 nos. The bill is agreed to. >> back. >> the chair calls up h.r.
▶ 3:23:124690 and ask the clerk to report. >> h.r. 4690, a bill to amend the energy conservation and production act to repeal certain federal buildings energy efficiency performance standards and for other purposes. >> without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill?
▶ 3:23:38Gentleman from new york is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you, chairman guthrie. This legislation is about restoring something washington has been losing for far too long, which is common sense. When taxpayers fund federal buildings, they rightfully expect those buildings to be powered by the most reliable, affordable and resilient energy systems available, not by whatever technology happens to be politically fashionable at the time.
▶ 3:24:02Unfortunately, that is exactly what current federal policy pushes agencies towards under existing standards written into the energy independence and security act and reinforced through doe regulations, agencies are effectively told to avoid fossil fuels, even when those fuels are the best engineering choice, the cheapest option, and the only reliable source during emergencies.
▶ 3:24:24These mandates create a government wide bias toward one preferred energy pathway, regardless of whether it works everywhere, regardless of whether the grid can support it and regardless of what it cost the american taxpayers. Let's be clear this is not about efficiency. It isn't about innovation. It's about ideology dictating infrastructure decisions that should be based on strictly performance and mission needs. And the consequences aren't just theoretical.
▶ 3:24:51These rigid rules drive up construction costs at the exact moment when federal agencies are already struggling with backlogs, inflation and procurement delays. They restrict proven technologies like natural gas systems that provide dependable heat, hot water and backup generation technologies that keep facilities operating through winter storms, extreme heat, cyber incidents and grid failures. When the power grid goes down, electrification mandates don't keep a hospital warm or a secure facility online.
▶ 3:25:20Resilient, diversified energy systems do think about the buildings affected va hospitals where veterans receive life saving care. Military installations that underpin our national defense research laboratories that handle complex, sensitive and sometimes dangerous work. Emergency operations centers that coordinate responses in the worst moments. These buildings cannot afford to hope for the best.
▶ 3:25:44They cannot rely solely on electric grid that is already strained and increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather and foreign adversaries. Yet current policy treats reliable fuels as outdated relics instead of essential components of a resilient energy strategy.
▶ 3:26:03Taxpayers are paying more and getting less reliability in return not because of engineering necessity, but because some policy makers in washington that think they should be picking winners and losers in our energy markets. This approach is not responsible governance. It is not fiscally conservative. It certainly does not reflect the priorities of americans who expect their government buildings to function in all conditions, not just when the weather is mild in the grid is stable.
▶ 3:26:31The reliable infrastructure act corrects course, it restores neutrality and federal building standards, ensuring that agencies can evaluate all energy options based on cost, performance and reliability. The bottom line is simple reliability is not partizan, affordability is not partizan, and protecting taxpayer dollars is not partizan. The bill reflects all three. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there any seeking to speak on the amendment? I mean, on the bill, Mr.
▶ 3:27:00Tonko from new york recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you, Mr. chair. I move to strike the last word. >> gentleman is recognized. >> thank you. I believe it is appropriate for us to expect that the actions of our federal government carry with them some extra responsibility, that we should hold ourselves to a higher standard, and we should want our agencies to operate efficiently and as good stewards of taxpayers dollars, we should want our agencies to lead by example, helping to support the use of innovative american made technologies.
▶ 3:27:28We should want our private sector and individual citizens to believe that following the best practices of the building, operations and management of our federal government is worth considering for their own purposes. And that really was the intent of section 433 of the energy independence and security act when it was enacted in 2007. We heard at the subcommittee markup, both during the debate on this bill as well as Mr.
▶ 3:27:54Weber's bill, that the federal government is the largest property owner, as well as the largest energy consumer in the united states. Shouldn't we want our government to take steps to operate their buildings more efficiently, to reduce their operational costs, to reach to innovation, section 433 requires new and renovated federal buildings to make incremental progress toward phasing out their use of fossil fuels.
▶ 3:28:19And while the department of energy had been slow to implement the requirement since 2007, there has been so much recent progress to make these goals achievable. In the nearly two decades since this section's enactment, there have been technological advancements in the design and in the operations of buildings. There are cost effective, well-performing alternatives for space heating, water heating, and many appliances.
▶ 3:28:45Heat pumps work, their costs have come down and their performance has improved significantly, including in colder climates. We should be excited for the possibility of american made heat pumps heating and cooling our public buildings. Instead, this bill wants to lock us into the past, regardless of how much technological innovation does occur. If we can encourage reasonable steps for the federal government to reduce its wasteful consumption of fossil fuels, we should do so.
▶ 3:29:15I encourage members to oppose this bill. And with that, Mr. chair, I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the bill? Seeing none. The question now occurs on adopting h.r. 4690. A roll call has been requested byd the clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. Mr. Mr. griffith, Mr.
▶ 3:29:47Griffith votes. Aye. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. hudson. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. carter of georgia votes aye. Mr. palmer. Mr. palmer votes aye. Mr. dunn. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce, Mr. joyce votes aye Mr. weber. Mr. weber votes aye. Mr.
▶ 3:30:17Alan. Mr. alan votes aye. Mr. balderson. Mr. balderson votes aye. Mr. bolger, Mr. bolger votes aye Mr. pfluger. Mrs. harshbarger, Mr. harshbarger votes aye. Mrs. miller-meeks, Mrs. miller-meeks, votes aye. Mrs. cammack, Mrs. cammack votes aye. Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes aye. Mr. james.
▶ 3:30:48Mr. james votes aye. Aye, sir. Mr. bense votes aye. Mrs. houchin. Mrs. houchin votes aye. Mr. fry. Mr. frye votes I miss lee. Miss lee votes aye. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes aye. Mr. cain. Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr. evans votes aye Mr. goldman. Mr. goldman votes I Mrs. fedorchuk. Mr.
▶ 3:31:17Fedorchuk votes aye. Mr. pallone. Mr. pallone votes no. Mr. get Mr. get votes. No. Schakowsky. Schakowsky votes no. Miss. Matsui. Miss. Matsui votes no. Mrs. castor. Miss. Castor votes no. Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes no. Miss. Clark. Mr. ruiz. Mr.
▶ 3:31:41Ruiz votes no. Mr. peters, Mr. peters votes no. Mrs. dingell, Mrs. dingell, votes no. Mr. veasey. Miss. Kelly. Miss. Barragan, miss. Barragan, votes no. Mr. soto, Mr. soto, votes no.
▶ 3:32:08Miss schreyer, miss schreyer, votes no. Mr. han. Mr. han votes no. Miss fletcher, miss fletcher votes no. Miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes no. Mr. claus, Mr. claus votes no. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter, louisiana votes no. Mr. menendez, Mr. menendez votes no.
▶ 3:32:40Mr. mullen, Mr. mullen votes no. Mr. landsman. Mr. landsman votes no. Miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes no. Chairman. Guthrie, chairman. Guthrie votes aye. Mr. dunn is not recorded. Mr. dunn votes aye. Mr. fluke is not recorded. Mr. pfluger votes aye.
▶ 3:33:13>> anyone on the democrat side seeking recognition for voting the roll call? Seeing none, the clerk will report. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote. There were 27 eyes and 21 nos. >> the ayes have it in. The bill is adopted. The chair calls up h.r. 4593 and ask the clerk to report.
▶ 3:33:45>> down there. >> h.r. 4593, a bill to amend the energy policy and conservation act to revise the definition of a shower head. >> without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone to seek to be recognized on the bill? What purpose does the gentleman from south carolina excuse me, south carolina? Gentleman of south carolina is recognized to speak on the bill for five minutes. >> chairman, I move to strike the last word. >> gentleman is recognized.
▶ 3:34:15>> thank you, Mr. chairman. Last, at the subcommittee level, I think some of my colleagues on the other side were a little bit bothered by some of the honey jokes that we had in the in my remarks, so I made sure to add more. Um, there's nothing quite like a shower act in december. Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow. Some of our colleagues may want to freeze debate on this bill, but today we're actually going to talk about common sense.
▶ 3:34:38Under the previous administration, we witnessed federal bureaucrats take something as ordinary and uncontroversial as a shower head and quite literally reinvent the definition of it, resulting in these pointless shower heads that sprinkle water on your head. Only in a bureaucracy could you create a rule that makes you spend a longer time in the shower, using more water while still feeling less clean when you when you leave every day? Americans never asked for this.
▶ 3:35:08Uh, plumbers never asked for this. Manufacturers certainly did not. But washington regulators decided to start splashing around in micromanagement. And when bureaucrats start changing the meaning of everyday household products, families and businesses pay the price. And no one likes weak showerheads. Literally nobody likes weak showerheads. Weak showers are for sad motels and gyms built in the 1970s.
▶ 3:35:31If we wanted a gentle mist as our shower, we would just stand in front of a humidifier. So that's why I introduced the shower act. Because no one wants to be waterboarded by a trickle at 6 a.m. In the morning. This bill does one thing. It codifies the industry standard definition of a shower head, the same one used nationwide by engineers, plumbers and manufacturers. Nothing new, nothing exotic at all. No taxpayer burden, just clarity. Why does this matter?
▶ 3:36:01Because when political control changes hands, regulations shouldn't ricochet back and forth like a ping pong match. Now, we've heard loud and clear that some on the other side of the aisle think that this bill is a waste of time. I understand the political theater, I guess, but the opposition isn't really about plumbing. It's about politics. If the bill weren't supported by voices outside of this room that they don't like. And I'll give you one guess who that might be.
▶ 3:36:30Democrats would probably be tripping over themselves to take credit for streamlining consumer standards. So let's not pretend this is about water pressure. It's about political pressure. But the bottom line is simple the shower act restores common sense, protects consumer choice, reins in needless bureaucracy, and costs the taxpayers exactly $0. It doesn't leave anyone high and dry, except maybe the regulators who wanted to keep rewriting the script. For consumers that choose a low flow trickle showerhead, let them make that choice.
▶ 3:36:58That's up to them for the rest of america. Let them pick something that gets the job done. Your hair and your shampoo shouldn't require a four year evacuation plan. I urge my colleagues to support this straightforward bill. And with that, Mr. chairman, I yield back. >> thank you. We appreciate. We applaud you showering us with your wisdom. We appreciate you very much. So anyone want to speak? Anyone? Anybody else wanting to speak on the bill?
▶ 3:37:29The gentlelady from florida is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I thought about, uh, filing an amendment to to rename the bill the completely out of touch act. Uh, but I think that's fairly obvious. Uh, this bill and most of the energy bills before us today simply demonstrate how out of touch the policies of republicans in congress are.
▶ 3:37:51You know, you would have thought that after two months, when the speaker shut down the house of representatives and members were at home for two months, that they would have rushed back to the congress to work on anything to lower the cost of living. But alas, no. Their priority is to talk about showerheads. I know the president doesn't want to talk about affordability. He said that explicitly.
▶ 3:38:18In fact, yesterday he said this whole affordability thing is a con job. The president and house republicans appear to be completely distracted from what is important. The president has focused on giving the white house a makeover. He tore down the entire east wing to make way for a 90,000 square foot, $3,300 million ballroom funded by corporations who have something to gain from this administration.
▶ 3:38:46That ballroom has gone from 500ft to 650ft to 999ft. Now it's proposed over 1300 square feet. Um, this you can't make this up. He's covered the oval office and seemingly every surface he can find with bargain bin gold gilding.
▶ 3:39:08Have you heard about the the ark, the trump that he is planning to construct between the lincoln memorial and arlington national cemetery for over $100 million, and his latest project has been renovating the lincoln bathroom, complete with golden showerheads. Yeah. This tells you about exactly what president trump and republicans care about. Meanwhile, our neighbors back home are facing a holiday season with much higher costs, higher inflation.
▶ 3:39:38Inflation has gone up just about every month of the trump administration. His import taxes and tariffs now are the highest since 1935. It's estimated that all of the tariffs now are adding about $1,700 per household across the country. And you laugh. You laugh. Ha ha. Showerheads. This is what we should focus on. And you completely abdicated any responsibility to push back on these arbitrary illegal tariffs.
▶ 3:40:08Uh, meanwhile, you refuse to discuss any solution to the health care cliff that 40 million americans are facing. Over 4 million of my florida neighbors now feel like they're being pushed off the cliff by republicans in congress who refuse to develop a solution. But showerheads, uh, showerheads. Um, that's important.
▶ 3:40:33Besides, health care cost hikes, 80 million americans are struggling to pay their utility bills. They're forced to make the impossible choice between paying for housing, medicine, food, or to keep the lights on. Uh, under the republican big ugly bill, electricity prices will increase 61% over the next decade. That's on top of the $29 billion in electricity bills rate hike in florida.
▶ 3:41:01Florida power and light and tyco and duke energy have all gotten price hikes. They've called them the largest in the history of the country, billions of dollars in rate hikes. But showerheads, you know, there are real problems that we can solve together. People deserve so much better than what this republican congress is providing. This committee should serve the american people, not genuflect to to the president over over his showerheads.
▶ 3:41:30Um, we don't need to redefine what constitutes a showerhead. The only thing that this bill does is create more regulatory uncertainty. It could lead to rollbacks. It's contrary to the law. The energy policy and conservation act likely will benefit foreign manufacturers. Um, this bill also requires enforcement at the department of energy. But the president has gutted, has fired arbitrarily public servants who served their, uh, well over 3500 employees have left.
▶ 3:41:59Um, and, you know, there is one simple solution. It's called going down to your hardware store to to address the lime build up in your line. You don't need to pass a law. You don't need to ignore the real needs of our families and small businesses back home. Uh, you don't need to laugh and bring this and turn a blind eye to the grift and corruption that runs deep in this administration.
▶ 3:42:27We can work together and solve real problems. Um, I'm not going to give up hope on that. But this pushes us farther away from that goal today. Um, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill, and I yield back. >> thank you. The gentlelady yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? The gentlewoman from iowa. You're recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you, Mr. chair. Despite my petite stature, I use more water per square inch than most members.
▶ 3:42:51And despite the gentlelady from florida putting a damper on this bill, I would say you won't get in hot water by voting, so I encourage my colleagues to support it. >> the gentlelady yields back, uh, we recognize, uh, doctor schreier for five minutes. >> well, thank you.
▶ 3:43:18Uh, I probably won't throw in any puns today because I don't think this is all that funny. I mean, I, I appreciate the puns, but I, I'm looking across the aisle at a party who used the expression waste, fraud and abuse to slash medicaid to kick people off their health insurance, to cut snap benefits. And today's hearing, I mean, today's markup.
▶ 3:43:45If there were one word to define today, it's wastefulness. It's no, don't have energy efficient appliances, don't have low flow water heads, showerheads. I mean, I just don't understand where at a time when people are struggling to pay their water bills and their energy bills, why in the world would we would they be fighting efficiency standards, when that is one of the things that helps people use less and have to spend less on their utility bills?
▶ 3:44:15Um, I will tell you, somebody from the west coast, we have drought, so we really don't think that low flow showerheads are bad idea. We think it's really good idea so that we can conserve resources. And then with all of this talk that we have and it is legitimate talk about shortage of energy and the need to keep the lights on and what ai is doing to demand for energy.
▶ 3:44:37You know what it takes energy to clean the water that we drink, and it takes energy to run a wastewater treatment plant. And so I just want to highlight the hypocrisy here. Why in the world would my colleagues be advocating for wastefulness? I think it's important to conserve our natural resources, and I think it's a great idea to have low flow showerheads. Thank you I yield back. >> gentleman yields back.
▶ 3:45:05Is there any further discussion on the bill, miss hodgson, do you have a comment? Recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill? >> Mr. chairman, I'm going to yield my time to Mr. frey. >> gentlelady yields back any further discussion. Oh, Mr. frey, I'm sorry. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 3:45:28I would just like to remind my colleague on the other side that went off on the trump administration. The affordability issue was caused by the biden administration and congressional democrats turning a blind eye to what was happening in america when inflation rose. 1112, 20%. Uh, they turned a blind eye to inflation rising faster than incomes to meet it.
▶ 3:45:57They turned a blind eye to a president who literally slept, walked through his entire presidency, and the american people suffered for it. Uh, they turned uh, it is because of democrats that we are even in a health care discussion right now, because obamacare was told that premiums would rise if you pass it. And guess what? It did? And democrat votes passed it again in the in the in the covid era before my time here in congress, when everyone said, if you do this, premiums will rise. And guess what they did?
▶ 3:46:27So this entire first year to the to the member from florida is correcting the big mistakes that democrats have made at the expense of the american people so they can make this cute with the president putting a showerhead on. But again, this is about personal choice.
▶ 3:46:47Why is it washington dc's prerogative to come in and tell the rest of the country on this small bill or anything big, that they should have one standard for the entire country? People should make that personal choice. Most people that I talk to want real showers. If they want to be spritzed like a potted plant, they can go get that showerhead. But that's not what we're about. This is about personal choice.
▶ 3:47:16It's about responsibility and the distraction and the rhetoric about the failures of the trump administration. I just find that really rich, coming from a party that caused the health care problem that we're in right now and caused the economic damage that the american people currently feel with that. Mr. chairman, I yield back. >> I yield back. >> gentleman. Yields back. I recognize miss acacia cortez for five minutes. >> thank you. Um, all right, I'll buy it. Um, I.
▶ 3:47:45Have a I have two points, two questions here. One, as a person who has installed their own showerheads, who has, you know, encountered this, um, if you are having a dribbly shower, is this not a water pressure issue in your home?
▶ 3:48:12I mean, generally, like, mechanically, I'm I'm trying to engage this in good faith generally, like genuinely. And secondly, it seems as though we're blaming the showerhead on a water pressure issue. And in doing so, we are deregulating a piece of hardware that actually drives people's water bills up.
▶ 3:48:36And if we want to talk about affordability and if we want to be in touch with working people's lives. My hope is that we've had that experience, that we know the things that that we're legislating. And why would we make this affordability problem worse? I mean, I'm really trying to approach this earnestly.
▶ 3:49:01And if we can solve this problem by addressing a water pressure issue, there's no need to be changing regulations that increase people's water bills in the name of, quote unquote, personal choice. This is how our health care system got deregulated. Two people talking about, oh, americans should have the personal choice of getting totally fleeced by their health insurance companies.
▶ 3:49:26Americans should have the personal choice of having industries deregulated to the point that they are unloading costs onto everyday working people. And so, you know, I appreciate the efforts put into the limericks and such here. Um, but really, as someone who's trying to approach this matter in good faith, I'm, I'm, I genuinely try not to approach legislation of just being reflexively anti, you know, republican.
▶ 3:49:55But as a person who does care about costs, I worry that these weakened standards are going to drive up people's water bills. I worry about the environmental impact of it. Drought is genuinely a problem. Um, and I kind of don't I mean, it really may be a water pressure issue, genuinely.
▶ 3:50:16And so, um, I, I, I say this because I just kind of want to give credence to the concerns that are put around this. And I'm not sure that those underlying concerns have been addressed. And with that, I yield back. >> the gentlelady yields back. Further discussion. Uh, Mr. menendez from new jersey. You're recognized for five minutes. >> thank you.
▶ 3:50:40Chairman, you know, when I'm back home, the issues that people want to talk about are the health care crisis, the trillion dollars in cuts that republican supported to medicaid, the largest cut to snap in the program's history. People are devastated by trump's immigration enforcement tearing families apart, apprehending U.S. citizens. Um, and all of the harm that this president is causing.
▶ 3:51:03So I would just ask and I'm curious, um, if the sponsor of the bill from south carolina would be willing to answer how many in-person town halls he's hosted this year, I ask the question. I would yield my time if he wants to answer the question, how many in-person town halls you've hosted this year? Because my my point is, is that how responsive we are to the issues of our constituents and what we seem to agree on is there's an affordability crisis.
▶ 3:51:32And and I've not had one person in my district come to me in the town halls. I've had both in person virtually, and say showerheads are the pressing issue that they have. So that's that's what I'm hearing. And so I was just curious if the sponsor wanted to volunteer and I'll yield my time, how many in-person town halls he's had, because there seems to be a disconnect from what we're hearing from our constituents, who we engage with directly versus what you may be hearing.
▶ 3:51:59But if you choose not to, that's fine, because there's also criticism of the last administration. But an economic policy institute report from march of this year said that, quote, south carolina's experiencing an economic boom. That's great, fueled by massive federal investments from the infrastructure investment and jobs act signed into law by president biden, the inflation reduction act, signed into law by president biden, and the chips and science act, signed into law by president biden.
▶ 3:52:29Meanwhile, republicans, including the sponsor of the bill, voted for trump's reconciliation bill that repealed the investments and tax credits from the very bills that are driving the economic boom in south carolina. So maybe we can show some appreciation for a president who actually delivered for the american people, instead of trying to appease a president who is consistently more worried about showerhead pressure than he is the quality of life for all americans. And with that, I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. Further discussion on the bill. I recognize Mr.
▶ 3:52:59Soto from florida for five minutes. >> thank you so much, Mr. chairman. Uh, president trump promised to lower prices on day one, but yesterday he called the affordability issue a democratic hoax. Uh, how far we've come in about 11 months. He also snoozed through half the meeting. So I think the the sleep walking, uh, comment is pretty interesting and timely. Uh, health care rates spiking 200 to 300% right now.
▶ 3:53:28And what do we see house republican majority doing? Nothing. We have a couple members who are moderates who are trying to help with the with the proposal. But I don't know that it's ever going to come to the floor because the speaker is dead set against it.
▶ 3:53:45We see energy rates spiking and trump cancels renewable energy projects, wind projects, hydro projects, solar projects all at a time when demand is spiking because of data centers, which we should be supporting with more. All the above energy and then food costs are rising, but no farm bill. Since 2018, tariffs are decimating farmers and ranchers.
▶ 3:54:11But don't worry, they'll oppose trickle down showerheads and support trickle down economics. Big ugly law gets passed record cuts to medicaid and snap to fund tax breaks for billionaires.
▶ 3:54:26The irony is we're begging for us all to work together to resolve some of these issues, and all it takes is a few folks to have courage to sign the discharge petition that is literally on the floor right now for republicans conjoined that, and we could at least address the health care issue that this committee and this congress has failed to address. I have the second most obamacare of any district in the nation. There are more republicans on the aca than democrats, especially in florida and texas.
▶ 3:54:54And so, you know, I'm sure we could have great debates over, uh, showerheads. But the real issue is health care costs right now. And that's what we should be working on. And I yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. Further discussion on the bill. Any amendments for the bill? No amendments. All right. The question now occurs on adopting h.r.
▶ 3:55:184593, as well as the roll call has been requested, and clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. lauda. Mr. griffith, Mr. griffith votes aye. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. palmer. Mr.
▶ 3:55:48Palmer votes aye Mr. dunn. >> aye. >> Mr. dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce, Mr. joyce votes aye. Mr. weber. Mr. allen, Mr. allen votes aye. Mr.
▶ 3:56:19Balderson. Mr. fulcher, Mr. fulcher votes aye. Mr. pfluger, Mr. pfluger votes aye. Mrs. harshbarger, Mrs. harshbarger votes aye. Mrs. miller-meeks. Mrs. kat cammack. Mrs. cammack votes aye. Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes aye. Mr. james.
▶ 3:56:51Mr. james votes aye. Mr. bentz. Mr. benson, votes aye. Mrs. houchin. Mrs. houchin votes aye. Mr. frye. Mr. frye votes I miss lee. Miss lee votes aye. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes aye Mr. cain. Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr. evans votes aye Mr. goldman. Mr. goldman votes aye. Mrs.
▶ 3:57:24Fedorchuk. Mr. fedorchuk votes aye. Mr. pallone. Mr. pallone votes no. Mr. get. Mr. get votes. No. Miss. Schakowsky. Schakowsky votes no. Miss. Matsui. Miss. Mansuri votes no. Miss. Castor, miss. Castor votes no. Mr. tonko, Mr. tonko votes no. Miss. Clark. Mr.
▶ 3:57:46Ruiz, Mr. ruiz votes no. Mr. peters. Mrs. dingell, Mrs. dingell, votes no. Mr. veasey. Miss. Kelly. Miss. Barragan, miss.
▶ 3:58:17Barragan, votes no. Mr. soto, Mr. soto, votes no. Miss. Schrier, miss. Schrier, votes no. Mr. han. Mr. han votes no. Miss fletcher, miss fletcher votes no. Miss ocasio-cortez, Mr. ocasio-cortez votes no. Mr. Mr. votes no. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes no. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes no. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes no. Mr. landsman. Mr.
▶ 3:58:46Landsman votes no. Mr. mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes no. Chairman. Guthrie, chairman. Guthrie votes aye. >> how is Mr. lauder required recorded. >> recorded. Mr. lot of votes. >> I ask. Mr. carter. >> Mr. carter of georgia is not recorded. Mr. carter of georgia votes I. Mr.
▶ 3:59:12Weber is not recorded. Mr. weber votes I. >> Mr. balderson. >> Mr. balderson is not recorded. Mr. balderson votes I. >> doctor miller-meeks. >> miss miller-meeks is not recorded. Mr. miller-meeks votes I. >> should anybody else seek recognition for recording their vote. The clerk will report the roll call.
▶ 3:59:46>> Mr. chairman, on that vote, there were 28 I's and 20 noes. >> the ayes have it. The bill is adopted. We're now taking up calling up the h.r. 4758 and ask the clerk to report. >> h.r. 4758, a bill to repeal provisions of public law 117 169 relating to taxpayer subsidies for home electrification and for other purposes. Section one short title.
▶ 4:00:15This act may be cited as the homeowner energy freedom act. >> without objection, the first reading of bills dispense with the bill. Be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Uh, does anyone seek to be recognized chairman? Mr. goldman, you recognized for five minutes to discuss the bill. Thank you, Mr. chairman. >> for many americans, the price of a home is simply too high. Recent reporting finds that the average first time home buyer is now 40 years old.
▶ 4:00:41In their rush to impose unpopular green new deal policies, the biden administration spent billions in taxpayers dollars to mandate that green energy appliances must be installed in their new homes. Some home builders estimate that these policies have increased the cost of a new home by $31,000. These policies push homeownership and the american dream out of reach for many families and many americans.
▶ 4:01:09My bill, the homeowner energy freedom act, would help address. Some would address home affordability by repealing several costly and burdensome programs in the so-called inflation reduction act. This common sense bill will help lower the cost of homeownership for all americans. Building on this committee's work to rescind unobligated ira funds, I urge my colleagues to support h.r. 4758 and repeal these reckless programs.
▶ 4:01:37And I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Anyone else seek to be recognized discussing on the bill? On the bill. Alright. Any amendments for the bill? Okay. >> an amendment at the desk? >> absolutely. Uh, happy to have you recognized for five minutes. >> well. >> it's achmed, h.r. 457802.
▶ 4:02:07>> I'm sorry. Do you understand? You're advancing an amendment. Okay. The clerk will report the amendment. >> amendment to h.r. 4758, add at the end the following new section. Section three certification. This act and the amendments made by this act shall not. >> without objection, the amendment is dispensed with, and the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment. >> thank you so much, Mr. chairman. Mr.
▶ 4:02:32Chairman, um, when he was sworn in, president trump promised to cut energy prices, quote, by half within 12 months. Well, we're now ten months in, and data shows energy costs have actually increased by 11% nationally since january. President trump failed to bring down prices for an overwhelming majority of ratepayers, given that 87% of voters are concerned about rising utility prices.
▶ 4:03:00And so what this amendment simply does is to protect the 80 million americans who are already struggling to pay utility bills. What my amendment says is the secretary of energy would be required to certify that the bill would not raise costs for homeowners and renters before the bill took effect. I think it would. I think everyone here would welcome the opportunity to protect their constituents from yet another price hike.
▶ 4:03:30My amendment adds important guardrails to a policy that would undoubtedly raise utility bills for consumers. This bill rescinds assistance programs for implementing energy codes, in some cases amounting to as much as $14,000 in rebates to purchase electric appliances, weatherize buildings and reduce energy inefficiencies. So let's discuss the claims that building codes and efficiency standards are too costly.
▶ 4:03:58The difference in costs for an energy star washer in 2003 was, on an average over $500 more expensive in today's dollars. Now, of course, that's a significant upfront cost. It's worth noting, however, that currently the difference in upfront costs between energy star and non-energy star appliances is much narrower.
▶ 4:04:24Today, an energy star washer is only 50 to $200, more and even less for other appliances. That being said, I don't agree with my colleague's concerns about upfront costs. In fact, that's why I oppose this bill. It repeals the very credits and rebates that mitigate the upfront costs of appliances and adopting energy efficient building codes.
▶ 4:04:46Some of my colleagues fail to see that regardless of the narrowing difference in upfront costs, the real benefit is the cost saved over the life of the appliance. And that's why people like energy star. For a washer, for example, the cost of an energy star star model can be recovered in 4 to 6 years. For refrigerators, inherently energy intensive products that run 24 over seven, and energy star model has an roi of 3 to 5 years.
▶ 4:05:16I could go on. And so if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle worry about increasing costs, why would we repeal policies that save money on utility bills and simply provide the option to adopt efficiency standards? As a reminder, states and localities can choose to adopt energy building codes. They're not mandated by federal law.
▶ 4:05:41And worse yet, repealing these incentives will harm low and moderate income households, most disproportionately impacting the one quarter of of low income households already experiencing energy insecurity. So if you agree we don't want americans utility bills to increase, then vote for my amendment. So we can specifically say to everybody, your costs will not increase no matter what happens in this bill.
▶ 4:06:10I urge my colleagues to adopt the amendment and I yield back. >> gentlelady yields back. Is there any further discussion on the amendment? Gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. Um, I just want to point out that, uh, when president trump and his administration came in, they did agree to cut energy prices. Um, in 2020 4th april, the average gas price was $3.91 a gallon.
▶ 4:06:37In 2020 5th october, the average gas price was $3.06 a gallon. So that indeed is lowering energy prices in our country. And this amendment is a tactic to delay implementation of the homeowner homeowner energy freedom act until the secretary of energy certifies it won't increase costs for homeowners and renters.
▶ 4:06:58I oppose this amendment because homeowner homeowner energy freedom act is focused on improving housing affordability by reducing forced and expensive green energy mandates on new homes. These green energy building codes on homes will add well over $20,000 to the cost of new homes in certain regions. These green new energy provisions effectively force builders and developers to install electric appliances rather than natural gas alternatives.
▶ 4:07:25This not only will decrease the affordability of homes, but also deprives americans of the ability to decide how to cook their food and heat their homes. These actions will push homeownership out of the reach of thousands of american families. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the amendment? Gentlelady from virginia is recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chair.
▶ 4:07:51I think part of what's getting lost in this debate are families who, once they're in a home, you may be in a home for a very long time. You have insulation, air sealing, ventilation, appliances that you need to replace by the time you replace them.
▶ 4:08:15New, more efficient models have come out that if you are able to afford, uh, installing them will ultimately lower your energy costs. And this bill eliminates a program. One of the few programs that still provides tax breaks for low and middle income americans.
▶ 4:08:39And this committee spent so much time, months arguing over a bill that made permanent tax breaks to people who made over $500,000 to allow them to have up to $15 million exemption for gift and estate taxes, to allow tax credits for them to buy airplanes.
▶ 4:09:09And yet, for a family in the city of richmond that makes less than $70,000, this committee is now going to say you can't get a rebate of up to $1,600 to upgrade insulation and air sealing and ventilation in your home, even though we know that's going to ultimately reduce your costs.
▶ 4:09:30We're saying to families that live in homes and that are that are 20, 30, 50 years old that were built with appliances that are inefficient, that are going to need to be replaced eventually. You're on your own.
▶ 4:09:52And I don't understand, for the life of me why that provision is in this bill when it's not a mandate, it's one of the few benefits that we can give to american families that are trying to figure out, how do I pay my rent and my energy bill and groceries and childcare and on and on and on.
▶ 4:10:15Uh, and that's why I think, at a minimum, we ought to at least take a look at what is the effect of repealing this rebate program going to have on energy bills for these families going forward? And that's why I support the amendment. And I yield back. >> lady yields back as her further discussion on the amendment on the republican side. Any further on the democrat side? Seeing none, there's no further discussion.
▶ 4:10:43The vote will occur on the amendment, the yeas and nays have been requested, and the clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta, Mr. lada votes no. Mr. griffith, Mr. griffith votes no. Mr. bilirakis, Mr. bilirakis votes no. Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes no. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. carter of georgia votes no. Mr. palmer.
▶ 4:11:21Mr. palmer votes no. Mr. dunn. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce. Mr. joyce votes no. Mr. weber. Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes no. Mr. balderson, Mr. balderson votes no. Mr. fulcher, Mr. fulcher votes no. Mr. pfluger. Mr.
▶ 4:11:52Pfluger votes no. Mrs. harshbarger, Mr. harshbarger votes no. Mrs. miller-meeks. Mrs. carmack, Mrs. carmack votes no. Mr. obernolte, Mr. obernolte votes no. Mr. james. Mr. james votes no. Mr. bence, Mr. bence votes no. Mrs. horton. Mrs. horton votes no. Mr. fry. Miss lee. Miss lee votes no. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes no. Mr. cain, Mr.
▶ 4:12:21Cain votes no. Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes no. Mr. evans, Mr. evans votes no. Mr. goldman, Mr. goldman votes no. Mrs. fedorchuk. Mr. malone. Mr. malone votes aye. Mr. get. Mr. get votes I miss schakowsky miss. Schakowsky votes I miss matsui. Miss. Matsui votes I miss castor. Miss castor votes I Mr. tonko. Mr.
▶ 4:12:50Tonko votes I miss clark. Mr. ruiz. Mr. peters. Mrs. dingell. Mrs. dingell, votes I Mr. veasey. Miss. Kelly. Miss. Barragan, votes I Mr. soto. Mr.
▶ 4:13:16Soto, votes I miss schreyer kim schrier votes I Mr. han. Mr. han votes I miss fletcher. Miss fletcher votes I miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes I. Mr. Mr. claus, votes I, Mr. carter. Louisiana. Mr. carter. Louisiana votes I Mr. menendez Mr. menendez votes I Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes I, Mr.
▶ 4:13:47Landsman. Mr. landsman votes I miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes I chairman guthrie, chairman guthrie votes no. Mr. weber is not recorded. >> no, no. >> I am not. >> Mr. robert votes no. >> miss fedorchuk Mr. >> is not recorded. Mrs. fedorchuk votes no.
▶ 4:14:18>> Mr. fry. >> Mr. fry is not recorded. Mr. >> doctor. Louise. >> Mr. Mr. ruiz is not recorded. Mr. ruiz votes I Mr. peters Mr. peters is not recorded. Mr. peters votes I. >> is anyone seeking no further discussion. Well no no one else seeking to answer the roll call. The clerk will report the result.
▶ 4:14:54>> Mr. chairman, on that vote there were 21 eyes and 27 noes. >> the amendment is not agreed to. Are there further amendments? Gentlelady from virginia is recognized. General purposes. Gentlelady virginia seek recognition. >> uh, Mr. chairman, amendment at the desk labeled amd underscore h.r. 4758 underscore sc zero one. >> the clerk will report the amendment. >> amendment to h.r. 4758.
▶ 4:15:22Add at the end the following new section. Section three certification. >> without objection, the amendment is dispensed with, and the gentlelady from virginia is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chair. This amendment would protect a growing energy efficiency sector of our economy by requiring that the energy secretary certify that the provisions of this bill will not negatively impact job growth in the energy efficiency sector before the bill can take effect.
▶ 4:15:51Uh, this bill directly targets rebates for low and middle income homeowners to replace outdated and inefficient appliances with newer energy efficiency models, uh and weatherize their home through new insulation and help to reduce their monthly bills.
▶ 4:16:07Um, this this bill also targets a grant program that invests in energy efficiency and electrification, workforce training and assistance for states to adopt the latest energy building codes that improve the quality of housing stock and protect consumers from high energy costs by helping to manage demand. At a time when our constituents make tough financial decisions, it is imperative that we not recklessly undermine a growing and integral part of our economy.
▶ 4:16:33The energy efficiency sector supports approximately 2.3 million jobs and has been steadily growing since the inflation reduction act. This represents a field that employs almost twice as many people as the fossil fuel industry, and these jobs involve everything from installing more efficient kitchen appliances, better insulation to improve hvac systems, and more to help our homeowners and renters save money. And they're all over the country.
▶ 4:16:59Energy efficiency jobs represented in 99.9% of us counties. Not to mention that a majority of these energy efficiency firms are small businesses. So not only do energy efficiency measures help reduce demand on our grid, lower costs, promote resilience and boost energy security, but they're an important driver of local job growth, and repealing these vital inflation reduction act programs would dampen growth in this critical sector and negatively impact consumers and and jobs.
▶ 4:17:28And so I urge my colleagues to support the amendment. >> gentlelady yields back. Is there further discussion on the amendment? The gentleman from texas recognizes to speak on the amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. The amendment is a tactic to delay implementation of the homeowner homeowner energy freedom act until the secretary of energy certifies that it won't affect jobs in the energy efficiency industry.
▶ 4:17:51I oppose this amendment because a homeowner energy freedom act is focused on improving housing affordability by reducing unnecessary and costly green energy mandates. The truth is, job growth and creation should result from consumer choices in a free market, not government mandates that subsidize preferred industries. By mandating these programs, the biden administration's policies put a thumb on the scale and drive up drive up home prices.
▶ 4:18:20A homeowner homeowner energy freedom act is about preserving home affordability, consumer choice, and allowing the free market to operate in the best interests of all americans. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the amendment? Seeing none. There's no further discussion. The vote occurs on the amendment of roll call has been requested, and the clerk will call the roll. >> mister lada.
▶ 4:18:50Mister lada votes. No, Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes no. Mr. bilirakis, Mr. bilirakis votes no. Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes no. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. carter of georgia votes no. Mr. palmer. Mr. palmer votes no. Mr. dunn. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce. Mr. joyce votes no. Mr.
▶ 4:19:21Weber. Mr. weber votes no. Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes no. Mr. balderson. Mr. fulcher, Mr. fulcher votes no. Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger votes no. Mrs. harshbarger, Mrs. harshbarger votes no. Mrs. miller-meeks. Mrs. cammack. Mrs. cammack votes no. Mr. obernolte, Mr.
▶ 4:19:52Obernolte votes no. Mr. james. Mr. james votes no. Mr. benson. Mr. bense votes no. Mrs. horton. Mrs. horton votes no. Mr. frey, Mr. frey votes no. Miss lee. Miss lee, votes no. Mr. langworthy, Mr. langworthy votes no. Mr. cain, Mr. cain votes no. Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes no. Mr. evans, Mr. evans votes no. Mr. coleman. Mr. coleman votes no. Mrs.
▶ 4:20:23Fedorchuk. Mr. malone. Mr. malone votes aye. Mr. get. Mr. get votes. I miss schakowsky. Schakowsky votes I miss matsui miss. Matsui votes I miss castor. Miss castor votes I Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes I miss clark. Mr. ruiz. Mr. ruiz votes I Mr. peters. Mr. peters votes I miss dingle. Mrs.
▶ 4:20:52Dingell votes I Mr. veasey. Miss. Kelly. Mr. barragan, miss. Barragan votes I mister soto. Mister soto, votes I miss schrier. Miss schrier, votes I Mr. han. Mr. han votes I miss fletcher. Miss fletcher votes I miss ocasio-cortez.
▶ 4:21:21Miss ocasio-cortez votes I Mr. clause. I Mr. austin scott votes I. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes I Mr. menendez Mr. menendez votes I Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes I Mr. lansman. Mr. lansman votes I miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes I chairman guthrie, chairman guthrie votes no. >> one second answer the roll call on the republican side.
▶ 4:21:50On the democrat side, seeing none. The clerk will report. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote. There were 21 eyes and 25 no's. >> the amendment is not agreed to. Are there further amendments? Seeing none.
▶ 4:22:17Seeing none. The question now occurs on adopting h.r. 4758. A roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta, Mr. lada votes aye. Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes aye. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. bilirakis votes aye. Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. carter of georgia. Votes aye Mr. palmer. Mr. palmer votes aye.
▶ 4:22:47Mr. dunn. Mr. crenshaw. >> it's been everything I had, >> Mr. joyce. Mr. joyce votes aye Mr. weber. Mr. weber votes aye Mr. allen. Mr. allen votes aye Mr. balderson. Mr. fletcher, Mr. potter votes aye Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger votes aye Mrs. harshbarger, Mrs. harshbarger, votes aye Mrs. miller-meeks. Mrs. kmiec, Mrs.
▶ 4:23:21Carmack votes aye. Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes aye. Mr. james. Mr. james votes aye. Mr. bentz. Mr. bentz votes aye. Mrs. houchin. Mrs. houchin votes aye. Mr. frye. Mr. frye votes I miss lee. Miss lee, votes aye. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes aye. Mr. cain. Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr. evans votes aye Mr. goldman.
▶ 4:23:52Mr. goldman votes I, Mr. malone. Mr. palone votes no. Mr. get Mr. get votes. No. Miss. Schakowsky. Schakowsky votes no. Miss. Matsui. Miss. Matsui votes no. Miss. Castor, miss. Castor votes no. Mr. tonko, Mr. tonko votes no. Miss. Clark. Mr. ruiz, Mr. ruiz votes no. Mr. peters, Mr. peters votes no.
▶ 4:24:24Mrs. dingell, Mrs. dingell, votes no. Mr. veasey. Miss. Kelly. Miss. Bergen, miss. Barragan, votes no. Mr. soto, Mr. soto, votes no. Miss schreyer, miss schreyer, votes no. Mr. han, Mr. han votes no. Miss fletcher, miss fletcher votes no. Mr. ocasio-cortez, miss ocasio-cortez votes no. Mr. kloss, Mr. auchincloss votes no. Mr.
▶ 4:24:54Carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes no. Mr. menendez, Mr. menendez votes no. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes no. Mr. lansman. Mr. lansman votes no. Mr. mclellan. Miss mcclellan, votes no. Chairman guthrie. >> I. >> chairman guthrie votes aye. >> anyone seeking to enter the roll call on the republican side, seeing none any on the democrat side. Seeing none. The clerk will report.
▶ 4:25:30>> Mr. chairman, on that vote. There were 25 eyes and 21 nos. >> the ayes have it, and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up h.r. 4626 and asks the clerk to report. >> h.r. 4626, a bill to amend the energy policy and conservation act, to prohibit the secretary of energy from prescribing any new or amended energy conservation standards for a product that is not technologically feasible and economically justified, and for other purposes.
▶ 4:25:57>> without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? 4626. Gentleman from georgia is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you, Mr. chair. I move to strike the last word to speaking, uh, to speak in favor of my bill. H.r. 4626. Don't mess with my home appliances act.
▶ 4:26:24Uh, under the guise of energy efficiency, the biden-harris administration ways to four year war on domestic fossil energy and consumer choice. And it was american families that that paid the price, uh, from gas stoves, refrigerators for freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers and air conditioners. No household appliance was off limits in their pursuit of a radical rush to green agenda. And we can't allow that to happen again.
▶ 4:26:51A couple of personal, uh, stories, uh, 30 years ago, uh, we redid our kitchen in a house that's, uh, 130 years old. And, uh, we put in a sub-zero. And, uh, we've had, uh, different problems with it. We just had a problem with it. Uh, so you think about whether I buy a new refrigerator. I do fix the one.
▶ 4:27:21And so we talked to the experts, and I'm not talking about members of congress. I'm talking about the people that sell these things and work on these things. And he said, sir, I would not buy a new sub-zero. He said, I think he said, uh, you're much better off to repair your existing 30 year old sub-zero. And, uh, the reason of that is because the newer models just don't last near as long.
▶ 4:27:49And, uh, they're over three times more expensive. Expensive. And so we're getting it repaired. The other personal story is I've got a small place here in dc. I got a gas line right in front of it. And, you know, one of the things we moved up here, uh, you know, we couldn't couldn't heat the place in the summer. And so, uh, you know, heat pump.
▶ 4:28:14And so I called a contractor, I said, hey, I want to go to gas. He said, sir, you can't do that. You can't get a permit to go to gas heat. I got gas heat in my home in augusta. It works great.
▶ 4:28:32And, uh, uh, you know, here, uh, and the crazy thing is, when you heat pump gets below 30 degrees, uh, you go to your strip heat, and I'm telling you, when you go to strip heat, if you want to know why we have a demand in electricity, it just ramps up the meter. And plus, to get the house above 65 degrees, I had to go by portable electric heaters and put in various rooms to heat the place.
▶ 4:29:01Uh, because this city has imposed that restriction. Uh, and I like I said, we've already talked about energy prices, the reduction in energy prices. In fact, I got a chart here. It shows heating almost down 30%. Uh, natural gas would be down substantially. But the problem is we just met with the group this morning. They've been in 13 years of litigation trying to get a pipeline done. They can't. They got gas.
▶ 4:29:29They can't get it to the to the consumer. And these are just a personal stories. Uh, you know, I'm, I'm a you know, I'm a consumer. I and I come from the construction industry. So I know a lot about this stuff. Uh, that's why I'm glad we are considering my bill. Uh, in the full committee, which would implement necessary reforms to the energy policy conference.
▶ 4:29:54Conservation act epca to prevent future administrations from prioritizing a radical rush to green agenda over the affordability and availability of reliable household appliances that americans rely on every day. The free market knows much better than the federal government. Congress enacted epca in 1975 to increase energy production, reduce demand, and encourage more efficient use of energy.
▶ 4:30:22As part of this effort, epca authorized doe's appliance and equipment standards program to set minimum energy efficiency standards for product categories. Doe must follow specific statutory criteria for prescribing new or amended standards for covered products and covered equipment. However, over the last several years, doe has gone beyond its scope and statutory authority by finalizing rules that do not meet the specific statutory criteria.
▶ 4:30:50Why would they do this? These egregious appliance standards have caused homeowners to spend 34% more on appliances than they did 15 years ago, is my experience, uh, showed while having to replace them at a faster rate, which is what my appliance repair man said would happen. That is why my bill makes reforms that will eliminate dose requirement to review and update energy conservation standards every six years.
▶ 4:31:20Establish a new process to allow standards to be revoked or revised, and amend the statutory criteria for determining whether an energy conservation standard is economically justified. Additionally, my bill aligns all compliance dates to be five years. Following a final rule requires test procedures to be issued at least 180 days before rulemaking action. Maintains provisions for current law and related dlg reviews.
▶ 4:31:45Clarifies doe's authority to amend water efficiency standards for clothes washers. >> these are the. >> of of of of of of of of. >> certainty for manufacturers and consumers and allow consumer choice. I urge support of my legislation I yield back. >> thank you. The gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? Gentlelady from california is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I move to strike the last word.
▶ 4:32:11As I argued during the subcommittee markup of this bill, we are on the brink of an energy crisis, and this bill would exacerbate that crisis by gutting federal energy efficiency programs. Families are already struggling with rising energy costs. Household electric bills have gone up 11% on average since president trump took office, and nearly 80 million americans are facing an impossible choice between keeping the lights on and putting food on the table.
▶ 4:32:34At the same time, we're facing a broader energy supply challenge as demand for electricity is growing faster than we build new power plants. And that's why energy efficiency is so essential. Efficiency is one of the fastest, cheapest, and most reliable ways to meet rising energy demands.
▶ 4:32:55Doe estimates that the energy saved just by switching to leds is equivalent to the energy generated by 92 nuclear power plants. It took 15 years to build the last nuclear power plant, and we can't afford to wait that long. We're facing a crisis now. We need to be using all available tools to meet rising energy demand, and that includes energy efficiency. And these standards save americans money.
▶ 4:33:27Federal efficiency standards save the average american household almost $600 every year. That's why I fought to maintain and grow federal federal energy efficiency programs. Every year, I lead efforts in congress to support strong funding for these programs and the annual federal budget.
▶ 4:33:45Because these programs consistently deliver benefits for families, businesses, and our electric grid, it's common sense when you reduce the amount of energy we use, you save money, and that extra energy can be used for other things like powering new factories or a ai data centers is common sense, and it should be nonpartisan. I know my republican colleagues don't want to see blackouts. I know they want to power ai data centers.
▶ 4:34:14And don't they want to reduce electricity rates? So I urge my colleagues to get serious and work with democrats on practical, effective solutions that meet the moment and save americans money. I yield back. >> gentlelady yields back. Further discussion on the bill. Gentleman from georgia is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. >> Mr. chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr.
▶ 4:34:41Chairman, I want to thank my friend, representative allen, for introducing h.r. 4626, the don't mess with my home appliances act. H.r. 4006 26, will ensure that families have the freedom to choose what home appliances they can buy and keep in their homes. This bill will ensure that the department of energy considers cost to low income households when making rules, prohibits the banning of products based on their fuel type, and much more.
▶ 4:35:05The biden-harris administration waged war on american households who simply wanted to pick an appliance that is affordable to them. Those days are over, and this bill is a critical step towards restoring affordability and practicality to the regulation of household appliances in america. Urge all my colleagues to vote for this bill. Thank you, Mr. chairman, and I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? Gentlelady from florida is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.
▶ 4:35:35>> an amendment at the desk, Mr. chairman. >> so we're ready for no further discussion on the bill. We're ready for amendments. Would you identify your amendment? >> fc 4626 underscore 12. >> the clerk will report the. >> amendment to the committee for h.r. 4626. Add at the end the following section. >> without objection, the reading amendment is dispensed with. A lady from florida is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 4:35:59Colleagues, I think we all know that families across the country are working really hard to to get ahead and all of the higher costs and inflation is really setting them back, whether it's groceries, health care, uh, you name it, but especially their electric bills. That's why this bill is such poor policy, because it takes away an important tool to help people keep their electric bills low.
▶ 4:36:23It it, uh, guts energy efficiency standards for your home appliances. Uh, it will also create new roadblocks to update these standards. And what that will do is it will keep old energy wasting technologies on the market. Um, this bill is not needed to to preserve consumer choice. I've heard that word a lot. That is a red herring. Uh, existing law.
▶ 4:36:52Uh, and this has been since 1987, already requires that standards protect consumers access to desired features and do not restrict fuel sources. This was surprising to me. Listen to to all of the models that are on the market today. Consumers today have far greater choice in the products on the market than than the years before standards were introduced, even as even as energy and water use have declined significantly.
▶ 4:37:18For example, manufacturers now offer more than 11,000 distinct refrigerator models, 1600 washing machine models, and 1400 dishwasher models, according to the department of energy database. Uh, so let's talk about how energy efficiency standards actually work.
▶ 4:37:39They require manufacturers to produce more efficient appliances, but only, uh, if it's technologically feasible and economically justified. Consumers have the choice. You can decide yourself. Do you want a less efficient model? Uh, you can purchase that less efficient, cheaper model. Uh, or you can spend a little bit more up front that will save you over time.
▶ 4:38:08But net net, over time, these standards help consumers save money. I don't know, I, I know that a lot of the folks in the energy industry, they want people to spend more money. They want you to use more energy. That's where they benefit. They profit.
▶ 4:38:25But really, if you want to act in the public interest, you come down on the side of the consumer, uh, good old innovation here in the usa and help people save money that they need. While appliances get better and better over time. Uh, we heard from witnesses before the energy subcommittee.
▶ 4:38:45The average household spends about $2,000 on their annual utility bills, and between $200 and $400 is actually wasted on inefficiency. So energy efficiency helps consumers pocket the the savings by eliminating that waste. Um, there's an obvious flaw in this bill. It prohibits the standards, no matter their savings for consumers.
▶ 4:39:10In cases where additional upfront cost is paid back in more than three years, even for products that last decades, household appliances last longer than three years. Um, the bill also eliminates the primary tool ensuring that doe uh, update standards. They they're required to do that every eight years.
▶ 4:39:33An eight year review cycle was established in 2007, in a bipartisan law, uh, this republican bill, unfortunately, will end up resulting in higher electric bills, uh, at a time where nearly 80 million americans are struggling to pay those bills. Republicans are also trying to confuse people by claiming that energy efficiency standards result in faulty appliances. That's silly.
▶ 4:40:01As our expert witnesses testified, there's no evidence that efficiency standards cause products to break more often. If republicans were serious about helping folks back home save money, they would support new standards. Product technology is improving many product types, meaning that future standards could achieve major savings between 2030 and 2050, us households could save an average of nearly $150 annually on their utility bills.
▶ 4:40:31Businesses could save collectively 13 13.8 billion uh, plus you. You can't turn away from the fact that these standards are popular, that that's why surveys show that 87% of americans support them. In fact, a majority of americans want tougher energy efficiency standards. They know that they pay off for them.
▶ 4:40:50Um, so my amendment would simply ask the doe to publish a certification that the effects of revoking existing energy conservation standards on costs, monetary benefits and pollution will not negatively impact consumers. I hope we can agree on that. This amendment does not affect the implementation of anything in the bill. It just asks doe to wait until they certify that it's not going to have a negative impact on our neighbors.
▶ 4:41:19Uh, so I see no reason why anyone would have trouble supporting this amendment. I urge you to adopt it and I yield back my time. >> gentlelady yields back. Is there further discussion on the amendment? Gentleman from georgia is recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment. >> uh. >> mister chairman, I'd like to strike the last word, speak in opposition to this amendment. Uh, this amendment is duplicative and unnecessary. The underlying bill already requires the department of energy doe to consider the impacts of efficiency standards.
▶ 4:41:49But to go a step further, let me just explain something. Uh, the epa wanted to do away with my wife's gas stove. She had a brand new gas stove. Um, in fact, uh, it was a revolt in the entire neighborhood about this.
▶ 4:42:06Uh, um, and, you know, when you look at what it cost to cook with gas versus what it cost to cook with electricity right now because there's no more war on fossil fuel, it is actually less expensive to cook with gas than it is with electricity. In fact, if we could build pipelines, we could get it a lot cheaper.
▶ 4:42:30Uh, so it includes a look back provision, which requires the secretary of energy to to examine several criteria before amending or evoking an efficiency standard. The criteria includes the cost to consumers, the level of energy savings and technological feasibility, and the commercially available products. Furthermore, the underlying bill requires an economic analysis that specifically examines the cost to low income households and the impact on employment.
▶ 4:42:57For these reasons, this amendment is duplicative and unnecessary. Um, my my legislation ensures doe standards are cost effective and technologically feasible. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and I yield back. >> gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the amendment? Seeing none.
▶ 4:43:25Uh, a roll call vote has been requested. Uh, the the clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. lada. Mr. lada votes. No. Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes no. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes no. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr.
▶ 4:43:57Carter of georgia votes no. Mr. palmer. Mr. palmer votes no. Mr. dunn. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce. Mr. joyce votes no. Mr. weber. Mr. allen, Mr. allen votes no. Mr. balderson. Mr.
▶ 4:44:30Fulcher, Mr. fulcher votes no. Mr. pflueger, Mr. pflueger votes no. Mrs. harshbarger, Mrs. harshbarger votes no. Mrs. miller-meeks. Mrs. kat cammack. Mrs. carmack votes no. Mr. obernolte. Mr. obernolte votes no. Mr. james. Mr. james votes no. Mr. bentz, Mr.
▶ 4:44:58Bent votes no. Mrs. houchin. Mrs. houchin votes no. Mr. fry, Mr. frey votes no. Miss lee, miss lee votes no. Mr. langworthy, Mr. langworthy votes no. Mr. cain, Mr. cain votes no. Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes no. Mr. evans, Mr. evans votes no. Mr. goldman, Mr. goldman votes no. Mrs.
▶ 4:45:30Fedorchuk. Mr. palone. Mr. palone votes aye. Mr. get. Mr. get votes I miss schakowsky schakowsky votes I miss matsui miss. Matsui votes I miss castor miss castor votes I Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes I miss clerk. Miss clark votes I Mr. Mr. ruiz votes I Mr. peters.
▶ 4:46:01Mr. peters votes I, Mrs. dingle. Mr. veasey. Mr. veasey votes I miss kelly. Miss. Barragan miss. Barragan votes I mister soto. Mister soto, votes I miss schreyer. Miss schreyer, votes I Mr. han. Mr.
▶ 4:46:27Han votes I miss fletcher. Miss fletcher votes I miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes I Mr. auchincloss. Mr. auchincloss, votes I. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes I. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes I. Mr. mullin. Mr. mullen votes I Mr. landsman. Mr.
▶ 4:46:53Landsman votes I miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes I chairman guthrie. >> no. >> chairman guthrie votes. >> are there anybody seeking recognition, miss doctor dunn? >> Mr. dunn is not recorded. Mr. dunn votes no. >> Mr. weber. >> Mr. weber is not recorded. Mr. weber votes no. >> miss dingell. >> miss dingell is not recorded.
▶ 4:47:23Miss dingell votes I. >> anyone else seeking recognition? For the record, seeing none. The clerk will report the result. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote, there were 23 a's and 25 no's. >> the amendment is not agreed to. Are there further amendments?
▶ 4:47:52Seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting h.r. 4626. A roll call has been requested. The clerk will call the roll. >> Mr. latta, Mr. lada votes. Aye. Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes aye. Mr. bilirakis, Mr. hudson, Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. carter of georgia votes aye. Mr. palmer. Mr. palmer votes aye. Mr. dunn. Mr.
▶ 4:48:21Dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce, Mr. joyce votes aye Mr. weber. Mr. weber votes aye Mr. alan. Mr. alan votes aye Mr. balderson. Mr. folger Mr. fletcher votes aye Mr. pfluger. Mrs. harshbarger, Mrs. harshbarger votes aye Mrs. miller-meeks. Mrs.
▶ 4:48:48Carmack, Mrs. kat cammack votes aye. Mr. obernolte. Mr. o'brien, votes aye Mr. james. Mr. james votes aye. Mr. bentz. Mr. bentz votes aye. Mrs. houchin. Mr. frey. Mr. frey votes I miss lee. Miss lee votes aye. Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes aye. Mr.
▶ 4:49:20Cain. Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr. evans votes aye Mr. goldman. Mr. goldman votes aye. Mrs. fedorchuk. Mr. pallone. Mr. pallone votes no. Mr. get Mr. get votes. No. Miss. Schakowsky Mr. schakowsky votes no. Mr. matsui. Miss. Matsui votes no. Miss. Castor, miss. Castor votes no. Mr. tonko. Mr. tonko votes no. Miss.
▶ 4:49:50Clark, miss. Clark votes no. Mr. ruiz. Mr. peters, Mr. peters votes no. Mrs. dingell. Mr. Mrs. dingell, Mrs. dingell, votes no. Mr. Mr. veasey votes no. Miss. Kelly. Miss. Barragan, miss.
▶ 4:50:19Barragan, votes no. Mr. soto. Miss. Schreyer, miss. Schreyer votes no. Mr. han. Mr. han votes no. Mr. fletcher, miss fletcher votes no. Miss ocasio-cortez, miss ocasio-cortez votes no. Mr. kloss, Mr. austin scott votes no. Mr. carter of louisiana. Mr. carter of louisiana votes no. Mr. menendez. Mr. mullen, Mr.
▶ 4:50:54Mullen votes no. Mr. landsman. Mr. landsman votes no. Miss mcclellan. Mr. mcclellan votes no. Chairman. Guthrie, chairman. Guthrie votes aye. >> how is Mr. pfluger recorded? >> Mr. pfluger is not recorded. Mr. pfluger votes aye. >> Mr. bilirakis. >> Mr. bilirakis is not recorded. Mr. bilirakis votes aye. >> Mr. okay. >> Mr. Mr. >> soto Mr.
▶ 4:51:23Soto is not recorded. Doctor lewis no, Mr. ruiz is not recorded. Mr. reeves votes no. >> miss allchin. >> Mrs. houchin is not recorded. Mrs. houchin votes I. >> is anyone on the republican side seeking recognition. Seeing none. Democrat side seeing none. The clerk will report. >> Mr.
▶ 4:51:52Chairman of that vote there were 26 ayes and 22 no's. >> the ayes have it and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up h.r. 1355 and asks the clerk to report. >> h.r. 1355, a bill to amend the energy conservation and production act to reauthorize the weatherization assistance program. And direct the.
▶ 4:52:23>> without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for any point so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? You're calling the ames upright? It's a or. Um, let me just seeing none. Is there any amendments? Gentlelady from florida is recognized. >> Mr. chairman, I have an amendment in the nature of a substitute. H.r. 1350 501. >> the clerk will report. >> amendment in the nature of a substitute to h.r. One. Three.
▶ 4:52:49>> without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and the gentlelady from florida is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. Colleagues, this amendment represents represents weeks of bipartisan negotiations to get to an agreement on congressman tom cole bill, h.r. 1355, the weatherization enhancement and readiness act. This is a bipartisan bill.
▶ 4:53:11Thankfully, that lowers costs for energy burdened households by boosting energy security and increasing energy efficiency, promoting affordability across the board. And it's so important at a time when electric bills are skyrocketing, it it truly is vital that we reauthorize the department of energy's weatherization assistance program.
▶ 4:53:36This would really help working class families, especially, reduce their monthly energy bills through energy efficient home upgrades. Um, this program saves money and it promotes resilience, safety and security for millions of families across the country. About 7 million, to be exact.
▶ 4:53:55While this compromise does not include an authorization of the weatherization readiness program, I'm glad we were able to increase the statutory limit for the average amount a state can spend on weatherizing homes from $6500 to $12,000. This change ensures that the weatherization initiative keeps pace with the rising costs of building materials, wages, equipment and allows for deeper, more effective retrofits.
▶ 4:54:23This amendment also ensures that we have a long term reauthorization of the weatherization assistance program through 2030. Additionally, I'm hopeful that once doe compiles the report on the impact of readiness efforts as included in this amendment, our colleagues across the aisle will see the real impact of weatherization readiness on communities, its value, its importance, and we have appropriated over the past few
▶ 4:54:54Years. We need to get back to doing that again. I appreciate chairs, latta and guthrie, majority committee staff, as well as, uh, especially ranking member tonko. Uh, ranking member pallone, thank you all so much for getting this bill across the finish line to deliver vast savings for american families who could really use it right now. Thanks, I yield back. >> thank you. The gentlelady yields back. And the gentleman from ohio is recognized to speak on the amendment. >> well, thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 4:55:22I really appreciate the opportunity to speak on the amendment in the nature of the substitute, the weatherization assistance program plays an important role in increasing energy efficiency and low in low income homes. This saves families money, reduces strain on our nation's grid, and helps keep existing homes and the housing market.
▶ 4:55:41I am pleased we were able to reach the bipartisan agreement reflected in this age, and I think the representative from new york and the ranking member of the full committee and the subcommittee for working with us on this. I'm sorry we yielded, and I yield back. I yield to the chairman. >> thank you. I agree this is an important, uh, program, and I'm glad that we've all worked hard.
▶ 4:56:07Uh, someone, uh, I talked to last night said that kentucky is a leader in the way we implement the program and and really appreciate those compliments. I know when I was in the general assembly and other areas, getting homes, uh, efficient and is a very important, particularly the focus on low income and having warm homes and having cool homes in the summer, but having the opportunity to to make sure your electric bill we call the light bill, where I'm from is low is important.
▶ 4:56:34Um, talked about the readiness program there that that's important. I'm not saying it's not important. The issue has been sometimes they go to look at homes for weather to weather, weather ization. And the roof just needs replacing or you just can't. The weatherization wouldn't really help at the level you need. And so we wanted a report to look back. There are people that report. There are other programs, habitat for humanity, other groups that kind of do that kind of work.
▶ 4:57:02So we wanted to focus this on homes that that were this money would go to the homes in the weatherization and absolutely not dismiss the fact that there's a greater need to it. Thanks for pointing that the reports in here for us to do that. I really appreciate both sides of the aisle working together, members working together. And, uh, the gentleman that I was elected to congress with, Mr. tonko for being such a good partner in this as well. We have a rich history of working together when we can find common ground. And thanks for doing it. And I will yield back to my friend from ohio.
▶ 4:57:32>> and I yield back. >> and he yields back. And I believe the gentleman from new york is seeking to speak on the amendment. >> yeah. Thank you, Mr. chair. I move to strike the last word. Thank you. Um, I thank chair latta and you, Mr. chair, and your work for us as the ranking and the work with ranking member on the ai. And the amendment preserves two important parts of h.r. 1355.
▶ 4:57:58It would reauthorize doe's weatherization assistance program through fiscal year 2030, and it would raise the program's average cost per dwelling unit to $12,000. And I think it's important to raise that number, but also to maintain an appropriation level that will enable us to, uh, not slip in the number of houses that we can do. These are important tweaks to the law that will help preserve the program and allow it to function even better moving forward.
▶ 4:58:24Now, it's no secret that so many of our constituents are struggling with the cost of living crisis, and energy affordability is certainly a huge piece of that. I won't suggest the doe's weatherization assistance program or this legislation is a silver bullet, but it can be a small but important part of a more comprehensive solution.
▶ 4:58:44The truth is that a meaningful energy affordability solution will require congress to step up, understand the challenge, and do more to relieve the pressure that working families are feeling from their energy burden. We know that weatherization works. The households that are eligible for the program spend about 14% of their income on energy costs, compared to just 3% for other households.
▶ 4:59:07So this is a very meaningful program to those who are income eligible for this, uh, this relief, households that receive assistance save some $372 on their energy bills each year. They also benefit from living in a safer and more comfortable home. Reauthorizing this program helps ensure that it will be part of our collective efforts to address energy affordability moving forward, and raising that average cost per unit will benefit the long term health of this program.
▶ 4:59:36Inflation has eroded the potential effectiveness of weatherization services, so this change will ensure that households can still receive adequate services from crews that are being fairly and competitively compensated. While I'm disappointed that we could not reach bipartisan agreement on other aspects of the bill as introduced, including the reauthorization or the authorization of the weatherization readiness fund, I remain committed to continuing to push for future adjustments to the program moving forward.
▶ 5:00:06Now to that readiness fund, I know that each of our districts can point to success stories where people have had that readiness fund utilized in a way that makes them eligible for the weatherization outcome. To me, that's a great success story, and I don't think we need to look for other avenues. We had a successful readiness fund. Let's continue that. Let's make certain we put money into that, because there are those.
▶ 5:00:35If they have something like a roof repair, they can then have that affordable outcome, uh, with the application of weatherization money. So I think it's only a common sense feature that should be included as we move forward. But for now, I thank the chairs for reaching an agreement on this version of the bill. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and with that, I thank you and yield back. >> thank you. The gentleman yields back.
▶ 5:01:02Is there further discussion on the amendment seeing none now we're going to adopt the amendment in the nature of substitute. And I believe we can do that by voice. And then we will have a roll call vote on the final bill. So if there's no further discussion, the vote occurs. Only amendment in the nature of substitute. All those in favor signify by saying I, I. All those opposed. Nay. The ayes have it, and the amendment is agreed to. The question now occurs on adopting h.r. 1355, as amended.
▶ 5:01:31A roll call vote has been requested, and the clerk will call the roll. >> mister lada, mister lada votes. Aye, Mr. griffith. Mr. griffith votes aye. Mr. bilirakis. Mr. bilirakis votes aye. Mr. hudson. Mr. hudson votes aye. Mr. carter of georgia. Mr. carter of georgia votes aye Mr. palmer. Mr. palmer votes aye. Mr. dunn. Mr. dunn votes aye. Mr. crenshaw. Mr. joyce, Mr. weber, Mr. weber votes aye Mr. allen. Mr.
▶ 5:01:59Allen votes aye. Mr. balderson, Mr. bolger, Mr. fletcher votes aye. Mr. pfluger. Mr. pfluger, votes aye. Mrs. harshbarger, Mr. harshbarger, votes aye Mrs. miller-meeks. Mrs. carmack, Mrs. carmack votes aye. Mr. obernolte. Mr. james. Mr. james votes aye. Mr. bence, Mr. bence votes aye. Mrs. houchin. Mr. hawkins votes aye. Mr. frye. Mr. frye votes I miss lee.
▶ 5:02:28Miss lee, votes aye Mr. langworthy. Mr. langworthy votes aye. Mr. cain. Mr. cain votes aye Mr. rowley. Mr. rowley votes aye Mr. evans. Mr. evans votes aye Mr. goldman. Mr. goldman votes aye Mr. fedorchuk. Mr. pallone. Mr. votes aye Mr. get Mr.
▶ 5:02:53Get votes I miss schakowsky schakowsky votes I miss matsui doris matsui votes I miss castor miss castor votes. Aye Mr. tonko Mr. tonko votes I miss clark. Miss clark votes aye. Mr. ruiz. Mr. ruiz votes aye. Mr. peters. Mr. peters votes aye. Mrs. dingell. Mrs. dingell, votes aye. Mr. veasey, Mr. veasey votes aye, miss. Kelly. Miss. Barragan, miss.
▶ 5:03:26Barragan, votes aye. Mr. soto. Mr. soto, votes I, miss schreyer. Schreyer. Votes I miss Mr. han. Mr. han votes I miss fletcher. Miss fletcher votes I miss ocasio-cortez. Miss ocasio-cortez votes aye. Mr. Mr. votes aye, Mr. carter. Louisiana. Miss. Carter. Louisiana votes aye. Mr. menendez. Mr. menendez votes aye. Mr. mullen. Mr. mullen votes aye. Mr. landsman. Mr. landsman votes aye. Miss mcclellan. Miss mcclellan votes aye. Chairman.
▶ 5:03:54Guthrie, chairman guthrie votes aye. >> anyone seeking recognition. House doctor joyce recorded. >> Mr. joyce is not recorded. Mr. joyce votes aye. >> miss fedorchuk recorded. >> Mr. fedorchuk is not recorded. Mrs. fedorchuk. >> on the democratic side. Wishing to be recorded. >> Mr. >> how's Mr. obernolte recorded? >> Mr. obernolte is not recorded. Mr. obernolte votes. Aye. >> anyone else seeking recognition for purpose of entering the roll?
▶ 5:04:24Seeing none the clerk will report. >> Mr. chairman, on that vote. There were 50 eyes and zero nose. >> thank you. The ayes have it and the bill is adopted. Without objection. Staff is authorized to make technical and conforming changes to the legislation approved by the committee today. So ordered. Without objection, the committee stands adjourned.