WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee announced its hearing and vote schedule for the week of June 18. The full committee will vote on several pieces of legislation that will support the nation’s manufacturing sector, remove outdated regulations and red-tape, maintain grid reliability, and protect the Internet. Finally, the committee will vote on its third Semi-Annual Committee Activity Report to the House.
The committee will also hold a series of hearings to assess the administration’s regulatory agenda and its impact on taxpayers and job creation while seeking to understand the priorities and progress of the National Institutes of Health.
On Tuesday, June 19, the Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold the twentieth day of the subcommittee’s hearing on “The American Energy Initiative." The focus will be on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Regulations. Last year, a bipartisan majority in the House approved H.R. 910, the Energy Tax Prevention Act, to stop EPA from implementing its controversial greenhouse gas rules, which threaten to drive energy prices higher and put countless American jobs at risk. Next week’s hearing will continue the subcommittee’s efforts to protect jobs and lower the regulatory burden facing American job-creators by examining the impacts of EPA’s current, pending, and potential future greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act. A witness list and background memo is posted here.
Also on Tuesday, June 19, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on “The Federal Green Jobs Agenda." As the American people continue to ask “Where are the jobs?" the subcommittee will examine the status of the federal green jobs agenda by drawing upon outside perspectives and its own investigations into federal green jobs programs. A witness list and background memo is posted here.
On Tuesday, June 19, and Wednesday, June 20, the Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a markup on several pieces of legislation along with the latest report on the committee’s activities. On Tuesday, the committee will convene at 4:00 p.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building for opening statements only. The committee will reconvene on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to consider the following legislation:
• H.R. 5865 will establish a public-private American Manufacturing Competitiveness Board to advise the president on manufacturing issues and conduct a rigorous analysis of the manufacturing sector. The Board will also develop and submit to the president a national manufacturing competitiveness strategy. The goals of the Board will be to eliminate red tape, streamline government processes, and ultimately make the United States more competitive as a place to locate or expand manufacturing. The Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade approved this legislation, as amended, by a voice vote on June 7, 2012.
• H.R. 5859 is bipartisan legislation that will eliminate a requirement for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to reproduce information on insurance rates for different makes and models of passenger vehicles and NHTSA’s rule requiring dealers to make such information available to prospective buyers. The administration has recommended Congress repeal this obsolete provision. Research shows that consumers rarely seek this information and that other factors such as driver history, locale, and vehicle use have much greater influence on insurance rates than damage susceptibility. The Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade approved this legislation by a voice vote on June 7, 2012.
• H.R. 4273 will ensure America’s power companies are able to comply with DOE emergency orders to maintain grid reliability without facing penalties for violating potentially conflicting environmental laws. The Subcommittee on Energy and Power approved this legislation by a voice vote on June 7, 2012.
• H.R. 5892 will help facilitate the development of new hydropower projects across the country by reducing red tape and streamlining the permitting process. Hydropower currently accounts for over 7 percent of electricity generation in this country and is an important component of our all-of-the-above energy strategy. The Subcommittee on Energy and Power approved this legislation by a voice vote on June 7, 2012.
• H.Con.Res. 127 expresses the sense of Congress that the Internet should remain free from international regulation and that the United States should continue its commitment to the current “multi-stakeholder" model of governance. This concurrent resolution would reject international proposals, expected to be discussed at the December World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai, to treat the Internet like an old-fashioned telephone service.
• The committee will also vote on its third Semi-Annual Activity Report to the House.
Electronic copies of the legislation and the Semi-Annual Committee Activity Report can be found on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s website here. A background memo, amendments, and votes will be available at the same link as they are posted.
On Thursday, June 21, the Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on “The National Institutes of Health - A Review of Its Reforms, Priorities, and Progress." The subcommittee will review the implementation of the National Institutes of Health Reform Act of 2006, the work of the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS), and the identification of research and funding priorities. NIH Director Francis Collins is the sole witness. A background memo and witness list will be posted here when it becomes available.
Also on Thursday, June 21, the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy will hold a hearing on “Electronic Submission of Hazardous Waste Manifests - Modernizing for the 21st Century." To help save taxpayer dollars and streamline government processes, the subcommittee will discuss the proposed transition to an electronic system for submitting hazardous waste manifests. Currently, entities that generate, ship, and manage hazardous wastes submit manifests in paper form. Reducing and eliminating unnecessary paperwork will improve efficiency and could save taxpayers millions of dollars each year. A witness list and background memo will be posted here when they become available.
Hearing and Vote Details
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
10:00 a.m.
2123 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Energy and Power
Hearing on “The American Energy Initiative: A Focus on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Regulations"
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
10:15 a.m.
2322 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Hearing on “The Federal Green Jobs Agenda"
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
4:00 p.m.
2123 Rayburn House Office Building
Full Committee on Energy and Commerce Markup
H.R. 5865, the “National Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2012";
H.R. 5859, a bill to repeal an obsolete provision of Title 49, United States Code;
H.R. 4273, the “Resolving Environmental and Grid Reliability Conflicts Act of 2012";
H.R. 5892, the “Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2012";
H.Con.Res. 127, regarding actions to preserve and advance the multistakeholder governance model under which the Internet has thrived; and,
The Semi-Annual Committee Activity Report
(Opening statements only)
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
10:00 a.m.
2123 Rayburn House Office Building
Full Committee on Energy and Commerce
The previous day’s markup will reconvene
Thursday, June 21, 2012
10:00 a.m.
2123 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Health
Hearing on “The National Institutes of Health - A Review of Its Reforms, Priorities, and Progress"
Thursday, June 21, 2012
10:15 a.m.
2322 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy
Hearing on “Electronic Submission of Hazardous Waste Manifests - Modernizing for the 21st Century"
