Today in Washington, D.C., Congressman Brett Guthrie of Kentucky's 2nd District, who serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, addressed the House floor about H.R. 4593. The bill, titled the Saving Homeowners from Overregulation With Exceptional Rinsing (SHOWER) Act, seeks to codify the definition of a showerhead in federal law.
Guthrie criticized previous federal efforts to regulate household appliances, stating: “Under the previous administration, American consumers were subjected to Washington’s constant micromanagement of appliances and equipment in their homes and businesses.”
He referenced actions taken by the Biden-Harris Administration: “In fact, the Biden-Harris Administration finalized more than 30 new or amended energy efficiency standards, totaling over $60 billion in costs, and regulating nearly every appliance in American’s home.”
Guthrie pointed out that part of these regulations involved redefining what constitutes a showerhead. He explained: “Part of this effort focused on complicating the definition of a showerhead by prohibiting multi-nozzle shower systems if the whole system collectively delivers more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute instead of following the straightforward statutory definition of showerhead.”
He added that this change resulted in a lengthy regulatory definition: “The new, highly bureaucratic definition was an amazing 13,000 words in length, and a novel interpretation. This resulted in shower systems with more than one nozzle having a lower flowrate compared to individual showerheads.” According to Guthrie, this has led to confusion for consumers wanting higher water flow from multi-nozzle systems: “Additionally, this definition is misleading to consumers looking to buy multi-nozzle shower systems for the purpose of increasing water flow.”
He noted that former President Trump had acted to revert these changes: “President Trump has taken executive action to restore the regulatory definitions and standards to the law’s original intent, by allowing a maximum water use of 2.5 gallons per minute for each faucet in a shower system.” H.R. 4593 aims to make this approach permanent: “H.R. 4593 would codify President Trump’s definition by allowing the 2.5 maximum flow rate to apply to each nozzle in the shower system.”
Guthrie emphasized potential benefits for manufacturers and consumers: “This legislation will ensure manufacturers, like Delta Faucet in my district, are not subjected to the swing of the political pendulum, with ever-changing interpretations of the law.” He continued: “Further, this legislation is simple and pro-consumer choice. It is unfortunate that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are seeking more regulation for its own sake, limiting the choices of American consumers.”
On consumer options regarding water pressure he stated: “If an individual wants lower water pressure, they have a variety of options. They can purchase a single nozzle showerhead, or they can simply turn down the faucet. It’s that simple.” He concluded by saying decisions should be made by individuals rather than regulators: “But those choices must be left to individual Americans, not Washington bureaucrats.”
Guthrie summarized his support for H.R. 4593 as follows: “H.R. 4593 would bring regulatory certainty to manufacturers, performance effectiveness to a household appliance we all use, and choice to American consumers.” He ended his remarks urging support from fellow lawmakers.
