Brett Guthrie

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6633) to establish a best-available transmission conductor standard for certain transmission projects under the Federal Power Act and to provide for presumptions regarding cost recovery for such conductors, as amended.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9340) to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish a Federal standard relating to the recovery of the full, incremental costs of upgrades that serve large-load customers, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 9340.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, sponsored by my colleague and friend from Colorado, Congressman Evans. This bill encourages States to protect our neighbors and small businesses from footing the bill for infrastructure investments needed for the AI race, while protecting existing State authorities. The evidence is clear: When States have the proper processes in place to protect households, interconnecting large-load data centers have positive benefits for the communities in which they reside. Data center growth can be a catalyst for investment in an aging grid, strengthening the tax base to fund essential public services and anchor tenants for utilities that lower rates for everyone else. Electricity demand is growing at a pace not seen since World War II, and communities are rightly concerned about what this might mean for their daily lives. As this industry continues to develop, I want to be absolutely clear that we need it to develop here at home and not in China. H.R. 9340 takes action on behalf of our constituents so we may keep costs low while ensuring the U.S. leads in the next-generation economy. If we cede the race for AI dominance to China, then China will set the standards for future technology. This bill strikes the right balance of providing a modest but important level of accountability as we continue to support this vital industry. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Colorado again for his tireless bipartisan leadership on this issue. He is bringing together both sides of the aisle on a critical issue. I would say, we were home, working in our districts in August. We listened to our constituents, and we are here today based on what we heard, taking action here in Washington, D.C. That is how our system is supposed to work. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the distinguished majority leader and my good friend.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta), the chair of the Subcommittee on Energy.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Balderson), a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Evans), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler), my good friend.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Mackenzie).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. I agree, this is important. We have to beat China. We have to win the war on AI. If we don't, they are going to set the standards for technology around the world. It needs to be with our values, not theirs. To do that, we have to have the data centers. It needs to be locally decided where they go, and ratepayers need to be protected from it. That is what I heard all of August. I think most of us home working heard about it. This is an example where people are going home, both sides of the aisle, listening, and coming back here and doing something about the concerns for the people they represent. I encourage support of this bill. I encourage for its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2846) to amend title II of the Public Health Service Act to include as an additional right or privilege of commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (and their beneficiaries) certain leave provided under title 10, United States Code to commissioned officers of the Army (or their beneficiaries).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2846.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2846 led by the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan). The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is one of eight uniformed services in the U.S. It is first in line to defend our Nation's public health against any threat. This bill closes the gap in benefits between Public Health Service officers and other civilian uniformed public servants by aligning their leave policies with those of other uniformed services. The dedicated men and women of the Public Health Service Corps have my respect and gratitude, and they deserve the same benefits and protections afforded to their fellow uniformed servicemembers. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I just want to speak briefly. I have no further speakers, so I will be prepared to close. The gentleman recognized Una Lee, but I didn't get to speak earlier in the subcommittee today. We get to work with fantastic people here, and I know Una is one of them. We get to see, on the opposite sides of the table sometimes, but I know we are always working to try to improve our country. I thank her for her service. We will miss seeing her around the Energy and Commerce room. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Pennsylvania for bringing this forward. I thank her for her service in the U.S. Air Force and her service here. In closing, Madam Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1703) to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify payment rules for manual wheelchairs under part B of the Medicare program, as amended.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and include extraneous material on H.R. 1703.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce), my good friend, the sponsor of this legislation, a valuable member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and head of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1703, led by my good friend who previously spoke, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce). Medicare beneficiaries should not be limited in their ability to access the right wheelchair to help them move freely in their daily lives. Ultimately, the payment clarifications in this legislation are intended to improve access to wheelchair upgrades among Medicare beneficiaries who choose to do so. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. This is a bipartisan bill. It is something we all support, and I thank my colleagues for supporting it. I yield back the balance of my time.