[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 53 (Monday, March 24, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1196-H1197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COST-SHARE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2025
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 359) to Amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require reporting
relating to certain cost-share requirements, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 359
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Cost-Share Accountability
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
Section 988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C.
16352) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(g) Reporting.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
the enactment of this subsection and at least quarterly
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology and Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee
on Appropriations of the Senate, and shall make publicly
available, a report on the use by the Department during the
period covered by the report of the authority to reduce or
eliminate cost-sharing requirements provided by subsection
(b)(3) or (c)(2).''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 359, the bill now under
consideration.
[[Page H1197]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 359, the Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025, is a good
government bill that does exactly what it says: It improves
accountability.
Led by Mr. Obernolte, this bill requires the Department of Energy
(DOE) to submit a quarterly report to Congress describing instances
where it has modified or waived cost-share requirements and make these
reports publicly available.
DOE is subject to cost-share requirements when making awards for
research, development, demonstration, and commercial application
activities. This means that each project must have a certain funding
percentage, usually at least 50 percent, contributed by the award
recipient. However, DOE can modify or eliminate those requirements,
when necessary, which is an authority that can be critical to
supporting early-stage technologies.
H.R. 359 does not prevent DOE from waiving cost-share requirements.
It simply ensures that any changes are reported to Congress and are
made public. Transparency and accountability are important because they
allow us to track how taxpayer dollars are spent once appropriated to
DOE.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1415
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I join the chairman of the committee to rise in support of the Cost-
Share Accountability Act of 2025.
I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte) and the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster) for reintroducing this bipartisan,
commonsense bill.
The Department of Energy spends billions of dollars every year
supporting research, development, demonstration, and commercialization
activities. Per the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Department of Energy
requires not less than 20 percent for research and development and not
less than 50 percent for demonstration or commercial application
activities to be provided from a non-Federal source so that all
stakeholders have some skin in the game and to control costs for
taxpayers.
To ensure that the cost-match requirement is not a barrier to entry,
the Secretary of Energy has the discretion to reduce or eliminate this
cost-share requirement if the Secretary determines that it is necessary
or appropriate to do so.
While it is important that the Secretary has this flexibility,
current law contains no permanent requirement for the Department of
Energy to notify Congress of the use of this flexible authority to
reduce or eliminate such requirements.
Thus, H.R. 359, the Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025, will
direct the Department of Energy to provide quarterly reporting
requirements to Congress on the use of the Secretary of Energy's cost-
share waiver authority. This bill would ensure that Congress is able to
perform its oversight responsibilities and help inform future potential
legislation to modify the cost-share requirements.
Mr. Speaker, I again thank our colleagues from both sides of the
aisle for introducing and reintroducing this bipartisan bill. I urge
everyone to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 359, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte) to speak on his bill.
Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise in support of my
bill, H.R. 359, the Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025. I thank my
colleague and my friend from Illinois, Congressman Bill Foster, for
leading this bipartisan piece of legislation with me.
Mr. Speaker, cutting-edge research and development and energy
technology is often catalyzed through grants awarded by the Department
of Energy. Normally those grants come with a cost-sharing requirement
usually of around 50 percent. That is important because it makes sure
that the entity that the grant is awarded to has some skin in the game,
and it also ensures the taxpayers get the best value for their dollar
when that grant is performed. However, the Department of Energy has the
ability under Federal law to waive or reduce that grant amount.
It has become clear in recent years that it is not transparent when
the DOE uses that authority. It is hampering our ability as Members of
Congress to provide the oversight necessary into the activities of the
DOE.
This bill will impose a quarterly reporting requirement on the
Department of Energy during which they must report to Congress and the
public occasions under which in the last 90 days they have utilized the
ability to reduce or eliminate the cost-share requirement. This will
provide us in Congress the information we need to do our job of
oversight, and it will also make sure that the ability to reduce or
eliminate the cost sharing is used appropriately and in appropriate
circumstances.
Mr. Speaker, this is transparent, bipartisan, good government
legislation, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, it is a thing of beauty to watch Mr. Obernolte and Mr.
Foster legislate together. I have seen it for a number of years on the
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. It is one of the
reasons why I am so excited for H.R. 359 and to see its passage here in
the House of Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for introducing this bill and for
their work. I urge a very strong ``yes'' vote on H.R. 359, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill passed the House with unanimous support in the
118th Congress and is a prime example of the bipartisan backing for
Congress' role in overseeing transparent and efficient spending by
Federal agencies. I thank Representative Obernolte for leading this
legislation again in the 119th Congress and Representative Foster for
cosponsoring it.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in support of this
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 359.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________