[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15800-15801]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1445
                 POWER AND SECURITY SYSTEMS (PASS) ACT

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(S. 190) to provide for consideration of the extension under the Energy 
Policy and Conservation Act of nonapplication of No-Load Mode energy 
efficiency standards to certain security or life safety alarms or 
surveillance systems, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 190

       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 ``Power And Security Systems 
     (PASS) Act''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF NONAPPLICATION OF NO-LOAD MODE ENERGY 
                   EFFICIENCY STANDARD TO CERTAIN SECURITY OR LIFE 
                   SAFETY ALARM OR SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS.

       (a) Section 325(u)(3)(D)(ii) of the Energy Policy and 
     Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(u)(3)(D)(ii)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``2015'' each place it appears and 
     inserting ``2021''; and
       (2) by striking ``2017'' and inserting ``2023''.
       (b) Section 325(u)(3)(E) of the Energy Policy and 
     Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(u)(3)(E)) is amended--
       (1) in clause (ii), by striking ``July 1, 2017,'' and 
     inserting ``the effective date of the amendment under 
     subparagraph (D)(ii)''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(iv) Treatment in rule.--In the rule under subparagraph 
     (D)(ii) and subsequent amendments the Secretary may treat 
     some or all external power supplies designed to be connected 
     to a security or life safety alarm or surveillance system as 
     a separate product class or may extend the nonapplication 
     under clause (ii).''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Olson) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
insert extraneous material in the record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 190.
  External power supplies are used for all sorts of devices, and we 
have learned from experience that the Federal energy efficiency 
standards sometimes don't work in the ways we want them to. In 
particular, we need an exemption from these rules for the security and 
life safety alarms and surveillance alarms.
  S. 190, the Power and Security Systems, or PASS, Act, provides 
targeted exemptions that allow these critical uses to stay on the 
market.
  Devices like home security alarms or fire detection need to be on 24/
7, 365, but the 2007 energy law on energy efficiency standards for 
external power supplies does not allow for this. Since then, Congress 
has created exemptions for these ``always on'' devices, but this 
exemption ended on July 1 of 2017. S. 190 extends this exemption out to 
2023.
  The result of this bill would be that these important security 
systems will continue to be available, preserving the jobs of those who 
make them, and, most importantly, the safety of those who use them.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this measure, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 190, the Power and Security 
Systems, or PASS, Act.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill would provide a noncontroversial technical fix 
to a Department of Energy efficiency standard, and it has widespread 
bipartisan support.
  I would also like to acknowledge my colleagues, Mr. Welch from 
Vermont, Mr. Brooks from Alabama, as well as Senator Gardner and 
Senator Cantwell, for their work in sponsoring this bill and getting it 
to the floor here today.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation would simply amend the Energy Policy 
and Conservation Act to require the Department of Energy to issue a 
rule by July 1, 2021, which would determine whether energy conservation 
standards for external power supplies should be amended.
  The rule must contain any amendment standards and would apply to 
products manufactured on or after July 1, 2023.
  Mr. Speaker, current law exempts external power supplies for security 
or life safety systems from energy conservation standards until July 1, 
2017. This bill simply extends that exemption to July 1, 2023.
  Mr. Speaker, this clarification is necessary in order to exclude 
power supply circuits, drivers, and devices that are designed to power 
security alarms, lifesaving devices, and surveillance systems.
  Mr. Speaker, as I stated, this legislative fix has widespread support 
from both houses of Congress, from both sides of the aisle, as well as 
from industry and the energy efficiency community.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this valuable 
piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I close with a short and sweet: good bill, 
vote for it.
  Mr. Speaker, 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. Olson) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, S. 190.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

[[Page 15801]]



                          ____________________