(1420) DON'T MESS WITH MY HOME APPLIANCES ACT

On 2026-02-24, Representative Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY-3) delivered a floor speech titled "(1420) DON'T MESS WITH MY HOME APPLIANCES ACT" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered foreign policy, China. It referenced legislation including HR4626, HRES1075.

(1420) DON'T MESS WITH MY HOME APPLIANCES ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2279-H2285] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] (1420) DON'T MESS WITH MY HOME APPLIANCES ACT Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1075, I call up the bill (H.R. 4626) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from prescribing any new or amended energy conservation standard for a product that is not technologically feasible and economically justified, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Miller of West Virginia). Pursuant to House Resolution 1075, in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Energy and Commerce printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 119-20 is adopted, and the bill, as amended, is considered read. The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows: H.R. 4626 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 ``Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act''. SEC. 2. PRESCRIBING NEW OR AMENDED ENERGY CONSERVATION STANDARDS. (a) Amendment of Standards.-- (1) In general.--Section 325(m)(1) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(m)(1)) is amended to read as follows: ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may, for any product, publish a notice of proposed rulemaking including new proposed standards for such product based on the criteria established under subsection (o) and the procedures established under subsection (p).''. (2) Amendment of standard.--Section 325(m)(3) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(m)(3)) is amended to read as follows: ``(3) Amendment of standard.--Not later than 2 years after a notice is issued under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall publish a final rule amending the standard for the product.''. (3) Application to products.--Section 325(m)(4) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(m)(4)) is amended to read as follows: ``(4) Application to products.--An amendment prescribed under this subsection shall apply to a product that is manufactured after the date that is 5 years after publication of the final rule establishing an applicable standard.''. (b) Petition for Amended Standard.--Section 325(n) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(n)) is amended-- (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``an Amended Standard'' and inserting ``Amendment or Revocation of Standard''; (2) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``or revoked'' after ``should be amended''; (3) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows: ``(2) The Secretary shall grant a petition to determine if standards for a covered product should be amended or revoked if the Secretary finds that such petition contains evidence, assuming no other evidence were considered, that such standards-- ``(A) result in additional costs to consumers; ``(B) do not result in significant conservation of energy or water; ``(C) are not technologically feasible; and ``(D) result in such covered product not being commercially available in the United States to all consumers.''; (4) in paragraph (4)-- (A) by striking ``New or amended standards.'' and inserting ``New, amended, or revoked standards.''; (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively (and by conforming the margins accordingly); (C) by striking ``Not later than 3 years'' and inserting the following: ``(A) Not later than 3 years''; and (D) by adding at the end the following: ``(B) Not later than 180 days after the date of granting a petition to revoke standards, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register-- ``(i) a final rule revoking the standards; or ``(ii) a determination that it is not necessary to revoke the standards. ``(C) The grant of a petition by the Secretary under this subsection creates no presumption with respect to the Secretary's determination of any of the criteria in a rulemaking under this section. ``(D) Standards that have been revoked pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall be considered to be in effect for purposes of section 327.''; and (5) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking ``3 years (for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers, room air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, fluorescent lamp ballasts, general service fluorescent lamps, incandescent reflector lamps, and kitchen ranges and ovens) or 5 years (for central air conditioners and heat pumps, water heaters, pool heaters, direct heating equipment and furnaces)'' and inserting ``5 years''; (c) Criteria.--Section 325(o) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(o)) is amended by amending paragraphs (2) and (3) to read as follows: ``(2) Requirements.-- ``(A) Design.--Any new or amended energy conservation standard prescribed by the Secretary under this section for any type (or class) of covered product shall be designed to achieve the maximum improvement in, as applicable, energy efficiency or water efficiency, which the Secretary determines is technologically feasible and economically justified. ``(B) Test procedures.--If the Secretary determines that a test procedure should be prescribed or amended in accordance with section 323 for a type (or class) of covered product, the Secretary may not prescribe a new or amended energy conservation standard under this section for such type (or class) of covered product unless the Secretary has prescribed or amended (and published in the Federal Register) a test procedure for such type (or class) of covered product at least 180 days before publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking with respect to the new or amended energy conservation standard. ``(C) Significant conservation.--The Secretary may not prescribe a new or amended energy conservation standard under this section for a type (or class) of covered product if the Secretary determines that the establishment and imposition of such energy conservation standard will not result in significant conservation of, as applicable, energy or water. ``(D) Technologically feasible and economically justified.--The Secretary may not prescribe a new or amended energy conservation standard under this section for a type (or class) of covered product unless the Secretary determines that the establishment and imposition of such energy conservation standard is technologically feasible and economically justified. ``(E) Disclosure.--The Secretary may not prescribe a new or amended energy conservation standard under this section for a type (or class) of covered product unless the Secretary, not later than the date on which the standard is prescribed, publicly discloses each meeting held by the Secretary, during the 5-year period preceding such date, with any entity that-- [[Page H2280]] ``(i) has ties to the People's Republic of China or the Chinese Communist Party; ``(ii) has produced studies regarding, or advocated for, regulations or policy to limit, restrict, or ban the use of any type of energy; and ``(iii) has applied for or received Federal funds. ``(3) Factors for determination.-- ``(A) Economic analysis.-- ``(i) Determination.--Prior to prescribing any new or amended energy conservation standard under this section for any type (or class) of covered product, the Secretary shall conduct a quantitative economic impact analysis of imposition of the energy conservation standard that determines the predicted-- ``(I) effects of imposition of the energy conservation standard on costs and monetary benefits to consumers of the products subject to such energy conservation standard, including-- ``(aa) costs to low-income households; and ``(bb) variations in costs to consumers based on differences in regions, including rural populations, cost of living comparisons, and climatic differences; ``(II) effects of imposition of the energy conservation standard on employment; and ``(III) lifecycle costs for the covered product, including costs associated with the purchase, installation, maintenance, disposal, and replacement of the covered product. ``(ii) Notice and comment.--The Secretary shall provide public notice in the Federal Register and at least 60 days for public comment on the quantitative economic impact analysis conducted under clause (i). ``(B) Prohibition on additional costs to the consumer.--The Secretary may not determine that imposition of an energy conservation standard is economically justified unless the Secretary, based on an economic analysis under subparagraph (A), determines that-- ``(i) imposition of such energy conservation standard is not likely to result in additional net costs to the consumer, including any increase in net costs associated with the purchase, installation, maintenance, disposal, and replacement of the covered product; and ``(ii) the monetary value of the energy savings and, as applicable, water savings, that the consumer will receive as a result of such energy conservation standard during the first 3 years after purchasing and installing a covered product complying with such energy conservation standard, as calculated under the applicable test procedure, will be greater than any increased costs to the consumer of the covered product due to imposition of such energy conservation standard, including increased costs associated with the purchase, installation, maintenance, disposal, and replacement of the covered product. ``(C) Required energy or water savings.--The Secretary may not determine that imposition of an energy conservation standard is economically justified unless the Secretary determines that compliance with such energy conservation 

Referenced legislation: HRES1075, HRES1075, HR4626