WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced 30 bipartisan bills, including 5 bills U.S. House of Representatives David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-W.Va.) was a lead Republican, ranging from hydropower to drug pricing.
“Passing these 30 bipartisan bills can help improve the lives of thousands of Americans who are struggling in the midst the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of the 30 pieces of legislation, I was a Republican lead on 5 of them. Those bills focus on bipartisan work on a wide range of issues from hydropower to lowering the cost of drugs to addressing mental health issues. Even in the minority we are finding a way to be effective and get stuff done. I am proud of the work my colleagues put in on these bipartisan, commonsense bills, and look forward to supporting them on the House floor,” said Rep. McKinley.
This week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a markup that advanced 30 pieces of legislation. During the legislative markup, five of McKinley bills were passed by the Committee.
The five McKinley bills that passed are:
H.R. 7574, the Strengthening America’s Strategic National Stockpile Act of 2020. Tis bill combines several bipartisan bills previously introduced to spur domestic manufacturing and strengthen the stockpile, a repository of critical supplies and medicines maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to respond to public health emergencies.
H.R. 1426, the Timely Review of Infrastructure Act. This bill was cosponsored by Rep. McKinley. This bill authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to address insufficient compensation of its personnel without regard to civil service laws. FERC must consult
with the Office of Personnel Management when making a determination of the appropriate compensation for its personnel.
H.R. 3361, the Reliable Investment in Vital Energy Reauthorization Act. This bill extends through FY2036 authorization and eligibility for the program of hydroelectric production incentives and incentive payments to the owners or operators of hydroelectric facilities at existing dams to make capital improvements directly related to improving efficiency.
H.R. 4712 – Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act. This bill closes a loophole that blocks pharmaceutical competition and prevents innovative treatments for opioid use disorder from coming to market.
H.R. 4194 -National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2019. This bill authorizes states to collect a fee limited to supporting local crisis call centers that are affiliated within the national network or enhancements of such services. This allows states to fund the suicide hotline services similar to that of existing emergency services. The bill also sets a deadline of one year for the FCC to complete the nationwide upgrade of the legacy switches to support 9-8-8. It requests a report from the FCC to determine the feasibility of providing an automatic dispatchable location for 9-8-8 calls.