Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. TONKO.

Mr. Speaker, I want to voice my strong support for H.R. 762 introduced by my good friend and colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright).

This legislation will provide a coordinating structure for our Nation's schools to help them better navigate available Federal programs and financing options.

Across our great country, K-12 school districts spend literally billions of dollars on their energy bills each year, while an estimated 14 million American children attend deteriorating public schools. By upgrading these systems, we can increase efficiency and focus school funding to achieve better educational outcomes.

We have a huge opportunity this Congress to make major investments in our Nation's infrastructure--including our most essential institutions, such as schools.

I believe efficiency has to be our fuel of first choice. We can save local taxpayers money while upgrading and modernizing these facilities.

This legislation has passed the House in each of the last two Congresses with broad bipartisan support, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this year's iteration.

I commend Representative Cartwright and the bill's bipartisan cosponsors for their efforts, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for the bill.

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Mr. TONKO. Representative Cartwright is from Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage our colleagues to support this measure. Obviously, H.R. 762 enables us to make certain that we target wastefulness and energy efficiency. It is a good way to make certain that resources that can be committed to education are not wasted through inefficient use of energy--a good, strong message for the development of our children.

So it is a great bill. I applaud Representative Cartwright and his cosponsors for moving us forward and ask that our colleagues support this measure.

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