Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025
Floor Speech
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. 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.
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