On the recordMay 6, 2010
I will vote against the Motion to Recommit on the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act because it undermines the underlying legislation. The Home Star legislation will help homeowners, the environment, and the construction industry. This Motion to Recommit is a political ploy. It aims to solve problems that no one has shown exist. It brings up issues that were never raised in Committee or on the Floor during consideration of the bill. Specifically, this Motion removes provisions in the legislation that I strongly support, such as the energy efficiency loan program, which provides important tools for states to help consumers make energy efficiency upgrades. The Motion adds additional burdens for contractors who are performing the work, sowing doubt and confusion in the program. At a time when we are trying to stimulate the economy and create jobs, it doesn't make sense to add additional meaningless procedural hurdles. The authors of the Motion claim to be preventing money from being spent on child molesters and gambling. Money from this bill is not going to be spent on those items anyway. No one has demonstrated that is an issue we need to deal with. If so, there are already anti-fraud provisions in the underlying legislation that would prevent this type of activity. The Motion contains no enforcement mechanisms, so any additional prohibitions are meaningless.
