The House Commerce Committee unanimously passed a bill to speed...
The House Commerce Committee unanimously passed a bill to speed delivery of returned broadband stimulus funds to the U.S. Treasury. The committee passed HR-1343 in a voice vote late Tuesday, and it now moves to the House floor. The bill…
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was formally introduced before the markup by Rep. Charlie Bass, R-N.H. It’s the same as the draft approved last week by the Communications Subcommittee (CD April 4 p3). Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said the bill didn’t represent “major changes” from existing policies, but “they are wise because of the large sums of money we are talking about, and because while most of the money remains to be spent, we are already seeing some funds returned or reclaimed.” Bass called the bill a “good piece of insurance” to make sure the broadband programs are successful. Ranking Member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., voted for the bill, after saying it wasn’t necessary because existing law already requires NTIA and the Rural Utility Service to send de-obligated funds back to the Treasury. “Effective oversight of federal spending should never be partisan,” Waxman said. Several Democrats thanked Republicans for working with them to improve the bill. NTIA and RUS have said the bill is consistent with current operations at the agencies. No similar bill exists in the Senate.