HR 5428 Amended and Adopted in Committee – Energy Security Research

Last week the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a markup hearing where HR 5428, the Grid Modernization Research and Development Act of 2019, was amended and adopted by the Committee by a voice vote.  A minor amendment had been previously adopted by the Committee’s Energy Subcommittee in December.

The Amendment

The amendment was offered by Rep Fletcher (D,TX). It would insert a new paragraph (f) to the proposed §1304a. That paragraph would add a requirement for DOE to “conduct research and development on tools and technologies that improve the interoperability and compatibility of new and emerging components, technologies, and systems with existing electric grid infrastructure”.

Moving Forward

Once the Committee publishes their report on this markup the bill will be cleared for consideration by the full House. The bill would likely be taken up under the suspension of the rules process where it would pass with substantial bipartisan support.