12/15/2025

 

Samuel Clifford

 

Rules Committee Overview for December 15, 2025

 

H.R. 4776 – SPEED Act (Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act)

 

Sponsor: Rep. Bruce Westerman [R-AR-4] 

 

Purpose: Streamline the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) permitting process to accelerate infrastructure and energy projects.

 

Effects: Redefines “major federal action,” shortens environmental review timelines, and reduces regulatory delays for construction and energy development.

 

Bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4776

 

H.R. 1366 – Mining Regulatory Clarity Act of 2025

 

Sponsor: Rep. Mark Amodei [R-NV-2] 

 

Purpose: Modernize mining law to clarify regulations and support mineral development on public lands.

 

Effects: Allows multiple hardrock mining mill sites, establishes an Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund, and provides clearer rules for mineral exploration and reclamation.

 

Bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1366

 

H.R. 3616 – Reliable Power Act

 

Sponsor: Rep. Troy Balderson [R-OH-12] 

 

Purpose: Ensure that federal regulations do not undermine the reliability of the bulk-power system.

 

Effects: Requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review rules affecting grid reliability, balancing environmental regulation with energy stability.

 

Bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3616

 

H.R. 3632 – Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025

 

Sponsor: Rep. H. Morgan Griffith [R-VA-9] 

 

Purpose: Prevent premature retirement of fossil fuel-fired power plants to safeguard grid reliability.

 

Effects: Limits EPA authority to finalize certain emissions rules, mandates notice of planned retirements, and prioritizes reliability in energy policy.

 

Bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3632

 

H.R. 4371 – Kayla Hamilton Act

 

Sponsor: Rep. Russell Fry [R-SC-7] 

 

Purpose: Strengthen immigration enforcement in response to violent crimes committed by noncitizens. Kayla Hamilton was a 20‑year‑old woman from Aberdeen, Maryland, who was murdered in July 2022. Her case drew national attention because the perpetrator was a teenage MS‑13 gang member who had entered the U.S. illegally just months earlier. Kayla was found dead in her mobile home by her boyfriend. Investigators determined she had been bound, sexually assaulted, and strangled. The perpetrator, Walter Javier Martinez, was 16 at the time, originally from El Salvador, and affiliated with the MS‑13 gang. 

 

Effects: Tightens vetting and enforcement measures, increases accountability for immigration-related criminal cases, and highlights public safety concerns tied to immigration policy.

 

Bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4371

 

H.R. 845 – Pet and Livestock Protection Act

 

Sponsor: Rep. Lauren Boebert [R-CO-4] 

 

Purpose: Remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act list to protect pets and livestock.

 

Effects: Directs the Secretary of the Interior to reissue delisting regulations, reducing federal protections for wolves and shifting management to states and ranchers.

 

Bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/845

 

Link to Meeting:

 

https://www.youtube.com/live/1Ci21apr8XM?si=FHqp6jnwvH5zyJ95