Welcome to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, announced a hearing titled Examining the Impact of EPA’s CERCLA Designation for Two PFAS Chemistries and Potential Policy Responses to Superfund Liability Concerns.

“We’ve heard from many stakeholders who do not produce or use PFAS, but encounter these substances passively through their essential work managing residential waste, growing food, or bringing clean water to our homes,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Palmer. “Federal actions have caused concerns about potential liability in the wake of EPA’s designation of two PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances under the Superfund law. This hearing is an opportunity to assess the current statutory and regulatory landscape for PFAS and consider what steps Congress may need to take to respond to these concerns.”

Subcommittee on Environment hearing titled Examining the Impact of EPA’s CERCLA Designation for Two PFAS Chemistries and Potential Policy Responses to Superfund Liability Concerns.

WHAT: Subcommittee on Environment hearing to discuss the current statutory and regulatory landscape for PFAS.

DATE: Thursday, December 18, 2025

TIME: 10:00 AM ET

LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building

This notice is at the direction of the Chairman. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be live streamed online at energycommerce.house.gov. If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Jackson Rudden with the Committee staff at Jackson.Rudden@mail.house.gov. If you have any press-related questions, please contact Ben Mullany at Ben.Mullany@mail.house.gov.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, delivered the following opening statement at today's markup of 18 bills to protect children and teens online.

Subcommittee Chairman Bilirakis’s opening statement as prepared for delivery:

“Good morning, and welcome to today’s subcommittee markup, another important step in advancing legislation to protect children online.

“Our children are facing an online epidemic. Around 95 percent of teenagers use social media, and far too many have been cyberbullied or faced other harms online. This issue is personal – we have parents on both sides of the aisle, and all of us represent families back home who have been affected.

“In my home district in Tampa Bay, we lost 16-year-old McKenna Brown after relentless online bullying. Her tragedy—and the heartbreak of her family—is a constant reminder of why we must act.

“It’s because of countless stories like this, that we’re here today.

“We’re considering nearly twenty bills, that together form a comprehensive strategy to protect kids and teens online. Our approach is clear: protect kids, empower parents, and future proof our legislation as new risks and technologies emerge. Families deserve clarity. Parents deserve control. And bad actors must face real consequences.

“The Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, is among these bills—a strong proposal with concrete safeguards and obligations for companies, and one I am proud to lead.

“But no single bill is a complete solution. These proposals work together, complementing and reinforcing one another to create the safest possible environment for children. There is no one-size-fits-all bill to protect kids online—and our plan reflects that.

“Parents must be empowered to safeguard their children online. Just as a parent can guide their kids’ activities at home and in school, they should be able to guide their children’s activities online. Our bills ensure parents have the tools and information they need to keep their kids safe in a modern, increasingly complex environment.

“The status quo is unacceptable, and we are here to change and ensure meaningful consequences for platforms that fail to protect our kids.

“Today is about progress. It’s about setting aside differences and doing right by the families who are counting on us. I’m confident that, working together, we can advance meaningful, bipartisan solutions that give parents peace of mind and make the online world safer for every child. I appreciate the hard work of my colleagues, and I look forward to continuing this effort in the days ahead.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, led a markup of several kids internet and digital safety bills.

“Today we advanced 18 measures to empower parents with stronger, smarter tools to help them keep their kids safe online,” said Chairman Bilirakis. “Protecting children in the digital age is not optional—it is a moral imperative and today was an important step forward in achieving this goal.”

Legislative Vote Summary

• H.R. 6290, Safe Social Media Act, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6259, No Fentanyl on Social Media Act, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6289, Promoting a Safe Internet for Minors Act, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6437, Kids Internet Safety Partnership Act, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 5360, AI Warnings And Resources for Education (AWARE) Act, was forwarded, as amended, to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6499, Assessing Safety Tools for Parents and Minors Act, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 2657, Sammy’s Law, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6265, Safer Guarding of Adolescents from Malicious Interactions on Network Games (GAMING) Act, was forwarded, as amended, to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6273, Stop Profiling Youth and (SPY) Kids Act, was forwarded, as amended, to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6253, Algorithmic Choice and Transparency Act, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6489, Safeguarding Adolescents From Exploitative (SAFE) Bots Act, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 1623, Shielding Children's Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (SCREEN) Act, was forwarded, as amended, to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6257, Safe Messaging for Kids Act of 2025, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 3149, App Store Accountability Act, was forwarded, as amended, to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6333, Parents Over Platforms Act, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6292, Don’t Sell Kids’ Data Act of 2025, was forwarded, as amended, to the Full Committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 6484, Kids Online Safety Act, was forwarded, as amended, to the Full Committee by a roll call vote of 13 Yeas to 10 Nays.
• H.R. 6291, Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, was forwarded without amendment to the Full Committee by a roll call vote of 14 Yeas to 10 Nays.

Below are key excerpts from today’s markup:

Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09) on H.R. 6489, the Safeguarding Adolescents From Exploitative (SAFE) Bots Act: “Kids aren’t just scrolling feeds. They’re forming real emotional attachments to AI chatbots that can mimic authority, appear trustworthy, and respond at all hours. [...] Parents are, quite simply, outmatched, and the status quo is not acceptable. The SAFE Bots Act creates clear baseline guardrails. It prohibits AI from impersonating licensed professionals—no chatbots should act like a doctor or a therapist to a child. It requires age-appropriate disclosure so minors know they are talking to AI, not a human, and that the chatbots cannot provide licensed professional advice.”

Congressman John James (MI-10) on H.R. 3149, the App Store Accountability Act: “App stores should follow the same commonsense rules we expect from every small business. If a corner store can’t knowingly sell adult or addictive products to minors, then neither should the world’s largest digital storefronts.”

Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) on H.R. 6484, the Kids Online Safety Act: “KOSA protects kids across America by mandating default safeguards and easy-to-use parental controls to empower families. [...] KOSA will broadly protect kids and teens, while the other bills before us address particular harms or take specific approaches to help ensure no existing threat is left unaddressed. In many ways, those bills make KOSA even stronger by working alongside them. [...] It is the foundation and the safety net with concrete safeguards to keep kids and teens safe.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting a briefing to better understand the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent actions and ongoing work to enhance safety within the organ procurement and transplantation system. On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced major efforts to improve safety, transparency, and efficiency within the organ procurement and transplantation system, including the decertification of an organ procurement organization (OPO) for the first time in U.S. history. According to the announcement , the decision was made “after an investigation uncovered years of unsafe practices, poor training, chronic underperformance, understaffing, and paperwork errors.” The Committee has a history of ensuring patient safety remains the highest priority in our organ procurement and transplantation system, as evident from the Committee’s work last Congress on organ transplantation and donation issues as well as its oversight this Congress. As a part of its ongoing investigation, the Committee requests that CMS respond to questions, including those related to the decertification of the OPO in South Florida and the prevalence of incidents similar to those outlined in the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) investigative report, to ensure patient safety remains a top priority. Read the full letter HERE . “While the Committee applauds efforts taken by CMS to uphold the highest standards of care to which all OPOs are expected to adhere, HHS’s announcement decertifying the Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency illustrates the urgency of this moment and why the subcommittee is not finished with our oversight of the organ transplant system,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Joyce. “It is our moral obligation as members of Congress to establish safeguards and prevent these harmful practices from persisting further, and we look forward to obtaining answers from the agency about the prevalence of these incidents, as well as how CMS plans to proceed with prioritizing patient safety first and foremost.” Background: During the 118th Congress, the Committee on Energy and Commerce led the passage of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act to both modernize the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and allow HRSA to institute a competitive contracting process to find the best contractors for various OPTN functions. This legislation was signed into law on September 22, 2023.  On March 20, 2024, the Committee launched an investigation into the organ procurement and transplantation system by sending a letter to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) requesting information related to concerns surrounding data security and operability, patient safety and equity, and conflicts of interest.   On March 20, 2024, the Committee also sent a letter to HRSA requesting information related to implementation of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act as well as other concerns related to effective oversight and management.  On September 11, 2024, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing that focused on the implementation of reforms at the OPTN, including the need for stronger oversight and accountability as well as ongoing patient safety concerns.  During the hearing, questions were raised related to allegations of mismanagement and patient safety concerns after patients began exhibiting signs of increased neurologic function after being previously deemed suitable as an organ donation candidate. Several of these allegations, particularly those related to patient safety, were later substantiated through the findings contained in HRSA’s March 2025 report.  On March 24, 2025, HRSA’s Division of Transplantation issued a report that summarized the findings of its investigation into KYDA, the OPO now known as Network for Hope, which serves Kentucky and parts of Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana.   HRSA’s investigation examined an “index case” and an additional 351 unique cases of authorized, not recovered (ANR) patients. This means that the patients were considered for donation after circulatory death recovery, but no organs were transplanted. The report showed that nearly 30 percent of the cases “had concerning features.” The concerning features included problems with patient-family interactions, medical assessments and team interactions, recognition of high neurologic function, and recognition and documentation of drugs in records.  On May 28, 2025, HRSA issued a corrective action plan to the OPTN, which directed the OTPN to take specific actions within a specified period of time, including developing a 12-month OPTN monitoring plan for KYDA to address concerns identified. The corrective action plan also requires the OPTN to propose policies for public comment to improve safeguards for potential donation after circulatory death (DCD) patients in the organ procurement process and increase information shared with patient families regarding DCD organ procurement.  On July 22, 2025, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing examining concerning practices within our nation’s organ procurement and transplant system that were identified by HRSA’s investigation.  On September 12, 2025, the Committee sent a bipartisan letter to HRSA requesting a briefing on its ongoing oversight of patient safety in our nation’s organ procurement and transplant system. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, sent a letter to Gene Dodaro, the Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), requesting an assessment of available or emerging technologies and materials that could be used to supplement critical minerals in semiconductors. “Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements are essential for technologies used in many sectors of the economy, including energy, transportation, national defense, health care, and consumer electronics,” said Chairmen Joyce and Palmer . “These minerals are vulnerable to supply-chain disruptions for several reasons, including U.S. reliance on foreign sources, as well as the rapid growth in demand for critical minerals in the U.S. and abroad.” CLICK HERE to read the full letter. The letter asks the GAO to examine: The status of domestic technologies and supplemental materials, such as critical minerals found in mine waste, tailings, or reclaimed from end-of-life batteries and electronic waste, that can serve as substitutes for foreign-sourced critical minerals from non-allied nations needed for semiconductors and energy grid or power electronics, including impacts on material and product performance. Key technological challenges to the development or adoption of these domestic supplemental and materials to advance the diversification of U.S. critical mineral sources. BACKGROUND: In May, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on ways to enhance our critical mineral supply chains. Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans are committed to strengthening our critical mineral supply chains and finding solutions to reduce our reliance on foreign sources, particularly when it comes to foreign adversaries like China. The Trump Administration has also worked hard to bolster these supply chains. Critical minerals are essential to American technologies and industries, and finding innovative domestic solutions that can contribute to our independence from non-allied nations is essential as we work to onshore American innovation and strengthen our national security. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, sent a letter to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Charlie Baker following the recent announcement that student athletes and athletic department staff will be allowed to bet on professional sports. KEY EXCERPTS: “The Committee on Energy and Commerce is examining the NCAA’s recent policy change permitting student athletes and athletic department staff to bet on professional sports.” [...] To assist the Committee in its oversight, we request a briefing by no later than November 13, 2025, that addresses the following: Why is the NCAA changing its policy allowing student athletes to bet on professional sports? Has the NCAA conducted any studies, analyses, or reviews of the impact of gambling on student athletes? If so, what are the results? What role did they play in the NCAA’s decision to allow student athletes to bet on professional sports? How does this change allow the NCAA, the conferences, and the member schools to better protect the integrity of college games and encourage healthy habits for student-athletes who choose to engage in betting activities on professional sports? How is the NCAA engaging with athletic conferences, member institutions, and teams to address questions and concerns about this rule change? Amid recent allegations of illegal sports betting among student athletes and concerns expressed by member institutions, is NCAA reconsidering implementation of the policy? What guardrails are in place to prevent the type of illegal sports betting activity that is allegedly occurring in the NCAA and NBA, considering that some student athletes will go on to become professional athletes? Please provide details about any fraudulent, illegal, and alleged betting practices in connection with NCAA players, coaches, and officials, including the actions of NCAA players identified in recent infraction decisions; as well as prior instances, some of which are identified above. Please describe the NCAA’s “layered integrity monitoring program,” for maintaining competition integrity and pursuing sports betting violations. What gaps, if any, are in existing regulations that allow illegal betting schemes to occur in college sports? BACKGROUND: On October 24, 2025, the Committee on Energy and Commerce launched its investigation into sports fixing and illegal gambling after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) unsealed indictments of current and former NBA players and coaches. An initial announcement stated that, effective November 1, 2025, student athletes and athletic department staff in all three NCAA divisions would be permitted to bet on professional sports. A few days before the policy change was supposed to take effect, the Division I Board of Directors voted to delay implementation of the rule change across all three divisions to November 22, 2025. A recent NCAA press release stated that “enforcement staff has opened investigations into potential sports betting violations by approximately 30 current or former men's basketball student-athletes.” CLICK HERE to read the full letter.