Title: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that high-performance buildings improve the quality of life for millions of individuals, produce a more resilient and sustainable world for current and future generations, reduce operating costs, and improve the productivity, comfort, and health of occupants, and expressing support for designating the week of June 11 through June 15, 2018, as "High-Performance Building Week".
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Expresses support for efforts to improve the performance of existing and future buildings through the adoption of best practices and voluntary consensus standards.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 945 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 945

    Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that high-
   performance buildings improve the quality of life for millions of 
individuals, produce a more resilient and sustainable world for current 
    and future generations, reduce operating costs, and improve the 
productivity, comfort, and health of occupants, and expressing support 
 for designating the week of June 11 through June 15, 2018, as ``High-
                      Performance Building Week''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 14, 2018

   Mr. Welch (for himself and Mr. McKinley) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that high-
   performance buildings improve the quality of life for millions of 
individuals, produce a more resilient and sustainable world for current 
    and future generations, reduce operating costs, and improve the 
productivity, comfort, and health of occupants, and expressing support 
 for designating the week of June 11 through June 15, 2018, as ``High-
                      Performance Building Week''.

Whereas the term ``high-performance building'' is defined in section 401 of the 
        Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17061) as ``a 
        building that integrates and optimizes on a life cycle basis all major 
        high-performance attributes, including energy conservation, environment, 
        safety, security, durability, accessibility, cost-benefit, productivity, 
        sustainability, functionality, and operational considerations'';
Whereas, because individuals spend approximately 90 percent of their time 
        indoors and buildings are the single largest consumer of energy and 
        water in the United States, built environments have a vast impact on 
        virtually all aspects of life and national security in the United 
        States;
Whereas the United States benefits technologically, economically, and 
        environmentally from innovative technologies developed for use in high-
        performance buildings;
Whereas research and programs that are supported by government entities and 
        private industry, and relate to high-performance buildings benefit the 
        United States and individuals in the United States; and
Whereas investing in resilient and robust building systems protects individuals 
        and businesses in the United States from the impacts of man-made 
        disasters and natural disasters, such as hurricanes, snowstorms, 
        tornadoes, wildland fires, floods, and earthquakes: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports efforts to--
            (1) improve the performance of existing and future 
        buildings through--
                    (A) the adoption of best practices and voluntary 
                consensus standards relating to commercial and 
                residential buildings; and
                    (B) participation by interested parties in--
                            (i) Government programs, including those at 
                        the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
                        Energy of the Department of Energy;
                            (ii) public-private partnerships; and
                            (iii) private initiatives;
            (2) create awareness of the beneficial impacts that high-
        performance buildings have on communities, including reductions 
        in operating costs, improvements in the health and productivity 
        of occupants of high-performance buildings, and enhancements in 
        community resiliency;
            (3) encourage interested parties to engage in dialogues on 
        innovative policies and programs relating to the built 
        environment that address needs relating to resiliency, 
        workforce development, and energy and water efficiency;
            (4) incentivize investment in high-performance commercial 
        and residential buildings because investment in high-
        performance buildings is in the best interests of the United 
        States; and
            (5) invest in training and education for, and celebrate the 
        work of, engineers, architects, builders, code officials, 
        tradespeople, design professionals, laborers, and others in the 
        construction industry who work to advance high-performance 
        buildings.
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