[Page H4912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PASS THE HOME STAR ENERGY RETROFIT BILL

  (Mr. WELCH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELCH. Madam Speaker, America needs jobs. The unemployment is too 
high, and there are concrete things that we can do to create jobs. One 
is to pass the Home Star Energy Retrofit bill into law. The Senate has 
to act. The House passed it on a bipartisan basis last year.
  It's a partnership between homeowners, the private sector, and 
government. It will create 170,000 jobs where we need them the most: in 
manufacturing; in retail, by getting customers to the local hardware 
stores; and in construction, by putting out-of-work home builders to 
work retrofitting homes.
  This is a triple play. It will allow us to save $10 billion in energy 
bills, it will put 170,000 out of work folks to work, and it will help 
homeowners save on their energy bills.

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