[Pages H2554-H2555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2025

Mr. EZELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1373) to require certain meetings of the Tennessee Valley
Authority to be transparent and open to the public, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 1373

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Tennessee Valley Authority
Transparency Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. TRANSPARENCY AND AVAILABILITY OF MEETINGS.

Section 2(g)(2) of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of
1933 is amended to read as follows:
``(2) Meetings.--
``(A) In general.--The Board shall meet at least 4 times
each year.
``(B) Transparency.--
``(i) Open meetings.--For purposes of applying the
requirements of section 552b of title 5, United States Code,
to the Board, the term `meeting' shall include all
deliberations of the members of the Board, a committee of the
Board, and a subcommittee of the Board, including any such
deliberations that are not scheduled for the purpose of
taking an action that will determine or result in the joint
conduct or disposition of official business of the
Corporation, notwithstanding subsection (a)(2) of such
section.
``(ii) Notice of meetings.--

``(I) Publication.--For purposes of section 552b of title
5, United States Code, public announcement of meetings shall
include publication on the website of the Board.
``(II) Emergency meetings.--Notwithstanding section
552b(e)(1) of title 5, United States Code, the requirement to
make public announcement at least one week prior to a meeting
shall not apply if the chairman of the Board designates the
meeting as an emergency special meeting.

``(iii) Publicly available information.--The Board shall
publish on the website of the Board any information required
to be disclosed or made available to the public, or publicly
certified, under section 552b of title 5, United States Code.
``(iv) Exemptions.--For purposes of applying section 552b
of title 5, United States Code, to any portion of a meeting
of the Board, and to any information pertaining to such
portion of a meeting, the Board may make a determination in
accordance with such section not to disclose to the public
under such section the following information:

``(I) Information containing or relating to power
availability requests.
``(II) Information containing or relating to contract
negotiations, including labor relations and procurement
actions, the disclosure of which would imperil or compromise
the competitive position of the Corporation.''.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Mississippi (Mr. Ezell) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mississippi.

General Leave

Mr. EZELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material in the Record on H.R. 1373, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Mississippi?
There was no objection.
Mr. EZELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressmen Burchett and Cohen for their
continued work in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to
make the

[[Page H2555]]

Tennessee Valley Authority transparent for its customers. This bill is
the latest in those efforts.
Specifically, this bill puts into law practices that make more
meetings open to the public and ensures that minutes from those
meetings are publicly available after the fact.
The bill also contains limited exceptions for meetings involving
sensitive information in order to protect TVA's competitiveness and
ability to carry out its mission for its customers.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1373, as amended, bipartisan
legislation to promote additional transparency of board meetings of the
Tennessee Valley Authority.
I thank Representatives Cohen and Burchett of Tennessee for their
leadership on this bill and their tireless work to improve the TVA.
TVA is the Nation's largest government-owned wholesale power
producer, supplying power to 10 million people across the States of
Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and
Kentucky.
This legislation requires TVA's board meetings to be open to the
public when possible, which will increase transparency for the
communities impacted by TVA's decisions.
Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 1373, as amended, and I urge my
colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. EZELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).
Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Ezell for yielding me
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bipartisan Tennessee Valley
Authority Transparency Act.
TVA is a congressionally chartered American public power company that
provides electricity to over 10 million people in Tennessee and six
surrounding States.
Despite TVA's significant role in our daily lives, it holds most of
its meetings behind closed doors. I believe Americans are sick and
tired of these dadgum backroom dealings, Mr. Speaker.
The TVA Transparency Act requires all board meetings to be held in
public and for TVA to provide at least 7 days' notice so that people
know when and where the meetings occur.
This bill provides greater accountability to the American people
while retaining reasonable FOIA--for those who don't understand what
``FOIA'' is, that is the Freedom of Information Act--and Sunset Act
protections.
I have always advocated for more transparency at TVA, first in the
State legislature, then as a mayor, and now as a Congressman.
I thank my good friend, Representative Cohen, who I don't see in here
today, for his continued support. Steve and I were in the Tennessee
General Assembly together. We raised the speed limit in Tennessee. We
brought Isaac Hayes to the floor of the Tennessee State Senate. The
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) is the first person who ever fed
me lobster, oddly enough. He has been a great friend, and he also
called my momma when my daddy died. I am very close to Steve. Even
though our political allegiances are about as far apart as they can
get, he is still my good friend.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this bipartisan bill and
restore public trust in TVA.

{time} 1800

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, in closing, Congress must
ensure that TVA's operations are transparent.
I support H.R. 1373, as amended, and urge my colleagues to do the
same.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. EZELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1373, the TVA Transparency Act is a commonsense
bill that makes Tennessee Valley Authority more transparent while
ensuring it can serve its customers effectively.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Ezell) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1373, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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