Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Ranking Member on the House Africa Subcommittee, released the statement below after the House of Representatives passed S. 2152, the "Electrify Africa Act of 2015:"
"I commend Democrats and Republicans from both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate for coming together to pass the 'Electrify Africa Act of 2015.' This legislation is good for the global economy and good for our common humanity. Electrify Africa will help light the world and address the glaring absence of electrical power for at least 50 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020.
"I look forward to President Obama signing this bill into law so that the United States can do its part in reducing economic barriers to growth for some of the continent's most poor. Two-thirds of people in sub-Saharan Africa live without stable electricity, and this legislation will be nothing short of a global game changer. Women will no longer have to give birth by candle or flashlight; children will have light to go to school and to study, and businesses will be able to produce products for trade -- both regionally and overseas to destinations such as the United States and Europe.
"This legislation represents the best of what Congress can do. We were neither Democrats nor Republicans when we came to an agreement on this legislation. We were stewards, working together to increase access to electricity in rural and poor communities that will benefit countless people for generations to come."