House Passes Peters and Johnson Legislation to Save Taxpayer Dollars by Ensuring Public Buildings Utilize Energy-Efficient Lighting, Heads to President to be Signed Into Law

Press Release

The House has passed bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Ron Johnson (R-WI) that would help save taxpayer dollars by directing the General Services Administration (GSA) to install the most life-cycle cost effective and energy-efficient lighting in public buildings. The legislation, which passed the Senate in March and was led through the House by U.S. Representative Dina Titus (D-NV-01), now heads to the President to be signed into law.

"Using energy-efficient light bulbs in public buildings will not only improve the federal government's energy efficiency and help address climate change, it will also save taxpayer dollars," said Senator Peters. "Now that this commonsense legislation has passed the House, I look forward to seeing the President sign it into law."

"Energy efficient lighting systems could save taxpayer dollars by reducing overall energy usage," said Senator Johnson. "This legislation would help decrease energy usage and diminish wasteful spending across the vast federal bureaucracy."

"I think it's safe to say that this bill is a BRIGHT idea that will make public buildings more energy-efficient and ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent as judiciously as possible. Recognizing that each installation is unique and technology constantly changes, this bill does not endorse nor does it prohibit specific technology, but rather it guides the GSA to pursue the most efficient option which will save millions of dollars when fully implemented. I was proud to lead the House companion to this common-sense legislation led by Chairman Peters that promotes taxpayer savings at all levels of government," said Congresswoman Titus.

The Bulb Replacement Improving Government with High-Efficiency Technology (BRIGHT) Act requires the GSA Administrator to ensure that public buildings are using the most life-cycle cost effective and energy-efficient technology to the extent practicable when performing normal maintenance, or altering or constructing public buildings. The bill also requires GSA to issue guidance to federal agencies, and state, local and Tribal entities to further streamline efficiency and effectiveness across government. GSA previously released a series of reports that calculated that switching to LED lightbulbs would result in millions of dollars in cost-savings due to their superior lifespan and energy efficiency. Federal law does not currently require the government to maximize long-term cost and energy savings across lighting products.

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