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News

NECA Legislative Top Three 10/2/20: NECA Priorities Included in Latest COVID-19 Relief Legislation

Oct 2, 2020

1. Get Involved in Government Affairs at NECA 2020 LIVE 

 

NECA 2020 LIVE is being held virtually October 6–8, 2020, and there are several opportunities to get involved in government affairs during the event! NECA’s Government Affairs team will lead an education session titled, “Policy and Politics in the 2020 Election Cycle” on Tuesday, October 6, from 3:30-4:10 p.m. ET. NECAPAC will also host a special election session with David Wasserman, U.S. House editor and senior election analyst for “The Cook Political Report” and contributor to NBC News. This session is exclusive to NECAPAC donors and takes place Wednesday, October 7, from 4:15–5:15 p.m. ET.   

 

NECA’s Look Ahead: The Government Affairs team will also be present throughout the convention at the NECAPAC Booth in the Exhibit Hall, so stop by to say hello, or chat with a member of our team to discuss a policy issue. We look forward to “seeing” you at NECA 2020 LIVE! 

 

2. House Releases Updated HEROES Act 

 

On September 28, House Democrats released an updated version of the HEROES Act, the House Democratic COVID Phase IV legislation. The bill passed the House in a 214-207 vote. NECA was pleased that the updated version of HEROES Act still contained the GROW Act, a top NECA priority on pension reform. 

 

The text of the revised HEROES Act is here.  

A one-pager on the legislation is here.  

A section-by-section summary is here.  

Additional information on the state and local relief provisions is here. 

 

NECA’s Look Ahead: Negotiations continue between the House, Senate, and Administration on what a final bill will look like. It remains unlikely that the Senate will accept this updated bill. 

 

3.  House Passes Energy Grid Cybersecurity Act 

 

On September 29, the House of Representatives passed the bipartisan H.R. 359, the Energy Grid Cybersecurity Act. This bill would require the Department of Energy to work with government agencies, the private sector, and others to promote physical security and cybersecurity of electric utilities. NECA views this legislation and others like it as a key reform that must be undertaken by Congress to ensure the reliability of our nation’s electric grid.  

 

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA Government Affairs will continue to monitor this legislation as it advances to the Senate and is hopefully signed into law. We will also encourage other legislation of this type to be supported in a bipartisan fashion and passed by Congress.