Energy and Commerce chair opens member day hearing, highlights bipartisan work and online-safety markup

The chair opened the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's member day hearing and said he would recognize himself for five minutes to deliver an opening statement. "Our hearing today is the committee's member day hearing, and it's an opportunity to hear from our friends and our colleagues across the House," the chair said, welcoming attendees.

The chair framed the session as a chance for members to present legislative priorities that fall within the committee's jurisdiction and noted the committee's long history: "The committee on Energy and Commerce, the oldest authorizing committee in Congress, last Monday marked a 200 and thirtieth year," he said. He also cited recent legislative activity, saying, "In just the last year alone, we have had 53 bills passed out of the House and 10 bills signed into law by the president."

The chair emphasized bipartisan cooperation in committee work and pointed to recent activity in a subcommittee: "Much of our committee's work is done in a bipartisan manner. In fact, we held an important subcommittee markup yesterday discussing bills to keep our children safe online," he said, adding, "I wanna thank Ranking Member Pallone, and his members, for working with us on that important legislation." The chair also said that, despite disagreements, he and Ranking Member Pallone "found several ways to work together on committee priorities to deliver solutions for the American people."

Closing his opening remarks, the chair invited colleagues to present their ideas and perspectives to the committee, saying the matters shared "are not only important to you, but also to the hundreds of thousands of people you represent." He then recognized the vice member of the full committee, Representative Fletcher, for five minutes for an opening statement.