This was a vote on an amendment by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) to a home energy efficiency bill that would have eliminated a provision in the legislation allowing the government to use funds collected from repaid loans (for energy efficiency home renovations) to make new loans. In other words, Barton sought to prohibit repaid loans from being “re-lent.” The underlying bill established the Home Star Energy Efficiency Loan Program. This program provided loans to individuals who want to make their homes more energy efficient, but cannot afford the needed renovations.

Barton urged support for his amendment: “…This amendment is fairly straightforward. It would strike… [a provision] which provides that funds repaid by eligible participants may be used to provide loans to additional participants under the Home Star Energy Efficiency Loan Program. In other words, under the pending legislation, if people were to get a loan and use that loan, when that loan was paid back, the funds that are paid back could then be relent. My amendment would strike the relending provision so that as the funds are paid back, they would go to the Treasury, hopefully for deficit reduction.”

Rep. Ed Markey urged opposition to the Barton amendment: “…People want to save money on their energy bills, but not everyone can afford the upfront costs of an energy retrofit. What the Home Star Energy Efficiency Loan Program is designed to do is to help those people participate in the Home Star program…if the Barton amendment is passed, it would severely limit the number of people who could participate in Home Star. Without long-term opportunities for efficiency loans, many low-income households will, literally, be left out in the cold.”

The House rejected the Barton amendment by a vote of 180-237.  166 Republicans and 14 Democrats voted “yea.” 236 Democrats and 1 Republican voted “nay.” As a result, the House rejected an amendment to a home energy efficiency bill that would have eliminated a provision in the legislation allowing the government to use funds collected from repaid loans (under the Home Star Energy Efficiency Loan Program) to make new loans.