Dear Neighbors,
I introduced a bill this week to make sure gas prices keep going down. The Buy Low and Sell High Act creates an Economic Petroleum Reserve designed to continue the trend of falling gasoline prices and make money for American taxpayers by empowering the Department of Energy (DOE) to buy oil when prices are low and sell oil when prices are high. We are tired of bearing the burden of our dependence on a volatile, unpredictable oil market controlled primarily by foreign dictators and adversaries. This will help us regain control of domestic gas prices and protects drivers from future price fluctuations.
Here's how it would work. After the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil embargo of 1973 – 1974, Congress created the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to insulate Americans from global oil supply disruptions. While President Biden has successfully used the SPR to lower gas prices – which have fallen more than $1.30 per gallon since June – I believe we need to do more to ensure that OPEC and Russia cannot continue to manipulate global oil prices to hurt American consumers.
The Buy Low and Sell High Act gives the President the ability to better protect American consumers by designating a subset of the SPR as the “Economic Petroleum Reserve” (EPR). It grants DOE the ability to sell barrels from the EPR when prices are high, ensuring that Americans get immediate price relief instead of waiting months or years. The new EPR would consist of up to 350 million barrels of oil. DOE would have the authority to purchase oil for the EPR at prices below $60 per barrel and then could sell oil when prices exceed $90 per barrel. Read more here
Expanding Mental Health Services for Teachers and Students
The House passed a comprehensive bill this week to address America’s on-going mental health crisis and help students, families, and educators thrive. We know the COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on students’ and educators’ mental health needs. The Mental Health Matters Act would take wide-ranging steps to support the behavioral health of children and school staff, strengthen school-based behavioral health care, and ensure access to mental health and substance use disorder benefits for workers and families.
Protecting Your Privacy at Home
A bill that I advanced out of my Energy and Commerce Committee to protect consumers from smart internet-connected devices passed the House this week. These devices undoubtedly make our lives easier, but we must ensure they are not able to listen to or watch us in our homes without our knowledge or consent. The Informing Consumers about Smart Devices Act requires manufacturers of these internet-connected devices to notify consumers if a camera or microphone is part of a device so that Americans can make informed decisions about their privacy at home. Read more here
If you have questions about resources available to New Jerseyans related to COVID-19, click here to visit my website or call my offices directly:
Middlesex County: 732-249-8892
Monmouth County: 732-571-1140
Sincerely,