Brett Guthrie

Mr. Speaker, the Kentucky Congressional Delegation mourns the loss of Kentucky State Trooper Hayden Phillips, who was tragically killed in the line of duty on the afternoon of September 28, 2026.

Trooper Phillips leaves behind a loving wife, Jordan; three young sons, Kason, Knox, and Konnor; loving parents, Homer and Robin: dedicated colleagues in law enforcement; and a Commonwealth that will forever be indebted to him for his sacrifice.

A native of South Central Kentucky, Hayden Phillips dedicated his life serving the people of Kentucky, first as a volunteer firefighter and EMT, then as an officer with the Glasgow Police Department and Russell Springs Police Department. According to his family, Trooper Phillip's lifelong dream was to serve our Commonwealth as a Kentucky State Trooper, a dream he ultimately achieved, joining the force in 2023.

Trooper Phillips was assigned to Kentucky State Police Post 3, selflessly serving the citizens of Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Simpson, and Warren Counties. Our community was no doubt a better place because of Trooper Phillips' willingness to protect and defend his fellow Kentuckians.

In the few short days since his passing, Kentuckians from all walks of life have come together to express their heartfelt sympathy and mourn the loss of this Kentucky hero. The Commonwealth of Kentucky and the United States of America will forever be grateful to Trooper Hayden Phillips for making the ultimate sacrifice to protect our community. His family, friends, and loved ones will always remain in our prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate an extraordinary milestone for the Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System. Since opening in 1986, Lincoln Trail has responded to the unique needs of the communities it serves through tailored planning, preparation, and a commitment to developing effective behavioral and mental health solutions tailored to those they serve. Today, we celebrate their 40 years of service.

Since its founding, Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health has instituted a variety of programs to support those in need. Most recently, Lincoln Trail significantly expanded its outpatient services to provide patients access to Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) for adults and adolescents addressing mental health and substance use needs, as well as Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP).

Originally launching dedicated military programming in the early 2000s, Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health continues to provide inpatient and outpatient behavioral health and substance use services for active- duty service members, veterans, and first responders. The facility works closely with military families, including those stationed at Fort Knox and Fort Campbell in my district, and coordinates with military installations overseas to provide specialized behavioral health care for service members stationed across the United States and abroad.

For 40 years Lincoln Trail has grown alongside its community, but its commitment to providing help, healing, compassion, and hope remains consistent through their decades of service. I congratulate them on this important milestone.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9340) to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish a Federal standard relating to the recovery of the full, incremental costs of upgrades that serve large-load customers, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 9340.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, sponsored by my colleague and friend from Colorado, Congressman Evans.

This bill encourages States to protect our neighbors and small businesses from footing the bill for infrastructure investments needed for the AI race, while protecting existing State authorities. The evidence is clear: When States have the proper processes in place to protect households, interconnecting large-load data centers have positive benefits for the communities in which they reside.

Data center growth can be a catalyst for investment in an aging grid, strengthening the tax base to fund essential public services and anchor tenants for utilities that lower rates for everyone else.

Electricity demand is growing at a pace not seen since World War II, and communities are rightly concerned about what this might mean for their daily lives.

As this industry continues to develop, I want to be absolutely clear that we need it to develop here at home and not in China. H.R. 9340 takes action on behalf of our constituents so we may keep costs low while ensuring the U.S. leads in the next-generation economy.

If we cede the race for AI dominance to China, then China will set the standards for future technology. This bill strikes the right balance of providing a modest but important level of accountability as we continue to support this vital industry.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Colorado again for his tireless bipartisan leadership on this issue. He is bringing together both sides of the aisle on a critical issue. I would say, we were home, working in our districts in August. We listened to our constituents, and we are here today based on what we heard, taking action here in Washington, D.C. That is how our system is supposed to work.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the distinguished majority leader and my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta), the chair of the Subcommittee on Energy.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Balderson), a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Evans), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and sponsor of the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler), my good friend.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Mackenzie).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. I agree, this is important. We have to beat China. We have to win the war on AI. If we don't, they are going to set the standards for technology around the world. It needs to be with our values, not theirs.

To do that, we have to have the data centers. It needs to be locally decided where they go, and ratepayers need to be protected from it. That is what I heard all of August. I think most of us home working heard about it.

This is an example where people are going home, both sides of the aisle, listening, and coming back here and doing something about the concerns for the people they represent.

I encourage support of this bill. I encourage for its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.