{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://begich.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-begich-applauds-house-passage-speed-act", "Congressman Begich Applauds House Passage of SPEED Act", "2025-12-18", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "AK", "Nicholas J. Begich III", "B001323", "begich.house.gov", "begich", "https://begich.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Dec. 18, 2025 \u2013 Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4776, Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at reforming the federal permitting process and modernizing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Congressman Begich, a proud co-sponsor of the legislation, applauded its passage as a major step toward restoring balance to the regulatory permitting process and improving affordability for American families.\n\n\u201cFor years, America\u2019s outdated permitting system has acted as a self-imposed handicap \u2013 driving up costs and delaying infrastructure projects,\u201d said Congressman Begich. \u201cProjects that should take months are delayed for years, stalling infrastructure, energy development, and critical mineral production. The SPEED Act is a strong step forward in making life more affordable and allowing America to build again by establishing clear timelines for environmental reviews and limiting endless litigation that has too often been used to delay or block responsible development. Importantly, the bill preserves strong environmental protections while ensuring projects can move forward under higher standards here at home. Chairman Westerman\u2019s leadership and the work of the House Natural Resources Committee have been instrumental in advancing a bipartisan solution that restores balance to the permitting process.\u201d\n\nAs global competition accelerates, regulatory reform remains critical to ensuring American energy dominance, infrastructure development, and long-term economic security.\n\nThe SPEED Act was intentionally crafted as a bipartisan effort, with equal numbers of Republican and Democratic co-sponsors, reflecting broad agreement that regulatory reform is essential to strengthening the economy and restoring balance to the permitting process.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://begich.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-begich-applauds-house-passage-speed-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7156350184231997, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}