{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://obernolte.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-obernolte-bill-strike-down-californias-electric-vehicle-mandate-passes", "Rep. Obernolte bill to strike down California\u2019s electric vehicle mandate passes House of Representatives", "2023-09-15", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "CA", "Jay Obernolte", "O000019", "obernolte.house.gov", "obernolte", "https://obernolte.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "The Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, introduced by Reps. John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Jay Obernolte (CA-23), Gus Bilirakis (FL-13) and Bob Latta (OH-5), passed the U.S. House of Representatives in a bipartisan manner by a vote of 222 \u2013 190 on Thursday. The legislation, which will now go to the United States Senate, would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing Clean Air Act (CAA) waivers for state policies seeking to ban or otherwise limit the sale of internal combustion engines.\n\n\u201cIn places like my rural California district where many people commute several hours to work every day, electric vehicles can be both unaffordable and impractical. These problems are compounded by a lack of charging infrastructure, with our state already suffering from a failure to produce sufficient electricity for our existing energy needs,\u201d said Congressman Obernolte. \u201cMandating the purchase of electric vehicles will not only further increase the cost of living for my constituents but will also damage our economy. We need a market-based approach that can enable competition and improve technology in the marketplace instead of more burdensome government control.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe last thing my constituents want is another oppressive Biden Administration mandate that puts a radical environmental agenda and far-left special interests above their individual freedoms,\u201d said Congressman Joyce. \u201cThere is nothing more quintessentially American than the freedom of the open road, and I\u2019m grateful to my colleagues for supporting this important legislation protecting the freedom of all Americans to drive the vehicles of their choice.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll Americans should have the freedom to choose which vehicle makes the most sense for their particular circumstances and budgets,\u201d said Congressman Gus Bilirakis. \u201cThe EPA should not enable the Californian elite to impose their liberal ideology on others by setting a precedent that will restrict options for consumers throughout the country, including my constituents in Florida. Our bill preserves consumer choice and its passage should be expedited.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmericans should be able to make choices \u2013 and vehicle purchases \u2013 that work best for themselves and their families,\u201d said Congressman Latta. \u201cThe state of California, however, has made it their mission to outright ban vehicles with internal combustion engines and force people to purchase more expensive electric vehicles. With today\u2019s House passage of the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, we are one step closer to preventing the EPA from granting California\u2019s waiver request that would set a national standard of banning gas and diesel cars. This is a win for consumer choice, and I\u2019m proud to have worked alongside Representatives Joyce, Bilirakis, and Obernolte on the Energy and Commerce Committee to advance this commonsense and necessary legislation.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"]], "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://obernolte.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-obernolte-bill-strike-down-californias-electric-vehicle-mandate-passes"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2930231168866158, "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"}