Rep. Bob Latta

R

Ohio – District 5
representative

Leadership

Chairman Energy

119th Congress

News & Announcements

Feb 6, 2025
Press Release

Law Enforcement and Advocates Urge Passage of HALT Fentanyl Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  Law enforcement and advocacy groups are urging Congress to pass H.R. 27, the HALT Fentanyl Act, led by Committee on Energy and Congress Members Reps. Morgan Griffith (VA-09) and Bob Latta (OH-05). Here’s what they have to say: “We commend your early prioritization of this issue and your leadership in pushing this legislation forward. The opioid epidemic continues to claim the lives of hundreds of Americans every day. As this crisis escalates, every delay in addressing it only increases the toll on our communities. For the sake of public safety, it is imperative that the House pass the HALT Fentanyl Act as it stands, without changes, and move it forward to law.” CLICK HERE  to read the letter from the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA), Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), National Alliance of State Drug Enforcement Agencies (NASDEA), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), National HIDTA Directors Association (NHDA), National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition (NNOAC), National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), Sergeants Benevolent Association NYPD (SBA). “We, the members of the Drug Enforcement Association of Federal Narcotics Agents, are writing to express our strong support for the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act. This bipartisan legislation is crucial in combating the devastating fentanyl crisis that has become the leading cause of death among young adults aged 18-45.” CLICK HERE  to read the letter from Drug Enforcement Association of Federal Narcotics Agents President Marshall Fisher. “The HALT Fentanyl Act is not just about strengthening law enforcement—it is about saving lives and protecting communities. By permanently scheduling fentanyl analogues, we are sending a strong message that the United States will not tolerate the continued destruction caused by this drug.” CLICK HERE  to read the letter from Association of Mature American Citizens Action Chairwoman Rebecca Weber. “On behalf of the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), representing over 241,000 sworn law enforcement officers across the United States, I am writing to you to express our strong support for the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act.  [...] “NAPO has long fought for resources to support law enforcement’s efforts to combat fentanyl, its analogues, and similar opioids. We thank you for your efforts to help the fight against the spread of this deadly poison in our communities and look forward to working with you to pass this important legislation.” CLICK HERE  to read the letter from NAPO Executive Director William J. Johnson. CLICK HERE  to read more about the HALT Fentanyl Act.   ###

Feb 6, 2025
Press Release

Chairmen Guthrie and Carter Applaud Passage of HALT Fentanyl Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (GA-01), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 27, the HALT Fentanyl Act , by a vote of 312 to 108. “As Republicans work to fix the previous Administration’s border crisis and save lives from fentanyl poisoning, this legislation will serve as an important tool for law enforcement to fight against transnational crime organizations and drug smugglers,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Carter . “We are grateful for Reps. Griffith and Latta for their leadership on this legislation and will work with the Senate to see it passed and sent to President Trump’s desk.”   “Today, the House took a critical step forward to combat the fentanyl crisis by passing the HALT Fentanyl Act. For far too long, the Biden administration’s failure to secure our border allowed this deadly drug to pour into our country and kill more than 200 Americans a day. This bill permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I, giving law enforcement the tools needed to halt this epidemic,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson . “With this legislation and President Trump’s recent actions to secure our northern and southern borders, Republicans are taking decisive, strong, and immediate action to keep these dangerous drugs out of our communities.”   “The ongoing fentanyl crisis has been fueled in part by a rise in lethal fentanyl-related substances. We are pleased to see House passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act, which prioritizes the safety of American life and highlights our commitment to defeating the scourge of fentanyl,” said Reps. Griffith and Latta . “Accordingly, we urge swift passage of HALT Fentanyl in the Senate so we can complement President Trump’s actions to curb the flow of fentanyl into America.”   Background:   Drug traffickers are able to exploit loopholes in the criminal code by making minor changes to the chemical composition of fentanyl, creating an “analog” or fentanyl related substances (FRS). Congress granted temporary scheduling authority that allows Drug Enforcement Agency to immediately schedule FRS as a class, removing the incentive for new FRS to be created. The temporary scheduling authority, however, expires in March 2025.  H.R. 27 , the HALT Fentanyl Act , led by Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Bob Latta (R-OH), would make the temporary class-wide scheduling order for FRS permanent. It ensures law enforcement have the tools they need to keep these extremely lethal and dangerous drugs off our streets. The bill also ensures practitioners can research fentanyl related substances so we can better understand their overall effects on people's health.  ### 

Feb 5, 2025
Press Release

Reps. Griffith and Latta Pen Op-Ed: The HALT Fentanyl Act Gives Americans Hope

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a new opinion piece penned in the Washington Examiner , House Committee on Energy and Commerce members Reps. Morgan Griffith (VA-09) and Bob Latta (OH-05), along with House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (MI-09), laid out the case for passing H.R. 27, the HALT Fentanyl Act , to give law enforcement the tools needed to fight against fentanyl-related substances flowing into our nation. The fentanyl crisis in America is an unnecessary story of anguish and despair, one that elicits pain and stifles hope. The story of 23-year-old college student Zach Cullen, who was preparing for life beyond college, is one of those stories of anguish. He spent four years delivering pizzas from Papa Johns and was interested in developing a technology company. Nine days after Cullen’s birthday, his parents got painful news. They were informed by police that their son, the youngest of their three boys, died from fentanyl-related poisoning. Cullen’s parents later testified before a House Energy and Commerce Committee roundtable demanding change. House Republicans then committed to preventing future tragedies such as Cullen’s. We put pen to paper and worked on a bill to save lives and crack down on the fentanyl crisis: the HALT Fentanyl Act. CLICK HERE to read the full piece. CLICK HERE to read more about the HALT Fentanyl Act.  ###

Letters

Jan 6, 2025
Press Release

Chairman Guthrie and Chairman Latta Question Energy Department’s Involvement in Biden-Harris Offshore Drilling Ban

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Yesterday, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, penned a letter to Secretary Jennifer Granholm questioning the Department of Energy’s involvement in the Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to prevent new offshore oil and gas production, leading to higher prices for consumers and harming U.S. energy security. KEY LETTER EXCERPT: “Closing off swaths of U.S. offshore areas to energy production, as the Biden-Harris Administration reportedly intends to do, will lead to higher energy prices for American families, the loss of American jobs, and greatly diminish our country’s energy security. As the Secretary of Energy, you have an obligation to weigh in on this matter and insist on a full review of the energy security and economic impacts before any decisions are finalized. “The United States stands at an energy crossroads, facing mounting global security threats and soaring demand for power. Instead of leading the world in energy production, we’ve allowed misguided “green” policies to hamstring our potential. It’s time to unleash American energy dominance again—the federal government must become an ally, not an obstacle, to our nation’s energy security. We look forward to your prompt response to this request, no later than January 10, 2025.” Read the story  here . BACKGROUND: This morning, the Biden Administration announced that more than 625 million square miles of coastline would be off-limits for energy production. Republican Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce have continuously called on the Biden-Harris Administration to end its attack on American energy production before leaving office on January 20th. The letter requests an explanation of the DOE’s involvement in the decision and whether the White House or the Department of Interior consulted with the DOE about the plans to close off access to offshore resources. Any decision to shut down access to significant American energy resources impacts U.S. energy policy and should be reviewed by the DOE. The Biden Administration’s energy policies have continued to create major harm to America’s energy production and workforce. A unilateral ban on energy production in large swaths of the U.S. coastline will have lasting impacts on American energy production and security.

Oct 7, 2024
Letter

Chair Rodgers Leads House GOP in Demanding Answers Over FCC Fast-Tracking Democrat Mega-Donor’s Media Takeover Weeks Before Election

Soros-linked fund to acquire more than 200 local radio stations weeks before election Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) led 40 of her Republican colleagues in demanding answers from the Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding her recent decision to fast-track a media deal allowing the Fund for Policy Reform, a group aligned with Democratic mega-donor George Soros, to buy over 200 radio stations just weeks before the 2024 election. With a party line vote of 3-2, the decision at the Commission level by the Democratic members of the FCC to temporarily waive the required national security review and allow excessive foreign ownership of American radio stations is deeply disturbing. KEY LETTER EXCERPT: “It is highly concerning that the FCC did not follow regular order for a transaction of this magnitude. Licensees and investors need certainty that the FCC will follow its rules and procedures when approving transactions so that the broadcast industry can have the resources it needs to continue serving the public.”  BACKGROUND: Audacy, Inc., a radio broadcasting group, which owns more than 200 radio-station licenses, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.  Audacy’s filings revealed that a George Soros-backed group known as the Fund for Policy Reform had acquired at least 40 percent of Audacy’s debt.   Audacy estimated that, upon emerging from bankruptcy, 25 percent or more of its stock would be indirectly foreign owned, which triggers FCC review.   This review process requires national security agencies to review the transaction and offer any policy or national security concerns.   On September 30, 2024, the FCC released an Order granting a temporary waiver of this review process, delaying a national security review until after the bankruptcy process is complete and allowing foreign control of a significant number of radio stations across the entire United States, weeks before a national election. CLICK HERE to read Breitbart's exclusive coverage. CLICK HERE to read the full letter.

Jul 25, 2024
Press Release

E&C Republicans Open Inquiry into NTIA’s Online Domain Name Registry Contracts Ahead of Renewal

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chair Bob Latta (R-OH), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) requested information about the agency’s internet domain name registry agreement with Verisign, Inc. (Verisign). BACKGROUND :  The NTIA represents the United States government on the Governmental Advisory Committee of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the multi-stakeholder, not-for-profit entity that was founded in 1998 to coordinate the Internet domain name system, among other Internet management-related activities. Since 2001, Verisign has operated the .com and .net domain name registries.   Verisign manages the .com registry under two agreements—a .com Registry Agreement between ICANN and Verisign and a Cooperative Agreement between the NTIA and Verisign.  Both of these agreements are in place through November 30, 2024.  As the expiration dates of these agreements approach, some have suggested that the NTIA should reassess certain aspects of both agreements.   Under the Cooperative Agreement’s terms, it will automatically renew on November 30, 2024, unless Verisign provides written notice of non-renewal within 120 days of its expiration.   The Department of Justice has previously recommended ICANN hold a competitive bidding process for renewals of registry agreements.   The current agreement, as amended, has allowed Verisign, with ICANN’s agreement, in each of the last four years of every six-year contract period, to increase the maximum price Verisign charges for yearly registration or renewal of a .com name by up to seven percent over the maximum price it charged in the previous year.   Verisign has since instituted a price increase of the maximum amount in every year it was allowed to do so.   KEY LETTER EXCERPT :  “With both a role in advising ICANN and as a party to the Cooperative Agreement, the NTIA bears responsibility for supporting a domain name system that enables the growth of online commerce. Both individual consumers and businesses depend on responsible management of the .com system. Monopolistic elements and excessive domain name price increases stifle the ability of potential .com registrants to conduct business online.  “As such, we seek more information about the NTIA’s process in considering the renewal of both the Registry Agreement and the Cooperative Agreement.”  CLICK HERE to read the letter.