H.R. 957 is being considered on the floor under suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote for passage. This legislation was introduced by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) on February 10, 2009.

H.R. 957 would authorize the Secretary of Energy to provide grants to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the purpose of increasing graduate and undergraduate degrees in the areas of engineering and architecture that specifically focus on the design and construction of high performance buildings. High performance buildings were defined in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as "a building that integrates and optimizes all major high-performance building attributes, including energy efficiency, durability, life-cycle performance, and occupant productivity."

In the 110^th Congress, a very similar bill to this legislation, H.R. 1716, passed the House by a vote of 416-0.  The Senate never considered that legislation.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was signed into law on August 8, 2005 (P.L. 109-58).  The legislation focused on ways to save and conserve energy.  "High performance buildings" were recommended in the legislation as one way the bill addressed energy use.  High performance buildings are more eco-friendly and incorporate long lasting materials and energy efficiency.  High performance buildings use less energy than conventional buildings by incorporating solar power and natural light. 

There is no Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimate available for H.R. 957.  However, a similar bill last year was estimated not to have a significant effect on spending.