# 119-hr-7329: FREEDOM Act

119-hr-7329, FREEDOM Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9] (D-CA); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7329
- As of: 2026-07-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7329
- Congress: 119
- Title: FREEDOM Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-02-03
- Sponsor: Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-25

## Summary

**Speeds federal permitting for major energy projects and creates funds and legal tools to enforce deadlines and compensate sponsors.** It sets firm timelines for routine and complex authorizations, creates a De‑Risking Compensation Program and Fund, and establishes a Permitting Performance Fund plus expedited judicial remedies to push agencies to act. - Project sponsors: Must file a notice of initiation and get a lead agency completeness decision within 30 days. The lead agency must issue a project schedule; routine authorizations have a 90 day deadline, complex authorizations have a 1 year deadline, and an environmental impact statement (EIS) gets a 2 year deadline. - Developers and funds: Sponsors may enroll in a De‑Risking Compensation Program and pay an annual premium equal to 1.5 percent of their capital contribution, adjustable up to 3.0 percent. The De‑Risking Fund and a Permitting Performance Fund hold premiums, civil penalties, and appropriations, including an initial $50 million capitalization for the Permitting Performance Fund. - Agencies, courts, and land rules: The bill creates expedited judicial review with a 120 day decision target and court remands with 180 day completion schedules. It limits when agencies can halt "fully permitted" projects, expands geothermal permitting rules, creates a Geothermal Ombudsman, and authorizes cost‑recovery fees for rights‑of‑way and geothermal permits.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2026-02-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE), 2026-02-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13] (D-CA), 2026-02-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Edwards, Chuck [R-NC-11] (R-NC), 2026-02-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McDonald Rivet, Kristen [D-MI-8] (D-MI), 2026-02-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster geothermal permitting and parity: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require Interior to write rules within one year allowing simultaneous review of multiple geothermal project phases, like exploration, drilling, and power plant siting. The Bureau of Land Management would get a Geothermal Ombudsman within 60 days to help resolve permit dis…
- De‑Risking compensation fund and cap: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a De‑Risking Compensation Fund at Treasury made of program premiums and any appropriations. Fund money would pay compensation judgments and up to 5% for program administration. Payments under the subtitle could not come from the general Treasury if the Fund is exha…
- Faster permits and quicker court review: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would require project notices and set strict agency timelines. Lead agencies would have 30 days to deem notices complete and 30 days to publish a project schedule. Agencies would generally have 90 days to decide routine authorizations and one year for complex authorizations. Co…
- New permitting performance fund: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a Permitting Performance Fund in the Treasury. It would start with $50 million in initial capitalization. Courts could fine agencies $1,000 to $100,000 per day for failing to follow court schedules. Money in the Fund would pay court‑approved contractors and court‑o…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-5401: Pay Our Troops Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-7329 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7329)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1065)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-5401: Pay Our Troops Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5401)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7329 (as of 2026-07-25).