The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2014 (ESIC; ) is a bill that focused on improving energy efficiency in the United States by reducing homeowners' energy use, improving the energy efficiency provisions of building codes, and making other changes. The bill was introduced into the United States Senate during the 113th United States Congress. Background According to The New York Times, the last time Congress passed a major energy bill was seven years ago. Provisions of the bill The bill would have changed the energy efficiency requirements applied to new homes and commercial buildings. The bill "contains measures to boost building codes, train workers in energy efficient building technologies, help manufacturers become more efficient and bolster conservation efforts at federal agencies." Congressional Budget Office report This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the Congressional Budget Office, a public domain source. The legislation would increase direct spending by requiring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to revise certain standards related to underwriting mortgages. The legislation also would reduce direct spending by modifying existing requirements to reduce consumption of energy generated from fossil fuels at certain federal buildings. Procedural history The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2014 was introduced into the United States Senate on April 28, 2014, by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). The Senate considered the bill on May 6 and 7, 2014. On May 12, the Senate voted on a cloture motion that would have led to a final yes or no vote on passing the bill, but the cloture motion failed to pass. Only three Republicans voted in favor of cloture, with the final vote being 55–36, with 60 votes needed to pass. Majority Leader Harry Reid changed his vote from in favor to opposed at last minute so that he would be able to recall the bill for another vote at a later date. Debate and discussion The failure of the bill to receive cloture on May 12, 2014, was seen as hurting two Democratic senators who have difficult re-election campaigns this year. Those two Senators were Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who sponsored the bill, and Mary Landrieu (D-LA). According to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), he voted against the bill and Republicans filibustered it in general because Senator Reid refused to allow votes on a few amendments that the Republicans wanted. McConnell, arguing that the amendments were legitimate ones and not a