Stop Unfair Electricity Prices

Summary#

This bill sets rules for when the Secretary of Energy can give financial help to state-regulated, investor-owned electric utilities. For 1 year after the bill becomes law, the Secretary may not give financial assistance to any such utility that charges residential customers more than the utility charged on January 1, 2026. If a utility gets assistance during that year and then charges residential customers more than the January 1, 2026 rate, the Secretary must stop the assistance.

After that 1-year period, for the next 2 years the Secretary generally may not give financial assistance to a regulated investor-owned utility that charges residential customers more than the January 1, 2026 rate unless the utility meets three conditions: (A) the total pay for the 5 highest-paid employees during the 2-year period does not exceed what those 5 employees were paid on January 1, 2026; (B) when the utility raises the residential rate above the January 1, 2026 level, it must reduce total pay for those 5 employees by an amount equal to twice the percentage-point increase in the rate; and (C) the utility must send the Secretary a report showing the top-5 employees' total pay on January 1, 2026 and the total pay after the required reduction. The Secretary must end financial assistance if a utility violates these pay rules.

The bill defines key terms by referring to existing law (section 3 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978). It also defines "regulated investor-owned electric utility," "Secretary" (meaning the Secretary of Energy), and "total compensation" (including salary, bonuses, stock awards, stock options, and other financial pay).

What it means for you#

• If you are a residential electric customer served by a state-regulated, investor-owned utility, this bill would limit the conditions under which those utilities can receive federal financial help if they charge more than they did on January 1, 2026.
• During the first year after enactment, utilities that charge higher residential rates than on January 1, 2026 would not be eligible for Department of Energy financial assistance. If a utility gets assistance and then raises rates above that date's level, the assistance must stop.
• In the following two years, utilities that want DOE assistance and charge higher rates must meet limits on the pay of their five highest-paid employees and must report those pay amounts to the Secretary of Energy.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on budgetary costs, savings, or estimated financial impacts to the federal government, utilities, or consumers is included in the bill text. The bill places conditions on giving financial assistance but does not specify dollar amounts for assistance.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information in the bill text or metadata describing proponents' statements, findings, or arguments.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information in the bill text or metadata describing opponents' statements, findings, or arguments.