Ratepayer Protection Act
Introduced Jun 18, 2026 by Rep. Gabe Evans
The House passed it. The Senate has to pass it before it can reach the President.
The bill requires state utility regulators and nonregulated utilities to consider implementing a standard to hold certain large-load customers responsible for the costs associated with any generation, transmission, or distribution upgrade of electric service necessary to serve such customers. A large-load customer means a non-residential electric consumer that enters, or requests to enter, an agreement concerning the sale of electric energy primarily to operate information technology infrastructure and related systems pertaining to data storage and computational applications and services (e.g., data centers) that have a peak electric demand of 100 megawatts or more at a single site or campus.
Specifically, the bill requires states to consider implementing a federal standard for large-load customers. The standard must require rates charged by electric utilities for providing electric service to a large-load customer to be designed to recover from the large-load customer the full, incremental cost of any generation, transmission, or distribution upgrade necessary to serve such customer. This rate must include the costs that would be incurred if the large-load customer terminates an agreement with the electric utility pertaining to the sale of electric energy or otherwise ceases the purchase of energy from the electric utility.
Under the standard, an electric utility must require the large-load customer to provide to the utility financial assurances or contributions to cover the cost of any generation, transmission, or distribution upgrade that is necessary to serve the load of a large-load customer before the utility makes any generation, transmission, or distribution upgrade.
Summary by the Congressional Research Service.
- Sep 30, 2026Motion to proceed to consideration of measure withdrawn in Senate. (CR S5199)
- Sep 30, 2026Cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 57 - 43. Record Vote Number: 254.
- Sep 30, 2026Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (CR S5199)
- Sep 29, 2026Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate.
- Sep 28, 2026Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate. (CR S5065)
- Sep 28, 2026Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (CR S5065)
- Sep 24, 2026Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 684.
- Sep 23, 2026Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
- Sep 17, 2026Received in the Senate.
- Sep 16, 2026Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Sep 16, 2026On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 417 - 3 (Roll no. 312). (text: CR H5656-5657)
- Sep 16, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 417 - 3 (Roll no. 312). (text: CR H5656-5657)
- Sep 16, 2026Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H5958-5959)
- Sep 15, 2026At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- Sep 15, 2026DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 9340.
- Sep 15, 2026Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5656-5661)
- Sep 15, 2026Mr. Guthrie moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 10, 2026Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 713.
- Sep 10, 2026Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-814.
- Jul 21, 2026Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 52 - 0.
- Jul 21, 2026Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Jul 20, 2026Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Jun 24, 2026Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
- Jun 24, 2026Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Jun 18, 2026Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy.
- Jun 18, 2026Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Jun 18, 2026Introduced in House