PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Gallagher, James [R-CA-1] · R–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 15, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-10-05 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Affordable Power for Host Communities Act would add an electricity-rate standard calling for a 20 percent discount for customers in counties hosting qualifying power facilities. The comparison would be with customers in the same class served by the same utility outside host counties. State utility regulators and utilities without state rate regulation would have deadlines to consider the standard and make a determination, subject to exceptions for earlier state action. The supplied text does not establish that every eligible customer would automatically receive a discount.
This Act may be cited as the Affordable Power for Host Communities Act.
Rates charged by any electric utility for providing electric service to a class of electric consumers shall be discounted by 20 percent for electric consumers in such class who are provided electric service in a host county compared to rates charged by such electric utility for providing electric service to electric consumers in such class who are provided electric service outside of a host county.
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this paragraph, each State regulatory authority (with respect to each electric utility for which the State has ratemaking authority), and each nonregulated electric utility shall complete the consideration and make the determination under section 111 with respect to the standard established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d).
Prior State actions Subsections (b) and (c) shall not apply to the standard established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d) in the case of any electric utility in a State if, before the date of enactment of this subsection—
Section 2 would add the discount standard to the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. It calls for rates 20 percent below those charged by the same utility to customers in the same customer class outside a host county, rather than a 20 percent reduction from a customer's existing bill.
Section 111(d) of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2621(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Rates charged by any electric utility for providing electric service to a class of electric consumers shall be discounted by 20 percent for electric consumers in such class who are provided electric service in a host county compared to rates charged by such electric utility for providing electric service to electric consumers in such class who are provided electric service outside of a host county.
A host county would be a county containing a qualifying generation facility. The facility must generate electricity delivered to local distribution facilities and sold, have a rated generating capacity of at least 5 megawatts, and impose operational, environmental, or infrastructure burdens on its county.
The term host county means a county in which a covered generation facility is located.
means a facility that— (aa) generates electric energy that is delivered to local distribution facilities and sold; (bb) has a nameplate capacity of at least 5 megawatts; and (cc) imposes operational, environmental, or infrastructure burdens, including land use restrictions, water management constraints, wildfire risk associated with transmission infrastructure, environmental compliance obligations, on the county in which such facility is located;
The proposed definition expressly includes hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, solar, and wind facilities and associated federal or state-owned infrastructure. Its examples of county burdens include land-use restrictions, water-management constraints, wildfire risk from electricity transmission infrastructure, and environmental compliance obligations.
imposes operational, environmental, or infrastructure burdens, including land use restrictions, water management constraints, wildfire risk associated with transmission infrastructure, environmental compliance obligations, on the county in which such facility is located;
includes hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, solar, and wind generation facilities and associated Federal or State-owned infrastructure.
Unless a prior-action exception applies, state regulators responsible for utility rates and nonregulated utilities would have one year after enactment to begin considering the standard or set a hearing date. They would have two years after enactment to finish consideration and make the determination required under existing section 111. These are consideration deadlines, not an express date for discounts to begin.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this paragraph, each State regulatory authority (with respect to each electric utility for which the State has ratemaking authority) and each nonregulated electric utility shall commence consideration under section 111, or set a hearing date for consideration, with respect to the standard established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d).
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this paragraph, each State regulatory authority (with respect to each electric utility for which the State has ratemaking authority), and each nonregulated electric utility shall complete the consideration and make the determination under section 111 with respect to the standard established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d).
Subsections (b) and (c) shall not apply to the standard established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d) in the case of any electric utility in a State if, before the date of enactment of this subsection—
The proposed exception would make section 112(b) and (c) inapplicable to this standard for a utility if the state had already implemented it or a comparable standard, or if the state regulator or relevant nonregulated utility had already held a proceeding to consider implementation. The proceeding exception does not expressly require adoption of a discount.
Subsections (b) and (c) shall not apply to the standard established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d) in the case of any electric utility in a State if, before the date of enactment of this subsection— (1) the State has implemented for the electric utility the standard (or a comparable standard); (2) the State regulatory authority for the State or the relevant nonregulated electric utility has conducted a proceeding to consider implementation of the standard (or a comparable standard) for the electric utility;
The same exception would apply if the state legislature had voted on implementing the standard or a comparable standard for the utility during the three years before enactment. The text requires a vote, without specifying that the legislature must have approved implementation.
Subsections (b) and (c) shall not apply to the standard established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d) in the case of any electric utility in a State if, before the date of enactment of this subsection—
the State legislature has voted on the implementation of the standard (or a comparable standard) for the electric utility during the 3-year period ending on that date of enactment.
For the new standard, the proposal would update enactment-date references in existing provisions addressing failure to comply and prior or pending proceedings. Those references would point to enactment of the new standard. The underlying provisions are not reproduced, so their complete operation cannot be explained from this bundle.
Failure to comply Section 112(c) of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2622(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: In the case of the standard established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d), the reference contained in this subsection to the date of enactment of this Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of enactment of that paragraph (22).
Prior and pending proceedings Section 124 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2634) is amended by adding at the end the following: In the case of the standard established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d), the reference contained in this section to the date of enactment of this Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of enactment of that paragraph (22).
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated October 15, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on October 5, 2026. This snapshot does not establish subsequent action or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-15T19:23:33Z. 2026-10-05: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2026-10-05: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-10-05. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or appropriations policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark status in accompanying materials cannot be established.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential carve-out beyond ordinary program eligibility or routine administration was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 15, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI