PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] · R–NJ
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
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: Mar 11, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.1149 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.1149 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.1149 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.1149 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.
PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-07 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 bill would require retail electricity utilities to give affected customers at least 30 days’ notice before raising any rate, explaining the increase and how to respond. Increases of 5 percent or more would also require 60 days’ notice to the Department of Energy for review. Utilities that violate the customer-notice requirement would face a civil penalty and could not implement the increase until they comply.
A retail electric utility that intends to increase any rate applicable to electric consumers shall, in accordance with this subsection, provide notification to electric consumers that will be impacted by the rate increase at least 30 days prior to implementing the rate increase.
(B) A detailed breakdown of the reasons and justifications for the rate increase. (C) An explanation of how the increased rate will impact the average electric consumer’s bill. (D) Information on how electric consumers can provide feedback or file a complaint regarding the rate increase.
A retail electric utility shall submit to the Secretary of Energy a notification of any planned rate increase of 5 percent or more for any rate applicable to electric consumers, at least 60 days prior to the implementation of such rate increase.
The Secretary of Energy shall— (A) upon receiving a notification under this subsection, review the justification described in paragraph (2)(B);
A retail electric utility that violates or fails or refuses to comply with the notification requirement under paragraph (1)— (i) shall be subject to a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed $10,000; and (ii) may not implement the applicable rate increase until such notification requirement is met.
Section 1 would name the bill the Protecting Our Wallets from Excessive Rates Act, or POWER Act.
This Act may be cited as the Protecting Our Wallets from Excessive Rates Act or the POWER Act.
The requirements would apply to an electric utility that sells electricity for use other than resale. The bill borrows the definitions of “electric consumer” and “electric utility” from an existing law without reproducing them.
(1) Electric consumer The term electric consumer has the meaning given such term in section 3(5) of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2602(5)). (2) Electric utility The term electric utility has the meaning given such term in section 3(4) of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2602(4)). (3) Retail electric utility The term retail electric utility means an electric utility that sells electric energy for purposes other than resale.
For any planned rate increase, the utility would have to notify affected customers at least 30 days before implementation. The notice would have to state the percentage increase, give detailed reasons, explain the effect on the average customer’s bill, and describe how to provide feedback or file a complaint.
(1) Notification to electric consumers A retail electric utility that intends to increase any rate applicable to electric consumers shall, in accordance with this subsection, provide notification to electric consumers that will be impacted by the rate increase at least 30 days prior to implementing the rate increase. (2) Content of Notification A notification provided under paragraph (1) shall include the following: (A) A clear statement of the percentage of the rate increase. (B) A detailed breakdown of the reasons and justifications for the rate increase. (C) An explanation of how the increased rate will impact the average electric consumer’s bill. (D) Information on how electric consumers can provide feedback or file a complaint regarding the rate increase.
Utilities would have to use multiple communication channels to reach all affected customers as far as feasible. These would include direct mail or email, the utility’s official website, and local newspapers and other local media.
A retail electric utility shall provide notification under paragraph (1) using multiple communication channels to ensure, to the extent feasible, that all impacted electric consumers are provided such notification, including by providing notification by direct mail or email to such electric consumers, posting the notification on the retail electric utility’s official website, and publishing the notification in local newspapers and other local media outlets.
A utility that fails to comply with the customer-notice requirement would be subject to a civil monetary penalty of up to $10,000 and would be barred from implementing the increase until it complies. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would assess the penalty after notice and an opportunity for a public hearing, considering the violation’s nature and seriousness and the utility’s efforts to correct it promptly.
(4) Penalties for Non-Compliance (A) In general A retail electric utility that violates or fails or refuses to comply with the notification requirement under paragraph (1)— (i) shall be subject to a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed $10,000; and (ii) may not implement the applicable rate increase until such notification requirement is met. (B) Assessment A penalty under subparagraph (A) shall be assessed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission after notice and opportunity for public hearing. In determining the amount of such a penalty, the Commission shall take into consideration the nature and seriousness of the violation, failure, or refusal and the efforts of the retail electric utility to remedy the violation, failure, or refusal in a timely manner.
For a planned increase of 5 percent or more in any customer rate, the utility would also have to notify the Secretary of Energy at least 60 days before implementation. That notice would have to identify the percentage increase, explain its justification—including factors driving costs and financial impact—assess potential customer impacts, and describe any proposed measures to reduce those impacts.
(1) Notification A retail electric utility shall submit to the Secretary of Energy a notification of any planned rate increase of 5 percent or more for any rate applicable to electric consumers, at least 60 days prior to the implementation of such rate increase. (2) Content of notification A notification submitted under paragraph (1) shall include— (A) identification of the percentage by which the rate will be increased; (B) a comprehensive justification for such rate increase, including cost drivers and financial impact; (C) an assessment of the potential impacts on electric consumers; and (D) any proposed mitigation measures to be taken by the retail electric utility.
The Secretary of Energy would have to review the utility’s justification upon receiving the notice and publish findings within 30 days of receipt. The report would have to assess potential impacts on customers.
(3) Pre-implementation review by DOE The Secretary of Energy shall— (A) upon receiving a notification under this subsection, review the justification described in paragraph (2)(B); and (B) not later than 30 days after receiving a notification under this subsection, publish a report on the Secretary’s findings regarding the applicable planned rate increase, including— (i) an assessment of the potential impacts on electric consumers;
The report would include any recommendations for adjusting the increase, reducing customer impacts through options such as gradual increases and financial aid, and improving utility efficiency to avoid future increases. These are recommendations; this provision does not itself award financial aid or require the utility to adopt the recommendations.
(ii) any recommendations— (I) for adjustments to the planned rate increase; (II) on ways to mitigate the impacts of the rate increase on electric consumers, including— (aa) phasing in price increases; and (bb) financial aid options for electric consumers; and (III) for how the retail electric utility can improve or increase efficiency to avoid future rate increases.
After an increase covered by the 5-percent reporting threshold takes effect, the Secretary of Energy would have to monitor its effects on the market and customers. The monitoring would evaluate whether the effects match those described in the report and whether further action is needed.
A retail electric utility shall submit to the Secretary of Energy a notification of any planned rate increase of 5 percent or more for any rate applicable to electric consumers, at least 60 days prior to the implementation of such rate increase.
(4) Monitoring by DOE The Secretary of Energy shall, after a rate increase described in paragraph (1) is implemented, monitor the impacts of such rate increase on the market and on electric consumers to evaluate if the rate increase has had the impacts described in paragraph (3)(B) and if further action is needed.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated March 11, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on February 7, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-03-11T17:11:33Z. 2025-02-07: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2025-02-07: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-07. 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 policy change attached to appropriations 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 and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment 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: Mar 11, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI