Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Ratepayer Justice and Commercial Power Accountability Act
A Democratic bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H4617)
Introduced, nothing more yet
Formally proposed, and not yet handed to a committee.
Nearly every bill is sent to a committee within days. Introduction alone is not a sign of support, of momentum, or of any likelihood of passing — any member may introduce any bill.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
What this bill would do
This bill establishes the Ratepayer Justice Fund to provide a federal process for reimbursing people and communities harmed by utility and executive misconduct. It targets issues like corruption, bribery, and fraud that affect electricity and natural gas rates. The fund will be populated by assessments collected from covered utilities, C-suite executives, and lobbyists. Eligible ratepayers can receive direct relief payments through tax credits or direct payments. Additionally, the bill creates grants for community infrastructure and restoration projects. Finally, it introduces mandatory imprisonment for officials and executives convicted of specific crimes related to utility misconduct.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Direct Financial Relief for Consumers: The bill creates a system for eligible ratepayers to receive direct relief payments to restore them to their original position following unlawful conduct (Section 2(b)). These payments can be issued as refundable tax credits or direct payments (Section 5(a)).
-
Community Infrastructure Support: Through Ratepayer Community Restoration Grants, designated communities can receive funding for improvements to infrastructure, including clean energy, grid resilience, and water resource management (Section 7(b)).
-
Support for Consumer Advocacy: The Secretary of Energy can reimburse State consumer advocate offices for investigation and litigation expenses that helped establish misconduct (Section 6(a)).
-
Accountability for Misconduct: The bill establishes a process to collect amounts from utilities, executives, and lobbyists to cover the costs of criminal mismanagement and unjust enrichment (Section 4(a)).
-
Strict Penalties for Corruption: The act mandates imprisonment for public officials, C-suite executives, and lobbyists who are convicted of crimes such as bribery, racketeering conspiracy, or honest services fraud (Section 9(b)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Financial Burden on Utilities and Executives: The bill requires the assessment and collection of significant amounts from covered utilities, C-suite executives, and lobbyists to fund the relief process (Section 4(a)).
-
Risk of Penalties for Non-Cooperation: Utilities that fail to provide customer records upon request may face penalties imposed by the Secretary of the Treasury or the Attorney General (Section 5(c)(2)(B)).
-
Limitations on Claims: Eligible ratepayers are restricted to claiming only one direct relief payment per misconduct event (Section 5(d)(5)), and must submit claims within a 4-year period (Section 5(e)).
-
Reduction of Payments for Prior Recovery: If a ratepayer has already received a refund, credit, or restitution for the same misconduct event, their direct relief payment will be reduced dollar-for-dollar (Section 5(f)).
- 8/13/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/16/2026
- Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H4617)
- 7/15/2026
- Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Financial Services, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Introduced in House
Eugene VindmanDemocrat · Virginia