HR8947Referred to Committee

Utility Hikes Transparency Act

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-05-20
Introduced
0
Cosponsors
HR
Type

Sponsor

Eugene Simon Vindman
Eugene Simon Vindman
Democrat · VA · Representative
Votes with party: 90.6% (555 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/V000138

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (0)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

2026-05-20

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Plain-English Summary

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would be required to create and maintain a public database that tracks changes in utility rates across the country, allowing consumers and policymakers to see how electricity and gas prices are changing over time. This tracker would help people understand trends in their energy costs and make it easier for lawmakers to monitor whether utility companies are raising rates significantly. The tool would primarily affect utility companies, regulators, and consumers who want transparent information about energy pricing.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8947 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8947 To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish and maintain the National Utility Rate Change Tracker, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 20, 2026 Mr. Vindman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish and maintain the National Utility Rate Change Tracker, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Utility Hikes Transparency Act''. SEC. 2. NATIONAL UTILITY RATE CHANGE TRACKER. (a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall establish and maintain online a publicly accessible, searchable database, to be known as the National Utility Rate Change Tracker, containing information on approved and effective covered utility rate changes. (b) Data Points.--The National Utility Rate Change Tracker established under subsection (a) shall contain, with respect to each approved or effective rate change for a covered utility, the following information: (1) The name of the covered utility. (2) The services provided by the covered utility. (3) The State in which the rate change is applicable. (4) The impact of the rate change-- (A) in dollar and percentage change, to the average residential monthly bill; and (B) on total revenue of the covered utility. (5) The total number of customers impacted by the rate change. (6) The date the rate change was approved. (7) A link to the relevant docket for the rate change. (8) The primary reason or reasons provided for the rate change. (9) The effective date of the rate change. (c) Quarterly Updates.--The Commission shall update information on the National Utility Rate Change Tracker on each date that is the last day of a calendar year quarter. (d) Data Sources.--In updating information on the National Utility Rate Change Tracker, the Commission shall, to the extent practicable-- (1) use publicly available information; and (2) enter into data-sharing agreements with State regulatory authorities. (e) Searchability.--The National Utility Rate Change Tracker shall be searchable by ZIP Code, address, State, and city. (f) Methodology Document.--The Commission shall publish and maintain with National Utility Rate Change Tracker a plain-language methodology explaining how information contained in the National Utility Rate Change Tracker is collected, standardized, and labeled, including how gaps or conflicts in information are handled. (g) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (2) Covered utility.--The term ``covered utility'' means a gas utility (as defined in section 302 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3202)) or electric utility that sells electric energy to electric consumers (as defined in section 3 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2602)). <all>