Bill ties federal energy money to state regulator lobbying bans.
H.R. 10080 — Energy Utility Lobbying Ban Act · Filed by Eugene Vindman (D-VA) · Introduced Aug 10, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The bill requires states to ban former utility regulators from lobbying. The ban lasts two years after they leave office. States that do not adopt this ban lose 10% of federal energy funding. The bill stops the revolving-door practice. This is when regulators move into industry jobs. States have 90 days to fix any problems.
Who it affects
Utility regulators and utility companies face new rules. Ordinary citizens who pay utility bills may benefit. States lose federal energy funding if they do not comply.
One thing to notice
The bill only stops former regulators from lobbying on matters they handled while in office. Former regulators can still lobby on new matters right away. States may adopt weak rules to keep their federal money.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
- Aug 10, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Aug 10, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- utility regulators — Government officials who make rules for electric, gas, and water companies.
- lobbying — Trying to persuade government officials to make or change laws and rules.
- revolving-door practice — When a government worker leaves office and takes a job in the industry they regulated.
- federal energy funding — Money the U.S. government gives to states for energy-related programs and projects.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (4,539 characters) on Aug 15, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,206 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-17.
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