Congress caps utility profits, bans passing lobbying costs to ratepayers
H.R. 8568 — Lowering Utility Bills Act · Filed by Gregorio Casar (D-TX) · 27 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 29, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill requires investor-owned electric and gas utilities, and transmission providers, to set their return on equity (the profit rate regulators allow them to earn) at the lowest end of a 'reasonable range' rather than somewhere in the middle or upper range. The bill also bars utilities from passing lobbying costs, political donations, executive travel, and other non-essential expenses to customers through their bills. The intent is to lower utility bills by reducing the returns utilities can claim and preventing them from charging ratepayers for corporate advocacy.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a direct constraint on utility profit margins (return on equity) and a ban on passing non-operational costs to ratepayers. It is fundamentally a consumer-protection and rate-control measure, not a subsidy or carve-out.
What the text implies
- The 'clear and convincing evidence' exception for transmission providers may create litigation risk and regulatory uncertainty, potentially slowing capital investment in grid modernization if utilities cannot justify higher returns.
- The requirement that utilities prioritize 'grid enhancing technologies and other lower cost alternatives' in transmission planning may accelerate adoption of distributed energy resources and microgrids, shifting traditional utility business models.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
residential and commercial electricity/gas consumers (lower bills); consumer advocacy organizations (reduced utility lobbying budgets)