# 119-hr-1149: POWER Act

119-hr-1149, POWER Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1149
- As of: 2025-12-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-1149
- Congress: 119
- Title: POWER Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2025-12-21

## Summary

**Greater consumer notice and federal review of utility rate hikes.** This bill would require retail electric utilities to provide detailed, multi-channel notice 30 days before any rate increase and to notify the Department of Energy 60 days before increases of 5% or more. - Families and households: Would receive a clear percentage, a breakdown of why rates are rising, an estimate of how the average bill will change, and ways to give feedback or file complaints before a change. - Utilities: Would have to use multiple channels like mail, email, websites, and local media and include detailed justifications. Missing the public-notice rule can bring a civil penalty up to $10,000 and stop the utility from implementing the increase until notice is given. - Federal agencies and markets: The Department of Energy would review notifications for increases of 5% or more, publish findings and recommendations within 30 days, propose mitigation like phasing or consumer aid, and monitor post-implementation. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would assess penalties under the public-notice regime after notice and an opportunity for hearing.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Energy Department review for 5 percent rate hikes: benefit, medium. Utilities planning electric rate hikes of 5 percent or more would need to notify the Energy Department 60 days in advance. The notice would list the percent increase, cost drivers, consumer impacts, and any planned help or phase-in. Within 30 days, the Department would publish a report with recomme…
- 30-day notice before power rate hikes: benefit, low. Retail electric utilities would need to give customers at least 30 days' notice before raising rates. The notice would show the percent increase, explain why, and show the impact on an average bill. It would tell customers how to share feedback or file a complaint. Utilities would use mail or email…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5301: PIPES Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5061: Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-1149 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1149)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-5301: PIPES Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5301)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4317)
- [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229)
- [119-hr-5061: Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5061)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1149 (as of 2025-12-21).