# 119-hr-9700: Ratepayer Justice and Commercial Power Accountability Act 119-hr-9700, Ratepayer Justice and Commercial Power Accountability Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] (D-OH); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-15). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9700 - As of: 2026-08-15 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-9700 - Congress: 119 - Title: Ratepayer Justice and Commercial Power Accountability Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-07-15 - Sponsor: Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] (D-OH) - Cosponsors: 1 - Policy area: Energy - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-08-15 ## Summary **Ratepayer Justice Fund** would establish a federal program to reimburse utility customers harmed by unlawful utility misconduct and to restore affected communities. It would fund direct payments to harmed ratepayers and grants for community restoration while allowing assessments on utilities and responsible executives. - Residential ratepayers would be prioritized for direct relief and could get refundable tax credits or separate payments. Distributions would have to begin within 180 days after a Final Determination and claims would be limited to 4 years. - State consumer advocate offices could be reimbursed for investigation and litigation expenses that materially contributed to proving misconduct and for technical assistance. Reimbursements would be certified publicly and could not be passed on to ratepayers. - Designated communities and eligible recipients would be eligible for Ratepayer Community Restoration Grants for infrastructure, clean energy, broadband, water projects, and small business development. Total grants would be capped so they do not exceed 5% of Fund amounts and no local match would be required. ## Cosponsors (1) - Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2026-08-13T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Ratepayer Justice Fund and Collections: benefit, high. This bill would create a Ratepayer Justice Fund in the Treasury. After a Final Determination of misconduct, Treasury and FERC would assess covered utilities, C‑suite executives, and lobbyists for costs borne by ratepayers and unjust enrichment. Assessments would subtract amounts already disgorged o… - Criminal penalties for covered actors: benefit, medium. The bill would impose criminal penalties for specified offenses tied to misconduct by covered utilities. A public official, C‑suite executive, or lobbyist convicted of public corruption, honest services fraud, wire fraud, racketeering conspiracy, or bribery related to a covered utility would face i… - Nuclear plant reports and GAO review: benefit, medium. Within two years, the Secretary of Energy would report on the condition and historical costs of nuclear plants owned or operated by covered utilities, including costs passed to ratepayers. Within one year after that report is published, the Government Accountability Office would review the report's… - Community restoration and grid grants: benefit, medium. The bill would fund Ratepayer Community Restoration Grants for communities harmed by utility misconduct. Grants could pay for clean energy, energy efficiency, grid resilience and modernization, broadband consistent with BEAD, water projects, small business development, and related infrastructure. G… - Public reporting and searchable database: benefit, low. The Secretary of Energy, with Treasury and the Attorney General, would report to Congress within one year and annually after. Reports would list amounts collected, deposited, and disbursed from the Fund, the number of ratepayers claiming relief, average amounts per event, grant recipients, and unre… - Repay state consumer advocates: benefit, low. After federal direct relief payments, the Secretary of Energy could reimburse State consumer advocate offices or comparable public counsel for verified investigation and litigation costs that materially helped prove misconduct. The Secretary must publish a certification in the Federal Register when… - Direct relief payments to ratepayers: mixed, medium. This bill would set up a system for direct relief payments to eligible ratepayers. Treasury would create the system within 180 days and start issuing payments within 180 days after a Final Determination. You would qualify if you had continuous electric or gas service for at least 30 days during the… ## Related bills - 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025 - 119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 - 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act - 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025 - 119-hr-2045: Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025 - 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-hr-9700 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9700) ## Related - [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151) - [119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7481) - [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973) - [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900) - [119-hr-2045: Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2045) - [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9700 (as of 2026-08-15).