# 119-hr-9777: Protecting Ratepayers Act

119-hr-9777, Protecting Ratepayers Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Donalds, Byron [R-FL-19] (R-FL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9777
- As of: 2026-08-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9777
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting Ratepayers Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-20
- Sponsor: Rep. Donalds, Byron [R-FL-19] (R-FL)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-01

## Summary

**Off‑grid power and water supply requirement.** This bill would require covered data centers to get all electricity and backup power from on‑site or captive sources separate from the electric grid and to get all water and backup water from on‑site sources separate from public water systems. It applies to data centers with a power demand of 5 megawatts or more and would take effect 180 days after enactment. - Companies that own, operate, or plan data centers within five years would have to ensure covered sites use only on‑site or captive energy and water sources. - The rule targets data centers with power demand of 5 megawatts or more, creating a clear size threshold for coverage. - Both existing and new data centers fall under the requirement, so operational facilities must meet the same off‑grid standards after 180 days. - The President's "Ratepayer Protection Pledge" proclamation is given the full force of law and would be legally binding under this bill.

## Provisions PRIA read

- New off-grid rules for data centers: cost, medium. If enacted, beginning 180 days after enactment, the bill would ban grid-supplied energy and public-system water for covered data centers. Covered centers (5 megawatts or more) would need to get all energy, including backup, from captive or on-site generation that does not draw from the electric gri…
- Who counts as a covered data center: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would define who is a "covered entity." A covered entity would be a private company that owns, operates, maintains, or plans a data center within the next 5 years. A "data center" for this bill would mean facilities with a power demand of 5 megawatts or more. The bill would lab…
- President's pledge given legal force: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would make the Presidential Proclamation titled "Ratepayer Protection Pledge" issued March 9, 2026 (91 Fed. Reg. 11439) have the full force and effect of law. This would make the proclamation's rules legally binding for utilities and covered entities that the proclamation addre…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-6955: Main Street Capital Access Act
- 119-hr-9200: Secure the Border Act of 2026
- 119-hr-9199: Permanent Trump Secure Border Act
- 119-hr-624: RIFLE Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1915: Stop the Cartels Act
- 119-hr-8206: Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-9777 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9777)

## Related
- [119-hr-6955: Main Street Capital Access Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6955)
- [119-hr-9200: Secure the Border Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9200)
- [119-hr-9199: Permanent Trump Secure Border Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9199)
- [119-hr-624: RIFLE Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-624)
- [119-hr-1915: Stop the Cartels Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1915)
- [119-hr-8206: Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8206)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9777 (as of 2026-08-01).