End Energy Hardship Act

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Families struggling with utility bills would get help paying off debt and new affordable payment plans.

This bill would create a federal program to help residential customers pay off their overdue electric and natural gas bills. It would also require utility companies to set up new payment plans based on a customer's income, making energy more affordable long-term. This could help millions of households avoid disconnections and reduce their monthly energy costs.

What Would Change

Today, residential customers can accrue significant overdue electric and natural gas bills, and there is no federal program specifically designed to eliminate these debts or require comprehensive income-based payment programs. This bill would set aside $25 billion to help pay off these overdue bills and would require utility companies to offer new income-based payment programs, protecting customers from disconnections and late fees for covered arrears.

Key Provisions

Ends overdue electric and natural gas bills for many residential customers.
Requires utility companies to set up new payment plans that cap monthly charges based on a customer's income.
Protects customers from late fees, collections, and disconnections for debts covered by the program.
Sets aside $25 billion to pay off customer debts and provide future credits.
Collects data on utility arrears and disconnections to track energy affordability across the country.

View on Congress.gov

HR 10466 · 119th Congress · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 8/10

End Energy Hardship Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity