Search

Search bills, members, committees and pages...

Sign In

H.R. 9777

U.S. House•In House Committee

Summary

H.R. 9777, the Protecting Ratepayers Act, was introduced in the House on Jul 20, 2026 by Rep. Byron Donalds (R). It was referred to Energy And Commerce, and last saw action on Jul 20, 2026: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Record

Text

H.R. 9777 has no co-sponsors and has not gone to a roll call.

hb9777/introduced-in-house.txt
119 HR 9777 IH: Protecting Ratepayers Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-07-20
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 9777  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   July 20, 2026   Mr. Donalds  introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Energy and Commerce    A BILL
To require that new and existing data centers use off-grid power and water supplies, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Protecting Ratepayers Act  .
2.
Definitions
In this Act:
(1)
Covered entity
The term  covered entity  means a private company, or other private entity, that—
(A)
owns, operates, or maintains a data center; or
(B)
has plans to own, operate, or maintain a data center within the next 5 years.
(2)
Data center
The term  data center  means a data center, as defined in section 453(a) of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 ( 42 U.S.C. 17112(a) ), with a power demand of 5 megawatts or more.
(3)
Existing data center
The term  existing data center  means a data center that has begun operations as of the date of enactment of this Act.
(4)
New data center
The term  new data center  means a data center or planned data center that is not yet operational as of the date of enactment of this Act.
3.
Data center requirement for off-grid power and water supply
Beginning on the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, a covered entity may not build, own, operate, or maintain a new data center or existing data center unless the data center derives all—
(1)
energy, including back-up energy, from a captive power plant, on-site power generation, or some other source or combination of sources separate from, and not deriving power from, the electric grid; and
(2)
water, including back-up water, from an on-site water source, or some other water source or combination of sources separate from, and not deriving water from, the public water system.
4.
Ratepayer Protection Pledge
Proclamation of the President issued on March 9, 2026, titled  Ratepayer Protection Pledge  (91 Fed. Reg. 11439) shall have the full force and effect of law.

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2026-07-20
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

To require that new and existing data centers use off-grid power and water supplies, and for other purposes.

Sponsors

Rep. Byron Donalds (R) sponsors H.R. 9777 alone.

Committees

H.R. 9777 went before 1 committee: Energy and Commerce.

Energy and Commerce
Energy and Commerce
Referred To · Jul 20, 2026 · 1,636 Bills

Actions

H.R. 9777 has taken 2 actions since Jul 20, 2026.

ChamberAction
Jul 20, 2026
House
Introduced in House
Jul 20, 2026
House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.Energy and Commerce Committee

Votes

H.R. 9777 has not gone to a roll call.

Titles

H.R. 9777 goes by 3 titles, 1 of them short titles.

  • Protecting Ratepayers Act — Display Title
  • Protecting Ratepayers Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced
  • To require that new and existing data centers use off-grid power and water supplies, and for other purposes. — Official Title as Introduced

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 9777 under Environmental Protection, one of its 31 policy areas.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 9777’s is Environmental Protection.

hr9777/policy-areas.txt
Environmental ProtectionAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 9777, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. DONALDS:H.R. 9777.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Art 1, Sec 8[Page H4682]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com