Sponsor
Josh Harder
Representative · D-CA
The bill reduces conflicts of interest and improves impartiality in state utility regulation by barring former regulators from influencing their old agencies for two years—benefiting consumers and public trust—while imposing administrative and compliance costs on states, utilities, and limiting post‑service income for former officials.
Utility customers and taxpayers: decisions over utility rates and policies are likely to be more impartial because former state regulators are barred for two years from influencing matters before their old agency or accessing nonpublic information.
State regulatory authorities and the public: the risk of conflicts of interest is reduced because former members cannot influence or gain nonpublic information about agency matters for two years after leaving office.
State governments and regulators: states keep flexibility to review and choose whether to adopt the federal standard and to adapt implementation to local procedures within the specified 1–2 year timeframes.
Utilities and their legal/consulting firms: may face short-term disruption and higher legal or compliance costs to adjust practices and ensure representation complies with the two‑year restriction.
State regulatory bodies and taxpayers: agencies will incur administrative workload and costs to hold required proceedings and to adopt or reject the standard within the deadlines.
Former state regulators and independent consultants: individuals who relied on post‑service consulting before their former agency may lose income because they cannot be paid to work on matters before that authority for two years.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Imposes a two‑year post‑service ban on former State regulatory authority members lobbying or providing paid services before that authority and requires States to consider adopting the standard within set timeframes.
Representative · D-CA
Official title: To amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish a Federal standard relating to a two-year lobbying ban.
Introduced January 22, 2026 by Josh Harder · Last progress January 22, 2026
Creates a new federal standard banning former members of State regulatory authorities from appearing, lobbying, or practicing before that same State authority for two years after leaving office, and from providing paid services related to matters before the authority during that period. Requires each State regulatory authority to consider and decide whether to implement the two‑year post‑service restriction within set timelines (begin within 1 year and complete within 2 years), with exemptions for States that already adopted comparable rules or considered them within the prior three years.