S. 1957: A bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of Energy to make loans to publicly owned electric utilities to finance and refinance projects to comply with any Federal energy efficiency resource standard, and for other purposes.

S. 1957: A bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of Energy to make loans to publicly owned electric utilities to finance and refinance projects to comply with any Federal energy efficiency resource standard, and for other purposes.

111th Congress · introduced 2009-10-28 · Energy · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2009-10-28 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of Energy to make loans to publicly owned electric utilities to finance and refinance projects to comply with any Federal energy efficiency resource standard, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to instruct the Secretary of Energy to make loans to publicly owned electric utilities to carry out qualified projects, approved by the Secretary, which comply with federal energy efficiency resource standards. Authorizes such loans to be used to: (1) finance or refinance the costs of the acquisition, construction, or improvement of an electric generation, transmission, distribution facility, or utility property or assets, including the costs of any indirect acquisition of such facility, utility property or assets; and (2) refinance bonds issued by specified state utilities. Authorizes the Secretary to disapprove a loan application for a project if the Secretary determines that revenues available to repay the loan are unlikely to be sufficient to cover its repayment obligations. Sets a maximum loan terms of 30 years. Authorizes appropriations.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of Energy to make loans to publicly owned electric utilities to finance and refinance projects to comply with any Federal energy efficiency resource standard, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] reported raising $1.2 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (5)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Bond: A way to borrow money. A government sells bonds to raise money now and promises to pay it back with interest over time. Bonds repaid from taxes often need voter approval.
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111s1957.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/s>

Record fed-us-cong111-s1957 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111