The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.North Carolina Bill Prohibits Utilities from Charging Ratepayers for Lobbying, Advertising, and Political Expenses
Last action · April 14, 2025: Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: Pricey Harrison and 15 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
North Carolina House Bill 922 prohibits public utilities from recovering costs related to advertising, lobbying, political contributions, trade association dues, and executive travel through customer utility rates. Regulated utilities must submit detailed annual reports to the North Carolina Utilities Commission itemizing these expenses and clearly disclose whether shareholders or ratepayers fund their public messaging.
Utility customers face stricter billing protections by shifting the financial burden of corporate advertising, political advocacy, and executive perks away from residential, commercial, and industrial utility bills and directly onto utility shareholders.
- Public utility rates in North Carolina are regulated by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, which determines allowable revenues and rate returns under state statute. context
- House Bill 922 was introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly during the 2025-2026 legislative session. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Utility ratepayers
Utility customers are shielded from paying for utility advertising, lobbying, political donations, and executive travel through their monthly bills.
Public utilities
Utility companies must absorb non-rate-recoverable expenses using shareholder funds, comply with annual reporting requirements, and face civil penalties for violations.
North Carolina Utilities Commission
The Commission is tasked with reviewing annual utility reports, enforcing compliance, collecting civil penalties, and initiating new administrative rules.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What specific costs are utilities barred from passing on to ratepayers?
What happens to the civil penalties collected from utilities that violate these rules?
Are utilities required to report employee time spent on lobbying or political activities?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 14, 2025HouseRef To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Apr 14, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Apr 10, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 11 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift of Lobbying and Advertising Costs from Ratepayers to Shareholders
The bill creates a sharp legal firewall preventing public utilities from passing executive perks, advertising campaigns, and political advocacy expenses onto everyday utility customers.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.ncleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools