# House Passes Data Center Ratepayer Protection Act

The U.S. House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act, which Rep. Nanette Barragán described as a first step toward making data center developers bear the electricity costs associated with their facilities rather than shifting those costs to households and small businesses. Barragán also called for further congressional action on data centers’ health and environmental effects and labor standards. The signal provides no contract opportunity, funding amount, implementation details, or procurement timeline, so House passage alone does not establish specific contractor obligations.

- Data center developers and government buyers planning energy-intensive facilities should account for potential scrutiny of how facility-related electricity costs are allocated; the signal does not specify a required cost-allocation approach.
- Companies involved in data center construction or operations may face additional policy proposals concerning health, environmental impacts, and labor standards, but no requirements or effective dates are provided.
- Procurement teams should distinguish the House-passed measure from an implemented requirement when assessing current solicitations, project costs, or contractor obligations.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology, Energy & Utilities
**Topics:** Policy
**Published:** September 16, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. House of Representatives (House)
- United States Congress (Congress)

### Key Quotes
> Not only must Congress work to shield families from the higher electricity costs, we must also take concrete action to prevent health and environmental impacts from the data centers, and ensure those that get built follow strong labor standards.
> — Nanette Barragán, Representative

### Sources
- [Rep. Barragán’s Statement on the Passage of the Ratepayer Protection Act  – Congresswoman Barragan](https://barragan.house.gov/2026/09/16/rep-barragans-statement-on-the-passage-of-the-ratepayer-protection-act/) - Barragan