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SB61 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND VOTING BY MEMBERS OF THE PJM INTERCONNECTION REGIONAL TRANSMISSION ORGANIZATION.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND VOTING BY MEMBERS OF THE PJM INTERCONNECTION REGIONAL TRANSMISSION ORGANIZATION.

Elections
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Hansen
Last action
2025-07-16
Official status
Signed 7/16/25
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on when the bill becomes effective, but typically such bills take effect upon signing by the Governor.

Delaware Public Utility Voting Disclosure Act

The act mandates that public utilities and their affiliates in Delaware report all voting activities within the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires DP&L, DEC, Delaware Municipal Cooperative, Division of the Public Advocate, and their affiliates to submit reports on votes cast at meetings or matters before the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization.
  • Includes all recorded votes in these reports, even if they are not usually disclosed.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public utilities and their affiliates in Delaware who participate in voting within the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization.

Terms To Know

Affiliate
A company or entity that is controlled by, controls, or shares control with another company or entity.
PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization
An organization responsible for the reliable operation of the electric grid and administration of wholesale electricity markets in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify when it will become effective, but it usually takes effect on the date signed by the Governor.
  • It is unclear how this disclosure requirement will impact voting practices within PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization meetings.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HA 1

1 • Heffernan

Passed 6/30/25

Plain English: The amendment changes a bill to remove requirements about explaining votes and adds a new rule for reporting all cast votes.

  • Removes the need for reports to explain why each vote is good for the public.
  • Adds a requirement that all reported votes must be included in the report, even if they are not usually disclosed.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on how the new reporting requirements will affect existing disclosure practices.
SA 1

1 • Hansen

Passed 3/20/25

Plain English: The amendment modifies Senate Bill No. 61 by changing how utilities report their votes within the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization.

  • Deletes lines in the original bill that are no longer needed and replaces them with new reporting requirements for DP&L and other voting utilities.
  • Requires each utility to submit an annual report on its votes cast during the previous calendar year to several state entities, including the Commission, Governor, General Assembly, and Division of Legislative Services.
  • The exact details of what was deleted from lines 5 through 7 and 14 through 18 are not provided in the amendment text.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect existing reporting practices or if there were specific reasons for deleting certain lines.

Bill History

  1. 2025-07-16 Delaware General Assembly

    Signed by Governor

  2. 2025-07-01 Delaware General Assembly

    Suspension of Rules in Senate

  3. 2025-07-01 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

  4. 2025-06-30 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment HA 1 to SB 61 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  5. 2025-06-30 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment HA 1 to SB 61 - Passed In House by Voice Vote

  6. 2025-06-30 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By House. Votes: 39 YES 1 ABSENT 1 VACANT

  7. 2025-05-07 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Natural Resources & Energy) in House with 1 Favorable, 10 On Its Merits

  8. 2025-03-25 Delaware General Assembly

    Assigned to Natural Resources & Energy Committee in House

  9. 2025-03-20 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment SA 1 to SB 61 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT

  10. 2025-03-20 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT

  11. 2025-03-19 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment SA 1 to SB 61 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  12. 2025-03-12 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Environment, Energy & Transportation) in Senate with 4 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits

  13. 2025-02-21 Delaware General Assembly

    Introduced and Assigned to Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee in Senate

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND VOTING BY MEMBERS OF THE PJM INTERCONNECTION REGIONAL TRANSMISSION ORGANIZATION.
This bill requires disclosure of votes cast at meetings of, or matters before, the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Hansen & Sen. Huxtable & Sen. Sturgeon & Rep. Heffernan & Rep. Phillips & Rep. Griffith & Rep. Burns & Sen. Hoffner & Rep. K. Williams

Sens. Lockman, Mantzavinos, Pinkney, Seigfried, Townsend; Reps. Bush, Carson, Gorman, Harris, Lambert, Morrison, Neal, Snyder-Hall

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE BILL NO. 61

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND VOTING BY MEMBERS OF THE PJM INTERCONNECTION REGIONAL TRANSMISSION ORGANIZATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend Chapter 10, Title 26 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 1021. Voting at the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization.

(a) For purposes of this section:

(1) “Affiliate” means a person, including an entity of any kind, that directly or indirectly, or through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, or has, directly or indirectly, any economic interest in another person.

(2) “Meeting” means any committee, user group, task force, or other part of the regional transmission organization in which votes are taken.

(3) “Recorded vote” means a vote that is tabulated, either individually or as part of a sector, for any purpose at a meeting, regardless of:

a. Whether the vote represents a final position of any person casting the vote; or

b. The decision-making authority of those voting.

(b) Each year, DP&L, DEC, the Delaware Municipal Cooperative, the Division of the Public Advocate, and any of their affiliates entitled to vote at a meeting of, or on a matter before, the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization shall submit to the Commission or the General Assembly a report on each recorded vote cast during the immediately preceding calendar year. A utility may include the report with its annual report on its compliance with the renewable energy portfolio standards under Title 26, Chapter I, Subchapter III-A.

(1) The report shall include:

a. All recorded votes cast, regardless of whether the vote is otherwise disclosed.

b. All recorded votes cast by an affiliate.

c. A brief description explaining how each vote cast by the public utility or its affiliate, as appropriate, is in the interest of the public.

SYNOPSIS

This bill requires disclosure of votes cast at meetings of, or matters before, the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization.

Author: Senator Hansen