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S3963 • 2026

Prohibits electric public utility residential rate increases during summer and gas public utility residential rate increases during winter.

Prohibits electric public utility residential rate increases during summer and gas public utility residential rate increases during winter.

Energy
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Amato, Carmen F., Jr.
Last action
2026-03-19
Official status
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Prohibits electric public utility residential rate increases during summer and gas public utility residential rate increases during winter.

Prohibits electric public utility residential rate increases during summer and gas public utility residential rate increases during winter.

What This Bill Does

  • Prohibits electric public utility residential rate increases during summer and gas public utility residential rate increases during winter.
  • Topic: Economic Growth Fiscal note: This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-19 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee

Official Summary Text

Prohibits electric public utility residential rate increases during summer and gas public utility residential rate increases during winter.
Topic:
Economic Growth
Fiscal note:
This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
S3963

SENATE, No. 3963

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.

District 9 (Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Prohibits electric public utility residential rate
increases during summer and gas public utility residential rate increases
during winter.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning electric public utility and gas public
utility rates and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� As used in this section:�

���� �Board� means the Board of Public Utilities.

���� �Electric public utility� means a public
utility, as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13, that distributes electricity
to end users within the State.

���� �Gas public utility� means a public utility, as
that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13, that distributes gas to end users within
the State.

���� b.��� Notwithstanding any law, rule, or
regulation to the contrary, no electric public utility rate increases for
residential customers shall go into effect during the summer season from June 1
through August 31.

���� c.���� Notwithstanding any law, rule, or
regulation to the contrary, no gas public utility rate increases for
residential customers shall go into effect during the winter season from
January 1 through March 31.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill prohibits
residential rate increases for electric public utilities during the summer and
gas public utilities during the winter when natural gas and electric usage
peaks among utility customers.

���� Specifically, under the bill, no electric public
utility rate increase for residential ratepayers is authorized to go into
effect during the summer season from June 1 through August 31 (summer) and no
gas public utility rate increase for residential ratepayers is authorized to go
into effect during the winter season from January 1 through March 31 (winter).

���� During the last year, the
Board of Public Utilities (board) authorized electric and gas rate increases
just before the peak cooling and heating seasons.� Such rate increases have
caused rate shock among consumers and forced many to prioritize their spending.�
It is the sponsor�s intent to make the board aware of the impact that the
timing of rate increases have on residential ratepayers and to encourage the
board to work with the public to stabilize consumer energy bills.