FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 16, 2026
Contact: Sarah Fulton (302) 401-1114
DOVER — Following hours of debate, the Senate advanced legislation Tuesday evening to hold public utilities accountable by preventing them from passing on the costs of non-mandatory capital investments to Delawareans.
Senate Bill 326, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Hansen and Rep. Debra Heffernan, is a continuation of last year’s legislative efforts to control the cost of utility bills by expanding on elements of Senate Bill 60, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support back in March 2025.
“For the past 18 months, I have been laser-focused on bringing down energy costs for ratepayers across the First State. When our energy bills spiked last winter, my colleagues and I worked quickly to draft and pass a package of bills designed to bring relief to ratepayers and put meaningful guardrails on how our public utilities bill their customers,” said Sen. Hansen. “The legislation we discussed today continues on that work, but specifically addresses key drivers of cost and transparency.”
SB 326 includes a number of consumer protection provisions, including a directive to increase transparency in rates and communications by public utilities with regard to their billing processes. If passed, SB 326 would compel the Public Service Commission to conduct regular management audits and regulatory accounting reviews with each rate case proceeding. It would also require the Commission to provide rationale for its decisions in accepting settlement agreements.
Importantly, Delmarva Power’s parent company Exelon operates as a publicly-traded, for-profit company. SB 326 contains a number of provisions to ensure that utility bills are not passing on needless costs to ratepayers that enhance a public utility’s bottom line. Specifically, the legislation:
- Limits how much utilities can collect in interim rates before the Commission has ruled on a rate increase request.
- Prohibits public utilities from recovering certain expenses from ratepayers.
- Puts limits on Delmarva Power’s infrastructure spending, which is a major driver of rate increases. Delmarva Power is operating its electric distribution system at a level far in excess of reliability standards set by the Commission.
“Unlike businesses in a competitive market, monopoly utilities face little pressure to control costs because customers cannot take their business elsewhere,” said Jameson Tweedie, Public Advocate for the State of Delaware. “At the same time, utility profits increase when infrastructure spending increases. For example, Delmarva Power is seeking to collect an additional $68 million annually from customers, based substantially on rapidly increasing infrastructure spending, while sending more than $200 million in dividends to its parent company, Exelon, in the last year alone. That’s why strong oversight — and a strengthened legal framework — is essential to ensure spending decisions are driven by customer needs, not opportunities to generate higher returns.”
This bill was considered in the Senate Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee just days before another Delmarva Power rate increase was set to go into effect for Delaware ratepayers.
“Delawareans across the state diligently pay their utility bills, trusting that they reflect the true cost of service,” said Rep. Heffernan. “SB 326 strengthens oversight for regulated utilities and improves transparency for customers. I am grateful to Senator Hansen and our Public Advocate, Jameson Tweedie, for their efforts on this bill.”
SB 326 now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.
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