Standridge Advances Bill to Prevent Additional Taxes, Fees for Utility Ratepayers

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, on Thursday successfully advanced legislation to prevent utility customers from being burdened with additional fees and taxes as a result of Winter Storm Uri.

The Senate Energy Committee passed House Bill 1220, which prevents municipalities from imposing franchise fees or taxes on the repayment of securitization funds obtained by public or private utility companies. Standridge, the bill’s principal Senate author, said forcing these fees onto individual ratepayers runs counter to the legislative intent behind the Regulated Consumer Protection Act passed by the Oklahoma Legislature in 2021 after Winter Storm Uri.

The unprecedented winter storm drove up natural gas prices, prompting lawmakers to pass securitization legislation to spread out those costs over time to ensure ratepayers wouldn't be hit with sky-high utility bills in the weeks and months immediately following Winter Storm Uri.

“This legislation is a consumer protection measure that protects all utility ratepayers,” Senator Standridge said. “Securitization was never intended to result in additional fees or taxes for Oklahoma utility customers, especially when those ratepayers are already covering the long-term costs of Winter Storm Uri. House Bill 1220 will keep utility costs manageable for all Oklahomans by preventing municipalities from adding these pass-through fees to utility bills.”

Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, is the principal House author of HB 1220. He has said he filed the bill after Oklahoma City, with support from the Oklahoma Municipal League, sued to be able to assess local franchise fees on top of what consumers are paying for securitization.

The bill is now eligible to be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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For more information, contact: Sen. Lisa Standridge at (405) 521-5535 or Lisa.Standridge@oksenate.gov