Minority Republicans in the state legislature intensified their push Tuesday to tap budget surplus funds to reduce electric rates this fall.
GOP leaders and their colleagues launched a petition drive to force a special session on the issue. But because a majority of House and Senate members is necessary to force a special session 鈥� and because Democratic legislators oppose the move on several grounds 鈥� the prospect of legislative votes this fall remains slim.
鈥淭oday we鈥檙e here to say we鈥檙e not going away,鈥� House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, said during a mid-morning press conference in the Legislative Office Building. 鈥淲hat we continue hearing from our constituents isn鈥檛 that 鈥業 don鈥檛 want to pay my electric bill鈥�. It鈥檚 鈥業 can鈥檛 pay my electric bill.鈥欌��
Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, added that 鈥淚t is a dereliction of your duty as a representative or a senator not to do something about this issue and not to do it now.鈥� The next regular legislative session doesn鈥檛 begin until Jan. 8.
Republicans say they have a strategy to reduce the average residential customer鈥檚 annual electric bill by about $125.
GOP leaders last week said they would take roughly $300 million of the $1.6 billion surplus state government achieved last fiscal year and use those dollars to on ratepayer bills.
The first involves hardship expenses that the state鈥檚 two major utilities 鈥� Eversource and United Illuminating 鈥� face from customers who failed to pay bills. Those hardship expenses increased significantly between March 2020 and May 2024 when the legislature imposed special limits on utility shutoffs to help households deal with costs tied to the coronavirus pandemic.
The second surcharge is connected to a nine-year plan to establish a statewide electric-vehicle charging program.
GOP leaders said all 53 Republicans in the House and all 12 in the Senate have signed the petition trying to force a session. But it can鈥檛 be done without a majority of both chambers鈥� members, which means 76 representatives and 19 senators.
Democratic leaders said last week the Republican cost-cutting plan doesn鈥檛 make sense.
House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said his office believes the monthly savings is closer to half of the figure Republicans have cited.
And both he and Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, noted that Republicans are targeting funds that are earmarked to expand the state鈥檚 emergency budget reserve, commonly known as the rainy day fund. This seems to be a double standard, Democratic leaders say, noting that it鈥檚 contrary to the state budget controls that Republicans insist must be followed strictly.
Democrats say the minority is pursuing meager relief to gain support from voters during a state election year.
鈥淢uch of what [Republicans] have suggested in policy is pure politics,鈥� said Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, co-chairman of the Energy and Technology Committee.
Eversource and United Illuminating don鈥檛 generate their own electricity but purchase it from generators. Republicans also want a special session to order a cap on future power purchase agreements that would bar utilities from having to pay more 150% of the average wholesale market price.
Republicans also say legislators and Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, need to sit down to discuss filling the two vacant seats on the state鈥檚 five-member Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, commonly known as PURA.
The governor wrote to Republican leaders Tuesday indicating he has invited legislative leaders to discuss issues of concern and remains open to talks.
鈥淗igh energy costs benefit nobody,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淲hat we need are practical, real solutions that will lower energy costs for the long term. I firmly believe that this is not a partisan issue and that we all want a system in place that drives down the costs of producing and delivering energy.鈥�
The governor added that 鈥渢he answer is not about a bureaucratic shuffling at PURA.鈥�
During a public event later Tuesday, the governor didn鈥檛 rule out a short-term subsidy to reduce bills but said the optimal solution involves finding ways to improve energy supply in 海角换妻.
