Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) unveiled the “Power To The People Act” Tuesday in the form of HB360, a bill that would expand the Alabama Public Service Commission from three seats to seven, require all seats to be elected by the public, and freeze utility rate increases until 2029.

State Sen. Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville) sponsors the bill, which would require all seven commissioners to run by congressional district, mirroring the election model the Alabama State Board of Education uses.

To stagger terms, the governor would appoint four commissioners in July 2026 — two serving two-year terms and two serving four-year terms. All commissioners would then stand for election beginning in November 2028 and serve six-year terms.

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“The Power To The People Act entrusts Alabamians with the power to elect seven seats on the Public Service Commission rather than three, and it prohibits regulated utilities from engaging in the campaign process,” Gudger said.

“By giving Alabama citizens even more power and a louder voice in the operations of the Public Service Commission, we can make energy rates more affordable and ensure that a conservative, pro-Trump, Republican majority controls the PSC for years to come.”

The bill freezes utility rate increases for three years — until voters elect a majority of the board — while allowing rate reductions at any time.

It also creates a new cabinet-level Secretary of Energy to oversee the commission’s administrative functions, a position Gudger noted that Republican gubernatorial candidate Tommy Tuberville recently proposed.

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The bill bars regulated utilities from passing lobbying costs, non-safety advertising expenses, or grant costs on to consumers and prohibits utilities from contributing to PSC candidates.

Commission members, their immediate families, the Secretary of Energy, and all commission employees would be barred from providing paid services to public utilities.

“The same threats from hostile-nation influences and Soros-funded environmental extremists that prompted previous legislation still exist, but rather than taking away the public’s right to elect commission members, the Power To The People Act solves the problem by enhancing and expanding the public’s right to vote,” Gudger said.

Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].