Rep. Tony Scott Petitioning for Special Session on Electric Rates

House and Senate Republicans are petitioning for a special legislative session to tackle perpetually high electric rates in Connecticut.

The petition, which will be submitted to Connecticut’s Secretary of the State, says Representative Tony Scott (R-112) and other lawmakers deem it “necessary for the General Assembly to meet in special session” for the purpose of passing several policies which aim to provide ratepayers with long-term relief.

“We need to address these enormous rate increases before another bill hits ratepayer mailboxes. We had proposals in February, before rates even took effect, and could help lower electric bills in the short term. A Special Session will also get the conversation started on long-term changes. We can provide immediate relief now and we have an obligation as elected officials to provide that relief,” said Rep. Scott.

Republicans unveiled www.SpecialSessionCT.com for residents to reach out directly to legislative Democrats to demand a special session.

Earlier this month, Connecticut Republicans held a news conference at the Legislative Office Building where they outlined proposals to provide rate relief to customers who for years have been frustrated by costly bills that they say are squeezing their personal finances.

The proposals mirror those offered by the House and Senate Republicans in February, when they urged action as they reminded Democrats about the financial pressure on constituents caused by high electric bills.

The proposals outlined in the petition include:

• Moving the ‘public benefits’ charge to the state budget and off the electric bill
• Allocating the remaining ARPA funds to offset costs accrued by the shut-off moratorium that lasted roughly 4 whole years
• Capping all future power purchasing agreements to no more than 150% of the wholesale electric market
• Redefining Class I energy sources to enable competition to lower procurement cost
• Restoring the autonomy of PURA, removing the regulatory body from the purview of DEEP and the governor’s office