Hanson Stands for Families, Passes Legislation Aimed at Lower Energy Costs

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MONTGOMERY, Ill. — Working to provide more relief to Illinoisans facing rising energy costs, Representative Matt Hanson, D-Montgomery, passed comprehensive legislation Oct. 29 that seeks to bring down home energy bills both immediately and in the long term for residents.

“The goal of any system of public utilities should be delivering energy as affordably and efficiently as possible, and we're not seeing that right now,” Hanson said. “That’s why it is time for us to intervene. Left alone, utility companies will keep asking for rate hikes, instead of doing the work to make clean, sustainable energy less costly—and that’s not good enough.”

The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act Senate Bill 25 will put Illinois on better footing to counteract rising energy prices by tapping into:
     ● Capturing clean energy: By capturing and redistributing unutilized energy already being produced, including from home solar panels, Ameren and ComEd customers can see immediate relief on monthly costs.
     ● Increasing battery storage: By expanding our grid to increase the state’s battery storage capacity, power systems will become more reliable and affordable to power millions of Illinois homes.
     ● Investing in energy efficiency programs: Senate Bill 25 directly expands energy efficiency programs for residents, lowering electricity prices by reducing overall demand, and improves equity in programs by allocating a minimum amount of funds to support low-income customers.

The measure will additionally create up to 115,000 jobs over time, counteracting job insecurity and layoffs caused by the federal budget bill, including over 50,000 lost manufacturing jobs in Illinois. As utility demands increase during the fall and winter months, Senate Bill 25 will play a significant role in meeting the state’s energy needs, strengthening reliability and helping manage untenable costs for customers for both short- and long-term relief.

“When a basic necessity like electricity is being priced like a luxury, we have a problem. Families shouldn’t be faced with making hard choices about which necessities they can afford,” Hanson said. “It’s just common sense: this is 2025, not 1925, and we know our demand for electricity as a state is increasing. This legislation recognizes that.”