Bonneville Power Leadership Recruitment Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8132
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Energy
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-03-27: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-28T08:05:47Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
This bill, titled the Bonneville Power Leadership Recruitment Act, aims to make salaries for the Administrator and employees of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)—a federal agency that markets and transmits hydroelectric power in the Pacific Northwest—competitive with those at similar consumer-owned utilities (publicly owned, non-profit utilities serving customers directly) in the Western Interconnection (the western U.S. electric grid).
Key Provisions
- Pay Adjustment Timeline: Starting 6 months after enactment, the Secretary of Energy sets:
- Annual base pay for the BPA Administrator at a level comparable to chief executives of consumer-owned utilities in the Western Interconnection.
- Pay for BPA employees, including Senior Executive Service (SES) members (top federal career executives), comparable to similar roles at those utilities.
- Determination Process:
- Based on an annual survey of prevailing pay at comparable utilities.
- Must align with BPA's approved budget, promote low rates for consumers, and value experience, strategy, and accountability.
- For employees, considers education, experience, responsibility, location, and recruitment/retention needs.
- Ensures total compensation (pay plus benefits) is competitive.
- Conforming Change: Removes the BPA Administrator from the list of positions in the federal Executive Schedule (a fixed pay scale in U.S. law), allowing flexible pay.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Shifts BPA Administrator and employee pay from rigid federal pay caps (e.g., Executive Level IV under 5 U.S.C. § 5316) to market-based rates set by the Secretary of Energy.
- Introduces annual surveys and specific criteria (budget, consumer rates, expertise) for pay decisions, replacing one-size-fits-all federal scales.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Enables BPA (under the Department of Energy) to attract top talent, potentially improving management of power marketing, transmission, and grid reliability.
- Citizens/Ratepayers: Could indirectly affect electricity rates in the Pacific Northwest, as pay must fit within BPA's budget focused on "lowest possible rates to consumers."
- No Direct International Effects: Focused on domestic U.S. energy operations.
Main Stakeholders
- BPA Leadership and Staff: Benefit from competitive pay to aid recruitment and retention.
- Department of Energy/Secretary: Gains authority to set pay based on surveys.
- Consumer-Owned Utilities: Serve as pay benchmarks; may influence regional talent market.
- Pacific Northwest Customers: Utilities and residents relying on BPA power, impacted via budget/rate considerations.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Modifies federal pay statutes (5 U.S.C. §§ 2101a, 5316) for targeted flexibility, ensuring pay ties to performance and market without broad precedent.
- Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's power over federal compensation (Article I), no apparent conflicts.
- Political: Introduced by Western U.S. representatives to address BPA-specific recruitment challenges; emphasizes business-like operations for a power-marketing agency.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Rep. Simpson, Michael K. [R-ID-2], Rep. Amodei, Mark E. [R-NV-2], Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4]
Recent Actions
- 2026-03-27: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- 2026-03-27: Introduced in House
- 2026-03-27: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Bonneville Power Leadership Recruitment Act — issued 2026-03-27 — PDF (3 pages)