Georgia is considering passing a bill that could shield ratepayers from data center-related increases in electricity prices.

The bill passed Georgia’s House of Representatives in mid-February and is currently being debated in the state’s Senate.

House Bill 1063 is “designed to protect residential and retail electricity customers from costs associated with data center construction and operation,” and will do so by requiring certain ‘protections’ to be included in the contracts signed between utilities and data centers.

According to the bill, these can include, but are not limited to: minimum billing requirements for a data center; performance and credit provisions for ratepayers in the event a data center defaults on its contract; and termination provisions to protect ratepayers.

The bill would apply to data centers that have a “peak annual electricity demand of 100MWH or greater,” and would only apply to agreements between data centers and utilities that are signed on or after the bill becomes effective.

Bills need the approval of both the House and the Senate in order to be signed into law.

HB 1063 is one of several data center-related bills being considered by the Georgia General Assembly during this legislative session.

HB 1012, which would impose a temporary data center moratorium until March 1, 2027, is also being considered. The bill is currently in the House Governmental Affairs Committee.

Anger about the perceived impact of data centers on rising electricity prices in the US has forced political figures across the country to stake out a position.

President Trump’s State of the Union address on February 26 mentioned a “ratepayer protection pledge” that is supposedly set to be signed by major hyperscalers.