House debate on utility pay caps: two amendments fail, HB1 specially ordered

The Maryland House spent its floor session on House Bill 1, a measure to limit what investor-owned electric and gas companies may recover from ratepayers. Lawmakers debated two amendments and then voted to special-order the bill for later consideration.

The bill’s sponsor, identified on the floor as the delegate from Anne Arundel County, introduced an amendment that would let utilities ask the Maryland Public Service Commission for permission to exceed the bill’s proposed cost-recovery limits in specific circumstances. The sponsor argued the change ‘‘gives us a little bit of an off-ramp’’ and said it would help ensure grid reliability by allowing utilities to pay more in emergencies to retain critical workers.

The floor leader opposed that amendment, saying the purpose of HB1 is to protect ratepayers by capping recoverable executive and other compensation. The floor leader noted the bill’s proposed $250,000 limit and warned that…