MADISON – State Representative Amanda Nedweski (R–Pleasant Prairie) introduced legislation today to establish a three-year prohibition preventing members of the Public Service Commission (PSC) from accepting employment with public utility or transmission companies after leaving office.
“Wisconsin families are being crushed by some of the highest utility costs in the Midwest, and soaring energy prices are making it harder for families to afford to even heat their homes during our long and frigid winters,” Nedweski said. “Under the Evers-Rodriguez administration, the Public Service Commission has repeatedly sided with utility companies over ratepayers—approving more than $2.2 billion in rate hikes since taking control of the PSC. This legislation helps rein in the Commission and ensures that PSC members are focused on protecting ratepayers, not auditioning for their next job.”
As recently as November 2025, the PSC approved new rate hikes for Alliant Energy, Xcel Energy, and Madison Gas and Electric, including increases that could cost some households as much as $162 more in 2026. Some We Energies customers are already seeing increases of over $100 on their electric bills, with the PSC approving a rate hike for the utility company in 2024.
In recent years, PSC commissioners have approved significant rate increases for utility companies, only to later leave the commission and accept high-paying positions with the same companies they once regulated. In February of 2024, Evers’s PSC commissioner Rebecca Valcq stepped down from the PSC and accepted a job with Alliant Energy six months later. In December, she was appointed company president. LRB-5931 addresses this revolving-door problem by establishing a three-year cooling-off period before former PSC commissioners may accept employment with public utility or transmission companies in an executive level capacity.
“As families are told to tighten their belts, PSC commissioners are approving massive rate hikes and then walking through a revolving door to work for the very companies they regulated,” Nedweski added. “This is a straightforward, good-government reform that protects ratepayers and restores public trust. Wisconsin families deserve affordability, accountability, and a Public Service Commission that works for them—not powerful special interests.”
Rep. Nedweski represents the 32nd Assembly District, which includes the Town and Village of Bloomfield, Village of Bristol, Town of Brighton, Village of Genoa City, portions of Kenosha, portions of Lake Geneva, Village of Paddock Lake, Town of Paris, Village of Pleasant Prairie, Town of Randall, Village of Salem Lakes, Village of Twin Lakes, and the Town of Wheatland.
