United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 2 D cosponsors

S 3976 — Connect the Grid Act of 2026

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 03, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 18% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    1 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (2 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

10 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill amends existing law to clarify and expand regulations related to electric reliability and interconnection between regional electric systems, particularly involving ERCOT.

  • 16 U.S.C. 824(b)(2)

    section 201(f) → subsection (f)

    Corrects a reference from 'section' to 'subsection' for clarity.

  • 16 U.S.C. 824(b)(2)

    210, 211, 211A, 212,

    Removes specific section references to expand exemptions and accommodate the amendments.

  • 16 U.S.C. 824(e)

    210, 211, 211A, 212,

    Removes specific section references related to public utility definitions to align with recent legislative changes.

  • 16 U.S.C. 824k

    subsection (k)

    Repeals ERCOT-specific exemptions to bring ERCOT under broader Federal Power Act regulations.

  • 16 U.S.C. 824p

    subsection (k)

    Repeals subsection addressing specific ERCOT exemptions to facilitate interconnections.

  • 16 U.S.C. 824q

    subsection (h)

    Removes a specific subsection to amend existing provisions regarding public utility rights.

  • 16 U.S.C. 824t

    subsection (f)

    Repeals a subsection to expand the applicability of the Federal Power Act to ERCOT.

  • 16 U.S.C. 824o

    enlarge such facilities or to construct new transmission capacity or generation capacity → construct new generation capacity

    Limits regulatory requirements to new generation capacity only, excluding transmission capacity.

  • 16 U.S.C. 824o

    or transmission

    Clarifies the scope of reliability standards to pertain strictly to generation and removes reference to transmission.

  • 42 U.S.C. 18713(d)(2)

    $2,500,000,000 → $13,500,000,000

    Increases the borrowing authority for the Transmission Facilitation Program significantly.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 545 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (545)

545 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 545 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

energy
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors S 3976?
S 3976 is sponsored by Merkley, Jeff (Democratic) and Markey, Edward J. (Democratic).
What is the current status of S 3976?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 03, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 3976?
Track S 3976 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on S 3976

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of S 3976

Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →