New Jersey Lawmakers Request 2026 Utility Assistance Day for 9th District

Senator Carmen Amato, Jr., Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, and Assemblyman Gregory Myhre have asked the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to hold a Utility Assistance Day in the 9th Legislative District for 2026. The three sent a letter to NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy requesting the event. Why now? Sharp rate hikes.

"We would like to highlight the success of the Utility Assistance Day held at the Toms River Library in February of last year," the three lawmakers said, according to Patch.com. "The event provided essential support to many residents and demonstrated the positive impact of bringing these resources directly into the community."

The legislators suggested Berkeley Township or Manchester Township as locations. Both towns have large senior populations who face bigger money troubles because they live on fixed incomes and can't easily get to important programs.

The NJBPU held a Utility Assistance Day in Toms River back in February 2025 after the three asked for it. Amato, Rumpf, and Myhre showed up to meet with constituents, utility company representatives, and board officials.

The three have introduced bills designed to reduce costs for ratepayers. S-1619 and A-2848 would require any increases in energy sales tax revenue to be put toward assistance programs rather than deposited into the State's General Fund.

Amato revealed during a state budget hearing last year that the state would see an $85 million revenue windfall as a result of a 20% increase in electricity bills. That's a lot of extra cash flowing in.

The legislators also introduced S-1606 and A-1841, titled the "Small Modular Nuclear Incentive Act." The bills would expand the state's energy supply through small modular nuclear reactors as a long-term strategy to help lower costs. Nuclear power could mean cheaper electricity down the road.

Another bill, S-3367/A-2855, would send millions of dollars returned from failed Ørsted offshore wind projects back to ratepayers as direct relief for their electric bills, providing money back in pockets.

Myhre serves on an Energy Task Force and has taken part in two meetings with lawmakers from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. The regional policy discussions aim to increase power generation and make energy more affordable for states within the PJM grid.

The three stressed that the 9th Legislative District remains in urgent need of a Utility Assistance Day. They urged the NJBPU to bring this resource back to the communities it serves.