Republican senators in the United States are exploring accelerated legislative procedures to push forward a bill before the November election, aiming to address the impact of power-hungry data centers while signaling efforts to lawmakers to curb rising consumer energy costs.

The House is expected to pass the bipartisan legislation with broad support as early as Tuesday, directing states to consider mandating that data centers bear the costs of the massive electricity they consume.

The Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R. 9340) seeks to codify into law the "Ratepayer Protection Commitment" proposed by the White House earlier this year, an initiative backed by several technology companies.

Under this commitment, data centers would pay for their own electricity usage and cover infrastructure upgrade expenses, preventing cost shifts onto ordinary households and businesses.

The Senate version of the bill is spearheaded by Republican Senator Jon Husted of Ohio, who is currently locked in a tight race against former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said this week that senators will conduct a "serious review" of the legislation and examine whether it can advance through unanimous consent, a procedural route likely necessary given the chamber's crowded agenda.

With only three weeks of session time scheduled before the November election, the Senate's priorities also include confirming presidential nominees and deliberating on college sports-related legislation.

Over the past several months, local community backlash has intensified as data centers multiply rapidly. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are proposing legislation in Washington to strike a balance between data center expansion, artificial intelligence development demands, environmental concerns, and additional strain on the power grid.