Commission required to promote affordable service and consider customers' ability to pay rates.

HF 3777 amends Minnesota utility rate laws to require the Public Utilities Commission to explicitly consider customers' ability to pay when setting rates. It directly affects all Minnesota utility customers, particularly low-income households, by mandating that affordability be a factor in rate decisions. The bill adds a requirement in Section 216B.03 that rates must "promote affordable service for all Minnesotans" and amends Section 216B.16 to direct the Commission to weigh customers' payment capacity when determining a "fair and reasonable" return on utility investments. These changes shift the Commission's focus toward affordability alongside traditional cost-based rate calculations.