United's Participation in Political Action Stopped a Harmful Bill

A bill in the Texas House that was harmful to cooperatives, and ultimately their members, failed to pass during this legislative session, thanks in part to United members and employees who heeded the call to get involved in the political process and support their co-op.

More than 2,200 members joined an email-writing campaign to seven Texas representatives through Voices for Cooperative Power (VCP), which is a network of electric co-op members working together to influence elected officials who are making energy policy decisions that impact co-ops and their members on the state and federal levels.

“I appreciate everyone who took the time to participate, because it did make a difference,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “The fact that the bill failed to pass didn’t happen by accident. It happened because of everyone’s involvement at United and all across Texas. I’m proud that our members, board of directors and employees worked together on this issue to make sure our voices were heard in Austin.”

The bill, H.B. 3448, would have forced electric co-ops to allow the big, for-profit telecom companies to attach their equipment to cooperative poles at rates so low they don’t cover the costs necessary to maintain the poles. 

“The results would have ultimately increased costs for electric co-op members and created unsafe conditions by allowing telecom companies to bypass United’s safety standards and easement requirements, hijacking private property without the owners’ permission,” Smallwood said.

Julia Harvey is vice president of government relations & regulatory affairs at Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC). This statewide cooperative organization, which was involved in the effort to stop the bill, represents the interests of 76 electric cooperatives serving more than 5 million co-op consumers across the state.

She said the VCP effort, paired with other efforts to stop the bill, proved an effective tool in educating legislators about the negative outcomes that would impact their constituents. More than 12,000 messages were sent to legislators through VCP.

“This bill did not pass because, through VCP, our collective voices helped prevent it from moving forward by educating legislators about its harmful effects,” she said. “Constituents communicated to their legislators that the bill would harm cooperatives, and that helped defeat the bill. This was the first time we’ve employed digital grassroots activation. I think it was a good test case for VCP that will help us improve how we use it in the future.”

Patrick Ahearn is director of political affairs at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), which represents the interests of more than 900 electric cooperatives in the United States. He said he was impressed with the amount of participation he saw from United members and employees.

“Having 2,000-plus members taking action over the course of three weeks is very impressive,” he said. “Constituent voices matter to elected officials. Our most successful state campaigns are the result of collaboration between VCP, the statewide association and the member co-ops. Texas’ involvement to stop H.B. 3448 was a great example of this collaboration.” 

Formed in 2021, Voices for Cooperative Power (VCP) is a grassroots network of more than 1 million co-op members nationwide. VCP gives electric cooperative members a platform to speak out on energy policies that affect their service and their communities.

While VCP initially focused on federal legislation, it’s increasingly active at the state level. So far in 2025, VCP has supported co-op interests in 10 states, including Texas.

Laws that affect electric cooperatives ultimately affect co-op members, he said. When policy decisions are made without input from the people who rely on co-ops every day, the results can lead to higher costs, reduced service quality, or loss of local control.

VCP helps co-op members’ engage decision-makers, Ahearn said, because it offers simple tools to contact lawmakers, share the co-op story and support policies that keep electricity dependable and fairly priced for rural Texans.

For more information about VCP and ways to ensure United continues to innovate and build a more reliable energy future for our community, visit voicesforcooperativepower.com.

To learn other ways United members can become  politically engaged, visit ucs.net/political-involvement.