Virginia Commerce and Labor (S02) Committee Docket — 2025-02-17

Summary

Committee docket for the Virginia Senate Commerce and Labor (S02) Committee, dated 2025-02-17 and listed under the 2025 Regular session (20251), with R. Creigh Deeds (D) as Chair. The agenda lists Senate Bill in Committee items beginning with HB1639, on health insurance and a tobacco surcharge, and HB1725, which creates the Medical Debt Protection Act. HB1919 is described as requiring any employer of 100 or more employees to develop a workplace violence policy no later than January 1, 2027. Other listed items cover electric utilities, money transmitters, overtime for domestic service workers and the minimum wage.

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TITLE: Virginia Commerce and Labor (S02) Committee Docket — 2025-02-17
DATE: 2025-02-17T16:30:00
SESSION: 2025 Regular (20251)
CHAMBER: Senate

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
  - R. Creigh Deeds (D) Chair

STAFF: Horton, Andrew, Swall, Amanda, Thomas Stevens, Kinzer, Sarah                 , Ali, Marvi

DOCKET / AGENDA:

[Senate Bill in Committee]
  1. HB1639 - Health insurance; tobacco surcharge, removes sunset.
       Patron(s): Hope
       Summary: Health insurance; tobacco surcharge; sunset. Removes the January 1, 2026, sunset on provisions of current law that eliminate the authority of a health carrier to vary its premium rates based on tobacco use and directs the State Corporation Commission to make its final report regarding the elimination of such tobacco surcharge by January 1, 2026.
  2. HB1725 - Medical Debt Protection Act; created, prohibited practices, penalties.
       Patron(s): Delaney
       Summary: Medical Debt Protection Act; prohibited practices; penalties. Creates the Medical Debt Protection Act to prohibit a large health care facility or medical debt buyer, as those terms are defined in the bill, from using certain extraordinary collection actions to collect medical debt or from charging interest or late fees on medical debt until 90 days following the due date applicable to the final invoice. The bill specifies that no such interest or late fees shall exceed three percent of the amount of such medical debt per annum. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a
  3. HB1778 - Insurance agents; appointments and terminations.
       Patron(s): Sullivan
       Summary: Insurance agents; appointments and terminations. Amends the process for the appointment of insurance agents and agencies by insurers as administered by the Bureau of Insurance of the State Corporation Commission. The bill also revises certain requirements of an insurer or authorized representative that terminates an appointment of an agent that is found to have engaged in conduct prohibited by existing law.
  4. HB1821 - Electric utilities; accelerated renewable energy buyers, zero-carbon electricity.
       Patron(s): Reid
       Summary: Electric utilities; accelerated renewable energy buyers; zero-carbon electricity; energy storage resources. Permits an accelerated renewable energy buyer or group of accelerated renewable energy buyers to contract to (i) obtain bundled capacity, energy, and renewable energy certificates from zero-carbon electricity generation resources under certain conditions and (ii) offset all or a portion of their capacity needs through the procurement of energy storage resources under certain conditions.
  5. HB1822 - Electric utilities; construction of certain electrical transmission lines, advanced conductors.
       Patron(s): Reid
       Summary: Electric utilities; construction of electrical transmission lines; advanced conductors. Requires the State Corporation Commission to consider the prudency of using advanced conductors in making any determination regarding need, corridor, route, or method of installation as it relates to certain applications for the construction of transmission lines of 138 kilovolts or more. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.
  6. HB1883 - Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements.
       Patron(s): Callsen
       Summary: Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements; power purchase agreements. Amends certain renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements for Dominion Energy Virginia, including (i) the annual percentage of program requirements to be met with behind-the meter solar, wind, or anaerobic digestion resources of three megawatts or less located in the Commonwealth and (ii) the date by which 75 percent of such requirements shall be met with resources located in the Commonwealth. The bill also removes the requirement for a solar-powered or wind-powered generation
  7. HB1919 - Workplace violence policy; required for certain employers, civil penalty.
       Patron(s): Ward
       Summary: Workplace violence policy required for certain employers; civil penalty. Requires any employer of 100 or more employees to develop, implement, and maintain a workplace violence policy no later than January 1, 2027. The bill includes requirements for such a policy, such as procedures and methods for employee reporting of incidents and post-incident investigations. Employers subject to the bill are required to maintain documentation of workplace violence incidents for not less than five years. An employer that violates the provisions of the bill shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more th
  8. HB1942 - Financial institutions; regulation of money transmitters, penalty, effective date.
       Patron(s): Cole, J.G.
       Summary: Financial institutions; regulation of money transmitters; penalty. Replaces existing state law regulating money transmitters with comprehensive provisions aimed at standardizing the regulation of money transmitters across the 50 states. The bill includes provisions for the licensure of money transmitters, supervision and implementation by the State Corporation Commission, acquisition of control of a licensee, mandatory disclosures, reporting and records requirements, authorized delegates, mandatory disclosures, prudential standards, and enforcement. The bill has a delayed effective date of Jul
  9. HB2083 - Pregnant qualified individuals; Va. Health Benefit Exchange to establish special enrollment period.
       Patron(s): Shin
       Summary: Virginia Health Benefit Exchange; special enrollment period for pregnancy. Requires the Virginia Health Benefit Exchange to establish by January 1, 2026, a special enrollment period for a pregnant qualified individual to enroll in a qualified health plan at any time after the commencement of the pregnancy.
  10. HB2084 - Public utilities certain; SCC shall determine if using reasonable classifications of customers.
       Patron(s): Shin
       Summary: State Corporation Commission regulatory proceeding; reasonable classifications of customers by public utilities. Directs the State Corporation Commission, in an existing proceeding filed after January 1, 2025, but no late than July 1, 2027, to determine whether Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power are using rates, tolls, charges, or schedules that contain reasonable classifications of utility customers.
  11. HB2087 - Electric utilities; transportation electrification, definitions.
       Patron(s): Shin
       Summary: Electric utilities; electric vehicle charging stations; transportation electrification. Permits Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company to develop, own, maintain, and operate public-facing fast-charging stations, as defined in the bill, at or beyond a radial distance from privately owned fast-charging stations, which radial distance shall be determined by the Commission in a rulemaking proceeding initiated by June 1, 2027, with a final order entered no later than December 31, 2027. The bill repeals current law related to the recovery of costs associated with investment in transportation
  12. HB2090 - Multi-family shared solar program; amends requirements for a shared facility, etc.
       Patron(s): Shin
       Summary: Multi-family shared solar program; minimum bill. Amends requirements for a shared solar facility for the purposes of the multi-family shared solar program to include facilities that are located on a rooftop of a commercial building that shares a common or adjacent substation of the investor-owned utility with the multi-family shared solar subscriber. The bill also adds requirements for the minimum bill for the multi-family shared solar program requiring that a subscriber's net bill not fall below the minimum bill and requiring that the calculation of a subscriber's minimum bill be based on the
  13. HB2098 - Labor & employment provisions; application of law, protection of employees, definition of employer.
       Patron(s): Maldonado
       Summary: Labor and employment provisions; application of law; payment of wages; definition of employer. Provides that the exemption for the Commonwealth or any of its agencies, institutions, or political subdivisions, or any public body, under Title 40.1 does not apply when expressly provided otherwise. The bill provides a definition of "public body" for Title 40.1. Additionally, the bill provides that for the purposes of various requirements related to the protection of employees, including the payment of wages, "employer" includes the Commonwealth and its agencies, institutions, and political subdivi
  14. HB2258 - Bureau of Insurance of SCC; step therapy protocols for health benefit plans, report.
       Patron(s): Delaney
       Summary: Bureau of Insurance; step therapy protocols; study; report. Directs the Bureau of Insurance of the State Corporation Commission to study step therapy protocols for health benefit plans developed by insurance companies pursuant to existing law by conducting a data call of health carriers. The bill directs the Bureau to submit a summary and report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by November 1, 2026.
  15. HB2413 - Electric utilities; integrated resource plans, Phase I or Phase II files updated plans, etc.
       Patron(s): Mundon King
       Summary: Electric utilities; integrated resource plans. Makes various changes related to the content and process for an integrated resource plan (IRP) developed by an electric utility that provides a forecast of its load obligations and a plan to meet those obligations. The bill (i) extends the planning timeframe from 15 to 20 years; (ii) requires Appalachian Power to file an IRP by removing an exception from the definition of "electric utility"; (iii) changes the frequency a utility is required to file an IRP from biennially to triennially; and (iv) requires utilities to consider the use of grid-enhan
  16. HB2438 - Solar facilities; local regulation, special exceptions.
       Patron(s): Mundon King
       Summary: Local regulation of solar facilities; special exceptions. Provides that a ground-mounted solar energy generation facility to be located on property zoned agricultural, commercial, industrial, or institutional shall be permitted pursuant to various criteria to be included in a local ordinance, such as specifications for setbacks, fencing, solar panel height, visual impacts, and grading, and a decommissioning plan for solar energy equipment and facilities, unless otherwise permitted by right.
  17. HB2469 - Overtime for certain employees; domestic service workers and live-in domestic workers.
       Patron(s): Henson
       Summary: Overtime for certain employees; domestic service workers and live-in domestic workers. Adds domestic workers, as defined in the bill, to provisions related to overtime pay. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 897.
  18. HB2525 - Health insurance; electronic prior authorization, report.
       Patron(s): Fowler
       Summary: Health insurance; electronic prior authorization; work group; report. Requires that the online process a carrier is required by existing law to establish and maintain beginning July 1, 2025, link directly to real-time patient out-of-pocket costs for the prescription drug. The bill also modifies the requirements and reporting timeline of the work group on electronic prior authorization established by the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance pursuant to existing law.
  19. HB2561 - Employee protections; minimum wage and overtime wages, civil actions, misclassification of workers.
       Patron(s): Lopez
       Summary: Employee protections; minimum wage and overtime wages; civil actions; misclassification of workers. Provides that an employer that violates minimum wage or overtime wages provisions is liable to the employee for the applicable remedies, damages, or other relief available in an action brought pursuant to the civil action provisions currently available for the nonpayment of wages. Such provisions currently available provide that an employee may bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover payment of the wages, and the court is required to award the wages owed, an additional eq
  20. HB2621 - Phase I Utilities; financing for certain securitized asset costs, biennial rate reviews.
       Patron(s): Ballard
       Summary: Phase I Utilities; securitized asset costs. Authorizes Appalachian Power to petition the State Corporation Commission for a financing order for securitized asset costs, as defined in the bill. The bill creates the securitized asset cost charge and provides that the revenues generated by this charge, known as securitized asset cost property, are a property right that can be transferred and pledged as security for the securitized asset cost bonds. The bill establishes the procedures for creating, perfecting, and enforcing the security interest in securitized asset cost property. The bill also pr
  21. HB2644 - Electric cooperative subsidiaries; customers exceeding 90 megawatts demand.
       Patron(s): Sickles
       Summary: Electric cooperative subsidiaries; customers exceeding 90 megawatts demand. Permits electric cooperatives, through one or more of their affiliates, to make unregulated sales of electric power to certain customers that contract for electric utility services to serve a demand that is reasonably expected to exceed 90 megawatts. This bill is identical to SB 1197.
  22. HB2671 - Authorized septic system inspectors; definitions, minimum requirements, penalty.
       Patron(s): Phillips
       Summary: Septic system inspectors; minimum requirements. Amends the requirements for septic system inspections, as such term is defined in the bill, in connection with real estate transactions to provide that an individual must be an authorized septic system inspector, as defined in the bill, in order to conduct such inspections. The bill adds minimum requirements for septic system inspectors in conducting such inspections.
  23. HB2711 - Water & wastewater utilities; eligible infrastructure replacement and enhancement.
       Patron(s): Lopez
       Summary: Water utilities and wastewater utilities; eligible infrastructure replacement and enhancement; cost recovery. Permits a water or wastewater utility to petition the State Corporation Commission for the approval of an eligible infrastructure replacement and enhancement plan, as defined in the bill. The bill requires that a water or wastewater utility that receives approval for an eligible infrastructure replacement and enhancement rider shall provide a proposed earnings test for informational purposes in each annual informational filing or base rate proceeding filed with the State Corporation Co
  24. HB2738 - Health insurance; coverage for mental health and substance abuse disorders.
       Patron(s): Sickles
       Summary: Health insurance; coverage for mental health and substance abuse disorders; generally accepted standards of care. Requires health insurance coverage, as defined in the bill, to provide coverage for mental health and substance use disorder benefits for children, adolescents, and adults and requires such coverage to apply the definitions of "generally accepted standards of mental health or substance use disorder care" and "medically necessary" provided in the bill for any determination of medical necessity, prior authorization, or utilization review under such coverage.
  25. HB2744 - Electric utilities; energy efficiency upgrades, report.
       Patron(s): Sickles
       Summary: Phase I and Phase II Utilities; energy efficiency upgrades; low-income residents; report. States that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to reduce, wherever feasible and cost-effective, heating-related costs of living for low-income residents. The bill requires Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power to make best, reasonable efforts to provide by December 31, 2030, prescriptive efficiency measures, as defined in the bill, and related efficiency improvements to at least 30 percent of the qualifying households, as defined in the bill, identified by such utilities, provided that the Stat
  26. HB2755 - Underground transmission lines; qualifying projects.
       Patron(s): Singh
       Summary: Pilot program for underground transmission lines; qualifying projects. Authorizes the State Corporation Commission to, in reviewing any application submitted by a public utility for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the construction of an electrical transmission line of 500 kilovolts filed between January 2025 and July 2032, approve up to two applications for qualifying projects to be constructed in whole or in part underground as part of the pilot program for underground transmission lines and to provide an expedited review of any such application. The bill removes certain
  27. HB2769 - Life or health insurances; unfair discrimination, pre-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of HIV.
       Patron(s): Ward
       Summary: Life insurance; health insurance; unfair discrimination; pre-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of human immunodeficiency virus. Prohibits any person from refusing to insure, refusing to continue to insure, or limiting the amount or extent of life insurance or accident and sickness insurance coverage available to an individual or charge an individual a different rate for the same coverage based solely on the status of such individual as having received pre-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus.

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