TITLE: Virginia Commerce and Labor (S02) Committee Docket — 2025-01-24
DATE: 2025-01-24T16:30:00
SESSION: 2025 Regular (20251)
CHAMBER: Senate
SOURCE_API: https://lis.virginia.gov/Calendar/api/GetDocketsByIdAsync?docketID=20710
COMMITTEE_PAGE: https://lis.virginia.gov/committee-details?committeeId=23&sessionCode=20251

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. SB893 - Renewable energy portfolio standard program; geothermal heating and cooling systems, report.
       Patron(s): Surovell
       Summary: Renewable energy portfolio standard program; geothermal heating and cooling systems; report. For purposes of the renewable energy portfolio standard program, requires Dominion Energy Virginia and American Electric Power to procure and retire certain percentages of renewable energy certificates from geothermal heating and cooling systems, as defined in the bill, beginning with the 2026 or 2027 compliance year and thereafter. The bill amends the method by which renewable energy certificates from geothermal heating and cooling systems are calculated and directs the Commission on Electric Utility 
  2. SB917 - Collective bargaining by public employees; exclusive bargaining representatives.
       Patron(s): Surovell
       Summary: Collective bargaining by public employees; exclusive bargaining representatives. Repeals the existing prohibition on collective bargaining by public employees. The bill creates the Public Employee Relations Board, which shall determine appropriate bargaining units and provide for certification and decertification elections for exclusive bargaining representatives of state employees and local government employees. The bill requires public employers and employee organizations that are exclusive bargaining representatives to meet at reasonable times to negotiate in good faith with respect to wage
  3. SB919 - Private companies providing public transportation services; employee protections.
       Patron(s): Salim
       Summary: Private companies providing public transportation services; employee protections. Requires the governing body or transportation district commission of any county or city that contracts with a private company to provide transportation services to (i) require such company to provide any employee of such company providing such services compensation and benefits that are, at a minimum, equivalent to the compensation and benefits provided to a public employee, as defined in the bill, with a position requiring equivalent qualifications and years of service; (ii) provide transportation services throu
  4. SB964 - Collective bargaining; individual home care providers.
       Patron(s): Carroll Foy
       Summary: Collective bargaining; individual home care providers. Establishes within the Department of Medical Assistance Services the Virginia Home Care Authority to ensure the effectiveness and quality of the services of home care programs in the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes individual providers, as defined in the bill, to select an exclusive bargaining representative and to collectively bargain with the Virginia Home Care Authority regarding matters including wages, benefits, and all terms and conditions of employment that are within the Authority's control. The bill's provisions do not become ef
  5. SB998 - Child labor; child engaged in the work of content creation, trust account.
       Patron(s): Williams Graves
       Summary: Child labor; child engaged in the work of content creation; trust account. Requires that a child under the age of 16 who meets certain criteria specified in the bill to be considered a child engaged in the work of content creation be compensated by the content creator, defined in the bill, whose video content includes such child's likeness, name, or photograph. The bill requires the content creator to set aside gross earnings on the video content that includes the likeness, name, or photograph of the child in a trust account to be preserved for the benefit of the child upon attaining 18 years 
  6. SB1021 - Electric utilities; integrated resource plans, Phase I or Phase II files updated plans, etc.
       Patron(s): Surovell
       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
  7. SB1022 - State Corporation Commission; time frame for completion of certain transmission lines proceedings.
       Patron(s): Hackworth
       Summary: State Corporation Commission; time frame for completion of certain transmission lines proceedings. Requires the State Corporation Commission to complete proceedings regarding the approval of certain transmission lines of 138 kilovolts or more within nine months.
  8. SB1040 - Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements.
       Patron(s): VanValkenburg
       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
  9. SB1077 - Electric utilities; regulation, development of renewable energy facilities.
       Patron(s): Peake
       Summary: Regulation of electric utilities; development of renewable energy facilities; powers of State Air Pollution Control Board; powers of State Corporation Commission. Repeals provisions (i) requiring the State Air Pollution Control Board to adopt regulations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from any electricity generating unit in the Commonwealth and authorizing the Board to establish an auction program for energy allowances; (ii) prohibiting the State Corporation Commission from approving any new utility-owned generation facilities that emit carbon dioxide as a by-product of energy generation, 
  10. SB1091 - Electric utilities; renewable energy standard eligible sources.
       Patron(s): Hackworth
       Summary: Electric utilities; renewable energy standard eligible sources; zero-carbon electricity generating nuclear facilities. Provides that, for the purposes of the renewable energy portfolio standard, eligible sources include zero-carbon electricity generating nuclear facilities located in the Commonwealth.
  11. SB1100 - Virtual power plant pilot program; each Phase II Utility shall petition SCC for approval to conduct.
       Patron(s): Hashmi
       Summary: Electric utilities; virtual power plant pilot program. Requires Dominion Energy Virginia to petition the State Corporation Commission for approval to conduct a pilot program to evaluate methods to optimize demand through various technology applications, including the establishment of virtual power plants, by December 1, 2025. The bill requires the pilot program to evaluate electric grid capacity needs and the ability of such virtual power plants to provide grid services, including peak-shaving, during times of peak electric demand. This bill is identical to HB 2346.
  12. SB1114 - Solar facilities; local regulations, special exceptions for solar photovoltaic projects.
       Patron(s): VanValkenburg
       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.
  13. SB1190 - Solar photovoltaic projects; siting, decisions of localities, etc.
       Patron(s): Deeds
       Summary: Virginia Energy Facility Review Board established; localities; comprehensive plan and local ordinances related to siting of critical interconnection projects; planning district commissions; regional energy plans; Virginia Clean Energy Technical Assistance Center established. Establishes the Virginia Energy Facility Review Board as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth for the purposes of conducting critical interconnection reviews, conduct analysis and study policy options, review regional energy plans, local comprehensive plans, and local solar and storage ordinances and to facilitate t
  14. SB1238 - Health insurance; cost sharing for breast examinations.
       Patron(s): Durant
       Summary: Health insurance; cost sharing for breast examinations. Prohibits health insurance carriers from imposing cost sharing for diagnostic breast examinations and supplemental breast examinations, as those terms are defined in the bill, under certain insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2026. The bill provides that such examinations include examinations using diagnostic mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, or breast ultrasound. This bill is a recommendation of the Health In
  15. SB1290 - Health insurance; reimbursement for services rendered by certain practitioners.
       Patron(s): Deeds
       Summary: Health insurance; reimbursement for services rendered by certain practitioners other than physicians. Requires health insurers and health service plan providers whose accident and sickness insurance policies or subscription contracts cover services that may be legally performed by a physician assistant to provide equal coverage for such services when rendered by a licensed athletic trainer when such services are performed in an office setting. Additionally, the bill requires the reimbursement or payment for a service provided by certain licensed practitioners listed in the bill to be in the sa
  16. SB1332 - Towing and storage of certain vehicles; limitation on charges.
       Patron(s): Marsden
       Summary: Charges for towing and storage of certain vehicles. Increases the maximum hookup and initial towing fee of a passenger car from $150 to $210.
  17. SB1359 - Health carriers and pharmacy benefits managers; prohibited conduct, civil penalty.
       Patron(s): Srinivasan
       Summary: Prohibited conduct by health carriers and pharmacy benefits managers; civil penalty; enforcement. Prohibits any carrier, pharmacy benefits manager, or representative of a pharmacy benefits manager from (i) requiring that a covered individual purchase pharmacy services exclusively through a mail-order pharmacy or retail pharmacy affiliated with a pharmacy benefits manager or (ii) prohibiting or limiting a covered individual from selecting a pharmacy or pharmacist of his choice that has agreed to participate in the health benefit plan according to the terms of the plan. The bill adds a civil pen
  18. SB1373 - Energy Innovation Pilot Program; established, report.
       Patron(s): Suetterlein
       Summary: Energy Innovation Pilot Program established. Establishes the Energy Innovation Pilot Program to foster the development of innovative energy projects by allowing Program participants to provide grid services or other beneficial energy measures. Under the Program, a participant, after obtaining State Corporation Commission approval, is not required to comply with specific state statutes and regulations pertaining to the generation, transmission, or distribution of electric energy for sale, except for those laws and regulations that are required for worker safety, public safety, or environmental 
  19. SB1394 - Energy storage requirements; Department of Energy, et al., to develop model ordinances, reports.
       Patron(s): Bagby
       Summary: Electric utilities; energy storage requirements; Department of Energy and Department of Environmental Quality to develop model ordinances; work groups; reports. Increases the targets for energy storage capacity that Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia are required to petition the State Corporation Commission for approval to construct, acquire, or procure and extends the time frame by which such capacity must be met. Under the bill, (i) Appalachian Power shall petition the Commission for approval to construct, acquire, or procure at least 780 megawatts of short-duration energy storag
  20. SB1401 - Firefighters and emergency medical services providers; collective bargaining.
       Patron(s): Lucas
       Summary: Collective bargaining by firefighters and emergency medical services providers. Authorizes firefighters and emergency medical services providers employed by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth to engage in collective bargaining through labor organizations or other designated representatives. The bill establishes the Fire Service Cooperation Board to administer its provisions. The bill provides for the appointment of a three-member board of arbitration regarding any dispute arising between an employer and firefighters or emergency medical services providers. Under the bill, determinatio
  21. SB1403 - Electric utilities; request for proposals required for certain facilities.
       Patron(s): Surovell
       Summary: Electric utilities; request for proposals required for certain facilities. Requires an electric utility seeking approval to construct or purchase a generating facility that emits carbon dioxide to demonstrate that it has conducted a request for proposals designed to fairly evaluate all available supply-side and demand-side options prior to seeking approval for such generating facility. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to review the request for proposals before the utility's issuance to ensure all available resources will be fairly evaluated.
  22. SB1434 - Solar photovoltaic project; decisions of localities, regional energy plans.
       Patron(s): McPike
       Summary: Solar photovoltaic project; siting. Requires the Department of Energy's Division of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency to establish regional planning targets for each planning district for energy production and energy efficiency. The bill requires such targets to be included in the Virginia Energy Plan and for each planning district commission to amend its regional strategic plan to include a regional energy plan that meets such targets. The bill requires localities to incorporate into their comprehensive plans energy production and energy efficiency targets based on their planning distric
  23. SB1436 - Health insurance; cost sharing for breast examinations.
       Patron(s): Perry
       Summary: Health insurance; cost sharing for breast examinations. Prohibits health insurance carriers from imposing cost sharing for diagnostic breast examinations and supplemental breast examinations, as those terms are defined in the bill, under certain insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2026. The bill provides that such examinations include examinations using diagnostic mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, or breast ultrasound. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation 
  24. SB1447 - Health insurance; coverage for at-home blood pressure monitors, report.
       Patron(s): Pekarsky
       Summary: Health insurance; coverage for at-home blood pressure monitors. Requires health insurers, health maintenance organizations, and corporations providing health care coverage subscription contracts to provide coverage for at-home blood pressure monitors to individuals who (i) have a diagnosis of hypertension, (ii) are at risk of developing hypertension, or (iii) have been recommended for at-home blood pressure monitoring by a licensed health care provider. The coverage provided under the bill shall not be subject to any copayment or fees for an at-home blood pressure monitor. The bill directs the