Solar energy facility work; prevailing wage rate, apprenticeship requirements, civil penalties.

The minimum capacity threshold for a 'solar energy facility' was increased from one megawatt to five megawatts, significantly reducing the number of projects subject to the bill's requirements.

The article title was changed from 'Prevailing Wage for Solar Energy Facility Work' to 'Prevailing Wage for Construction Work on Solar Energy Facilities', narrowing the language to specifically reference construction work.

The committee attribution was changed from the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor to the House Committee on Labor and Commerce, reflecting the bill's progression through the legislative process.

The bill's effective date for new contracts was changed from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2027 for apprenticeship requirements, while the prevailing wage section remains effective from July 1, 2026.

The apprenticeship requirement timeline was changed. The original version had a transitional period where 12.5% of labor hours needed to be apprentices before July 1, 2027, then 15% after. The substitute version now requires 15% of labor hours to be performed by qualified apprentices starting July 1, 2027, with no lower transitional threshold.

The definition of 'prevailing wage rate' was updated to reference a specific Virginia statute (§ 2.2-4321.3) for determining the rate, replacing the previous reference to U.S. Secretary of Labor determinations under the Davis-Bacon Act.

The bill includes extensive formatting changes, including page numbering, header information, and spacing adjustments typical of a substitute version prepared by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.