Electric utilities; suspension of certain requirements. Provides that the renewable energy portfolio standard requirements and any associated construction, procurement, or retirement mandates are suspended for the applicable compliance year if the State Corporation Commission determines that compliance has resulted in, or will result in, any of the following: (i) an increase in the average residential customer’s total monthly electric bill of more than five percent in any calendar year that is attributable to compliance with the renewable energy portfolio standard or associated zero-carbon generation or energy storage requirements; (ii) an increase in any rate adjustment clause, rider, or non-bypassable charge associated with compliance with this section that exceeds $50 per month for the average residential customer; (iii) a determination that compliance poses a material risk to electric system reliability or resource adequacy in the Commonwealth; or (iv) a determination that the cost of renewable energy certificates necessary for compliance exceeds the applicable alternative compliance payment or deficiency payment for two consecutive compliance years.
Sponsored bills
Charitable gaming; use of proceeds; charitable gaming adjusted gross receipts. Amends charitable gaming law to allow certain organizations, as a condition of receiving a charitable gaming permit or authorization to conduct electronic gaming, to use (i) with respect to charitable gaming, other than electronic gaming, a predetermined percentage of its charitable gaming adjusted gross receipts, not to exceed 10 percent, and (ii) with respect to electronic gaming, a predetermined percentage of its electronic gaming adjusted gross receipts, not to exceed 10 percent. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.
Public schools; mathematics and reading in kindergarten through grade eight; certain initiatives. Establishes several requirements relating to mathematics and reading proficiency in kindergarten through grade eight, including (i) requiring the Department of Education to establish and administer the math teacher and specialist corps to provide grants on a competitive basis to school divisions in which the mathematics proficiency of students in kindergarten through grade eight indicates a high need for intervention and improvement in order for such school divisions to offer annual stipends to effective educators with endorsements in mathematics or as mathematics specialists and deploy such individuals to the schools with the highest need; (ii) requiring each student in kindergarten through grade three to participate in a mathematics screener approved by the Department and requiring any student whose results on such screener indicate the need for further assessment to participate in a diagnostic mathematics assessment approved by the Department and to receive a mathematics improvement plan if the results on such assessment indicate the need for accelerated interventions to progress toward proficient performance in mathematics; and (iii) prohibiting any student in grade three who receives reading intervention services and whose performance on the statewide literacy screener or the grade-level reading Standards of Learning assessment at the end of the school year demonstrates substantial deficiencies from being promoted to grade four except in certain enumerated cases.
JLARC; study and review of Virginia's entitlement programs. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study and review Virginia's entitlement programs, including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, in order to identify deficiencies and vulnerabilities in such programs that may allow for waste, fraud, and abuse.
Electric utilities; retirement of certain electric generating units. Provides that, for the required retirement by December 31, 2045, of electric generating units that emit carbon as a by-product of combusting fuel to generate electricity, exceptions to such requirement include natural gas electric generating units with carbon capture capability and emissions-positive electric generating units. Under the bill, "emissions-positive generating unit" means an electric generating unit that produces a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by either preventing, capturing, or collecting such emissions from fuel combustion.
Virginia Consumer Protection Act; prohibited practices; kratom products. Prohibits the selling or offering for sale of (i) any kratom product containing any synthesized material, semi-synthetic alkaloid, or synthetic kratom-like compound; (ii) any kratom product containing 7-hydroxymitragynine in an alkaloid fraction exceeding two percent of total alkaloids in the container or providing more than one milligram of 7-hydroxymitragynine per serving; (iii) any kratom product adulterated with any dangerous, poisonous, or otherwise deleterious non-kratom ingredient, including any substance listed as a controlled substance under state or federal law; (iv) any kratom product that is combustible or intended for vaporization or injection; (v) any kratom product that is manufactured, packaged, or marketed in a manner attractive to children; or (vi) any kratom extract product containing residual solvent levels exceeding applicable statutory or pharmacopeial limits.
Electric utilities; RPS requirements; Air Pollution Control Board; regulations. Delays for 20 years the timeline by which Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia are required to produce 100 percent of their electric energy from 100 percent renewable resources. Under the bill, the annual percentage requirements are paused after the 2023 compliance year and do not resume until 2044. The bill provides that Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia are required to meet the 100 percent requirement by 2070 and 2065, respectively. Additionally, the bill provides that the Air Pollution Control Board is required to adopt regulations for the period of 2051 to 2070 to reduce carbon emissions from electric power generating facilities. Under current law, the Board is required to adopt regulations to reduce emissions for the period of 2031 through 2050.
Income tax; real property tax relief credit. Provides a refundable income tax credit in taxable years 2026 through 2030 to eligible taxpayers, defined in the bill, who incur real property taxes in an amount equal to or greater than four percent of their federal adjusted gross income for up to $500 for single individuals and $1000 for married persons filing jointly.
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Title 24.2 a chapter numbered 6.1, consisting of sections numbered 24.2-684.1 through 24.2-684.17, relating to statewide referendum ballot questions; fairness and transparency requirements; Ballot question fairness Commission; readability standards; language accessibility; public comment; judicial review.
Tangible personal property tax relief; rate of taxation. Requires, for tax year 2027 and all tax years thereafter, each county, city, or town to reduce its local tax rate on qualifying vehicles to no greater than $0.000001 per $100 of the eligible assessed value of the qualifying vehicle. The bill defines "eligible assessed value" as $5,000 of the assessed value of a qualifying vehicle. For tax year 2028 and all tax years thereafter, for any year in which the revenues of a county, city, or town grow by five percent or more, the bill provides that the eligible assessed value applied in such county, city, or town shall increase by an additional $5,000 until such time that the eligible assessed value equals $20,000.