Del. Mark L. Keam

Study; staffing levels, employment conditions,and compensation at the Virginia Department of Corrections; report.Continues the joint committee of the House Committee on Health, Welfareand Institutions; the House Committee on Public Safety; the SenateCommittee on the Judiciary; and the Senate Committee on Rehabilitationand Social Services established by House Joint Resolution 29 (2020)to study staffing levels, employment conditions, and compensationat the Virginia Department of Corrections. The resolution directsthe joint committee to conclude its work by November 30, 2021, andto report its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Electric utility regulation; purchasing from competitive suppliers. Authorizes individual retail customers of electric energy to purchase electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy from any licensed competitive supplier of electric energy, including any incumbent electric utility. Currently, such customers may purchase electric power from such suppliers, other than an incumbent electric utility that is not the incumbent electric utility serving the exclusive territory in which the customer is located, only if their incumbent electric utility does not offer an approved tariff for electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy. The measure also provides that a cooperative utility customer eligible to take service under a tariff for electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy is prohibited from purchasing electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy from a licensed supplier, except such customer is authorized to continue purchasing renewable energy pursuant to the terms of a power purchase agreement in effect on the date the cooperative serving it filed with the Commission such tariff for electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy for the duration of such agreement. The measure requires that, within three months after the enactment of this act or within three months after beginning to offer a 100 percent renewable energy product to residential customers, whichever is later, licensed competitive suppliers that offers 100 percent renewable energy to residential customers in the service territory of Dominion Energy Virginia or Appalachian Power, to submit a proposal to the State Corporation Commission for consideration and approval to offer discounted service to low-income customers. The measure requires such proposal to include a 100 percent renewable product to be offered to a minimum number of low-income customers at a rate ten percent lower than the incumbent electric utility’s standard residential rate for non-renewable supply service for a minimum initial term of twelve months.

Electric utilities; triennial review; ratesof return. Provides that the State Corporation Commission, in any triennial review proceeding, including the first triennial review proceeding conducted after January 1, 2021, for Dominion EnergyVirginia, may use any methodology it finds consistent with the publicinterest to determine fair rates of return on common equity for the utility's generation and distribution services. In any such triennialreview, regardless of whether the utility earned above or below itsauthorized rate of return during the test period under review, theCommission also may order any increases or decreases to the utility'srates for generation and distribution that it deems necessary andappropriate, as long as the resulting rates provide the utility with the opportunity to (i) fully recover its costs of providing its servicesand (ii) earn an authorized rate of return.

Electric utilities; fair rate of return; customer bill credits. Provides that the State Corporation Commission may, in any triennial review, establish a range above or below the authorized rate of return such that if the combined rate of return on common equity earned by the generation and distribution services is within that range, such combined return is not to be considered either excessive or insufficient, respectively. The bill provides that during a triennial review period, if a utility's earned return on its generation and distribution services falls below that range due to certain costs, the Commission is required to authorize deferred recovery for such costs. Additionally, if during a triennial review period, if a utility's earned return on its generation and distribution services falls below that range due to revenue reductions related to energy efficiency measures or other programs, the Commission is required to order an increase to the utility's rates. The bill requires that the Commission direct 100 percent of the amount that a utility earns over its fair rate of return to customers' bills. Under current law, the Commission is required to direct 70 percent of any earnings that were more than a certain percentage above the utility's fair rate of return to customers' bills. The bill provides that if, during a triennial review period, a utility has earned above its fair combined rate of return, the Commission is required to order reductions to the utility's rates it finds appropriate. Under current law, the Commission is only required to order reductions to the utility's rates if the utility earned more than a certain percentage above its fair combined rate of return. The provisions of the bill apply to all triennial reviews, including the first triennial review of Dominion Energy Virginia conducted after January 1, 2021.

Electric utilities; customer credit reinvestmentoffsets. Eliminates customer credit reinvestment offsets underwhich a utility is allowed, upon request, to reduce or eliminateamounts of overearnings that otherwise would be required to be creditedto customers by applying a customer credit reinvestment offset forexpenses on new solar and wind generation facilities and electricdistribution grid transformation projects.

Legislative Staff Development Fund. Establishes the Legislative Staff Development Fund (Fund) to encourage and support the professional development of legislative staff. The bill defines "legislative staff" as salaried staff of a member of the House of Delegates, Senate of Virginia, or the Division of Legislative Services. The bill increases the annual lobbyist registration fee for for-profit entities from $100 to $400 and directs the $300 increase to be deposited into the Fund for the purposes described in the bill. Under the bill, any moneys remaining in the Fund at the end of each fiscal year that have not been expended for the purposes described in the bill shall revert to the general fund and be used exclusively to fund the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council. The bill has a delayed effective date of May 1, 2022.

Facilitate the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine; emergency. Facilitates the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. The bill requires the Department of Health (the Department) to establish a program to enable eligible health care providers to volunteer to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to residents of the Commonwealth during a state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic declared by the Governor. The bill defines "eligible health care provider" and provides that the program shall include (i) a process by which an eligible health care provider may register to participate in the program and (ii) the training requirements for participating eligible health care providers related to the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, including training on the intramuscular injection of the COVID-19 vaccine and contraindications and side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. The bill specifies requirements that the Department shall ensure that each site at which COVID-19 vaccinations are administered by eligible health care providers satisfies. The bill also requires the Department to establish a process by which entities, including medical care facilities, hospitals, hospital systems, corporations, businesses, pharmacies, public and private institutions of higher education, localities, and any other professional or community entity operating in the Commonwealth, may volunteer their facilities as sites at which the COVID-19 vaccine may be administered to residents of the Commonwealth. The bill permits a public institution of higher education or a private institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to volunteer to provide assistance to the Department and local health departments for data processing, analytics, and program development related to the COVID-19 vaccine through the use of its employees, students, technology, and facilities. The bill also permits localities with fire departments, emergency medical services departments, and volunteer rescue squads to establish and staff vaccine administration clinics. The bill provides civil and criminal immunity to individuals and professional entities acting pursuant to the bill and contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to SB 1445.

Commending Charlene Bickford.

Commending John R. Broderick.

Commending the Virginia National Guard.