Rep. Mike Webert

Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial resolution honoring the late state legislator Frank Miller Ruff, Jr. It does not create new laws or affect any policies or people. The resolution formally commemorates his service and life through a symbolic tribute. As a non-binding resolution, it has no practical impact beyond recognition.

Electric utilities; data center cost allocation. Directs the State Corporation Commission to initiate proceedings to determine if the current allocation of costs among different customer classifications of electric utilities requires customers that are not data centers to unreasonably subsidize the costs of customers that are data centers. If the Commission determines that the current allocation of costs requires customers that are not data centers to unreasonably subsidize the costs of customers that are data centers, the bill directs the Commission to promulgate such rules as necessary to eliminate or minimize such unreasonable subsidies to the maximum possible extent. The bill directs the Commission to complete such proceedings prior to January 1, 2026.

Constitutional amendment (first reference); personal property tax; exemption for motor vehicles owned for personal, noncommercial use. Requires the General Assembly to exempt from personal property taxes motor vehicles owned by an individual for personal, noncommercial use, provided that for the first year following the effective date of such law, the exemption shall be equal to 20 percent of the tax rate imposed by a locality on tangible personal property, and shall increase by an additional 20 percent of such rate for each year thereafter until such time that the exemption is equal to 100 percent. For purposes of the exemption, "motor vehicle" includes only automobiles, pickup trucks, and motorcycles. The amendment provides that the exemption is applicable on the date the motor vehicle is acquired or the effective date of the amendment, whichever is later, but is not applicable for any period of time prior to the effective date.

Electric utilities; retail customer return to service. Changes from five years' advance written notice to one year's advance written notice the requirement for a retail customer of electric energy to return to service by an incumbent electric utility. The bill requires that electric energy sold by a licensed supplier be generated by renewable portfolio standard eligible sources.

Transfer of certain incarcerated persons to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Requires the Director of the Department of Corrections, sheriff, or other official in charge of the correctional facility in which an alien is incarcerated, upon receipt of a detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to transfer custody of the alien to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement no more than five days prior to the date that he would otherwise be released from custody.

Elections; voter identification; identification containing a photograph required. Requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote. The bill repeals the provisions of law permitting a voter who does not have one of the required forms of identification to vote after signing a statement, subject to felony penalties for false statements, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Instead, the bill provides that such voter is entitled to cast a provisional ballot.

Elections; absentee ballot security measures; watermark. Requires that any ballot mailed to an absentee voter must be printed on security paper that incorporates a visible watermark that identifies the ballot as an official ballot in a manner that preserves the absolute secrecy of the ballot.

Public utilities; certificate of convenience and necessity. Provides that, if a public utility has already received a certificate of convenience and necessity to furnish service within its territory, such utility may construct, enlarge, contract with, or acquire and operate facilities for the generation and distribution of electric energy solely to a specific customer or customers located on the same tract of land as existing facilities without obtaining another certificate of convenience and necessity, provided that all costs associated with the new facilities shall be borne by the specific customer or customers.

Public utilities; classification of customers. Requires that a public electric utility or a public utility authorized to furnish water or water and sewer service include a separate classification for data centers, as defined in the bill, when satisfying the existing requirement that any rate, toll, charge, or schedule of a public utility is only considered to be just and reasonable by the State Corporation Commission if the public utility has demonstrated that such rates, tolls, charges, or schedules contain reasonable classifications of customers.

Utility Facilities Act; definition of public utility. Provides that for the purpose of the Utility Facilities Act, "public utility" does not include a company that provides electric service from a generation facility located on the same tract of land as a customer with an actual or anticipated load greater than one megawatt that has been notified by its incumbent electric utility that such utility is unable to provide adequate electric service within six months of the customer's request, provided that (i) the company utilizes an electricity generation process that has an emissions rate at least 30 percent lower than the average annual marginal grid emissions rate in the PJM transmission region at the time of installation and (ii) all costs associated with such generator are borne by the customer and not by other ratepayers.