# Virginia SB253: Electric utilities; pilot programs for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals.

Virginia SB253, Electric utilities; pilot programs for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by L. Louise Lucas (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-05-14 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1124)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB253-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia SB253
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Electric utilities; pilot programs for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-12
- Last action: 2026-05-14, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1124)
- Sponsor: L. Louise Lucas (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 17 (448 yes, 162 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 5

## Summary

Electric utilities; pilot programs for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. Amends annual funding commitments for the purposes of the annual pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for low-income, elderly, and disabled individuals conducted by Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power Company. Under the bill, Appalachian Power Company is required to continue its pilot program at no less than $1 million and no greater than $1.5 million annually. Dominion Energy Virginia is required to continue its pilot program at no less than $156 million and no greater than $204 million for the time period beginning July 1, 2026, and ending July 1, 2038. The bill extends the sunset date of such pilot programs from July 1, 2028, to July 1, 2038.The bill also provides that Dominion Energy Virginia may recover costs associated with certain electrical facilities that have been approved by the State Corporation Commission as of December 1, 2033, provided that certain requirements are met and notwithstanding any limitations on such cost recovery in current law. The bill directs Dominion Energy Virginia to propose to the Commission, in any proceeding to determine rates for generation and distribution services commencing after January 1, 2027, and before July 1, 2033, that certain costs related to capacity procurement requirements and distribution infrastructure investments are allocated to the utility's customer class approved to serve customers with a contracted or measured electric demand of 25 megawatts or greater and an anticipated or measured average annual electric load factor of 75 percent or greater. The bill provides that certain customers in manufacturing, industrial, or consumer goods warehousing and distribution activities other than data storage may elect to remain on their existing rate schedule. The bill requires Dominion Energy Virginia, in connection with its first proceeding to determine rates for generation and distribution services commencing after July 1, 2026, to include in its petition to the Commission a proposal to revise its tariff for supplementary, maintenance, or standby service for customers with power plants, effective as of January 1, 2028. The bill provides that the Commission shall only approve such proposal if it determines that such tariff will not adversely affect other retail customers or the utility in a manner contrary to the public interest, and any revised tariff terms shall include protections against stranded cost risks to the utility customer base. Additionally, the bill authorizes Dominion Energy Virginia to file a petition for the securitization of certain deferred fuel costs.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Energy help for vulnerable households: benefit, medium. Each Phase I and Phase II utility must fund energy help and home weatherization for eligible people in its service area. Eligible people are low-income, elderly, or disabled. Phase I utilities must provide $1 million to $1.5 million yearly; the law retains the September 1, 2015 start date. Phase II…
- Protecting customers from large users' costs: benefit, low. During each two-year Phase II utility rate review, the State Corporation Commission must take reasonable steps to protect other customers. Other customers must not subsidize qualifying large power users or have their approved rates harmed by serving them. Qualifying users have contracted or measure…
- Caps on costs charged to power customers: benefit, low. The law limits certain Phase II utility requests to recover power-line conversion costs from customers. It covers qualifying requests filed from July 1, 2026, through March 1, 2033, and approved by December 1, 2033. Approved tap-line conversion costs cannot average more than $900,000 per mile, excl…
- Rate choices for qualifying large employers: benefit, low. Qualifying Phase II business customers can avoid moving to the utility's main high-load rate schedule. They can keep their existing default schedule or choose an applicable voluntary schedule. Eligible activities are manufacturing, industrial work, and consumer-goods warehousing and distribution; d…
- Fuel financing can spread customer payments: mixed, low. Phase II utilities can request permission to finance deferred fuel costs by July 15, 2026. The law applies specified 2023 financing rules despite their earlier time limits. The State Corporation Commission must provide notice and an opportunity for a hearing. It alone decides whether financing serv…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: L. Louise Lucas (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-22 | House | Governor's amendments nos. 7, 9, and 10 agreed to | pass | 73 | 25 |   |
| 2026-04-22 | Senate | Governor's recommendation Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 11 passed by (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-22 | Senate | Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation Nos. 7, 9, and 10 | pass | 37 | 2 |   |
| 2026-03-14 | Senate | Conference report agreed to by Senate | pass | 21 | 18 |   |
| 2026-03-14 | House | Conference report agreed to by House | pass | 73 | 23 |   |
| 2026-03-10 | Senate | Senate acceded to request Block Vote | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-05 | Senate | House substitute rejected by Senate | fail | 0 | 39 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | House | Passed House with substitute | pass | 66 | 32 |   |
| 2026-02-26 | House | Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute | pass | 18 | 3 |   |
| 2026-02-17 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate | pass | 39 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-16 | Senate | Senator McDougle Amendment rejected | fail | 19 | 20 |   |
| 2026-02-16 | Senate | Reading of amendment waived (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-16 | Senate | Finance and Appropriations Amendment agreed to (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-16 | Senate | Commerce and Labor Substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 35 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-12 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations with amendments | pass | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 2026-02-09 | Senate | Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations | pass | 13 | 0 | 1 |

## Actions (60)

- 2026-05-14: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1124) (Governor)
- 2026-05-14: Approved by Governor-Chapter 1124 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-04-22: Governor's amendments nos. 7, 9, and 10 agreed to (73-Y 25-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-04-22: Governor's recommendation Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 11 passed by (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation Nos. 7, 9, and 10 (37-Y 2-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Reenrolled bill text (SB253ER2) (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Reenrolled (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., May 23, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-04-22: Communicated to Governor (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-04-22: Governor's recommendation adopted (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Governor's recommendation received by Senate (Governor)
- 2026-04-06: Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (SB253) (Senate)
- 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (Senate)
- 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB253ER) (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-14: Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-14: Conference report agreed to by House (73-Y 23-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-14: Conference Report released
- 2026-03-12: House Conferees: LeVere Bolling, Torian, Kilgore (House)
- 2026-03-12: Conferees appointed by House (House)
- 2026-03-10: Senate acceded to request Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Conferees appointed by Senate (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Senate Conferees: Lucas, Surovell, McDougle (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: House requested conference committee (House)
- 2026-03-06: House insisted on substitute (House)
- 2026-03-05: House substitute rejected by Senate (0-Y 39-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: Passed House with substitute (66-Y 32-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-03: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House)
- 2026-03-03: committee substitute agreed to (House)
- 2026-03-03: Read third time (House)
- 2026-03-02: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-27: Committee substitute printed 26108745D-H1 (House)
- 2026-02-26: Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (18-Y 3-N) (House)
- 2026-02-24: Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce (House)
- 2026-02-24: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-24: Placed on Calendar (House)
- 2026-02-23: Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (SB253) (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Floor offered (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Senator McDougle Amendment rejected (19-Y 20-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Reading of amendment waived (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Finance and Appropriations Amendment agreed to (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Commerce and Labor Substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute as amended (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Read second time (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (35-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Passed by for the day (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Reported from Finance and Appropriations with amendments (14-Y 0-N 1-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-10: Committee substitute printed 26107406D-S1 (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Senate committee offered (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N 1-A) (Senate)
- 2026-01-20: Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (SB253) (Senate)
- 2026-01-12: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor (Senate)
- 2026-01-12: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104601D (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-05-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225740.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225739.PDF)
- Reenrolled, 2026-04-22: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220870.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220869.PDF)
- Gov Recommendation, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219597.HTML)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214434.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214433.PDF)
- Conference Report, 2026-03-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211652.HTML)
- Substitute, 2026-03-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211649.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211648.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-27: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1185562.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1185561.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-02-16: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1151081.HTML)
- Engrossed, 2026-02-16: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1149268.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1149267.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-02-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148545.HTML)
- Substitute, 2026-02-10: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1136034.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1136033.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135617.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135616.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-12: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086997.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086996.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225740.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225739.PDF)
- [Reenrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220870.HTML)
- [Reenrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220869.PDF)
- [Gov Recommendation (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219597.HTML)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214434.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214433.PDF)
- [Conference Report (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211652.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211649.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211648.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1185562.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1185561.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1151081.HTML)
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1149268.HTML)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1149267.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148545.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1136034.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1136033.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135617.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135616.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086997.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086996.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB253-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).