A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 3 of Title 40.1 an article numbered 1.2, consisting of sections numbered 40.1-28.13 through 40.1-28.16 and by adding a section numbered 58.1-3661.1, relating to solar energy facility work; prevailing wage rate; apprenticeship requirements; civil penalties; state and local tax exemption; report.
HB1372 creates a new article in Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia establishing labor standards for solar energy facility work. The bill defines covered solar projects as renewable energy projects generating electricity from sunlight with at least one megawatt of capacity, and it applies to construction, alteration, or repair work performed for solar developers, including utilities and their contractors and subcontractors. For covered work, the bill requires contracts to include prevailing wage provisions for mechanics, laborers, and workers, and it sets out a state-determined prevailing wage rate tied to local market wages for the relevant trade or occupation.
The bill also imposes apprenticeship requirements on solar developers. Beginning July 1, 2027, at least 15 percent of total labor hours on covered solar construction, alteration, or repair work must be performed by qualified apprentices, and developers employing four or more workers on such work must employ at least one qualified apprentice. The bill includes an exception if apprentices are requested from a registered program but are unavailable or the program does not respond promptly. Solar developers must also file annual compliance reports with the Commissioner of Labor and Industry. The bill applies only to contracts entered into on or after July 1, 2026, and excludes projects already covered by binding construction contracts, power purchase agreements, or interconnection agreements before that date.
HB1372 would add new wage, apprenticeship, reporting, and penalty requirements specifically for solar energy facility work in Virginia. It would expand the Labor Code by creating Article 1.2 in Chapter 3 of Title 40.1 and would require solar developers to build prevailing wage and apprenticeship compliance into their contracting practices. The bill also authorizes civil penalties collected by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry and deposited into the general fund, and it would affect solar developers, contractors, subcontractors, utilities, and workers on qualifying solar projects. The bill caption also indicates a related state and local tax exemption provision, though the text provided here focuses on labor standards and reporting.
The available voting history suggests the bill did not advance cleanly and was ultimately continued to the next session in Appropriations by voice vote, which indicates at least some hesitation or unresolved issues among members. The committee context provided does not include recorded debate, but the structure of the bill suggests it was intended to support labor standards and workforce development in the solar industry. Overall, the measure appears to have had support for protecting wages and apprenticeship opportunities, but not enough consensus to move forward in the current session.
The main points of contention are likely the cost and administrative burden imposed on solar developers versus the labor protections the bill seeks to establish. Opponents or skeptics may object to mandatory prevailing wages, apprenticeship quotas, reporting obligations, and significant civil penalties, especially for private solar projects. Supporters are likely to emphasize fair pay, workforce training, and standardization of labor practices in a growing clean-energy sector. The bill’s delayed effective date and grandfathering of existing contracts suggest an effort to reduce disruption, but the continuation to the next session indicates unresolved disagreement over the policy and its economic effects.