An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 56-249.01, relating to electric utilities; disconnection reports; State Corporation Commission database; annual summary.
HB828 adds a new section to the Code of Virginia requiring electric utilities operating in the Commonwealth, including investor-owned utilities and electric cooperatives, to submit monthly reports to the State Corporation Commission on residential disconnections for nonpayment. The reports must include detailed data such as the total number of residential accounts served, the number and percentage disconnected, ZIP-code-level disconnections unless exempted for privacy, reconnection timing, arrearage amounts, participation in assistance programs, and the number of customers with serious medical condition certifications on file.
The bill also directs the Commission to publish the reported information in an accessible online database organized by utility and authorizes the Commission to adopt regulations to standardize reporting. In addition, beginning no later than September 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the Commission must provide an executive summary to the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation and the Governor analyzing trends in disconnections, geographic patterns, utility-to-utility differences, reconnection timing, and arrearage levels among disconnected and non-disconnected customers.
HB828 creates a new reporting and transparency framework for electric utility residential disconnections in Virginia. It does not directly change when utilities may disconnect service, but it requires monthly disclosure of detailed disconnection and arrearage data, public posting by the State Corporation Commission, and annual trend analysis. The measure affects investor-owned electric utilities and electric cooperatives, and it may also influence how utilities track arrearages, assistance-program participation, and medical hardship cases.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of floor debate or formal opposition in the provided materials. Based on the bill’s structure, the measure appears to be framed as a consumer-protection and transparency bill, with an emphasis on public accountability and data collection rather than substantive rate or service changes. The absence of recorded controversy suggests the bill may have been relatively noncontroversial or at least not heavily debated in the materials provided.
The main potential points of contention are administrative burden, customer privacy, and the scope of required reporting. Utilities may view the monthly reporting requirements—especially ZIP-code-level disconnection data, arrearage breakdowns, and reconnection timing—as burdensome or costly to compile. The bill addresses privacy by allowing the Commission to exempt utilities from ZIP-code reporting when needed to protect customer privacy, but that safeguard could still be a point of discussion. Another possible issue is whether the reporting requirements meaningfully improve policy oversight without imposing new operational obligations on utilities.