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HB1002 • 2026

Utilities, certain; notice procedures for nonpayment.

An Act to amend and reenact § 56-245.1:4 of the Code of Virginia, relating to certain utilities; notice procedures for nonpayment.

Elections Energy
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Tran
Last action
2026-04-06
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not specify the exact languages beyond English and Spanish that utilities must use for notices, leaving some uncertainty about which specific minority languages will be required.

Utility Notice Procedures for Nonpayment

This act changes how utilities must handle non-payment notices and disconnections, requiring them to offer payment assistance and provide information in additional languages when needed.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires utilities to give customers notice of non-payment issues before disconnecting service.
  • Specifies that utilities must use at least two methods (mail, email, text message, phone call, or door hanger) to notify residential customers about non-payment.
  • Prohibits utilities from disconnecting a customer's service until the account is 60 days overdue and the utility has tried to help with bill payment plans or energy assistance programs.
  • Requires utilities to provide notices in additional languages if the local area needs to offer voting materials in those languages.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Electric, natural gas, and water/wastewater utilities
  • Residential customers of these utilities

Terms To Know

Utility
A company that provides services like electricity, gas, or water to homes and businesses.
Covered locality
A local area required by law to provide voting materials in additional languages.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the exact languages utilities must use beyond English and Spanish.
  • It is unclear how utilities will determine which customers need notices in additional languages based on their location.
  • The effective date of this act has not been specified yet.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 250 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 250 (effective 7/1/2026)

  3. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0250)

  4. 2026-03-14 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026

  5. 2026-03-14 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  6. 2026-03-12 House

    Signed by Speaker

  7. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Signed by President

  8. 2026-03-12 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1002)

  9. 2026-03-12 House

    Enrolled

  10. 2026-03-12 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1002ER)

  11. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Read third time

  12. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Passed Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A)

  13. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Rules suspended

  14. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Rules suspended

  15. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Rules suspended

  16. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  17. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  18. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  19. 2026-03-02 Commerce and Labor

    Reported from Commerce and Labor (8-Y 6-N)

  20. 2026-02-18 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  21. 2026-02-18 Commerce and Labor

    Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor

  22. 2026-02-17 House

    Read third time and passed House (62-Y 35-N 0-A)

  23. 2026-02-16 House

    Read second time

  24. 2026-02-16 House

    committee substitute agreed to

  25. 2026-02-16 House

    Engrossed by House - committee substitute

  26. 2026-02-15 House

    Read first time

  27. 2026-02-13 Appropriations

    Reported from Appropriations (17-Y 5-N)

  28. 2026-02-13 Health & Human Resources

    Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N)

  29. 2026-02-11 Labor and Commerce

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1002)

  30. 2026-02-06 Health & Human Resources

    Assigned HAPP sub: Health & Human Resources

  31. 2026-02-06 Labor and Commerce

    Committee substitute printed 26107044D-H1

  32. 2026-02-05 Labor and Commerce

    Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute and referred to Appropriations (15-Y 7-N)

  33. 2026-02-03 Subcommittee #3

    Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations (7-Y 2-N)

  34. 2026-02-03 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1002)

  35. 2026-02-03 Subcommittee #3

    House subcommittee offered

  36. 2026-01-29 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB1002)

  37. 2026-01-22 Subcommittee #3

    Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #3

  38. 2026-01-14 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102430D

  39. 2026-01-14 Labor and Commerce

    Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce

Official Summary Text

Electric, natural gas, and water or wastewater utilities; disconnection procedures for nonpayment.
Requires certain utilities, for the purposes of required notices related to disconnections for nonpayment, to provide such notices in an additional language for customers residing in a locality that is required to provide voting or election materials in such additional language. The bill prohibits certain utilities from disconnecting a residential customer without making reasonable efforts to offer bill payment assistance, arrange a payment plan, or provide information to the customer for other bill payment assistance or energy savings programs. The bill directs the Department of Elections to post on its website a list of the localities designated as a covered locality for the purposes of providing voting or election materials in an additional minority language by September 1, 2026, and to update such list as necessary.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to amend and reenact §
56-245.1:4
of the Code of Virginia, relating to certain utilities; notice procedures for nonpayment.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
56-245.1:4
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
56-245.1:4
. Notice procedures for nonpayment; disconnecting utility service.
A.
Each utility subject to the provisions of
As used in this section, "utility" has the same meaning as provided in
§
56-245.1:3
.
B. Each utility
shall provide to each of its residential customers a copy of its disconnection for nonpayment policy (i) at any time a new residential account is established, (ii) when any disconnection for nonpayment of bills or fees is scheduled by including a copy of the policy with such notice, or (iii) by publishing the disconnection policy on the utility's website. Each
such
utility shall provide all
required notices in
notices required under this subsection in
English
and
,
Spanish
, and, for customers residing in a locality that is required to provide voting or election materials in another language pursuant to §
24.2-128
, in any such other language
. Such required notices shall include information regarding payment plans and state, federal, or utility energy assistance programs.
B.
C.
Each utility
subject to the provisions of this section
shall deliver notice of nonpayment of bills or fees to its residential customers prior to disconnection by using at least two of the following methods: (i) mail, (ii) email, (iii) text message, (iv) phone call, or (v) door hanger.
C. Utility disconnections
D. No utility shall disconnect a residential customer
due to the nonpayment of bills or fees
are prohibited for residential customers
until the customer's account is 60 days in arrears
and the utility has made reasonable efforts to offer bill payment assistance, arrange a payment plan, or provide information to the customer for other bill payment assistance or energy savings programs
. After each missed payment, the utility shall provide notice pursuant to subsection
B
C
and make contact with the customer and offer bill payment assistance, arrange a payment plan, or provide information to the customer for other bill payment assistance or energy savings programs.
D.
E.
No electric or gas utility shall require a deposit of more than 25 percent of the arrearage amount for service, exclusive of nonpayment fees, penalties, or interest, in order to restore service to any residential customer where such utility received funding from the Department of Social Services for such customer through the Home Energy Assistance Program pursuant to §
63.2-805
within the last 12 months. A customer is eligible for this provision once every three years.
2. That no later than September 1, 2026, the Department of Elections shall post on its website a list of the localities designated as a covered locality pursuant to §
24.2-128
of the Code of Virginia and the minority languages in which each such locality is required to provide voting or election materials. The Department of Elections shall update such list as necessary to maintain accuracy.