republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2020/hb-889.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	legislature	session	identifier	citation	classification	subjects	status	primary_sponsors	version_count	action_count	vote_count	first_action	last_action	source	source_identifier	source_url	source_hash	vintage	source_snapshot	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
Bill	Electric utility regulation and retail competition; SCC to conduct pilot program.	Electric utilities; retail competition. Shortens from five years to three years the period that a customer who switches from an investor-owned electric utility to a licensed competing supplier is barred from returning as a customer of the utility. The measure provides that if a single person purchases electric energy from a licensed supplier and such electric energy is composed of a percentage of renewable energy equal to or greater than the percentages of the renewable energy portfolio standard program goals as of January 1, 2020, and no less than the percentage of renewable energy that the licensed supplier is required to provide pursuant to any renewable energy portfolio standard that is subsequently established, such person will constitute a single retail customer, notwithstanding that service is provided to noncontiguous sites. Under current law, for the purposes of purchasing energy from a licensed competing supplier, noncontiguous sites are considered individual retail customers and cannot be aggregated to meet the energy demand threshold regardless of common ownership or control. The measure provides that for cooperative customers the lockout period remains five years and noncontiguous sites are still considered individual retail customers. The measure also allows individual retail customers of an electric utility to purchase electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy from any licensed supplier. The measure eliminates the condition that permits such purchases only if the electric utility serving the applicable exclusive service territory does not offer a tariff for 100 percent renewable energy. Finally, the measure directs the State Corporation Commission to update its consumer protection regulations relating to the availability of service through licensed suppliers.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2020	HB 889	Virginia HB 889 (2020)	bill		enacted	Michael P. Mullin	5	35	7	2020-01-07	2020-04-07	openstates	ocd-bill/89196c7b-dbee-450d-82f5-95cd6c404fc3	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB889	d2a642b99fa847248e23e94f6e2d708ad227fe7572219c8de9498667019bbd6d	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia HB 889 (2020) — Electric utility regulation and retail competition; SCC to conduct pilot program.

Electric utilities; retail competition. Shortens from five years to three years the period that a customer who switches from an investor-owned electric utility to a licensed competing supplier is barred from returning as a customer of the utility. The measure provides that if a single person purchases electric energy from a licensed supplier and such electric energy is composed of a percentage of renewable energy equal to or greater than the percentages of the renewable energy portfolio standard program goals as of January 1, 2020, and no less than the percentage of renewable energy that the licensed supplier is required to provide pursuant to any renewable energy portfolio standard that is subsequently established, such person will constitute a single retail customer, notwithstanding that service is provided to noncontiguous sites. Under current law, for the purposes of purchasing energy from a licensed competing supplier, noncontiguous sites are considered individual retail customers and cannot be aggregated to meet the energy demand threshold regardless of common ownership or control. The measure provides that for cooperative customers the lockout period remains five years and noncontiguous sites are still considered individual retail customers. The measure also allows individual retail customers of an electric utility to purchase electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy from any licensed supplier. The measure eliminates the condition that permits such purchases only if the electric utility serving the applicable exclusive service territory does not offer a tariff for 100 percent renewable energy. Finally, the measure directs the State Corporation Commission to update its consumer protection regulations relating to the availability of service through licensed suppliers.

Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0796) (committee substitute) — source
2. Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB889ER) (committee substitute) — source
3. Engrossed by House as amended HB889E (committee substitute) — source
4. Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB889S1 (committee substitute) — source
5. Impact statement from SCC (HB889) (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• VOTE: Adoption (55-Y 44-N) — 54–44 (pass) · lower
• Passed by indefinitely in Commerce and Labor (8-Y 6-N 1-A) — 8–6 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendments (15-Y 7-N) — 15–7 (pass) · lower
• Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (13-Y 2-N) — 13–2 (pass) · upper
• VOTE: Passage (56-Y 44-N) — 55–44 (pass) · lower
• Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — 40–0 (pass) · upper
• Passed Senate with substitute (29-Y 11-N) — 29–11 (pass) · upper

Sponsors

• Michael P. Mullin — primary (person)
• Jennifer Carroll Foy — cosponsor (person)
• Mark L. Keam — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

• 2020-01-07 Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20104476D introduction
• 2020-01-07 Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce referral-committee
• 2020-01-14 Impact statement from SCC (HB889)
• 2020-02-06 House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
• 2020-02-06 Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendments (15-Y 7-N) committee-passage
• 2020-02-09 Read first time reading-1
• 2020-02-10 Read second time reading-2
• 2020-02-10 Committee amendments agreed to
• 2020-02-10 Engrossed by House as amended HB889E
• 2020-02-10 Printed as engrossed 20104476D-E
• 2020-02-11 Read third time and passed House (56-Y 44-N) passage, reading-3
• 2020-02-11 VOTE: Passage (56-Y 44-N)
• 2020-02-12 Constitutional reading dispensed
• 2020-02-12 Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor referral-committee
• 2020-02-19 Impact statement from SCC (HB889E)
• 2020-02-24 Passed by indefinitely in Commerce and Labor (8-Y 6-N 1-A)
• 2020-03-02 Reconsidered by Commerce and Labor
• 2020-03-02 Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (13-Y 2-N) committee-passage
• 2020-03-02 Committee substitute printed 20109426D-S1 substitution
• 2020-03-04 Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
• 2020-03-05 Read third time reading-3
• 2020-03-05 Reading of substitute waived
• 2020-03-05 Committee substitute agreed to 20109426D-S1
• 2020-03-05 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB889S1
• 2020-03-05 Passed Senate with substitute (29-Y 11-N) passage
• 2020-03-05 Senate substitute agreed to by House 20109426D-S1 (55-Y 44-N)
• 2020-03-06 VOTE: Adoption (55-Y 44-N)
• 2020-03-10 Impact statement from SCC (HB889S1)
• 2020-03-12 Enrolled
• 2020-03-12 Signed by Speaker
• 2020-03-12 Signed by President
• 2020-03-13 Impact statement from SCC (HB889ER)
• 2020-03-17 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 17, 2020
• 2020-03-17 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
• 2020-04-07 Approved by Governor-Chapter 796 (effective 7/1/20) executive-signature

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/89196c7b-dbee-450d-82f5-95cd6c404fc3. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).