republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2020/sb-828.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Carbon-free energy and clean energy; definition."
description: "Carbon-free energy and clean energy. Provides that \"carbon-free energy\" or \"clean energy,\" as used in the Code of Virginia, includes electric energy generated from a source that does not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during the process of generating the electric energy, including electric energy generated by the conversion of sunlight, wind, falling water, wave motion, tides, or geothermal or nuclear energy."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 828"
citation: "Virginia SB 828 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr."]
version_count: 4
action_count: 32
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2020-01-08"
last_action: "2020-04-07"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/fb1e58d4-51fc-462a-b01d-0a611aba53e7"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB828"
source_hash: "7237160952df703058bd4989603eb0134e70473103a127dd0addce5250dd74b9"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia SB 828 (2020) — Carbon-free energy and clean energy; definition.

Carbon-free energy and clean energy. Provides that "carbon-free energy" or "clean energy," as used in the Code of Virginia, includes electric energy generated from a source that does not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during the process of generating the electric energy, including electric energy generated by the conversion of sunlight, wind, falling water, wave motion, tides, or geothermal or nuclear energy.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0811)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0811)
2. **Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB828ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB828ER)
3. **Engrossed by Senate as amended SB828E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB828E)
4. **Impact statement from DPB (SB828)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB828)

## Votes

- Reported from Commerce and Labor with amendment (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N) — **9–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Labor and Commerce (18-Y 4-N) — **18–4** (pass) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (49-Y 46-N) — **49–45** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr. — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-08** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20103852D `introduction`
- **2020-01-08** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-10** Assigned C&L sub: Energy `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-20** Impact statement from DPB (SB828)
- **2020-01-27** Reported from Commerce and Labor with amendment (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-29** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-01-30** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-01-30** Reading of amendment waived
- **2020-01-30** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2020-01-30** Engrossed by Senate as amended SB828E
- **2020-01-30** Printed as engrossed 20103852D-E
- **2020-01-31** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-03** Impact statement from DPB (SB828E)
- **2020-02-13** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-13** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-14** Assigned L & C sub: Subcommittee #3 `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-18** Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-20** Reported from Labor and Commerce (18-Y 4-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-24** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-25** Passed by for the day
- **2020-02-26** Passed by for the day
- **2020-02-27** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-27** Passed House (49-Y 46-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-27** VOTE: Passage (49-Y 46-N)
- **2020-03-04** Enrolled
- **2020-03-04** Impact statement from DPB (SB828ER)
- **2020-03-05** Signed by President
- **2020-03-05** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- **2020-03-12** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-07** Approved by Governor-Chapter 811 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/fb1e58d4-51fc-462a-b01d-0a611aba53e7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).