republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2026/hb-1487.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	Underground transmission lines; pilot program, clarifies qualifying projects, report.	Pilot program for underground transmission lines; qualifying projects; levy; report. Authorizes the State Corporation Commission, in reviewing any application submitted by a public utility for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the construction of an electrical transmission line of 500 kilovolts filed between January 1, 2025, and July 1, 2033, to approve up to four applications for qualifying projects to be constructed in whole or in part underground as part of the pilot program for underground transmission lines and to provide an expedited review of any such application. The bill removes certain provisions related to the existing pilot program. Under the bill, a project shall be qualified if (i) the Commission finds that an engineering analysis demonstrates that it is technically feasible to place the proposed line in whole or in part underground, (ii) the application contains certain information regarding projections of project costs, (iii) the application contains evidence that the governing body of each locality in which at least a portion of the proposed line will be placed underground supports the project's inclusion in the program and agrees to meet its related funding obligations, and (iv) the Commission finds the overall cost of the project reasonable and consistent with the public interest. The bill permits the Commission to deny an application for a project that otherwise meets the criteria to qualify, provided that the Commission publicly shares its rationale for doing so.The bill requires at least 50 percent of the marginal costs, as defined in the bill, of the portion of a qualifying project chosen to be placed underground within a locality pursuant to its provisions to be paid by such locality. The bill permits such a locality to meet such requirement through imposing a levy on electric utility customers within the locality, issuing a general obligation bond subject to a referendum, or allocating its own funds. The bill extends the Commission's final report deadline for the pilot program from December 1, 2024, to December 1, 2034.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2026	HB 1487	Virginia HB 1487 (2026)	bill		enacted	JJ Singh	7	44	10	2026-01-23	2026-04-13	openstates	ocd-bill/966db003-b9cc-4fa6-8aa6-2f377f4d6caf	https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1487	ace7a67229351601ed384dc13994140d861df4124e47d48527888e47fbb8f0e2	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia HB 1487 (2026) — Underground transmission lines; pilot program, clarifies qualifying projects, report.

Pilot program for underground transmission lines; qualifying projects; levy; report. Authorizes the State Corporation Commission, in reviewing any application submitted by a public utility for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the construction of an electrical transmission line of 500 kilovolts filed between January 1, 2025, and July 1, 2033, to approve up to four applications for qualifying projects to be constructed in whole or in part underground as part of the pilot program for underground transmission lines and to provide an expedited review of any such application. The bill removes certain provisions related to the existing pilot program. Under the bill, a project shall be qualified if (i) the Commission finds that an engineering analysis demonstrates that it is technically feasible to place the proposed line in whole or in part underground, (ii) the application contains certain information regarding projections of project costs, (iii) the application contains evidence that the governing body of each locality in which at least a portion of the proposed line will be placed underground supports the project's inclusion in the program and agrees to meet its related funding obligations, and (iv) the Commission finds the overall cost of the project reasonable and consistent with the public interest. The bill permits the Commission to deny an application for a project that otherwise meets the criteria to qualify, provided that the Commission publicly shares its rationale for doing so.The bill requires at least 50 percent of the marginal costs, as defined in the bill, of the portion of a qualifying project chosen to be placed underground within a locality pursuant to its provisions to be paid by such locality. The bill permits such a locality to meet such requirement through imposing a levy on electric utility customers within the locality, issuing a general obligation bond subject to a referendum, or allocating its own funds. The bill extends the Commission's final report deadline for the pilot program from December 1, 2024, to December 1, 2034.

Version chain

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

1. Introduced (filed) — source
2. Commerce and Labor Substitute (committee substitute) — source
3. Conference Report (committee substitute) — source
4. Conference Report Substitute (committee substitute) — source
5. Labor and Commerce Substitute (committee substitute) — source
6. Subcommittee #3 Subcommittee Substitute (committee substitute) — source
7. Enrolled (enrolled) — source

Votes

• Insist & Request R — 40–0 (pass) · upper
• Adopt Conference Committee Report R — 28–11 (pass) · upper
• Passage R — 27–13 (pass) · upper
• H VOTE: — 61–36 (pass) · lower
• H VOTE: — 7–92 (fail) · lower
• Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — 40–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute — 12–3 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute — 19–3 (pass) · lower
• Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute — 7–1 (pass) · lower
• H VOTE: — 62–36 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• JJ Singh — primary (person)
• Atoosa R. Reaser — cosponsor (person)
• Elizabeth R. Guzman — cosponsor (person)
• John Chilton McAuliff — cosponsor (person)
• Kannan Srinivasan — cosponsor (person)
• Stacey Annie Carroll — cosponsor (person)
• Vivian E. Watts — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

• 2026-01-23 Presented and ordered printed 26105920D introduction
• 2026-01-23 Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce referral-committee
• 2026-01-28 Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #3 referral-committee
• 2026-02-05 Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB1487)
• 2026-02-05 House subcommittee offered
• 2026-02-05 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 1-N) substitution
• 2026-02-10 Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (19-Y 3-N) committee-passage
• 2026-02-10 Committee substitute printed 26107094D-H1 substitution
• 2026-02-12 Read first time reading-1
• 2026-02-13 Read second time reading-2
• 2026-02-13 committee substitute agreed to substitution
• 2026-02-13 Engrossed by House - committee substitute substitution
• 2026-02-16 Read third time and passed House (62-Y 36-N 0-A) passage, reading-3
• 2026-02-17 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
• 2026-02-17 Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor referral-committee
• 2026-02-23 Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (12-Y 3-N) committee-passage
• 2026-02-24 Committee substitute printed 26108404D-S1 substitution
• 2026-02-25 Rules suspended
• 2026-02-25 Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
• 2026-02-25 Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
• 2026-02-26 Read third time reading-3
• 2026-02-26 Commerce and Labor Substitute agreed to
• 2026-02-26 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute substitution
• 2026-02-26 Passed Senate with substitute (27-Y 13-N 0-A) passage
• 2026-02-26 Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB1487)
• 2026-03-02 Senate substitute rejected by House (7-Y 92-N 0-A)
• 2026-03-04 Senate insisted on amendment (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
• 2026-03-04 Senate requested conference committee referral-committee
• 2026-03-05 House acceded to request
• 2026-03-06 Conferees appointed by Senate
• 2026-03-06 Senate Conferees: Srinivasan, Surovell, Peake
• 2026-03-09 Conferees appointed by House
• 2026-03-09 House Conferees: Singh, Sullivan, O'Quinn
• 2026-03-13 Conference Report released
• 2026-03-14 Conference report agreed to by House (61-Y 36-N 0-A) committee-passage-favorable
• 2026-03-14 Conference report agreed to by Senate (28-Y 11-N 0-A) committee-passage-favorable
• 2026-03-30 Enrolled enrolled
• 2026-03-30 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1487ER) passage
• 2026-03-30 Signed by President passage
• 2026-03-31 Signed by Speaker passage
• 2026-03-31 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 enrolled, executive-receipt
• 2026-03-31 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 executive-receipt
• 2026-04-06 Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB1487)
• 2026-04-13 Approved by Governor-Chapter 863 (effective 7/1/2026) executive-signature

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/966db003-b9cc-4fa6-8aa6-2f377f4d6caf. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).