republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2026/hb-242.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	Public utilities; budget plan payment increases.	Public utilities; budget plan payment increases. Prohibits a public utility from, for any residential customer who is enrolled in a budget plan, increasing the amount of such customer's monthly payment more than once within any 12-month period or without notifying the customer in writing at least 60 days before such increase takes effect. The bill defines "budget plan" as a fixed billing option offered by a public utility to a customer whereby the total service for the succeeding 12-month period is estimated in advance and bills are rendered monthly on the basis of one-twelfth of the 12-month estimate. The provisions of the bill do not apply to any public utility engaged in the business of furnishing water or sewerage facilities.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2026	HB 242	Virginia HB 242 (2026)	bill		enacted	Joshua G. Cole	8	33	7	2026-01-08	2026-04-08	openstates	ocd-bill/ecf982d1-44e0-4795-9601-9cd32ce85a88	https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB242	55cc4f95bfd916ceeda18564696d11074ffe6d56128dcee7a2c8bd51b87570d2	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia HB 242 (2026) — Public utilities; budget plan payment increases.

Public utilities; budget plan payment increases. Prohibits a public utility from, for any residential customer who is enrolled in a budget plan, increasing the amount of such customer's monthly payment more than once within any 12-month period or without notifying the customer in writing at least 60 days before such increase takes effect. The bill defines "budget plan" as a fixed billing option offered by a public utility to a customer whereby the total service for the succeeding 12-month period is estimated in advance and bills are rendered monthly on the basis of one-twelfth of the 12-month estimate. The provisions of the bill do not apply to any public utility engaged in the business of furnishing water or sewerage facilities.

Version chain

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

1. Introduced (filed) — source
2. Chaptered (committee substitute) — source
3. Commerce and Labor Amendment (committee substitute) — source
4. Engrossed (committee substitute) — source
5. Labor and Commerce Amendment (committee substitute) — source
6. Senate Amendment (committee substitute) — source
7. Subcommittee #3 Subcommittee Amendment (committee substitute) — source
8. Enrolled (enrolled) — source

Votes

• Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) — 8–1 (pass) · lower
• H VOTE: — 93–4 (pass) · lower
• Passage R — 37–2 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendment(s) — 22–0 (pass) · lower
• H VOTE: — 97–0 (pass) · lower
• Reported from Commerce and Labor with amendment — 12–1 (pass) · upper
• Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — 39–0 (pass) · upper

Sponsors

• Joshua G. Cole — primary (person)
• Adele Y. McClure — cosponsor (person)
• Amy J. Laufer — cosponsor (person)
• Charlie Schmidt — cosponsor (person)
• Elizabeth R. Guzman — cosponsor (person)
• Jackie H. Glass — cosponsor (person)
• Jessica L. Anderson — cosponsor (person)
• Michelle Lopes Maldonado — cosponsor (person)
• Nadarius E. Clark — cosponsor (person)
• Nicole Cole — cosponsor (person)
• Rozia A. Henson, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
• Saddam Azlan Salim — cosponsor (person)
• Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)
• Stacey Annie Carroll — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

• 2026-01-08 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103219D filing, introduction
• 2026-01-08 Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce referral-committee
• 2026-01-15 Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #3 referral-committee
• 2026-01-20 House subcommittee offered
• 2026-01-20 Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (8-Y 1-N)
• 2026-01-22 Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2026-01-26 Read first time reading-1
• 2026-01-27 Read second time reading-2
• 2026-01-27 committee amendments agreed to amendment-passage
• 2026-01-27 Engrossed by House as amended
• 2026-01-27 Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB242)
• 2026-01-28 Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A) passage, reading-3
• 2026-01-29 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
• 2026-01-29 Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor referral-committee
• 2026-03-02 Senate committee offered
• 2026-03-02 Reported from Commerce and Labor with amendment (12-Y 1-N) committee-passage
• 2026-03-04 Rules suspended
• 2026-03-04 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
• 2026-03-04 Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
• 2026-03-05 Read third time reading-3
• 2026-03-05 Commerce and Labor Amendment agreed to amendment-passage
• 2026-03-05 Engrossed by Senate as amended
• 2026-03-05 Passed Senate with amendment (37-Y 2-N 0-A) passage
• 2026-03-09 Senate amendment agreed to by House (93-Y 4-N 0-A) amendment-passage
• 2026-03-14 Enrolled enrolled
• 2026-03-14 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB242ER) passage
• 2026-03-14 Signed by Speaker passage
• 2026-03-14 Signed by President passage
• 2026-03-25 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 25, 2026 enrolled, executive-receipt
• 2026-03-25 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 executive-receipt
• 2026-03-25 Fiscal Impact statement From DPB (3/25/2026 2:39 pm)
• 2026-04-08 Approved by Governor-Chapter 373 (effective 7/1/2026) executive-signature
• 2026-04-08 Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0373)

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/ecf982d1-44e0-4795-9601-9cd32ce85a88. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).