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2020 SPECIAL SESSION I

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Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor

Chair: Richard L. Saslaw

Staff: Tom Stevens
Date of Meeting: August 26, 2020
Time and Place: Adjournment of Judiciary or Session,whichever is later/ Sci Mus.
https://virginia-senate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3

S.B. 5107

Patron: McPike

Unemployment compensation; short-time compensation; sunset repeal; emergency. Repeals two sunset provisions from legislation enacted during the 2020 Regular Session of the General Assembly that, among other things, established a short-time compensation program that provides employers with the option of reducing the hours worked by employees while permitting the employees whose hours are reduced to receive partial compensation for lost wages. The bill also extends the date by which the Virginia Employment Commission is required to establish and implement such short-time compensation program from January 1, 2021 to January 1, 2022.The bill contains an emergency clause.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 60.2-712 of the Code of Virginia and to repeal the third and fourth enactments of Chapter 1261 of the Acts of Assembly of 2020, relating to unemployment compensation; short-time compensation; sunset repeal; emergency,

20200763D

EMERGENCY

S.B. 5115

Patron: McDougle

Broadband funding. Appropriates to the Department of Housing and Community Development a sum sufficient to expand access to broadband services in underserved and unserved areas of the Commonwealth.

A BILL to fund broadband expansion in certain areas of the Commonwealth.

20200499D

S.B. 5118

Patron: McClellan


Public utilities; Emergency Debt Repayment Plan. Requires every utility providing electric, gas, or water service to develop an Emergency Debt Repayment Plan (EDRP) for residential customers. The bill requires that an EDRP is designed to ensure that debt repayments accrued during a certain state of emergency or a certain service disconnection moratorium, in addition to the customer's regular utility bill are sustainable and affordable for the customer. The bill provides than EDRP will allow for (i) an up to 24-month repayment period, (ii) a customer to roll over remaining debt with any debt accrued under a subsequent state of emergency; and (iii) minimum monthly payments that do not exceed for accrued debt, per utility, $ 45.50 or, at the option of the utility, four percent of the customer's household income provided the utility or a third-party verifies the customer's income in a manner consistent with any applicable state or federal privacy laws. The bill prohibits a utility from requiring any deposit, application fee, or other type of advance payment before enrolling a customer in an EDRP and from charging any interest, finance charges, or prepayment penalties on the unpaid debt while the customer is enrolled in an EDRP. The bill requires utilities to offer to enroll eligible customers and prohibits a utility from discontinuing service for any customer enrolled in the program provided the customer remains in compliance with the terms of the EDRP and remains current on the customer's current utility bill. The bill requires each utility to submit a report to the Commission and for the Commission to report the information to the chairs of the House Committees on Labor and Commerce and Appropriations and the Senate Committees on Commerce and Labor and Finance and Appropriations. The bill provides that debt associated with an EDRP will not be recognized as an asset for regulatory purposes and any associated costs are not recoverable through base rates or a rate adjustment clause. The bill provides that it does not affect certain orders issued by the Commission and does not confer any additional jurisdiction or authority to the Commission.

A BILL to require certain utilities to develop an Emergency Debt Repayment Plan.

20200398D