Appropriations subcommittee reports a string of bills on energy, housing and labor; tables VIMS water study

The Committee on Commerce, Agriculture and Natural Resources, sitting with the Appropriations subcommittee, on a regularly scheduled subcommittee meeting reported multiple measures affecting energy, housing and labor policy and tabled one study bill after debate over timing and costs. The panel handled measures that the chairs said had already gone through policy committee hearings, and limited discussion in this session to budget implications and committee priorities.

The most prominent actions addressed energy and housing support programs. House Bill 1616, which directs the Department of Energy to identify training resources for the offshore wind industry and develop a new training program as appropriate, was reported out without a fiscal impact and passed on a roll-call vote of 7-0. House Bill 1934, which would prioritize K–12 public schools in the distributed solar carve‑out of the Virginia Clean Economy Act to encourage on-site school solar installations, was reported 6-1; sponsors described the change as intended to increase access to cost savings and educational benefits for school districts.

Lawmakers also advanced measures targeting appraisal bias, energy efficiency for low-income households and prevailing‑wage rules for renewable projects. House Bill 1932 would create a task force on property appraisal and valuation equity to study racial bias in home appraisals; the Department of Housing and Community Development estimated a minimal fiscal impact of $9,500 that it could absorb. The subcommittee reported HB 1932 on a vote of 5-2. House Bill 1935, as amended, directs the Department of Housing and Community Development, with the Department of Energy and assistance from the Department of Social Services, to form an income‑qualified energy…