Labor and Commerce committee reports wide docket, advancing roofing, unemployment and solar wage measures

The Virginia House Committee on Labor and Commerce met to receive subcommittee reports and to act on a broad docket of bills, voting to report most measures to the next stage and referring several to appropriations.

Subcommittee 2 Chair Lopez said the subcommittee reported roughly 78 bills and walked through notable measures, starting with SB 240 (Sen. Hed), a retail franchise bill whose substitute removed a court‑approval requirement for post‑termination noncompete clauses but added a two‑year exception tied to the sale of a franchise. The committee voted to report SB 240 with the substitute by a voice tally recorded as 21‑0.

Lopez also summarized SB 402 (Sen. Surville), which would limit insurers’ ability to refuse, cancel, or raise premiums on owner‑occupied dwelling policies based solely on roof age or condition except in specified circumstances. The bill includes contractor conduct and contract‑content requirements for residential roofing and allows contract cancellation after a governor’s declared emergency; violations would be enforceable under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The committee reported the conforming substitute 21‑0.

On SB 433 (Sen. Bagby), which would treat employer lockouts differently under the Virginia Unemployment Compensation Act so that locked‑out workers would generally remain eligible for benefits unless specified exceptions apply, Delegate Weber asked whether the change effectively shifts unemployment costs to all employers who pay into the trust fund. Lopez responded, “I don’t characterize it like that,” while explaining the measure’s limiting conditions. The committee reported SB 433 by a 14‑6 vote.

Other measures advanced included SB 459 (Sen. Stewart), requiring liquefied petroleum gas fitters to offer in writing to remove and reimburse remaining gas following a customer’s discontinuation request (reported with amendment and referred to appropriations, 21‑0); SB 637 (amendments to the Virginia Human Rights Act’s limits and employer‑size threshold), reported with substitute 14‑6; and SB 758 (Sen. Rouse), which as substituted applies prevailing‑wage and apprentice‑hour requirements to solar energy facility projects above 5 megawatts and was reported and referred to appropriations.

In full committee, members moved to conform several Senate bills to their House counterparts and to report substitutes and referrals to appropriations. Notable committee actions and outcomes included:

Votes at a glance - SB 240 (retail franchise agreements) — reported with substitute, vote recorded 21‑0. - SB 402 (roofing, insurance, consumer protections) — reported with substitute, vote recorded 21‑0; substitute conformed bill to HB 677 and removed a willful‑intent clause. - SB 433 (unemployment benefit eligibility/lockout exceptions) — reported, vote recorded 14‑6; subcommittee recommended 4‑2. - SB 459 (LP gas fitter obligations; consumer protections) — reported with amendment and referred to appropriations, 21‑0. - SB 637 (Virginia Human Rights Act, statute of limitations and employer definition) — reported with substitute, 14‑6; substitute aligns AG complaint timeline to two years. - SB 758 (solar facility prevailing wage and apprenticeship rules) — reported with substitute and referred to appropriations, 14‑6; substitute limits scope to projects >5 MW and removes maintenance/repair work. - SB 2 (conform to HB 1207) — reported/referred to appropriations, 15‑6. - SB 225 (conform to HB 1444) — reported/referred to appropriations, 15‑6. - SB 378 (public employee collective bargaining) — reported with substitute and sent to appropriations; substitute conformed to related House language. - SB 518 (prevailing wage for certain public works) — substitute conformed to HB 569 with changes (including a $500,000 threshold), reported/referred to appropriations, 15‑6. - SB 598 (renewable energy portfolio/clean energy buyers) — reported with substitute, 21‑0; bill had passed the House 94‑3. - SB 650 (discounted water/sewer rates for low‑income customers) — conformed and reported with substitute, 15‑7. - SB 827 (pilot for underground transmission projects) — conformed and reported with substitute, 15‑7.

Committee members asked clarifying questions on several items (for example, Delegate Weber’s question on who bears unemployment trust costs if lockouts are treated as non‑disqualifying events). Most bills were reported with substitutes that conformed Senate language to House amendments or narrowed scopes; several measures were also referred to the Appropriations Committee for budgetary review.

What’s next: The committee concluded its docket and adjourned; members noted subcommittee one and subcommittee three would convene next. Measures referred to appropriations will be scheduled for that committee’s consideration. The record shows votes by tally but does not list individual member votes in most cases.

Speakers quoted in this article include Subcommittee 2 Chair Lopez and Delegate Weber; all direct quotations are taken from the committee transcript.