APCo Rate Reduction Act passes in Virginia General Assembly
RICHMOND, Va. (WJHL) — The APCo Rate Reduction Act passed in the Virginia General Assembly Saturday evening and now heads to Gov. Youngkin's desk.
HB 2621 passed on a vote of 98-0 in the House of Delegates and 39-0 in the Senate. It aims to lower Southwest Virginia customers' bills, according to primary sponsor Delegate Jason Ballard (R-Giles).
'This legislation will provide the most significant electric bill relief to APCo customers in years,' Ballard said in a release. 'For too long, my constituents – and those throughout APCo territory – have suffered through unreasonably high electric bills that put people in the unwinnable position between paying their electric bill or putting food on the table.'
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Ballard along with Delegates Terry Kilgore (R-Scott) and Israel O'Quinn (R-Washington) advocated for the legislation while it moved through sub-committees and eased through the Commonwealth's General Assembly.
'I give my sincere thanks to the entire Southwest Delegation of General Assembly members who helped get this bill across the finish line,' said Ballard. 'HB 2621 is the only bill that provides meaningful financial relief for our constituents who are APCo customers.'
The legislation addressed several items that Ballard said would lower Appalachian Power Company customers' bills and help them keep payments in good standing—including a securitization, a six-month moratorium on interest and late fees and a nine-month moratorium on disconnect and reconnect fees.
Additionally, the bill outlines there will be no rate increases during winter months (Nov.-Feb.). APCo must also propose seasonal rates meant to minimize the impact of cold months and high electricity usage. Under the legislation, APCo will be directed to propose alternatives to current billing practices that are designed to lessen the burden of high monthly bills during peak seasons.
'This was a heavy lift during a short legislative session,' Ballard added. 'However, doing nothing was not an option. I appreciate every constituent who shared their story with my office – this is how to get things done in Richmond.'
'While this is a significant first step, there is more work to be done and we will continue working with all stakeholders to provide relief to customers and hold APCO accountable to the Commonwealth and their ratepayers,' Sen. Todd Pillion said in a post on social media.
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Finally, HB 2621 directs the State Corporation Commission to consider public input during all rate cases.
The bill will now go to Gov. Youngkin's desk to be reviewed, to which he released the following statement:
To the General Assembly members who dedicated their time and energy this legislative session, making the tremendous sacrifice of being away from their families, careers, and personal lives to serve the Commonwealth—thank you. I especially want to thank Delegate Baxter Ennis and Delegate Danny Marshall for their service to Virginia. This General Assembly is sending me a multitude of bills, including a budget, and over the next 30 days I will go to work to review and take action on those bills and budget. We will have much to address at the reconvene session, but I remain grateful for the hard work of our General Assembly members and their staffs.
Governor Glenn Youngkin
News Channel 11 has reached out to the offices of Delegates Israel O'Quinn and Terry Kilgore for comment on the bill's passing.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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