State Sen. Jeremy S. McPike has put forward legislation to set appliance efficiency rules in Virginia, which would take effect if federal regulations are rescinded or removed, according to the Virginia State Senate.
The measure, labeled SB256, was filed Jan. 14, 2026, during the 2026 regular session, and officially titled: “Appliance minimum energy and water conservation standards; requirement of manufacturers.”
The following summary, derived from a review of the bill text, provides clarification on its main points.
The bill establishes minimum energy and water efficiency standards at the state level for select appliances if federal requirements in 10 C.F.R. Parts 430 and 431, effective as of Jan. 1, 2026, are eventually withdrawn, repealed or invalidated. Should that occur, the prior federal standards would become the baseline for product efficiency in Virginia for sales, leasing, or rentals, unless another federal law takes precedence or a court overrides the rule. The Department of Energy would require manufacturers to apply federal test protocols, accommodate newer or alternate test procedures, and confirm compliance through recognized third-party databases. Any breach would be deemed an unlawful act under Virginia consumer protection laws with existing penalties applied.
Sen. Jeremy S. McPike (Democrat-29th District) is the only patron of the bill.
At the 2026 session’s outset, McPike introduced an additional 20 pieces of legislation.
He is an alumnus of George Mason University, having earned his BA in 1997.
McPike, elected in 2016 to the Virginia Senate for the 29th District, succeeded former Sen. Charles Colgan.
In Virginia, the process for passing legislation requires that bills be introduced either in the House of Delegates or the Senate, where they are assigned to a committee for consideration and possible revision. If cleared by the committee, bills advance to the full chamber for debate and voting. Once both chambers approve, the bill moves to the governor, who may sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. The General Assembly meets annually in regular session beginning the second Monday in January, with hundreds of bills introduced each year, though only a certain number are enacted.
| Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB256 | 01/14/2026 | Appliance minimum energy and water conservation standards; requirement of manufacturers. |
| Jeremy S. McPike, Barbara A. Favola, Jennifer B. Boysko, Kannan Srinivasan, Russet Perry, and Saddam Azlan Salim | SB74 | 01/14/2026 | Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Christie New Craig | SB122 | 01/14/2026 | School boards; student diabetes care & management in schools, division wide plan required. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Russet Perry | SB138 | 01/14/2026 | PFAS monitoring; DEQ to require for industrial wastewater source, publicly owned treatment works. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB139 | 01/14/2026 | Income tax, state; subtraction for long-term capital gains from sale of principal residence. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB140 | 01/14/2026 | Fire Programs, Department of; development of mental health awareness training. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB148 | 01/14/2026 | Income tax, state; subtraction for tax, military retirement benefits, uniformed services. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB149 | 01/14/2026 | State-facilitated IRA savings program; various changes to the program. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Bill DeSteph | SB164 | 01/14/2026 | Health insurance; ethics and fairness in carrier business practices, downcoded claims. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB165 | 01/14/2026 | Contracts; retainage bonds permitted in construction contracts, effective clause. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB166 | 01/14/2026 | Insurance; contingent deferred annuities, nonforfeiture benefits. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB170 | 01/14/2026 | Protection of employees; covenants not to compete, discharged employees. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB321 | 01/14/2026 | Abandonment of highway; section of the secondary state highway system, local authority. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Jennifer D. Carroll Foy | SB324 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Public Procurement Act; additional public works contract requirements. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB326 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Public Procurement Act; cooperative procurement. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Kannan Srinivasan | SB371 | 01/14/2026 | Electric utilities; electric demand flexibility programs, high energy demand customers, report. |
| Jeremy S. McPike, Angelia Williams Graves, Jennifer D. Carroll Foy, Kannan Srinivasan, and Saddam Azlan Salim | SB388 | 01/14/2026 | Affordable housing; religious organizations and other nonprofit tax-exempt properties. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Angelia Williams Graves | SB443 | 01/14/2026 | Siting of battery energy storage projects; commercial solar photovoltaic generation facilities. |
| Jeremy S. McPike, Adam P. Ebbin, Jennifer B. Boysko, Kannan Srinivasan, Saddam Azlan Salim, and Scott A. Surovell | SB446 | 01/14/2026 | Limited-duration licenses, driver privilege cards, and permits; validity periods for documents. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB487 | 01/14/2026 | Electric cooperatives; authorized to establish and implement a virtual power plant program. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB591 | 01/14/2026 | Income tax, state; free tax filing program for individuals |
Information in this article was obtained from the Virginia State Senate. The source data can be found here.
