A recently introduced bill by State Sen. Danica A. Roem seeks to modify billing practices for some utility customers to guarantee full recovery of contracted demand payments, according to the Virginia State Senate.
The measure, presented as SB503 on Jan. 14, 2026, during the regular 2026 session, carries the official description: “Phase II Utility; rates, terms, and conditions of services, certain customers.”
The explanation below is based directly on the legislation’s text and incorporates clarifications of its main components.
SB503 directs Phase II utilities to establish updated rates, terms and conditions for customers within the GS-5 rate class. These changes include applying a minimum generation charge that equals 100% of the contracted electric demand for every customer in this tier. Any conflict with the State Corporation Commission’s final order in Case No. PUR-2025-00058 is expressly preempted, and the new requirements must be in place by Jan. 1, 2027. The bill’s intent appears to ensure large commercial or industrial users in this category fully pay for their contracted demand, no matter their actual electricity consumption.
This legislation is sponsored exclusively by Sen. Danica A. Roem (Democrat-30th District).
Roem has offered 16 other legislative proposals since the session commenced.
She is a 2006 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree.
Sen. Roem, a Democrat, was elected in 2024 to represent Virginia’s 30th Senate district, succeeding Adam Ebbin.
In the state, the legislative process begins with a bill being introduced in either the House of Delegates or the Senate. The proposed legislation is assigned to one or more committees for consideration and possible revisions. If passed out of committee, it moves to full chamber debate and a vote in both houses. Should both chambers approve, the bill is forwarded to the governor, who may sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature. The Virginia General Assembly starts its regular session annually on the second Monday in January, and legislators typically introduce hundreds of measures, though only a portion are enacted.
| Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danica A. Roem | SB503 | 01/14/2026 | Phase II Utility; rates, terms, and conditions of services, certain customers. |
| Danica A. Roem and R. Creigh Deeds | SB4 | 01/14/2026 | School breakfasts; availability at no cost to students. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB41 | 01/14/2026 | Motor Vehicles, Department of; electronic transactions, voluntary contributions. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB42 | 01/14/2026 | School boards; payment of school meal debt. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB43 | 01/14/2026 | Demand response programs; evaluation and assessment by Department of Energy, report. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB44 | 01/14/2026 | Cemeteries on private property; registration by localities. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB92 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; tuition and fee waivers. |
| Danica A. Roem and Michelle Lopes Maldonado | SB93 | 01/14/2026 | Data centers; taxes on banks that are tenants of a center. |
| Danica A. Roem and Adam P. Ebbin | SB94 | 01/14/2026 | Data centers; site assessment, sound profile of the high energy use facility. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB95 | 01/14/2026 | Rest area signage; adds human trafficking information. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB97 | 01/14/2026 | Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program; establishment of student meal plan credit donation program. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB331 | 01/14/2026 | Veterinary Medicine, Board of; traineeships. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB336 | 01/14/2026 | Tier 2 emergency generators; SCC shall evaluate impact of requiring data centers to limit use, etc. |
| Danica A. Roem | SB345 | 01/14/2026 | Guardianship/conservatorship of incapacitated adult; right to request counsel, right to a jury trial. |
| Danica A. Roem, Angelia Williams Graves, and David R. Suetterlein | SB350 | 01/14/2026 | Absentee voting; counting ballots prior to the close of polls. |
| Danica A. Roem and Kannan Srinivasan | SB482 | 01/14/2026 | Sodium Chloride; alternatives to use to treat and pretreat roadways for winter weather, report. |
| Danica A. Roem and Scott A. Surovell | SB716 | 01/14/2026 | Commissioner of Highways; certain agreements with U.S. Department of Transportation. |
Information in this article was sourced from the Virginia State Senate. Original data is available here.
