HB 591 VA

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Passed One Chamber

Policy of the Commonwealth; data centers. Provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage the responsible operation of data centers in the Commonwealth while supporting grid reliability, affordability, and the deployment of renewable resources. The bill provides that in furtherance of this policy, the Commonwealth shall (i) promote coordination between data centers, state agencies, and regional grid operators to share information on energy usage, interconnection timelines, and barriers to rapid deployment of renewable and flexible energy resources; (ii) incentivize data centers to participate in demand response programs, implement energy storage and management systems, and leverage automated technologies to reduce peak demand and support grid stability; (iii) encourage flexible energy practices that allow data centers to adjust energy consumption in real time in alignment with available renewable generation; (iv) ensure large-scale data centers pay their fair share of infrastructure investments, mitigating impacts on residential and small business ratepayers; (v) require data centers to report water and aggregated energy usage, sustainability measures, and participation in grid support programs to appropriate state and federal agencies; and (vi) promote cybersecurity, physical security, and supply chain security measures to protect Virginia data center operations from foreign adversary access or compromise.

• Shelly A. Simonds Democratic · primary

1. Jan 13, 2026 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103960D · lower
2. Jan 13, 2026 Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce · lower
3. Jan 20, 2026 Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #3 · lower
4. Feb 3, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB591) · lower
5. Feb 10, 2026 House subcommittee offered · lower
6. Feb 10, 2026 Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (6-Y 3-N) · lower
7. Feb 12, 2026 Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendment(s) (13-Y 7-N) · lower
8. Feb 15, 2026 Read first time · lower
9. Feb 16, 2026 Read second time · lower
10. Feb 16, 2026 committee amendments agreed to · lower
11. Feb 16, 2026 Engrossed by House as amended · lower
12. Feb 17, 2026 Read third time and passed House (62-Y 34-N 0-A) · lower
13. Feb 17, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB591) · lower
14. Feb 18, 2026 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) · upper
15. Feb 18, 2026 Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor · upper
16. Mar 9, 2026 Reported from Commerce and Labor and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (11-Y 4-N) · upper
17. Mar 9, 2026 Continued to next session in Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) · upper

The published texts of this bill as it moves through the legislature. Each links to the official document on the state legislature site. Data from OpenStates.

• Engrossed · PDF
• Engrossed · HTML
• Labor and Commerce Amendment · HTML
• Labor and Commerce Amendment · HTML
• Subcommittee #3 Subcommittee Amendment · HTML
• Introduced · PDF
• Introduced · HTML