SB 256 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Appliance minimum energy and water conservation standards; requirement of manufacturers.

Summary
Minimum energy and water conservation standards; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning facilities and home appliances; Department of Energy; prohibited practices; penalty. Provides that if any product or product categories under the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (the EPCA) are removed by the U.S. Secretary of Energy or the federal government, the Department of Energy shall adopt energy or water conservation standards that shall be equivalent to the last applicable federal standards with a product compliance date of on or before December 31, 2025. The bill prohibits any such new products from being sold, offered for sale, leased, or rented in the Commonwealth unless such products meet or exceed such standards. The bill excludes any energy or water conservation standards set aside by a court or any product if federal law preempts the application of the minimum energy and water conservation standards to such a product, including any product or product categories where there is a requirement to develop a standard under the EPCA.
Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Vetoed
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Vetoed Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Commerce and Labor Substitute Enrolled · 4 edits · Mar 9, 2026
MODERATE
The bill was finalized as an enrolled act, removing draft committee language and adding official approval. The core policy text remains largely the same, establishing state standards for appliances if federal standards are removed, with a compliance deadline of December 31, 2025.
Scope change
The bill's scope is unchanged; it still applies to products under federal energy conservation regulations.
TIMELINE

The header date was updated from a placeholder '2/12/2026' to '2026 SESSION', reflecting the final enacted status.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed draft committee attribution, patron names, and the 'Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute' label, as the bill is now the final enrolled version.

ENFORCEMENT

Added 'ENROLLED' and 'Approved' headers to signify the bill has passed all legislative stages and is now law.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting adjustment in the section title, changing '§' to '§ ' (with a space) for consistency with the rest of the document.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 13, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 3, 2026

How they voted

340
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 39
Feb 13, 2026
D Democratic20
19 Yea 1
95% Yea
R Republican19
15 Yea 4
78% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
28
Key actions
9
Committee
5
Apr 13, 2026
Vetoed
Governor's recommendation received by Senate
executive
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB256ER)
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (62-Y 35-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Labor and Commerce (15-Y 6-N)
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (9-Y 6-N)
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate committee offered
upper
Jan 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Jeremy McPike
Jeremy McPike
DDemocratic
VA
29