Virginia 2027 Regular Session Status: Passed House Of Delegates

HB 591 — Data centers; policy of the Commonwealth.

Last action — Continued from last session

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House of Delegates
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the House of Delegates. Introduced January 13, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 36% · moderate confidence

  • Passed House of Delegates

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 9 sponsors

    1 primary, 8 co-sponsors signed on.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

The bill promotes responsible operation of data centers while supporting energy reliability and renewable resource deployment.

This bill establishes the policy for data centers in the Commonwealth to operate responsibly, focusing on energy efficiency and renewable practices. It promotes coordination with agencies, incentivizes energy management, and ensures data centers contribute to infrastructure costs.

What this means for you
  • Small Business: Small businesses can expect more stable energy costs as data centers are encouraged to contribute fairly to infrastructure expenses.

Summary

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.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

28 added · 25 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amended version of Bill HB 591 includes several significant changes to how data centers in Virginia are expected to operate. Most notably, it now emphasizes the need for data centers to report both energy and water usage, as well as their participation in grid support programs, helping ensure more comprehensive oversight. Additionally, the amendment modifies language around infrastructure contributions, making it clear that large-scale data centers must fairly share the costs associated with infrastructure investments, which can help lessen the financial burden on local residents and small businesses. These changes aim to promote sustainability and accountability in the growing data center industry in Virginia.

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+ 2027 SESSION + + + INTRODUCED + + 26103960D HOUSE BILL NO.
+ 2027 SESSION + + + ENGROSSED + + 26103960D HOUSE BILL NO.
591 I Offered January 14, 2026 N A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 45.2-1706.2, relating to policy of the T Commonwealth;
591 House Amendments in [ ] - February 16, 2026 A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 45.2-1706.2, relating to policy of the Commonwealth;
————— R Patrons—Simonds, Bulova, Shin, Sullivan, Cousins, Guzman, Reid, Singh and Tran O ————— Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce D ————— U Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
————— Patron Prior to Engrossment—Delegate Simonds ————— Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce E ————— Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
C 1.
N 1.
E 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.
G It is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage the responsible operation of data centers in the R Commonwealth while supporting grid reliability, affordability, and the deployment of renewable resources.
D In furtherance of this policy, the Commonwealth shall:
O In furtherance of this policy, the Commonwealth shall:
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;
Promote coordination between data centers, state agencies, and regional grid operators to share S information on energy usage, interconnection timelines, and barriers to rapid deployment of renewable and S flexible energy resources;
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;
Incentivize data centers to participate in demand response programs, implement energy storage and E management systems, and leverage automated technologies to reduce peak demand and support grid D stability;
H 4.
4.
Ensure large-scale data centers contribute equitably to infrastructure investment and cost allocation, B mitigating impacts on residential and small business ratepayers;
Ensure large-scale data centers [ contribute equitably to infrastructure investment and cost allocation pay their fair share of infrastructure investments ] , mitigating impacts on residential and small business ratepayers;
9 5.
5.
Require data centers to report energy and water usage, sustainability measures, and participation in 1 grid support programs to appropriate state and federal agencies;
Require data centers to report [ energy and water usage water and aggregated energy usage ] , sustainability measures, and participation in grid support programs to appropriate state and federal H agencies;
and 6.
and B 6.
Promote cybersecurity, physical security, and supply chain security measures to protect Virginia data center operations from foreign adversary access or compromise.
Promote cybersecurity, physical security, and supply chain security measures to protect Virginia data 5 center operations from foreign adversary access or compromise.
1 E / 7
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Action History

  1. Continued from last session

  2. Continued to next session in Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)

  3. Reported from Commerce and Labor and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (11-Y 4-N)

  4. Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor

  5. Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  6. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB591)

  7. Read third time and passed House (62-Y 34-N 0-A)

  8. Engrossed by House as amended

  9. committee amendments agreed to

  10. Read second time

  11. Read first time

  12. Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendment(s) (13-Y 7-N)

  13. Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (6-Y 3-N)

  14. House subcommittee offered

  15. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB591)

  16. Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #3

  17. Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce

  18. Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103960D

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 139 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (8)

Not signed on (139)

139 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 139 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment technology energy
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 591 do?
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.
Who sponsors HB 591?
HB 591 is sponsored by Kathy K.L. Tran, JJ Singh, David A. Reid, Rae Cousins, Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr., Irene Shin, Shelly A. Simonds, Gretchen M. Bulova, and Elizabeth R. Guzman.
What is the current status of HB 591?
This bill has passed the House of Delegates. Introduced January 13, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track HB 591?
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