NORFOLK, Va. — Once again, Virginia lawmakers are debating whether to ban public utility companies from being able to donate for political campaigns in Virginia.
The Virginia Senate Committee on Privileges & Elections voted to advance a bill to ban their donations on Tuesday afternoon.
The bill will now move to the Finance Committee. It has failed to become law multiple years in a row.
"It's about having a fresh start for reforming our campaign finance law," said State Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), the bill's patron.
The bill would prevent 73 companies from being able to donate to campaigns.
For example, Dominion Energy made over $10 million in campaign contributions in 2023 to both sides of the aisle, according to the non-partisan Virginia Public Access Project.
"This bill would not prohibit individuals who work in the 73 companies nor unions affiliated with them from contributing to Virginia political campaigns, only the monopolies providing a service to the Commonwealth with no private competition," said Roem.
Representatives from Dominion Energy and other utility companies spoke against the proposal during the hearing.
"If you're going to have campaign finance reform, it should apply equally across the board and that's not what this bill does," said Chris Nolen, who was representing Dominion Energy.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Dominion Energy said in part, "Like most companies, we participate in the political process and contribute to candidates from both parties. We will continue advocating for the equal treatment of all participants in the political process."
Virginia is known to have weak campaign finance laws compared to other states. There are no limits on the amount people can donate and politicians can use campaign funds for personal expenses.
Dr. Ben Melusky, a political science professor from Old Dominion University, said this year there does appear to be an appetite for campaign finance reforms, potentially on utilities donating to politicians.
"We do know from larger studies of campaign contributions. Does it buy votes? No, but one thing we do know it buys access," he said.
