The State Corporation Commission, or SCC, is a

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

(USA) regulatory agency whose authority encompasses

utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

, state-chartered

financial institution A financial institution, sometimes called a banking institution, is a business entity that provides service as an intermediary for different types of financial monetary transactions. Broadly speaking, there are three major types of financial ins ...

securities A security is a tradable financial asset. The term commonly refers to any form of financial instrument, but its legal definition varies by jurisdiction. In some countries and languages people commonly use the term "security" to refer to any for ...

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

franchising Franchising is based on a marketing concept which can be adopted by an organization as a strategy for business expansion. Where implemented, a franchisor licenses some or all of its know-how, procedures, intellectual property, use of its busines ...

, and

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

s. It is the state's central filing office for

corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...

limited partnership A limited partnership (LP) is a type of partnership with general partners, who have a right to manage the business, and limited partners, who have no right to manage the business but have only limited liability for its debts. Limited partnership ...

limited liability companies A limited liability company (LLC) is the United States-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of a ...

and

Uniform Commercial Code The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), first published in 1952, is one of a number of uniform acts that have been established as law with the goal of harmonizing the laws of sales and other commercial transactions across the United States through U ...

liens.

Mission

The State Corporation Commission strives to apply law and regulation to balance the interests of citizens, businesses, and customers in regulating Virginia's business and economic concerns and works continually to improve the regulatory and administrative processes.

Objectives

*Fulfill the duties prescribed by the

Virginia Constitution The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the document that defines and limits the powers of the state government and the basic rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like all other state constitutions, it is supreme ...

and the law enacted by the

General Assembly of Virginia The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

fully and to the best of its ability; *Ensure that all parties and persons who appear before the Commission receive due process of law; *Provide reliable information and assistance to Virginians in a consistent and high-quality fashion; *Provide assistance to Virginians who have valid disputes with regulated companies; and *Adopt rules and regulations that keep pace with legislative, business, economic, social and technological changes.

Activities

Examples of SCC activities include: Scc orgcht

*Serving as the central filing office for business entities authorized to transact business in Virginia and for UCC financing statements; *Providing licensing, regulation, examination, and investigation of insurance companies, agencies and agents; *Regulating securities, brokers, investment advisers and registering franchises and trademarks; *Regulating Virginia's investor-owned electric, natural gas, water and sewer utilities, and member-owned electric cooperatives; *Providing oversight for Virginia's telecommunication industry; *Providing accounting and financial information for the deliberation of utility cases; *Assessing the property of public service corporations for local taxation, collecting various taxes and fees, and obtaining annual reports; *Conducting research and developing special studies and forecasts related to economic and financial issues of public utilities; *Approving rate increases for landline telephone companies, utilities, etc. and approving rate restructuring plans; *Administering safety programs involving underground utility damage prevention, jurisdictional natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline facilities, and railroads; *Protecting consumers through the administration of state laws regarding depository and non-depository financial institutions; and *Handling and investigating complaints that are energy, telephone, financial, insurance, securities or retail franchising related. The State Corporation Commission's structure is unique in that it is organized as a separate department of government with delegated administrative, legislative, and judicial powers. The SCC's membership, powers, duties, and procedures are set out in Article IX of the

Constitution of Virginia The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the document that defines and limits the powers of the state government and the basic rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like all other state constitutions, it is supreme ...

. Section 4 of that Article allows parties aggrieved by the SCC's decisions to appeal to the

Virginia Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrativ ...

Consumer education

Virginia Energy Sense

Virginia Energy Sense
is the Commonwealth of Virginia's statewide consumer education and outreach program under the guidance of the SCC to encourage electric energy efficiency and conservation in Virginia households, businesses, and institutions. VES Logo

In 2008, the

directed the SCC to develop and implement an electric energy consumer education program to provide retail customers with information regarding energy conservation, energy efficiency, demand-side management, demand response, and renewable energy. The goal is for Virginians to reduce electricity consumption by 10% below 2006 levels by 2022.

Office of the Managed Care Ombudsman

Th
Office of the Managed Care Ombudsman
was created in 1999, enacted by the

and signed into legislation by then-Governor

Jim Gilmore James Stuart Gilmore III (born October 6, 1949) is an American politician, diplomat and former attorney who served as the 68th governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002. A member of the Republican Party, Gilmore also chaired the Republican Nation ...

. This office is within the SCC's Bureau of Insurance. The principal function of the Managed Care Ombudsman is to help Virginia consumers who have health care insurance provided by a Managed Care Health Insurance Plan (MCHIP), such as a Health Maintenance Organization or Preferred Provider Organization. The Managed Care Ombudsman can assist consumers in understanding and exercising their rights of appeal of adverse decisions made by MCHIPs.

The Managed Care Ombudsman answers inquiries about MCHIPs and managed care, and helps individuals who experience problems. The Ombudsman also assists individuals in understanding how managed care functions and provides information on the types of MCHIPs available in Virginia. The Ombudsman cannot investigate or resolve complaints, but can refer individuals who have a complaint to the internal review mechanisms at the MCHIP or to the appropriate government agency.

C.A.R.E. program

Established by the SCC's Division of Utility and Railroad Safety, the C.A.R.E. program is made up of education plans and training modules relative to the Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act, and the Commission Rules for Enforcement of the Act. A statewide Education Executive Committee, with seven members representing excavators, utility operators, locators, the notification center and SCC staff, meet yearly to review the results of the education efforts and recommends an education and training plan for the next year. Education plans have included brand marketing, general outreach and training workshops.

Investor Education program

The SCC's Division of Securities & Retail Franchising provides Virginians with the investor information needed to make appropriate decisions for their financial future, as well as to avoid investment fraud. This division provides free content associated with the Investor Education program in the form of publications, brochures, and teaching guides, including general outreach and presentations.

History

The Virginia Constitution of 1902 created the SCC to replace the

Virginia Board of Public Works The Virginia Board of Public Works was a governmental agency which oversaw and helped finance the development of Virginia's transportation-related internal improvements during the 19th century. In that era, it was customary to invest public funds ...

and the Office of Railroad Commissioner. The three-member Commission was charged with regulating the state railroads and telephone and telegraph companies and with registering corporations in Virginia. The SCC began operations on March 2, 1903. Since then, the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

has broadened the SCC's regulatory authority. The 1902 Constitution vested the SCC with three forms of power—judicial, legislative, and executive. The SCC acts as a

court of record A court of record is a trial court or appellate court in which a record of the proceedings is captured and preserved, for the possibility of appeal. A court clerk or a court reporter takes down a record of oral proceedings. That written record ...

and holds formal hearings when warranted. It can enforce its orders by fines or contempt citations. There is a right of appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court from any SCC decision. The SCC's executive authority is exercised in its day-to-day administration. Its legislative authority is exercised when it makes rules or sets rates.

Composition

The SCC is composed of three commissioners, each of whom is appointed by a joint vote of both houses of the Virginia Legislature.Va. Code Ann. §12.1-6. No person shall be eligible to serve as a member of the Commission unless at the time of his election or appointment he is a qualified voter under Virginia law. However, at least one member of the commission must, at any given time, meet the requirements set forth for judges of a Virginia

. The commissioners serve six year terms, and their appointment is staggered, so that a new appointment or reappointment vote occurs every two years.

Past and present members

* Beverley T. Crump (1903–1907) * Henry C. Stuart (1903–1908) *Henry Fairfax (1903–1905) * Joseph E. Willard (1905–1910) * Robert R. Prentis (1907–1916) * William F. Rhea (1908–1925) *J.R. Wingfield (1910–1918) *C.B. Garnett (1910–1918) *Alexander Forward (1918–1923) *Robert E. Williams (1918–1919) *S.L. Lupton (1918–1919) *Berkley D. Adams (1919–1928) *Oscar L. Shewmake (1923–1924) * H. Lester Hooker (1924–1972) * Louis S. Epes (1925–1929) * William Meade Fletcher (1928–1943) *

George C. Peery George Campbell Peery (October 28, 1873 – October 14, 1952) was a Virginia lawyer, school principal and Democratic politician, who served as the 52nd governor of Virginia from 1934 to 1938, after serving three terms in the U.S. House of Rep ...

(1929–1933) * Thomas W. Ozlin (1933–1944) * Harvey B. Apperson (1944–1947) *Robert O. Norris (1944–1944) *L. McCarthy Downs (1944–1949) *W. Marshall King (1947–1957) * Ralph T. Catterall (1949–1973) *Jesse W. Dillon (1957–1972) *Preston C. Shannon (1972–1996) *Junie L. Bradshaw (1972–1985) *Thomas P. Harwood, Jr. (1973–1992) *

Elizabeth B. Lacy Elizabeth Bermingham Lacy (born January 12, 1945) is a Virginia jurist. She was the first woman named to the Virginia State Corporation Commission and later was the first woman named to be a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, where she se ...

(1985–1988) *Theodore V. Morrison, Jr. (1989–2007) *Hullihen Williams Moore (1992–2004) *

Clinton Miller Isaac Clinton "Clint" Miller (born May 24, 1939) is an American former rockabilly singer, attorney, and politician. He served twenty-four years as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and ten years as a judge on the Virginia State Corporat ...

(1996–2006) * Mark Christie (2004–2021) * Judith Williams Jagdmann (2006–2022) *James C. Dimitri (2008–2018) *Patricia L. West (2019–2020) *Jehmal T. Hudson (2020–present) *Angela L. Navarro (2021–2022) *Samuel T. Towell (2024–present) *Kelsey A. Bagot (2024–present)

References

External links

State Corporation Commission official websiteVirginia Energy Sense official website
{{authority control State agencies of Virginia 1903 establishments in Virginia

Registrars of companies