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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>58706</law_id><section_number>56-76</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>2.2-1151.1</reference><reference>46.2-752</reference><reference>55.1-306.1</reference><reference>56-231.34:1</reference><reference>56-231.50:1</reference><reference>56-265.13:3</reference><reference>56-265.13:7</reference><reference>56-265.4:6</reference><reference>56-46.3</reference><reference>56-533</reference><reference>56-585.1:11</reference><reference>56-585.1:3</reference><reference>56-590</reference><reference>56-83</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="56">Public Service Companies</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="4">Regulation of Relations With Affiliated Interests</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>The term &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">public service company</span>&#x201D; when used in this chapter shall mean every <span class="dictionary">person</span>, firm, corporation or association, or their lessees, trustees or receivers, other than a <span class="dictionary">municipal corporation</span>, now or hereafter engaged in business in this Commonwealth as a public utility and subject to regulation as to <span class="dictionary">rates</span> and service by the State Corporation <span class="dictionary">Commission</span> under the provisions of Chapter 10 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Public utility and schedules defined" href="/56-232/">56-232</a> et seq.) of this title and, subject to the conditions specified therein, such companies as specified by the <span class="dictionary">Commission</span> pursuant to subsection C of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Certain contracts must be approved by the Commission" href="/56-77/">56-77</a>; however, the term shall not include and the provisions of this chapter shall not be deemed to refer to transportation companies subject directly or indirectly to the control of the Interstate Commerce <span class="dictionary">Commission</span>.
		The term &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">affiliated interest</span>&#x201D; when used in this chapter shall mean and include the following:</p></section>
						<section id="1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> Every corporation, partnership, association, or <span class="dictionary">person</span> owning or holding directly or indirectly ten percent or more of the voting securities of any <span class="dictionary">public service company</span> engaged in any intrastate business in this Commonwealth. <a id="paragraph-215140" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-76/#1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="2"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> Every corporation, partnership, association, or <span class="dictionary">person</span>, other than those specified in subdivision 1 hereof, in any chain of successive ownership of ten percent or more of voting securities, the chain beginning with the holder or holders of the voting securities of such <span class="dictionary">public service company</span>. <a id="paragraph-215141" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-76/#2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="3"><p><span class="prefix-number">3.</span> Every corporation, partnership, association, or <span class="dictionary">person</span> ten percent or more of whose voting securities are owned by any <span class="dictionary">person</span>, corporation, partnership, or association owning ten percent or more of the voting securities of such <span class="dictionary">public service company</span> or by any <span class="dictionary">person</span>, corporation, association, or partnership in any such chain of successive ownership of ten percent or more of voting securities. <a id="paragraph-215142" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-76/#3"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="4"><p><span class="prefix-number">4.</span> Every corporation, partnership, association, or <span class="dictionary">person</span> with which such <span class="dictionary">public service company</span> has a management or service <span class="dictionary">contract</span>. <a id="paragraph-215143" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-76/#4"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="5"><p><span class="prefix-number">5.</span> Every corporation in which two or more of the corporate directors are common to those of such <span class="dictionary">public service company</span>, or which is managed or supervised by the same individual, group or corporation. <a id="paragraph-215144" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-76/#5"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="6"><p><span class="prefix-number">6.</span> Every corporation or <span class="dictionary">person</span> which the <span class="dictionary">Commission</span> may determine as a matter of <span class="dictionary">fact</span> after investigation and <span class="dictionary">hearing</span> is actually exercising any substantial influence over the policies and actions of such <span class="dictionary">public service company</span> even though such influence is not based upon stockholding, stockholders, directors or officers to the extent specified in this section. <a id="paragraph-215145" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-76/#6"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="7"><p><span class="prefix-number">7.</span> Every <span class="dictionary">person</span> or corporation which the <span class="dictionary">Commission</span> may determine as a matter of <span class="dictionary">fact</span> after investigation and <span class="dictionary">hearing</span> is actually exercising such substantial influence over the policies and action of such <span class="dictionary">public service company</span> in conjunction with one or more other <span class="dictionary">corporations</span> or <span class="dictionary">persons</span> with which or whom they are so connected or related by ownership or blood relationship or by action in concert that when taken together they are affiliated with such <span class="dictionary">public service company</span> within the meaning of this section even though no one of them alone is so affiliated.
			But no such <span class="dictionary">person</span> or corporation shall be considered as affiliated within the meaning of this section if such <span class="dictionary">person</span> or corporation shall not have had transactions or dealings other than the holding of stock and the receipt of dividends thereon with such <span class="dictionary">public service company</span> during the two-year period next preceding. <a id="paragraph-215146" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-76/#7"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1934, p. 743; Michie Code 1942, &#xA7; 3774(b); 1984, c. 721; 1987, c. 385; 1996, c. 19.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
