# Virginia HB29: Budget Bill. Virginia HB29, Budget Bill., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Luke E. Torian (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-02-20 (Senate amendments agreed to by House (59-Y 35-N 0-A)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB29-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Virginia HB29 - State: Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Budget Bill. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-12-17 - Last action: 2026-02-20, Senate amendments agreed to by House (59-Y 35-N 0-A) - Sponsor: Luke E. Torian (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 15 (488 yes, 245 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 669 ## Summary Budget Bill. Amends and reenacts Chapter 725 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025, which appropriates the public revenues for two years ending, respectively, on June 30, 2025, and June 30, 2026. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Dental care authorized for Medicaid adults: benefit, high. Beginning July 1, 2021, Virginia's Medicaid agency has authority to provide adults with broad dental coverage. The benefit follows the dental benefit for pregnant women and includes preventive and restorative care. Cosmetic and orthodontic care are excluded. Coverage is limited to available appropr… - Health coverage and vaccines for children: benefit, high. Virginia must enroll and serve every eligible applicant for its children's health insurance program. The law does not change who qualifies. It also provides $840,288 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 to buy Tdap vaccines for uninsured children. These vaccines protect against tetanus, diphtheria, and w… - Health plan protections for state employees: benefit, high. State employee health plans cannot set annual out-of-pocket maximums above the limits for the plan year beginning July 1, 2014. The law does not state those dollar limits. Beginning October 1, 2018, the state employee health program covers autism treatment through age 18. The state cannot establish… - Medicaid service slots for people with disabilities: benefit, high. The law authorizes 12,176 Community Living slots and 5,463 Family and Individuals Support slots as of July 1, 2024. It also authorizes 400 Building Independence slots as of July 1, 2021. These slots support people eligible for the corresponding Medicaid waiver programs. The totals do not guarantee… - Public coverage supports pregnancy and contraception: benefit, high. The law directs a FAMIS plan change allowing payment for prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. The child must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or qualified alien at birth. Implementation applies July 1, 2021, or on the effective date of the federally approved plan change, as applicabl… - Virginia funds health coverage for children: benefit, high. Virginia provides about $448.493 million in FY2025 and $529.958 million in FY2026 for its Children's Health Insurance Program. The funding supports eligible children's coverage through the Family Access to Medical Insurance Security Plan. It pays for medical services, program operations, and health… - Free break housing for eligible students: benefit, high. Virginia public colleges must provide free housing during scheduled breaks when they maintain and operate housing during those breaks. Students must meet Virginia's eligibility rule and the federal McKinney-Vento homelessness definitions and conditions. Students must also be registered for the term… - Agency and college leaders receive raises: benefit, high. The law sets leader salaries for July 1, 2024–June 10, 2025, then generally higher salaries for June 11, 2025–June 30, 2026. The Level I executive range rises from $215,000–$293,667 to $221,450–$302,477. The Lottery Executive Director rises from $225,000 to $231,750; agency salary changes remain su… - Certified school staff get cash awards: benefit, high. Public-school staff earning National Board certification qualify for $5,000 initially and $2,500 annually for the certificate's life. Candidates working in Title I schools or schools eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision can receive specified certification-fee grants. Initial-certificati… - Early-career science teachers get cash incentives: benefit, high. Qualifying science, technology, engineering, and math teachers receive $5,000 after each qualifying year, up to three consecutive years and $15,000. Teachers must be in their first three teaching years, hold a valid five- or ten-year Virginia license, and teach their approved subject. They must wor… - Extra tuition grants at qualifying colleges: benefit, high. Students receiving Tuition Assistance Grants can get additional awards at qualifying Virginia private nonprofit colleges. At eligible historically Black colleges or universities, awards can reach $7,500 in each of the budget’s two years. At eligible federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution… - Governor's appointees receive higher scheduled salaries: benefit, high. From June 11, 2025, through June 30, 2026, the law raises annual salaries for listed gubernatorial appointees. The Chief of Staff rises from $223,610 to $230,318; Finance rises from $224,861 to $231,607. Public Safety and Homeland Security rises from $222,207 to $228,873. Agriculture and Forestry a… - High-school teachers get credential cost help: benefit, high. The law provides $350,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to help high-school teachers earn teaching credentials. Licensed public high-school teachers pursuing dual-enrollment qualifications can receive tuition scholarships of up to $12,000 over a lifetime. Division-employed high-school teachers can a… - Local future teachers get tuition grants: benefit, high. Eligible recipients can receive $7,500 per academic year for up to four years, totaling $30,000. They must have graduated from a public high school in their local division and qualified for free lunch there. They must begin teaching within one year after graduating from a Virginia college. They mus… - Longer mental health benefits for responders: benefit, high. Qualifying officers and firefighters can receive workers’ compensation for post-traumatic stress, anxiety, or depression for 104 weeks after diagnosis, up from 52. A mental health professional must link the disorder to a qualifying duty event that is a substantial factor and primary cause. Disorder… - Military survivors and dependents get study stipends: benefit, high. Qualified Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Program participants can receive up to $2,200 annually for room, board, books, and supplies. The law sets aside $11.98 million in FY2025 and $16.78 million in FY2026. Eligibility follows that program's rules, and the maximum stipend is not guaran… - More benefits access for public employees: benefit, high. Salaried public employees working at least 20 hours weekly count as full-time for state retirement and group life insurance. Part-time magistrates hired before July 1, 1999, can also choose to participate. Full-time academic-year classified staff at public colleges receive the same consideration fo… - More transfer students can qualify for grants: benefit, high. The Two-Year College Transfer Grant Program gets about $3.09 million in FY2025 and $3.29 million in FY2026. Eligible full-time students can qualify with an expected family contribution up to $12,000 or its equivalent. This higher ceiling applies to students first entering a four-year institution as… - Retirement credits instead of worker severance: benefit, high. Eligible involuntarily separated workers can choose employer-purchased retirement credits instead of transitional severance. Workers must be at least 50 at separation and vested in a Virginia Retirement System defined-benefit plan. Credits can add years of age, service, or both, based on the cash v… - Severance protection for covered local workers: benefit, high. Local governments must elect severance coverage by resolution; school divisions also need school board approval, and specified officers are excluded. Eligible workers must lose their jobs involuntarily, not for performance or misconduct, without a qualified replacement job avoiding relocation or lo… - Sick leave payouts for departing workers: benefit, high. Eligible state workers receive 25% of their sick-leave balance, up to $5,000, when they leave or retire. They must have at least five years of continuous service, and the remaining balance lapses. Workers covered by the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program do not receive this payout. They may i… - Lottery and sales taxes fund schools: benefit, high. Virginia distributes estimated lottery funding of $943.82 million in FY2025 and $947.63 million in FY2026 for public education. Localities accepting it must cover their required Standards of Quality share without using these lottery distributions. Transfers tied to the 0.375-cent state sales-and-us… - State funding supports local public schools: benefit, high. State education assistance totals about $10.582 billion in FY2025 and $10.755 billion in FY2026, subject to school allocation rules. Within education funding, estimated lottery support is $301.361 million and $275.251 million, based on $446.01 and $414.97 per student. Actual March 31 enrollment adj… - Unpaid court debts cannot stop driving: benefit, medium. Courts cannot suspend your driving privilege solely for unpaid fines, court costs, forfeitures, restitution, or penalties. DMV must clear qualifying suspensions imposed before July 1, 2019, solely under the unpaid-court-debt law. All reinstatement fees are waived, including Trauma Center Fund fees.… - At-risk youth receive funded support services: benefit, medium. Youth for Tomorrow gets $200,000 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 to serve at-risk youth, including trafficking survivors. Services include housing, meals, education, counseling, supervision, and coordination of medical and mental-health care. The contract also supports independent living and family… - Broader addiction coverage sought for pregnant women: benefit, medium. Virginia's medical assistance department must seek federal approval to expand substance use treatment coverage for FAMIS MOMS members. The expansion covers medically necessary treatment in facilities called Institutions for Mental Diseases. It must match the specified Medicaid coverage for pregnant… - Broader Medicaid dental help for families: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2022, Medicaid covers needed dental general anesthesia and hospital or outpatient surgery facility charges for children age 10 or younger. A licensed dentist, consulting the child's treating physician, must find both necessary for safe and effective care. Effective January 1, 2024… - Broader medical equipment coverage needs federal approval: benefit, medium. Virginia's Medicaid agency must seek federal permission to expand Medicaid and CHIP coverage of durable medical equipment. The requested change allows covered equipment in places where normal activities occur, not just primarily in the home. Expanded coverage depends on federal approval through wai… - Broader preventive care for Medicaid adults: benefit, medium. Virginia may make Medicaid plan or waiver changes to ensure all adult members have access to COVID-19 vaccines. Beginning July 1, 2022, Virginia may also align preventive coverage for full-benefit adults outside Affordable Care Act enrollment. Their preventive benefits can match those provided unde… - Care facility residents get priority testing: benefit, medium. Nursing home and assisted living residents and employees receive priority for COVID-19 testing. Public-health testing must be available when needed to get the fastest results for preventing or containing outbreaks. The public health system may bill responsible third parties. The law does not requir… - Child abuse response centers receive funding: benefit, medium. Child advocacy centers receive $1.970402 million in general funds and $2.1365 million in TANF funds in FY2025. In FY2026, they receive $4.317756 million in general funds and $3.1365 million in TANF funds. Centers provide child-friendly abuse responses, including forensic interviews, advocacy, medic… - Children keep plans during residential treatment: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, children in psychiatric residential treatment facilities can remain enrolled in Medicaid managed care. Facility daily payments and specified treatment services are paid separately through fee-for-service Medicaid. These include assessment, diagnosis, physician medication man… - Children receive funded mental health care options: benefit, medium. Virginia provides about $14.79 million annually in FY2025 and FY2026 for integrated children's mental health services. Its behavioral health department contracts with the Virginia Mental Health Access Program to develop those services. Another $7.6 million annually supports care for children and te… - Children's health coverage funding and access: benefit, medium. Virginia can open FAMIS children's health coverage to state employees' dependent children who otherwise qualify, subject to federal approval. The law directs up to about $14.07 million into the program's trust fund in each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The Comptroller transfers 90% of each year's… - Community care supports discharge and dementia needs: benefit, medium. The law provides about $27.723 million yearly in FY2025–2026 for people clinically ready to leave state facilities or avoid admission. It funds community services or purchased acute inpatient psychiatric care. Dementia diversion and discharge services receive $3.547 million in FY2025 and $3.647 mil… - Doula coverage and mobile maternal clinics: benefit, medium. Virginia Medicaid must cover community doula services for pregnant members, including up to eight prenatal or postpartum visits. Coverage also includes labor and delivery support and up to two incentive payments linked to postpartum and newborn care. In FY2026, mobile clinics in areas lacking mater… - Eligible inmates receive Medicaid enrollment help: benefit, medium. Virginia Corrections must keep working with the Medicaid and Social Services agencies to enroll eligible inmates in Medicaid. When possible, Corrections must identify potentially eligible inmates before inpatient hospitalization. It must establish procedures for providers to bill the Medicaid agenc… - Families can keep one vehicle for assistance: benefit, medium. Virginia must ignore the value of one motor vehicle per assistance unit when checking eligibility for TANF cash assistance. The same rule covers the separate state cash program for able-bodied two-parent families. This lets families retain one vehicle without its value counting against the asset te… - Families receive monthly child support supplements: benefit, medium. TANF recipients whose assistance unit includes at least two children receive a monthly supplement based on state-collected child support. The calculation counts collections up to $200, then subtracts the $100 disregard already passed through. The supplement is at most $100 per month. Virginia must… - Family caregivers can receive Medicaid pay: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2022, parents of children under 18 and spouses can receive pay for Medicaid personal care or assistance. Federal approval is required. Paid family members must meet the same requirements as other aides or attendants. The law does not set a payment amount. - Fewer work hours unlock earnings allowance: benefit, medium. The law lowers the minimum weekly work hours for a special Medicaid earnings allowance from eight to four. The work schedule must still be fewer than 20 hours per week. The allowance excludes a share of earnings when calculating the participant's contribution toward service costs. It applies to CCC… - Funding supports payments to relative caregivers: benefit, medium. The law provides $12.17356 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for relative maintenance payments. These payments support relatives caring for children. Upon passage, Social Services can make changes to send payments on time under 2024 legislation, before related rulemaking is complete. The law d… - Higher Medicaid limit allowed for workers: benefit, medium. Virginia's Medicaid agency can raise the Medicaid Works income limit to 138% of the federal poverty level. The program serves qualifying people with disabilities who work. The law permits, but does not require, the increase and gives no start date. - Longer coverage and faster pregnancy applications: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2021, Virginia must seek federal approval for continuous Medicaid coverage during pregnancy and through 12 months postpartum. The law also authorizes dental coverage for FAMIS MOMS enrollees, matching Medicaid pregnancy dental benefits, subject to federal approval. Virginia must t… - Matched savings for families eligible for TANF: benefit, medium. The law provides about $2.12 million in TANF funds each year of FY2025–2026 for matched savings accounts. TANF-eligible participants can save for a home, education, starting a business, transportation, or self-sufficiency. The Department of Social Services sets the matching rate. The law does not s… - Medicaid adds behavior therapy billing options: benefit, medium. Virginia may cover applied behavior analysis billing codes added in January 2019 and future updates to those codes. The law permits implementation effective December 1, 2021. Virginia may also update service definitions, prior approval, use reviews, provider qualifications, and payment rates for th… - Medicaid authority for short psychiatric stays: benefit, medium. Virginia may add Medicaid coverage for acute psychiatric stays for members ages 21 through 64. Stays cannot exceed 60 days. Psychiatric hospitals or residential treatment settings must qualify as Institutes of Mental Disease. Coverage uses a serious mental illness waiver and depends on federal appr… - Medicaid care planning before incarceration release: benefit, medium. Virginia must seek authority to enroll Medicaid-eligible people in managed care 30 days before release from incarceration. Health plans must hold a video or phone conference to develop a transition plan. The law also authorizes screenings, diagnostic services, and targeted case management for eligi… - Medicaid covers continuous glucose monitors: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, Medicaid covers continuous glucose monitors through medical and pharmacy benefits, including supplies, necessary repairs, and replacement parts. An authorized practitioner must diagnose diabetes, and the member must use insulin or have a history of problematic low blood suga… - Medicaid covers long-acting hospital mental-health medicines: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, Medicaid covers FDA-approved long-acting injectable or extended-release medicines for serious mental illness or substance use disorder. They must be given in a hospital emergency department or inpatient setting. Medicaid pays for the medicine separately from the hospital’s d… - Medicaid covers more virtual care options: benefit, medium. Virginia must authorize Medicaid coverage for clinically appropriate audio-only care, provider-to-provider consultations, and virtual patient check-ins. Coverage also includes store-and-forward services, where medical information is sent for review later. Each service must be clinically appropriate. - Medicaid income limits track price changes: benefit, medium. Virginia must update Medicaid medically needy income limits each year based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. This helps keep the limits in line with prices for people qualifying under medically needy rules. The law does not state the resulting dollar limits. - Medicaid protects public nursing home choice: benefit, medium. The law protects Medicaid recipients choosing local government-owned nursing homes when the specified federal approval was not secured by June 30, 2017. Virginia must then keep these recipients outside Cardinal Care and pay fee-for-service, including applicable supplemental payments. Cardinal Care… - Medicine cost help for eligible participants: benefit, medium. The State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program receives $200,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026. Funds can cover premiums, coinsurance, and other out-of-pocket costs for eligible Virginia Medication Assistance Program participants. Those participants must meet current program income requirements and hav… - More community care slots for disabilities: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2024, Virginia must add disability waiver slots in both FY2025 and FY2026. Each year adds 172 Community Living slots, phased in at 43 per quarter beginning July 1. Each year also adds 1,548 Family and Individual Supports slots, phased in at 387 per quarter beginning July 1. These… - More Medicaid care through schools: benefit, medium. School divisions can receive Medicaid payment for qualifying care delivered to Medicaid-eligible students, including telemedicine. Students do not need an individualized education program, and services do not need to appear in one. Covered care includes Medicaid State Plan services and children's s… - No Medicaid or CHIP cost sharing: benefit, medium. Virginia removes all enrollee cost sharing in Medicaid and CHIP, including copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. Enrollees do not owe these charges for covered services. The law sets the start as April 1, 2022, or the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency, whichever came first. - Penalty funds protect nursing facility residents: benefit, medium. Virginia appropriates $6.035 million in special funds each year of FY2025–2026 to distribute collected Medicaid nursing-facility penalties. The money must protect residents' health or property in facilities with deficiencies found during inspections. Uses include relocation, operating a facility du… - Permanent remote options for disability services: benefit, medium. Virginia must seek approval to keep telehealth and virtual learning options in Community Living, Family and Individual Services, and Building Independence waivers. The amendment must include at least services offered remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virginia must also seek federal authority f… - Qualifying two-parent families receive state cash assistance: benefit, medium. Virginia must maintain a separate, state-funded cash assistance program for qualifying able-bodied two-parent families outside federal TANF. The covered families are not eligible for TANF cash assistance under the stated federal rules. Their basic state benefit cannot be less than the comparable TA… - Relative caregivers get foster-home approval standards: benefit, medium. Virginia must keep an emergency approval process for relatives caring for children. The state must develop foster-home certification standards that follow the national model as closely as reasonably possible. Standards address safe homes under local-department and court oversight, monthly financial… - Transport help during mental health detention: benefit, medium. Alternative transport and custody receive about $14.523 million in FY2025 and $18.674 million in FY2026 to reduce law-enforcement involvement. Services cover people under emergency custody, temporary detention, or involuntary commitment orders awaiting evaluation or transport to an inpatient bed. U… - Tuberculosis medicine help for eligible patients: benefit, medium. Virginia provides $90,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for tuberculosis medicine and supplies. Assistance covers people with drug-susceptible or drug-resistant tuberculosis who lack adequate income or insurance to buy required drugs. They must also be ineligible for other free or reduced-price pres… - Western Virginia Medicaid hospital payments gain support: benefit, medium. Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine can transfer money to the state Medicaid agency for its affiliated teaching hospital. Transfers can fully cover the state share of extra fee-for-service or managed-care payments. The money must meet federal public-funding requirements. The payments aim to s… - Agencies can raise wage employee pay: benefit, medium. Agencies can raise wage employees' base pay and related benefits by up to 3% no earlier than June 10, 2024. They can grant another increase of up to 3% no earlier than June 10, 2025. Raises are optional, and agencies must pay for them from existing funds. - Bonus funding for covered local employees: benefit, medium. The law funds a 1.5% base-salary bonus on July 1, 2025, for listed locally supported employees. It also funds a 2% base-salary bonus on June 1, 2026. Payment depends on the governing authority using the money for these bonuses. Local health department employees qualify where a memorandum of underst… - College credit and remedial study access: benefit, medium. The State Council of Higher Education must publish a consistent college-credit policy for entering freshmen. It covers Advanced Placement, Cambridge A/AS, CLEP, and International Baccalaureate exams taken by August 1, 2017. Credit depends on the policy’s qualifying scores and academic requirements.… - College readiness students get scholarship funding: benefit, medium. The law provides $5 million in nongeneral funds each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for GearUp scholarships. Students must be eligible participants in Virginia's Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program. The law does not state individual scholarship amounts. - College teaching workers receive two raises: benefit, medium. Adjunct faculty and graduate teaching assistants at Virginia public colleges receive two 3% base-pay increases. These take effect June 10, 2024, and June 10, 2025. Adjunct raise funding totals about $4.46 million in FY2025 and $9.04 million in FY2026. Graduate teaching assistant raise funding total… - Continuing college students retain aid consideration: benefit, medium. State college-aid programs use the federal Student Aid Index in place of the former Expected Family Contribution. Students who received aid in 2023–2024 can still be considered using their earlier family contribution or college-adjusted need. They must remain continuously enrolled. This protection… - Coursework grants for special education teachers: benefit, medium. Eligible special educators with provisional licenses receive $600 for at least three semester hours of required special education endorsement coursework. Applicants must work in a Virginia public school, state-operated program, or regional special education center. They must hold a degree from a re… - Covered local employees receive two raises: benefit, medium. Listed locally supported employees receive 3% base-salary increases on July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025. Governing authorities must use the provided funds to support these raises. Funding totals about $38.02 million in FY2025 and $80.66 million in FY2026. Local health department employees qualify whe… - Covered state employees gain compensation options: benefit, medium. Specified agency heads can use agency funds for performance-based pay plans; some listed agencies can also use salary-increase funds. Officials in positions covered by the budget's executive pay schedule qualify for full-time classified employees' fringe benefits. Their annual scheduled salary coun… - Early learning funded for young children: benefit, medium. The law provides about $38.838 million annually in FY2025 and FY2026 for public and private early learning providers. Full-day or half-day services cover children from birth to age five. Risk criteria include income at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines, homelessness, parent school dropout… - Eligible state employees receive two raises: benefit, medium. Specified full-time state employees and officials receive 3% base-pay increases on June 10, 2024, and June 10, 2025. Executive employees covered by the Virginia Personnel Act need at least a 'Contributor' rating; other groups follow their governing authority's rules. Colleges can vary faculty and u… - Graduate assistants can get resident tuition: benefit, medium. Nonresident graduate students working for their Virginia institution as teaching, research, or graduate assistants can receive resident tuition classification. Their annual contract pay must be at least $4,000. This classification applies to tuition and fees; savings depend on the college’s rates. - Insurance premium support after covered termination: benefit, medium. For employees terminated under the applicable severance provision, employers continue paying their share of group life insurance premiums for 12 months. The law does not state the employer's dollar share. After that period, the employee is eligible to buy continuing health insurance coverage under… - Job training continues after cash assistance: benefit, medium. Qualifying former TANF participants can receive needed employment and training help for up to 12 months after cash assistance ends. This applies when assistance ends after 24 months or a case closes before 24 months are completed. It excludes cases closed with a sanction for not following VIEW empl… - Lower advanced exam costs for students: benefit, medium. Eligible public high school students pay $20 toward applicable Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Cambridge exam fees. State assistance covers the remaining applicable cost after other discounts and aid. Students must qualify for free or reduced-price lunch; at Community Eligibilit… - Military duty protects public employee retirement: benefit, medium. Covered public employees called to military active duty receive retirement credit for active-duty months after September 1, 2001. Their average-pay calculation uses the higher of pre-deployment pay or actual pay from their public employer. This covers the state’s general, state police, law officers… - One-time bonuses for eligible school staff: benefit, medium. The law provides about $134.4 million for bonuses funded at $1,000 per eligible position, payable by June 1, 2025. Covered positions include funded Standards of Quality instructional staff and instructional or support staff in Academic Year Governor’s Schools and Regional Alternative Education Prog… - Pay supplements for alternative education staff: benefit, medium. Regional Alternative Education Program instructional and support staff receive a supplement equal to 3% of base pay on July 1, 2024. They receive another 3% base-pay supplement on July 1, 2025. The law funds $549,281 in FY2025 and about $1.116 million in FY2026 for these payments. - Pay support for workers on deployment: benefit, medium. The Governor can provide salary supplements to classified state employees ordered to active duty in military reserves or the Virginia National Guard. Military salary plus other cash allowances must be below the employee's state base salary. The Governor can use unappropriated General Fund balances;… - Performance bonuses for covered state employees: benefit, medium. Appointing or governing authorities can award annual performance bonuses of 0% to 5% of salary to employees in specified positions. Awards depend on annual performance reviews and the authority's policies. Bonuses are extra pay and do not become part of base salary. Executive Branch awards must be… - Preschool educators get incentive funding: benefit, medium. The law adds $20 million in FY2025 to the Early Childhood Educator Incentive for hard-to-serve preschool classrooms. It supports educator quality, hiring, retention, and Virginia's preschool quality measurement system; the Department of Education sets guidelines. A separate program receives $306,10… - Preschool grants support at-risk young children: benefit, medium. Localities receive yearly preschool grants of $9,968 per unserved at-risk four-year-old for full-day programs, or $4,984 for half-day programs. Higher rates apply in Planning District Eight and specified Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg-area localities. Risk criteria include income at or below… - Preschool support and inclusion for families: benefit, medium. Virginia Preschool Initiative expansion funds support private-provider add-on grants for about 2,000 children, helping close provider funding gaps. The law states no per-child grant amount or family cost reduction. Each program has a 10% target for children with disabilities and Individualized Educ… - Recovery high schools support eligible teens: benefit, medium. Virginia funds year-round recovery high schools for students in early recovery from substance use disorder or dependency. Chesterfield receives $500,000 in each of fiscal 2025 and 2026 for eligible students living in Superintendent's Region 1. Loudoun and Virginia Beach each receive $500,000 in fis… - Retirement contribution relief for qualifying officials: benefit, medium. Elected officials who qualify as state employees are exempt from the required 5% retirement contribution on creditable compensation. Judicial Retirement System members are also exempt if they joined before July 1, 2010. Eligible participants keep the compensation otherwise used for that contributio… - Returning public retirees get calculation choices: benefit, medium. Eligible public retirees returning to covered work after at least four years away can choose between two retirement calculations. One adjusts the prior benefit for added service and pay; the other uses retirement law when reemployment ends. They must receive no other public-employer pay and retire… - Scholarships support space and science students: benefit, medium. The law provides $795,000 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for Virginia Space Grant Consortium scholarships and programs. This includes $100,000 annually for two New Horizons solo academy sessions serving 30 high school students. Those sessions operate with Averett University and Liberty University.… - School employee raises get state support: benefit, medium. The state funds its share of 3% raises for funded school instructional and support positions on July 1, 2024. It funds another 3% starting July 1, 2025, but does not require school divisions to raise pay. To receive prorated funding, divisions must provide at least an average 1.5% increase each yea… - State employees receive two one-time bonuses: benefit, medium. Eligible classified Executive Branch and other full-time Commonwealth employees, excluding elected officials, receive bonuses on June 16 in 2025 and 2026. The 2025 bonus is 1.5% of base pay; the 2026 bonus is $1,500. Employees must start by February 25 and remain employed through May 25 in the resp… - State Police receive targeted pay funding: benefit, medium. Sworn Virginia State Police positions get targeted raise funding of about $1.46 million in FY2025 and $1.5 million in FY2026. The money addresses pay gaps that have narrowed between employees with different experience levels. Another $2.5 million in FY2026 funds a pay-step increase for sworn positi… - Transfer students get targeted college grants: benefit, medium. First-time eligible transfer-grant students can receive $1,000 at Norfolk State, Old Dominion, Radford, UVA Wise, Virginia Commonwealth, or Virginia State. The law sets aside up to $600,000 each year in FY2025 and FY2026. Students must qualify under Virginia’s transfer-grant law. Support is limited… - Veterans get college enrollment and support: benefit, medium. Virginia public colleges must establish procedures for continued enrollment of armed services or National Guard veterans receiving GI Bill education benefits. Procedures must address unpaid account balances, and specified state accounting requirements do not apply to these students. The law also pr… - Bigger standard deduction for Virginia filers: benefit, medium. For tax years starting in 2025 or 2026, Virginia's standard deduction is $8,750 for single filers and $17,500 for married joint filers. Married people filing separately can claim $8,750 each. Filers must not itemize deductions on their federal return. People who can be claimed as dependents can cal… - Refundable tax credit for low-income workers: benefit, medium. For tax years 2025 and 2026, eligible workers can claim a refundable Virginia earned income credit. It equals 20% of the federal earned income tax credit claimed. You must claim it on your Virginia return instead of the alternative Virginia credits named in the law. - Tax deduction for disability savings contributions: benefit, medium. Since tax year 2016, contributions to Virginia ABLE disability savings accounts qualify for a state income deduction. The usual limit is $2,000 per account each year, with unused eligible contributions carried forward. Contributors age 70 or older can deduct the full contribution, minus amounts alr… - Farm loss payments after disease or disasters: benefit, medium. The Governor can provide up to $5 million in total payments for Virginia livestock or poultry losses. Losses must result from an infectious disease outbreak or natural disaster. Payments to growers, producers, and owners must follow state agriculture department guidelines. The Commissioner must con… - Business owners keep interstate tax recognition: benefit, medium. For tax years beginning January 1, 2021, or later, qualifying out-of-state pass-through entity taxes count as paid by individual owners. Taxes are assigned to owners in proportion to ownership. The other state's law must be substantially similar to Virginia's pass-through entity tax law. The law re… - Business-level tax option for pass-through owners: benefit, medium. Pass-through businesses can annually choose to pay Virginia income tax at the business level, starting with tax years beginning January 1, 2022. The rate is 5.75%, and owners receive a credit for their share under the law. Businesses must elect on a timely return, including extensions. One supplied… - More funding for children's support services: benefit, medium. Fiscal year 2026 funding for the Children's Services Act non-Medicaid state pool rises from about $406.80 million to $427.53 million. Localities use the pool for eligible services for children and youth. Each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026 also provides about $1.01 million in nongeneral funds for 10… - State reimburses approved local jail upgrades: benefit, medium. The law authorizes up to $36.144170 million for security and mechanical upgrades at three detention facilities. Caps are $14.479670 million for Fairfax, $9.975250 million for Loudoun, and $11.689250 million for the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. It also authorizes up to $44.758218 million… - Alcohol revenues support treatment and recovery: benefit, medium. Virginia directs about $65.376 million yearly from Alcoholic Beverage Control profits to the general fund for alcohol-related care. It also directs about $9.141 million yearly from wine liter taxes for that purpose. Supported work includes care, treatment, study, and rehabilitation through state ag… - Funding supports required local children's services: benefit, medium. The law provides up to $2.2 million annually in FY2025 and FY2026 for local wraparound services for students with disabilities. The Children’s Services Act policy manual defines which students these services cover. First-year supplemental funding sets aside $92.709588 million in general funds and $… - More medical funding for Virginia prisoners: benefit, medium. The FY2026 prison medical and clinical care budget rises from about $275.31 million to $300.22 million. The funding supports offsite healthcare, medicines, and care in Department of Corrections facilities. - Opioid treatment grants and care navigation: benefit, medium. The Opioid Abatement Authority receives about $73.621 million in FY2025 and $77.829 million in FY2026. It can provide grants, donations, or other assistance for Virginia efforts to treat, prevent, and reduce opioid misuse. The Department of Social Services also receives $400,000 in FY2026 for an Ad… - State agencies receive capped credit lines: benefit, medium. The Comptroller must provide capped credit lines for agency financing, not household loans or grants. Caps are: Health Benefits Services, $75 million; Line of Duty Act, $10 million; Accounts Payroll Service Bureau, $400,000; Accounts Transfer Payments, $5.25 million; Alcoholic Beverage Control, $80… - Virginia adds money to budget reserves: benefit, medium. The State Comptroller must deposit $294.48224 million from actual FY2024 general fund tax collections into the Revenue Reserve Fund. That deposit is due by June 30, 2025. A second deposit of $312.33034 million from actual FY2025 collections is due by June 30, 2026. These transfers build state reser… - Virginia must restore carbon market participation: benefit, medium. Virginia agencies must restore state participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative carbon market. They must cancel the 2023 regulation and restore the 2020 emissions-trading rule within 90 days of the act's effective date. They must update the rule by January 1, 2027, to match the latest… - Funding keeps Virginia Medicaid systems running: benefit, medium. Virginia funds maintenance and operation of the Medicaid Enterprise System in each of FY2025 and FY2026. Annual funding includes about $15.462 million in general funds and $62.408 million in nongeneral funds. The system supports Medicaid administration. This appropriation does not directly change h… - More funding for family child care: benefit, medium. Virginia provides about $272.03 million in state funds for child care subsidies in FY2026. The provision also lists $131.52 million in federal child care funds and a separate total of $430.41 million. These amounts support care for eligible families. They do not set each family's benefit or guarant… - More funding for local social services: benefit, medium. The law reserves about $95.37 million in FY2025 and $117.57 million in FY2026 for allowable local costs beyond available general-fund reimbursement. It also provides $28.1 million and $31.1 million, respectively, for allowable local public assistance administration costs. Localities must report all… - Summer food benefits funded for children: benefit, medium. Virginia provides $105.203 million in other funds in FY2026 for summer nutrition benefits for eligible children. The FY2025 appropriation shown is $0. The law does not state each child's benefit amount or the eligibility formula. - Teaching hospitals receive low-income care funding: benefit, medium. The law funds reported indigent-care costs at Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Virginia health systems, adjusting for Medicaid-expansion savings. VCU receives about $2.095 million in general funds and $21.799 million in nongeneral funds in FY2025. Its FY2026 funding is about $4.42… - Career education receives state funding: benefit, medium. Vocational education receives $173.439108 million in FY2025 and $174.563383 million in FY2026 through Basic Aid. Division payments depend on the number of instructors required by state staffing standards. Another $600,000 each year provides $60,000 apiece to eight regional career centers and two na… - Construction grants support local public schools: benefit, medium. School construction grants receive $200 million in FY2025 and $110 million in FY2026, plus $50 million from the Literary Fund in FY2025. Grants cover 30% of eligible costs for divisions with a local ability-to-pay index below .3000 or high fiscal stress. They cover 20% for indexes from .3000 to bel… - Education revenue flows to local schools: benefit, medium. Estimated education-fund transfers to the General Fund total $585.967 million in FY2025 and $606.852 million in FY2026. These monthly transfers support required school funding and local education aid, and must occur within 10 days after deposits. Remaining education and property-tax-relief revenues… - Funding offsets higher education program costs: benefit, medium. Virginia sets aside $75 million in state funds for FY2025 and $85 million for FY2026. The money offsets the impact of higher education programs covered by Title 23.1, Chapter 6 of Virginia law. Unspent funds carry forward and remain available for these purposes. This provision does not identify ind… - Funding supports students and community learning: benefit, medium. The supplemental education schedule provides about $90.68 million in FY2025 and $51.75 million in FY2026. Listed programs include teacher recruitment, student support, community learning, and cultural programs. Funding goes to those programs rather than direct household payments. - School funding keeps textbooks free: benefit, medium. Virginia provides about $108.202 million in FY2025 and $106.648 million in FY2026 for the state share of textbook costs. Funding uses $160.14 per student each year and adjusted March 31 enrollment. School divisions must provide textbooks free to all students. Localities must match funding based on… - School funding targets students at risk: benefit, medium. At-Risk Program general funding is $566.390 million in FY2025 and $555.844 million in FY2026. Lottery funding adds $274.024 million and $297.193 million, respectively. The formula uses a three-year average identified-student percentage, a 1.25 multiplier, and one quarter of identified English learn… - State funding supports special education students: benefit, medium. The law funds the state's share of required special education instructors. Basic Aid adds 4.75% for each Service Level I student and 5.25% for each Service Level II student. These levels follow Virginia's special education definitions; funded speech-pathologist caseload standards use 68 students in… - State payments support local school budgets: benefit, medium. Localities receive $272.5 million in FY2025 and $273.6 million in FY2026 for school-related sales-tax payments. Distribution follows the latest annual school-age population estimates from the Weldon Cooper Center. The law also pays divisions to replace reduced sales-tax distributions caused by exem… - Teacher funding supports English learner students: benefit, medium. Virginia provides about $213.237 million in FY2025 and $203.486 million in FY2026 for English learner teacher positions. Required staffing is one teacher per 20, 30, 40, or 50 students at proficiency levels one through four. Other identified English learners require one teacher per 100 students. FY… - New state tax system includes e-filing: benefit, medium. The law provides $131 million in fiscal year 2025 to replace Virginia’s tax management system. Funding requires a vendor contract that includes an individual income-tax electronic filing system usable by all Virginians. Leftover money goes into the Project Lighthouse Fund, stays available, and can… - Abuse hotline also accepts adult complaints: benefit, low. Virginia's Department of Social Services must use its toll-free child abuse and neglect hotline for adult complaints, too. The department must publicize this option for reporting adult abuse and neglect. - Covered emergency penalties allow prepayment: benefit, low. A civil penalty under Virginia Code § 44-146.17(1) is eligible for prepayment through the specified procedure. An executive order sets the prepayment amount. That amount does not limit the trial judge's discretion in an individual case. The law does not state an amount or guarantee a lower penalty. - Emergency online meetings preserve public access: benefit, low. During a governor-declared emergency, public bodies and community association boards can meet electronically without a physically assembled quorum. The emergency must make gathering unsafe or impractical, and business must be legally required or needed to continue operations. Notice and access must… - Funding supports abuse victims and prevention: benefit, low. Domestic violence programs receive $1.423750 million in general funds and $4.246792 million in other funds annually in FY2025 and FY2026. Designated crisis funding gives first priority to core services, including 24-hour hotlines, emergency shelter, and emergency transportation. Child abuse victim… - State agencies fund better language access: benefit, low. State agencies receive $2 million in general funds in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to improve language access. The law does not identify specific covered services or residents and does not create a cash benefit. - State-issued summonses avoid a local fee: benefit, low. Counties, cities, and towns cannot charge the local electronic summons fee on summonses issued by Virginia state law-enforcement agencies. People receiving those summonses avoid that fee. The provision does not state the fee amount. - Translation helps immigrants find local services: benefit, low. The law provides $100,000 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 to expand interpretation and translation through Virginia’s 2-1-1 service. This helps immigrants find information about healthcare, housing, and other local services. The money funds referrals and language access, not household expense paymen… - Whistleblowers can receive money rewards: benefit, low. People who report wrongdoing or abuse under the Fraud and Abuse Whistle Blower Protection Act can receive money rewards. The law authorizes rewards but does not set their amounts or payment dates. - Clearer college fee information for students: benefit, low. When practicable, Virginia public four-year college boards must require clear website listings of athletic fees and links to state fee information. Boards must also consider a separate invoice page showing major mandatory fee parts, including athletics. When practicable, the state higher education… - Chip cards protect household benefit payments: benefit, low. Virginia provides $1.5 million in general funds and $1.5 million in other funds in FY2026 for chip benefit cards. The money supports switching electronic benefit transfer cards to chip cards to fight fraud. The provision does not change benefit amounts or require recipients to pay transition costs. - Community health support for developmental disabilities: benefit, low. Health support networks receive $5.05 million in general funds each year in FY2025 and FY2026. They serve people with developmental disabilities in regions served, now or previously, by four state training centers. Those centers are Southside, Central Virginia, Northern Virginia, and Southwestern V… - Companion services funded for seniors and disabilities: benefit, low. The law provides about $4.185 million in both FY2025 and FY2026 for adult companion services. Federal Social Services Block Grant money supports eligible low-income older adults and adults with disabilities. The law does not set a payment amount for each person. - Cornerstones funding helps families meet urgent needs: benefit, low. The law provides Cornerstones $750,000 in FY2025 and $1 million in FY2026 from the TANF block grant. The contract supports help with families' urgent or ongoing housing, child care, food, and money needs. Cornerstones must report yearly on results. The law does not set individual award amounts. - Food and essentials help in Chesapeake: benefit, low. Chesapeake receives $400,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to support Buffalow Family and Friends. The funds support food, clothing, and basic living essentials for people served by the organization. The law sets no individual benefit amount or eligibility calculation. - Food banks fund child nutrition programs: benefit, low. The Virginia Federation of Food Banks gets $3 million in TANF funds each year in FY2025 and FY2026. The contract funds child nutrition programs. The law does not set individual eligibility rules or household payment amounts. - Foster youth get driving and service help: benefit, low. Local departments must explain available services and how to restore independent living services to youth leaving either program before age 21. This information does not guarantee eligibility. The law provides $310,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for statewide foster youth driver's license help. T… - Funding for families receiving adoption assistance: benefit, low. Special needs adoption assistance receives $14.330 million in general funds and $7 million in other funds in FY2025. In FY2026, it receives $8.418 million and $2.25 million, respectively. Title IV-E adoption subsidies receive $72.806 million in general funds and $75.929 million in other funds in FY… - Funding supports home visits and children: benefit, low. Each budget year provides about $9.04 million in TANF funds for programs using the Healthy Families America home-visiting model. Part supports Prevent Child Abuse Virginia's statewide coordination, training, quality checks, and evaluation. The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation receives $1.25 mill… - Health expense fund for mass violence victims: benefit, low. The law creates a Mass Violence Care Fund for victims' out-of-pocket health costs. It transfers previously provided victim-assistance balances into the fund, where unused money remains available. Money cannot be transferred or spent until the General Assembly adopts an administration structure. The… - Health insurance credits for social services retirees: benefit, low. The law funds health insurance credits for eligible retired local social services employees. Each year of FY2025–2026, funding includes $712,062 in general funds and $684,138 in nongeneral funds. The law does not state an individual retiree's credit amount. - Hospital access options for state employees: benefit, low. A hospital serving as state employees' primary medical facility can join their health program despite being outside the department's network. It must enter a written rate agreement, and the department must accept its lowest qualifying offered rate. Without agreement, the department pays its final-o… - Local abuse survivors get funded services: benefit, low. The Laurel Center gets $1.25 million in TANF funds each year in FY2025 and FY2026. It provides services for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. Funded services are limited to Winchester and Frederick, Clarke, and Warren counties. The law does not set individual payment amounts. - Local agencies fund low-income family services: benefit, low. Local Community Action Agencies get $9.25 million in FY2025 and $11.25 million in FY2026 from federal TANF funds. They provide services for low-income people and families. Services may include child care, development, education, jobs, health, nutrition, housing, and transportation. The law funds se… - Loudoun funds community kitchen food help: benefit, low. The law provides Loudoun County $50,000 in FY2026 for Anna Sudha Community Kitchens to address food insecurity. It does not set individual payment amounts or household eligibility calculations. - Low-income families get funded support services: benefit, low. United Community receives $1.2 million in both FY2025 and FY2026 for combined support services for low-income families. Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services receives $200,000 each year for housing, emergency help, children's services, budgeting, and counseling. Both grants use federal Temporar… - Lower school meal costs for families: benefit, low. School divisions receive $4.1 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to lower or eliminate breakfast and lunch charges. The help serves students eligible for reduced-price meals under the federal school breakfast or lunch programs. The Department of Education can reduce support proportionately to sta… - Medicaid payment rules protect treatment access: benefit, low. Virginia cannot reward specialty-drug or pharmacy benefit contractors for denying or delaying medically appropriate prescriptions. It also cannot reward reduced drug use or fewer members receiving drugs, or base bonuses on a percentage of savings. Contractor fees must reflect reasonable service cos… - Medicaid plans get care coordination standards: benefit, low. Virginia can revise renewed or amended Medicaid plan contracts for staffing, care coordination, screening, and maternal and child health coordination. Revisions also cover provider policy notices and training, credential checks, processing complete claims, and reports on provider network access. Pl… - Monthly allowance for eligible assisted living residents: benefit, low. Beginning January 1, 2024, the monthly personal care allowance is $87 for eligible auxiliary grant recipients. Recipients must live in a licensed assisted living facility or approved adult foster care home. A full year of eligibility provides $1,044. - More transition support for Loudoun youth: benefit, low. The law provides $89,396 in each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026 to expand Loudoun County transition services. The state contracts with the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes for its Transitioning Youth program. It serves people with developmental disabilities aging out of and leaving the county's sch… - Northern Virginia families get crisis support: benefit, low. Northern Virginia Family Services gets $2 million in FY2025 and $2.125 million in FY2026 from TANF funds. Crisis services include food, financial help to prevent homelessness, health-service access, and adult job development. Another $500,000 yearly funds neighborhood-based mobile services and outr… - Payment adjustments and breaks for foster parents: benefit, low. The state sets automatic yearly inflation adjustments for maximum room-and-board payments to foster parents. Adjustments apply only after a fiscal year with state employee salary increases. The law does not set the adjustment amount. It also funds respite care with $180,200 in general funds and $99… - Recovery homes receive compliance monitoring: benefit, low. Virginia's behavioral health department must monitor credentialed recovery homes for compliance with state rules. It must consult with the entities designated under state law and keep its public recovery-home list current. The rule does not directly change resident costs or service eligibility. - State handles adoption assistance negotiations: benefit, low. Virginia's Department of Social Services negotiates all adoption assistance agreements for local departments. This covers both current and prospective adoptive parents. Parents keep their appeal rights, and local departments keep their legal duties. Funding supports five positions for negotiations;… - State workers get pharmacy cost information: benefit, low. State employee health-plan administrator contracts signed on or after July 1, 2018, must require pharmacy cost transparency. Employees receive specified pharmacy claim and drug-cost information through explanations of benefits. Administrators also report aggregate differences between pharmacy payme… - Virginia can raise adult care support: benefit, low. Virginia can raise assisted living and adult foster care rates, or the personal care allowance. Increases can occur January 1 when federal SSI or Social Security rates rise. They can also occur when needed to maintain eligibility for federal Medicaid funding. The state budget department must agree,… - Alexandria community college gains housing options: benefit, low. Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria Campus can partner with its foundation or a private contractor to build on-campus housing. Housing must be on College land, which the Campus can lease to the partner. The Campus can also contract for housing management and maintenance. The law sets n… - Funding supports housing and homelessness help: benefit, low. The Department of Social Services gets $564,000 each in FY2025 and FY2026 for housing support under Virginia Code § 63.2-905.1:1. Eligibility follows that law; this budget item does not give detailed eligibility rules or individual payment amounts. FACETS also gets $350,000 in Temporary Assistance… - Housing help after state hospital stays: benefit, low. The law provides $2.5 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to develop or buy suitable community housing. It serves people with complex, resource-intensive needs who are clinically able to leave state hospitals for community care. The law also identifies $250,000 each year for a community support te… - Housing support through Lighthouse Community Center: benefit, low. Lighthouse Community Center in Planning District 11 receives $500,000 in FY2025 and $500,000 in FY2026. The money comes from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant. It supports housing assistance and other eligible services for people the nonprofit serves. The law does not set indi… - Transitional housing for female trafficking survivors: benefit, low. The law provides $300,000 in FY2025 to contract with Latisha's House for long-term transitional housing. The services are for female survivors of sex trafficking. Money unspent at the close of June 30, 2025, carries forward for the same purpose. The law does not set an individual housing subsidy. - Care facilitators no longer need degrees: benefit, low. People providing consumer-directed services facilitation no longer need an associate's or bachelor's degree. Work experience must be listed as sufficient to meet the qualifications. The law does not set pay or guarantee a job. - College aid supports emergencies and grants: benefit, low. Colleges may use up to 1% of undergraduate need-based aid allocations for financial emergencies that put students at risk of dropping out. The State Council of Higher Education approves award criteria and sets reporting guidelines. When a college closes its student loan fund, all cash and future pr… - College support for former foster youth: benefit, low. Virginia provides $500,000 in each of fiscal 2025 and 2026 for Great Expectations support grants. The community college program serves young adults who have experienced foster care. Grants support needs such as college coaches, mentors, housing stipends, child care, and transportation. The law does… - Commuting help allowed for state workers: benefit, low. State agencies may repay some or all of workers’ public transit, carpool, or vanpool costs. Agencies do not have to offer this help. Payments cannot exceed actual costs or available appropriations. Programs must follow the Transportation Secretary’s guidelines under the federal National Energy Poli… - Extra pay allowed for agency leaders: benefit, low. Boards may supplement pay for leaders of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Gunston Hall, and Library of Virginia with the Governor’s written approval. Jamestown-Yorktown’s board may supplement its Executive Director’s pay using nonstate funds. Boards overseei… - Extra pay allowed for college leaders: benefit, low. Boards may annually supplement pay for public college presidents and directors, including the Southern Virginia and Southwest Virginia higher education centers and New College Institute. They may use gifts, endowments, foundation funds, and income from gifts or endowments; other funding used before… - Former offenders get funded learning opportunities: benefit, low. The Judge Swett Learning Center receives $500,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026. The funding supports vocational and educational classes for participants, including former offenders. The law does not specify individual payments. - Immigrant communities get healthcare worker training: benefit, low. Prince William County receives $2 million in FY2025 for healthcare worker training for members of the immigrant community. The law funds training access but does not set individual grants, tuition payments, or detailed eligibility rules. - Medicaid enrollees get work support referrals: benefit, low. Virginia's Medicaid agency must develop referrals connecting current and newly eligible enrollees with work, training, education assistance, and support services. It works with social services, workforce agencies, and other partners. New enrollees identified as potentially unemployed or underemploy… - Minority teachers get licensing test help: benefit, low. The law provides $50,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to help provisionally licensed minority teachers gain full Virginia licenses. School divisions, teacher-preparation programs, and nonprofits can receive grants of up to $10,000. The grants help pay Praxis and Virginia Communication and Literacy… - More mentoring and school support funding: benefit, low. The Virginia Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs receives $2 million in TANF funds each budget year to expand prevention and mentoring. Visions of Truth Community Development Corporation receives a contract supporting Portsmouth's STRIVE suspension and dropout prevention program. That program receives… - Online guide helps students plan transfers: benefit, low. Virginia provides $480,000 and two positions in each of fiscal 2025 and 2026 for an online college transfer guide. The community college system develops and maintains it with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. It lists agreements, course matches, program guidelines, and tools for t… - Past disability retirement exception has expired: benefit, low. A narrow exception allowed a school-division employee to submit a disability retirement application by October 1, 2014. The employee had completed a 24-month unpaid leave during October 2013 and had previously applied in 2011. The exception did not apply if a court had already decided the case. The… - Pay options for two public directors: benefit, low. After a vacancy on or after enactment, the higher education council sets its new director's salary using the Level I agency-head range. The council can also award a bonus up to 5% of annual salary. The Port Authority Board can supplement its executive director's salary with the Governor's prior app… - Private funds can boost college pay: benefit, low. Eligible public colleges may supplement classified employees’ annual salaries using private gifts, endowment funds, or income from those sources. Colleges must meet eligibility standards established in the 2005 laws and follow policies approved by their boards. The law sets no payment amount. The C… - Public workers can share productivity savings: benefit, low. The Administration and Finance secretaries can establish a program sharing productivity, efficiency, and performance savings with agencies and employees. Any program must include employee participation and a process to evaluate and use employee suggestions. It must also have a formula for measuring… - Some state workers can buy surplus computers: benefit, low. Agencies outside Virginia Information Technologies Agency computer services can set rules to sell surplus computers and laptops to employees or officials. Sales are optional, and the law sets no prices. Sale proceeds must return to the funds that bought the equipment. - State employees keep retirement savings matches: benefit, low. The deferred compensation program's maximum cash match must be at least $20 per pay period or $40 per month. This applies in each year of the 2024–26 budget. Employees must be eligible participants and contribute as the program requires; it is not an unconditional payment to every employee. The Gov… - State travel payments use payroll accounts: benefit, low. State employees must receive official business travel reimbursements in the same bank account authorized for direct deposit of net pay. The rule changes how reimbursements arrive, not the amount owed. - Audited taxpayers get clearer process information: benefit, low. At the start of a Virginia tax audit, the Tax Department must explain the process and tax policies under review. It must also publish common audit issues on its website. These information requirements do not change the tax owed. - Bullion buyers keep sales tax exemption: benefit, low. The sales and use tax exemption for gold, silver, and platinum bullion and legal tender coins continues through July 1, 2026. Buyers of qualifying items do not pay the tax covered by this exemption. - Educators can deduct eligible classroom costs: benefit, low. For Virginia tax years beginning January 1, 2022, or later, eligible educators can deduct up to $500 annually. They must serve at least 900 hours in a qualifying role serving accredited public or private primary or secondary students. Eligible costs include professional development, books, supplies… - Families keep selected sales tax holidays: benefit, low. Virginia keeps specified sales and use tax holidays in effect through July 1, 2025. Eligible purchases include school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane preparedness equipment, and qualifying Energy Star or WaterSense products. The exemption applies during the scheduled holidays, not throughou… - Fewer penalties for estimated tax shortfalls: benefit, low. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, estimated-tax underpayments of $1,000 or less carry no underpayment penalty. The previous threshold was $150. This exemption applies to individuals, trusts, and estates. It removes the penalty, not the underlying tax owed. - Tax filing help for eligible households: benefit, low. The law provides $635,725 in TANF funds in each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026 for tax-credit help. The Virginia Community Action Partnership provides outreach, education, and tax preparation through community partners. Services target citizens who may qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credi… - Incentive funding for home child care: benefit, low. The law provides a one-time $400,000 in FY2025 for the Small Family Day Home Provider Incentive Pilot Program. The pilot is established in House Bill 1833. Unspent money carries forward to support the pilot through its end on June 30, 2029. The provision does not set an individual provider's incent… - Agencies manage Capitol traffic and safety: benefit, low. General Services and Capitol Police must control rights-of-way and pedestrian and vehicle traffic on state primary highways within the Capitol complex. Their duties support traffic safety, pedestrian safety, and security at the seat of government. - Bristol gets help addressing landfill problems: benefit, low. Bristol receives $26.5 million in FY2025 to address landfill-related health, environmental, and quality-of-life problems. The city and the Department of Environmental Quality must sign an agreement before funding is available. The department provides technical help and supports a long-term operatin… - Children's services improve reporting and data: benefit, low. The Office of Children's Services receives $70,000 in general funds annually in FY2025 and FY2026 for uniform reporting support. Another $275,000 annually purchases and maintains a Children's Services Act information system. The system tracks child demographics, services, spending, and outcomes. Th… - Committee reviews federal forfeiture spending plans: benefit, low. The Attorney General must seek Disbursement Review Committee input on plans to use qualifying federal forfeiture money or property. This applies to proceeds available through the Justice Department or Treasury forfeiture programs, as far as federal rules permit. Spending must follow federally appro… - Conditional support for Purple Heart memorial: benefit, low. The law authorizes up to $100,000 for the Military Order of the Purple Heart to operate its National Hall of Honor. Payment is available only if at least half of the other states have made similar grants. The money supports the institution, not direct veteran payments. - Continued financing for cleaner local waterways: benefit, low. The law continues prior bond authority for water-quality grants, stormwater assistance, sewer overflow matching grants, nutrient removal, and Hopewell wastewater projects. Bonds remain limited to amounts available under earlier authorizations. Local governments can receive matching stormwater grant… - Funding for child protection and fostering: benefit, low. The law provides $500,000 in FY2025 to improve the child protective services hotline's phone response system. Unspent money tied to unpaid upgrade costs on June 30, 2025, remains available for those costs. Virginia Fosters receives $50,000 in general funds and $50,000 in other funds each year for o… - Funding for emergency calls and radios: benefit, low. Wireless 911 dispatch centers receive $3.7 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 from the Wireless E-911 Fund. The money offsets phone and operating costs. The statewide agency radio network receives about $9.18 million annually for maintenance. The COMLINC communications system receives $350,200… - Funding for highway patrols and vehicles: benefit, low. Each year in FY2025 and FY2026, transportation funds provide $810,687 for eight patrol positions at the I-95/I-395/I-495 interchange. They also provide about $4.83 million for statewide weigh-station enforcement and $1.63 million for troopers assigned to Highway Safety Corridors. General funds prov… - Funding for local community programs: benefit, low. Charlottesville receives $250,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for Tonsler League programming. Prince William County receives $250,000 in FY2025 for the Nepali Community Center. Fairfax County receives $200,000 in FY2026 for Lorton Community Action Center. Virginia Beach receives $200,000 in FY2026… - Funding for three cold case investigators: benefit, low. State Police receive $301,194 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for three cold case investigator positions. The funding supports investigations of unresolved cases. - Funding for Virginia election agency operations: benefit, low. The Department of Elections receives $190,000 in FY2025 to carry out three measures from the 2024 General Assembly. These are House Bill 588, Senate Bill 4, and House Joint Resolution 45. It also receives $500,000 for added technology costs from moving information and systems to the cloud. Unspent… - Funding supports stormwater and Bay cleanup: benefit, low. Stormwater management receives $3.292479 million in federal funds in each of FY2025 and FY2026. A $20 million first-year Chesapeake Bay pilot pays selected contractors only after promised pollution reductions and contract terms are verified. Proposals are ranked for pollution reduction, habitat, re… - Funding to carry out community policing: benefit, low. State Police receive about $1.48 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 to carry out the Community Policing Act. The money supports agency compliance and implementation work, not payments to individuals. - Hanover receives human services planning funds: benefit, low. Hanover County receives $150,000 from the general fund in FY2026 to complete a Health and Human Services Master Plan. The plan addresses long-term needs and guides county human services policy. The money pays for planning, not household benefits. - Health reports must use actual deaths: benefit, low. Virginia's health department must review and update its COVID-19 and other infectious-disease reporting methods. Reported deaths must be actual deaths, not estimates projected from other data. - Local programs fund youth and family support: benefit, low. The Milk and Cookies Children's Program receives $250,000 annually in FY2025 and FY2026 to expand services for children of incarcerated parents. Community Builders receives $500,000 in FY2025 and $300,000 in FY2026 for its Roanoke and Petersburg pilot. Those cities divide the money based on prior-y… - Local social services mergers stay voluntary: benefit, low. Money from this law cannot be used to force local social services departments to merge. The Social Services Commissioner works with localities that choose to merge. This does not change household benefit eligibility. - Major state landmark changes require review: benefit, low. Agency heads must submit plans for significant changes or demolition of state-owned properties on the Virginia Landmarks Register. Covered work includes remodeling, restoration, redecoration, appearance-changing repairs, and landscaping changes. Historic Resources must review plans within 30 days.… - More advertising to recruit minority troopers: benefit, low. State Police receive $100,000 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for increased marketing and advertising to recruit minority troopers. The funding supports recruitment efforts, not direct payments to recruits. - More funding for State Police technology: benefit, low. The FY2026 State Police technology, telecommunications, and records budget rises from about $121.39 million to $130.69 million. Selected technology upgrades receive about $10.21 million in FY2025 and $19.51 million in FY2026 to support compliance requirements. Crime information network servers and… - More funding to prevent domestic violence: benefit, low. The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Prevention Fund receives $2.65 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026. The fund must award the money for evidence-based services. Applications must be solicited by August 1, and awards must be made by October 1 each year. - More grant funding for public transportation: benefit, low. The Virginia Transit Association receives $500,000 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for competitive public transportation grants. The money comes from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds. Grants must support public transportation covered by the referenced Virginia law; no rider payment or f… - More resources for police child-crime investigations: benefit, low. The Northern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force receives $1.45 million in nongeneral funds annually in FY2025 and FY2026. It also receives $517,000 in general funds each year to expand operations. State Police can use special-fund revenue left after expenses for air medical equipm… - More support for adult protection calls: benefit, low. The law provides $246,548 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 to handle more adult protective services calls. The funding supports these calls through the child protective services hotline. - Police coordinate sex offender registry oversight: benefit, low. State Police must coordinate registry monitoring with agencies that also supervise people required to register. The Superintendent must train all local law enforcement agencies on registration and re-registration. The training and notification rule took effect July 1, 2015. Suspected failures to fo… - Prison medical care gets more oversight: benefit, low. The law funds six medical contract monitor positions in the Department of Corrections. They oversee whether medical services in department facilities are adequate and meet quality standards. The provision does not state a funding amount. - Public financing deals face conflict limits: benefit, low. Listed public officials and covered immediate family members cannot enter alternative state financing deals that may create conflicts of interest. The restriction covers specified governing bodies, state officials, and participating local government or authority officials. Where required, coverage… - Richmond keeps funds for heritage site: benefit, low. Richmond can use remaining state funds to plan and develop the Slavery and Freedom Heritage Site. This includes Lumpkin's Pavilion and Slave Trail improvements. Funds become available after the Department of General Services receives planning and development information. The city must provide proje… - Staffing for record checks and clearing: benefit, low. State Police receive $211,947 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 and three positions for criminal-history record-check work. This addresses a Crime Commission recommendation about the Hold File used in those checks. The existing automatic record-clearing process receives $438,464 annually and four posi… - State directs money to wildlife and boating: benefit, low. The Game Protection Fund receives up to $7.3 million yearly from specified motor vehicle rental tax revenue. The Governor can also direct transfers of collections above the official revenue forecast. A separate revenue stream provides up to $12.9736 million in 2024–25 and $12.1846 million in 2025–2… - State funds tobacco settlement enforcement: benefit, low. The law provides $300,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for private legal services and unbudgeted tobacco settlement enforcement costs. Private legal-service transfers need prior written approval from the Governor or Attorney General. The Attorney General must request enforcement transfers. This mon… - State mapping supports coastal flood planning: benefit, low. The Department of Environmental Quality must provide available funds to the Virginia Geographic Information Network for statewide mapping. Aerial images and land-cover data support stormwater planning. Updated coastal laser elevation surveys support management of repeated flooding. The provision sp… - State plans campaign reporting system replacements: benefit, low. The Department of Elections receives $250,000 in first-year general funds to plan replacements for two campaign reporting systems. The plan covers Committee Electronic Tracking and Campaign Finance Management. It is due to the Governor and specified legislative budget leaders by October 1, 2025. Un… - State Police expand specialized enforcement tools: benefit, low. State Police receive $1.129554 million annually in FY2025 and FY2026 for a second Special Operations Division serving the Sixth Division. Positions transferred from the Sixth Division must be backfilled there. Annual general-fund support also includes $1.573157 million for a gaming enforcement offi… - Virginia funds and updates service referrals: benefit, low. Virginia's 2-1-1 service receives $936,149 in general funds and $1.331847 million in other funds annually in FY2025 and FY2026. It provides resource referrals and consumer information, including child care information. Social Services must request participation from child-serving agencies and state… - More funding for cleaner Virginia water: benefit, low. The law provides about $8.02 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 to match expected federal clean-water loan funding. This supports the Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It also deposits about $17.39 million in FY2025 into the Virginia Wate… - Water upgrades for three Virginia communities: benefit, low. Richmond receives $25 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for part of its combined sewer overflow control project. Richmond's unspent money remains available the following year. Cleveland receives $91,506 in FY2025 for wastewater treatment upgrades. Richlands receives $1.5 million in FY2025 for… - Child welfare programs fund case systems: benefit, low. Adoption-savings reinvestment receives $10.017668 million in general funds and $2.5 million in other funds annually in FY2025 and FY2026. It follows federal child welfare rules, with $3.078595 million annually of the general funds designated for a case-management tool. Separate child welfare inform… - COVID testing at state health facilities: benefit, low. The law provides an estimated $2.112 million in FY2025 for COVID-19 testing and surveillance at state-operated facilities. The Department of Health must transfer funds to the behavioral health department as needed. Unspent FY2025 funds can continue services in FY2026. - Doctor training favors primary care shortages: benefit, low. Virginia annually selects fundable hospital residency slots using state health-workforce priorities, with preference for underserved areas. A majority of newly funded slots must train primary care doctors. Institutions receiving supplemental payments must maintain the funded slot numbers and catego… - Foster children get family placement support: benefit, low. Local social services departments can receive up to $250 for a new kinship foster placement or a move from non-kinship care. The state provides $360,000 annually in FY2025 and FY2026, with total bonuses capped at that amount; families do not receive these bonuses. Adoption pilots receive $1.5 milli… - Funding develops generic overdose reversal spray: benefit, low. The Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority receives $16 million in FY2026 to develop an FDA-approved generic overdose-reversal nasal spray. It must coordinate with the Opioid Abatement Authority and contract with private companies for development aimed at the lowest sustainable cost. Funds can s… - Funding for care projects and dementia training: benefit, low. Virginia's Medicaid agency can request up to $2 million in extra special funds when nursing-facility project funding is insufficient. Federal officials must approve projects and costs under the Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment State Plan. State budget officials must also approve qualifying requests… - Funding for emergency medical flights: benefit, low. State Police receive about $3.1 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for emergency medical flights. The money comes from the Rescue Squad Assistance Fund. Chesterfield County receives another $450,000 annually from the general fund. The county must use it for assigned med-flight paramedics and re… - Funding for private psychiatric care alternatives: benefit, low. Virginia provides about $7.54 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for private psychiatric care. Local Community Services Boards and a Behavioral Health Authority receive funds to buy inpatient or community-based services. The goal is to avoid admissions to state hospitals. Unspent funds can move… - Funding supports House Bill 1804 implementation: benefit, low. FY2025 provides $235,000 in general funds and $235,000 in other funds to implement House Bill 1804. The funding applies to the bill passed during the 2025 Regular Session. Money unspent on June 30, 2025, carries forward and is reappropriated in FY2026. This provision does not describe the resulting… - Funding supports nursing home quality projects: benefit, low. Virginia authorizes up to $2.31 million in special funds each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for nursing-facility quality projects. Projects must benefit residents and improve facility quality. The law also authorizes up to $225,000 yearly to run the Civil Money Penalty fund program. These amounts are s… - Funding supports Virginia poison control centers: benefit, low. Two poison control centers serving Virginia receive $2.5 million annually through a Title XXI Health Services Initiative. Funding includes $875,000 in general funds and $1.625 million in nongeneral funds. The Medicaid agency has authority to amend the State Plan and waivers. It can use emergency re… - Funding to coordinate emergency department care: benefit, low. Virginia funds emergency department care coordination with about $1.32 million in state funds and $3.80 million in federal funds annually. Those amounts apply in FY2025 and FY2026, subject to federal approval. The Medicaid agency and Department of Health must bring healthcare groups together to imp… - Grants support certified recovery residences: benefit, low. Certified recovery residences receive $1.95 million in grant funding in each of FY2025 and FY2026. Certification must come from Virginia's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Grantees must follow grant agreements, submit monthly financial and operating records, and report ag… - Medicaid funds application and renewal improvements: benefit, low. Virginia funds a vendor to improve Medicaid application and renewal accuracy and speed for applicants, members, and 120 local departments. Possible tools include data checks, matching, a coverage-correction portal, and system upgrades; funding is limited to documented contract costs. FY2025 provide… - Medicaid funds primary care policy research: benefit, low. FY2025 provides $250,000 in general funds and $250,000 in federal funds for Medicaid primary care research. The funding supports a contract with the Virginia Task Force on Primary Care to guide Medicaid policy. The task force must update Medicaid officials by October 1, 2025. This funds research, n… - Medicaid strengthens systems and contract oversight: benefit, low. Virginia funds replacement of the Medicaid fiscal agent services system from general and other funds. Planning and Budget can release only documented replacement costs needed for actual spending in each fiscal year. Medicaid also receives $590,000 in general funds annually in FY2025 and FY2026 for… - More community care after psychiatric hospitalization: benefit, low. Virginia provides $13.5 million annually in FY2025 and FY2026 for alternatives to state hospital care; each project is capped at $2.5 million. Annual set-asides include up to $1.5 million for private-hospital discharge help, up to $5 million for forensic patients, and $6 million for discharge plann… - More funding for mental health crises: benefit, low. Virginia provides about $64.85 million in FY2025 and $42.45 million in FY2026 to expand and modernize crisis services. This supports crisis centers, stabilization units, site upgrades, and pharmacy improvements. Within those amounts, $2.25 million each year supports the Prince William County Youth… - More support for foster care families: benefit, low. Social Services must keep seeking and using available federal money to help kinship caregivers find services until funding runs out. The law provides $300,000 in FY2026 to help foster youth find relatives or trusted adults. Money left on June 30, 2026, carries forward for that program. Eligible chi… - Operating funds for veterans care centers: benefit, low. The Puller and Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Centers receive $20.76 million in state general funds in FY2025. They also receive $3 million in other funds that year and about $1.79 million in general funds in FY2026. Of the FY2025 amount, $3 million must repay the Treasury loan authorized in FY2024… - Overdose reversal supplies reach communities and schools: benefit, low. In each of FY2025 and FY2026, about $1.6 million in available federal funds supports community overdose-rescue drugs. Community organizations and others serving vulnerable populations receive drugs through this effort; funding depends on federal funds being available. Another $1.3 million in state… - Pilot grants support whole family services: benefit, low. The law provides $1.125 million in TANF funds each year of FY2025–2026 for a whole-family pilot and evaluation. Community Action Agencies compete for the grants. Selected agencies must match at least 20% of the grant, including through in-kind services. The Department must report annually and finis… - Virginia supports addiction care and recovery housing: benefit, low. Virginia's behavioral health department may start a bidding process to expand recovery residence development across the state. The law sets no residence count or funding amount for that authority. Virginia must also align Medicaid rules with state licensing criteria for Level 4.0 addiction care pro… - Adult diploma and job credential support: benefit, low. The law provides $500,000 in FY2025 for the Diplomas for All Program at Goodwill Industries of the Valley’s Excel Center. The program helps adults earn high school diplomas and workforce credentials. Unused money remains available for the same purpose in FY2026. - Challenged schools get teacher placement funding: benefit, low. The law provides $750,000 in FY2025 and $500,000 in FY2026 for Teach for America fees and hiring incentives in challenged schools. FY2025 funds can support Northern Virginia growth and exploration of Hampton Roads expansion. Funds not committed during the fiscal year can support the Teacher Residen… - Children's book program gets continued funding: benefit, low. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for Kids in Virginia receives $1.657065 million in FY2025 and $1.157065 million in FY2026. FY2025 funds carry over for the same purpose in FY2026. The law supports the program but does not specify each household's benefit amount. - Community schools get student and family support: benefit, low. Community school planning and implementation grants receive $5 million in FY2025 and $2.5 million in FY2026, with FY2025 funds carrying over. Divisions, Communities in Schools, and its affiliates use grants for student services, enriched learning, family involvement, and shared leadership. Communit… - Consolidated and small schools receive support: benefit, low. Alleghany County and Covington City school consolidation receives its fifth and final $600,000 installment in FY2025. Norton receives $145,896 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 after certifying service-cost sharing with another school division. Bedford County and Bedford City's consolidated division h… - Digital learning and broadcasts receive funding: benefit, low. The eMediaVA program receives $1.95 million in FY2025 and $1.2 million in FY2026 for statewide digital learning and support. Content choices are set by July 1 annually with school superintendents or their designees. Content must meet Department of Education criteria, meet or exceed applicable learn… - Early educators receive scholarship program funding: benefit, low. The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation receives $1.25 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026. Each year, $1 million supports scholarships to improve early-education workers' skills. The remaining $250,000 supports operations of regional partnership grants that build local school-readiness capacity.… - Early learning programs reach young students: benefit, low. The Wolf Trap Foundation receives $1.3 million in each of fiscal 2025 and 2026 for arts-and-STEM and early literacy programs. The programs serve preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade students and educators in specified public schools. The Foundation works with the state and served divisions to a… - Eastern Shore teacher recruitment receives funding: benefit, low. Accomack and Northampton school divisions receive $1.75 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for teacher recruitment and retention. Funding can support salary-scale changes to reduce differences with adjacent counties. The law does not guarantee any teacher a specific raise. - Educators and families get regional center funding: benefit, low. The Virginia Leads Innovation Network receives $250,000 in FY2026. The funding supports a regional center model addressing educators', students', and families' needs. The law does not specify particular household payments or eligibility rules. - Families get funded museum and media learning: benefit, low. The Virginia Holocaust Museum receives $375,000 in FY2025 and $125,000 in FY2026 for its teacher institute, training, student learning, content, and exhibits. These address the Holocaust, hate crimes, and other genocides and must align with Virginia learning standards. The American Civil War Museum… - Funding helps students catch up: benefit, low. Remedial summer school receives $33.444383 million in FY2025 and $30.295646 million in FY2026. Students required to attend summer remediation or a year-round-school intersession can attend without tuition through these programs. Project Graduation receives $1.38724 million each year, including admi… - Grants support longer school learning schedules: benefit, low. Extended, enriched, and year-round school programs receive $7.15 million annually in FY2025 and FY2026. Start-up grants reach $300,000 per school for up to two years after initial implementation; specified low-performing schools qualify for up to $400,000. A 20% local match applies to planning or s… - Gretna library receives dedicated state funding: benefit, low. The law designates $160,000 in FY2025 for the Pittsylvania County Public Library's Gretna Branch. It does not specify a service expansion or direct household payment. - Mathews middle school gets asbestos removal funding: benefit, low. Mathews County Public Schools receives $1 million in FY2025 to support asbestos removal from a middle school. The money supports safer school facilities, not direct household payments. - More learning opportunities beyond school hours: benefit, low. Community learning programs receive $3 million in FY2025 and $2 million in FY2026 for before-school, afterschool, and summer learning. Community organizations must partner with school divisions to serve children in high-poverty, low-performing schools and address learning loss. The Virginia Allianc… - Newport News students get music program support: benefit, low. Newport News Public Schools receives $90,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to expand Soundscapes. The funding is intended to increase participation in intensive music study and ensemble performances. - Petersburg school leaders get incentive funding: benefit, low. Petersburg City Public Schools receives $350,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for executive leadership incentives. Incentives can include salary supplements, deferred pay, bonuses, housing or commuting support, and professional development. The state and local school boards must sign an agreement c… - Preschool staffing grants prioritize hard-to-staff schools: benefit, low. School divisions must apply for preschool teacher grants by December 1 each year. Priority goes to hard-to-staff schools and schools with the most provisionally licensed preschool teachers. The teachers must serve Virginia Preschool Initiative students or another publicly funded preschool program r… - School grants expand positive behavior support: benefit, low. The law provides $1.598 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 to expand positive behavior support in schools. School divisions apply competitively by June 1 before the implementation school year. Applications must set student goals, including fewer disciplinary referrals and out-of-school suspensi… - School grants support new learning approaches: benefit, low. School innovation receives $500,000 annually for ten competitive grants of up to $50,000 each in FY2025 and FY2026. Divisions or groups of divisions can plan system-wide changes or carry out previously approved plans in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Proposals are due June 1 before the school y… - Schools get critical language grant funding: benefit, low. The Critical National Security Language Grant program receives $250,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026. The Department of Education must publish the application and process for local divisions to access existing funding by October 1, 2024. The grants support schools, not direct household payments. - Schools get extended-year planning grants: benefit, low. The law provides $613,312 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for extended, enriched, or year-round school planning grants. Each grant is capped at $50,000. Divisions apply by August 1, show commitment to pursuing implementation in the upcoming school year, and receive priority based on accreditation or s… - Schools get teacher recruitment and retention help: benefit, low. The law provides $415,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to help divisions recruit and retain middle-school math teachers. Reach Virginia also receives $630,000 in FY2025 for teacher-retention services to public school divisions. These funds support school staffing services, not set payments to indiv… - Schools receive support for foster youth: benefit, low. Schools receive Lottery-funded payments for eligible students taught outside their home division, based on prior-year local operating costs. Eligibility includes children placed in foster or other custodial care by a Virginia agency. It also includes children in orphanages or children's homes with… - Science learning and teacher training funded: benefit, low. School science and technology competition teams receive $200,000 each year, with grants capped at $5,000. At least half should go to schools where 60% or more of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The Virginia Air & Space Center receives $1.181975 million annually for science educati… - Students get career training and equipment support: benefit, low. Career and technical education receives $6 million in FY2025, restricted to equipment. Portsmouth and Chesapeake each receive $2 million; Fredericksburg and Stafford County each receive $1 million. In each of FY2025 and FY2026, the Virginia Student Training and Refurbishment Program receives $300,0… - Students get computer science learning grants: benefit, low. The law provides $1.35 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for competitive computer science education grants. Grants support Virginia's computer science standards through teacher training, curriculum and assessment materials, student programs, and career or work-based learning. Awards must priorit… - Students get scholarship and academic support funding: benefit, low. The Great Aspirations Scholarship Program receives $500,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for aid, scholarships, and counseling for families in need. Project Discovery receives $987,500 each year for programs in listed communities and a fiscal officer. Community action agency awards depend on perfor… - Students get tutoring and learning recovery support: benefit, low. EduTutorVA receives $250,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for targeted K-12 tutoring addressing COVID-19 learning gaps. Greater Peninsula C.A.R.E.S. receives $500,000 in FY2025 for students with significant learning loss in Hampton or Newport News. That program supports academic recovery, social de… - Targeted youth programs get mentoring support: benefit, low. Reck League receives $150,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for students in underperforming Hampton Roads schools. The New Chesapeake Men for Progress Education Foundation receives $100,000 in FY2025 for young men's mentoring and underserved youth services. My Life Coach Academy and the UBU 100 Prog… - Teacher residency partnerships get training support: benefit, low. Teacher-residency partnerships receive $2.85 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026. This includes $1.1 million annually for Virginia Commonwealth University to continue and expand its Richmond Teacher Residency partnership. Grants can support preparation, planning, development, implementation, and c… - Two school divisions get partnership funding: benefit, low. The law funds Achievable Dream partnerships with Newport News and Virginia Beach school divisions. Each partnership receives $500,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026. The provisions do not specify individual payments or a particular service level. - Youth and museum education programs funded: benefit, low. The YMCA of South Hampton Roads receives $500,000 in FY2025 for youth programming. The Children's Museum of Richmond receives $750,000 in FY2025 for educational programs. The museum's money remains available for that purpose in FY2026. These grants fund programs, not set payments to individual part… - Agencies can accept limited pandemic support: benefit, low. State agencies can solicit and accept donations, gifts, grants, and contracts supporting COVID-19 needs without the Governor's usual written approval. Acceptance cannot create an ongoing commitment against general or nongeneral state resources. This changes agency acceptance rules, not household be… - Agencies can use approved extra funds: benefit, low. Virginia's budget director may add surplus-sale proceeds to agency budgets and must add insurance money needed for repairs or replacement. Extra gifts, grants, donations, and other nongeneral funds can be added only for allowed purposes. These include health or safety threats, required services, do… - Agency heads must report finances: benefit, low. Agency heads who handle state money must provide sworn financial statements when the Auditor of Public Accounts requests them. This requirement applies at least once each year. Statements must use the required form and show finances as of the requested date. - Airports get funding for new flights: benefit, low. The law provides $825,000 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for new passenger air service in Virginia. The fund supports marketing, promotions, and incentives tied to airline commitments to start new service. It reserves 25% of yearly funding for Virginia commercial airports with fewer than 400,000 pa… - Businesses get headquarters workforce grant funding: benefit, low. The law deposits $28.7 million in FY2025 into the Major Headquarters Workforce Grant Fund. The money supports grants to eligible businesses under the existing grant law. It does not establish direct household payments. - Businesses receive targeted industry grant funding: benefit, low. In FY2025, grant funds receive $313,750 for pharmaceutical manufacturing and $5.625 million for technology development. Financial services expansion grants receive $1.633216 million in FY2025. Shipping and logistics headquarters grants receive $954,500 each year in FY2025 and FY2026. Cloud computin… - Former training center gets sale preparation: benefit, low. General Services can use unspent FY2024 money to demolish derelict buildings, clean up, and market the Central Virginia Training Center. The property is in Madison Heights. Sale proceeds must go to the Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Trust Fund. Money left at the end of FY2025 carries… - Funding for Virginia's facilitated enrollment program: benefit, low. The law funds the Virginia Facilitated Enrollment Program in both FY2025 and FY2026. Each year includes $594,713 in general funds and about $4.73 million in nongeneral funds. The provided text does not identify which benefits or services the program helps people join. - Funding supports innovation centers and operations: benefit, low. In each of FY2025 and FY2026, the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing gets $1 million. It supports federal research matches and research costs federal awards do not cover. The Center for Advanced Logistics gets $350,000 yearly for joint public-sector projects. The Virginia Academy of Eng… - Funding supports rural Virginia programs: benefit, low. The Southwest Virginia Telecommunications Network gets $39,001 each year in FY2025 and FY2026. The Rural Horseshoe Initiative gets $250,000 and nine positions each year. These provisions support the programs but do not set household payments or consumer service prices. - Governor gains limited unexpected-needs funding: benefit, low. The Governor can use up to $1 million in FY2025 and $1 million in FY2026 from the Commonwealth's Opportunity Fund. This applies only when appropriations for the unexpected events listed in paragraphs D.1 through D.4 are insufficient. The authority creates no household payment entitlement. - Henrico development authority keeps sale proceeds: benefit, low. Specified Henrico property-sale deposits and interest in the Site Replacement Fund are reserved for the county's Economic Development Authority. Grants to the authority can come only from those deposits and interest. Money does not return to the general fund each year. It returns at the end of the… - Institution-run capital project programs become permanent: benefit, low. Existing programs letting institutions manage nongeneral fund capital projects become permanent rather than pilots. Programs with signed agreements remain active until revoked. A first-time applicant must send a letter of interest to its Cabinet Secretary. The secretary decides eligibility and, whe… - Lottery can borrow for more purposes: benefit, low. The Virginia Lottery can use its $56 million credit line for operating cash needs throughout the year. It can also provide cash to the Virginia Lottery Fund for required transfers of estimated profits to the Lottery Proceeds Fund. The law expands permitted uses without stating a new credit limit. - Major racing facilities get more race days: benefit, low. A significant infrastructure facility limited license can authorize race meetings for up to 75 days per calendar year. Other limited racing licenses remain subject to a 14-day limit. - More funding for business development sites: benefit, low. The Business Ready Sites Program Fund receives $40 million in FY2025 and $20 million in FY2026. Grants require matching money, but qualifying strategic-site rezoning fees can be reimbursed to localities without a local match. A roadway and utility infrastructure dividing a site do not alone make it… - Natural gas expansion funding for Accomack: benefit, low. The law transfers $6.5 million in FY2025 through the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to Accomack County. It funds natural gas infrastructure expansion. The County can pay for engineering, land, rights of way, permits, and related delivery costs. Unspent money carries forward and is reappropriated.… - Prison farm revenue can fund facilities: benefit, low. Virginia's budget director can add funding for correctional agribusiness equipment, facility repairs, or construction. The added amount equals 50% of annual agribusiness deposits to the general fund above the FY1992 level. This added money cannot reduce the Department of Corrections' other general… - Smaller state construction skips capital review: benefit, low. State repair, renovation, and new construction projects costing up to $3 million are exempt from capital review and approval. Eligible colleges cannot split a project series to get around that combined limit. Qualifying renovation, infrastructure, and planning work can use blanket approvals funded… - State agencies must buy efficient equipment: benefit, low. Virginia agencies and institutions must buy Energy Star-rated appliances and equipment when available. This is a state purchasing rule, not a household purchase requirement or rebate. - State buildings get roof repair priority: benefit, low. State agencies with maintenance reserve money must put needed roof repairs or replacements first. Agency heads must report yearly and certify that needed roof work is done or underway. Public colleges must also prioritize building maintenance. Moving college maintenance money requires state budget… - State can redirect unused construction financing: benefit, low. Planning and Budget can move unused bond authorizations and appropriations among listed capital pool projects to cover funding shortfalls. The director must consult the Six-Year Capital Outlay Plan Advisory Committee. Financing can use College Building Authority or Public Building Authority bonds.… - Troubled local governments get monitored help: benefit, low. The state auditor must review local finances at least annually and alert local officials to preliminary findings of financial distress. Further review can follow a local request; possible state intervention requires written notice to the Governor, legislative committee chairs, and locality. The Gov… - Unlisted state and college projects gain options: benefit, low. The Governor can approve unlisted projects involving qualifying emergencies, self-funded college programs, gifted property, or recommendations from the named tobacco bodies. Available funding must not harm other programs, and the project must benefit the state or avoid costs. Legislative committee… - Virginia can replace one state aircraft: benefit, low. Virginia Aviation can use available special funds to replace one of its two 2007 King Air 350 executive planes. The Department chooses which plane needs replacement and must buy a comparable aircraft. It can trade in or sell the old plane; sale proceeds must help pay for the replacement. Planning a… - Virginia plans long-term state facility needs: benefit, low. The Governor must plan for renewal, replacement, maintenance, and deferred repairs of state facilities needed for public programs. Capital project decisions must consider costs over the project's life and the best long-term value for Virginia. State agencies and public colleges must follow General… - Virginia receives excess court fee revenue: benefit, low. Beginning January 1, 2009, Virginia receives two-thirds of certain excess fees collected by circuit court clerks. This applies to excess fees that clerks must report under state law. The provision shares existing fee revenue; it does not add a household payment requirement. - Virginia reconciles lottery and debt funds: benefit, low. The Comptroller must move remaining audited prior-year lottery profits into the Lottery Proceeds Fund. If audited revenue falls below profits already transferred, the next transfer must be reduced by the difference. The Treasurer also transfers estimated excess bond sinking-fund balances of $50,000… - Virginia reviews consulting and technology costs: benefit, low. State agencies and public colleges must consider return on investment when awarding consulting contracts. Agencies, institutions, and authorities must also work with the Virginia Information Technologies Agency on proposed technology and geographic information systems. Planning must cover intended… - Wythe County receives infrastructure cost reimbursement: benefit, low. Wythe County gets $3.895682 million in FY2025 for Progress Park water and wastewater expenses incurred before June 30, 2024. Covered work includes a water tank, wastewater treatment plant improvements, and wastewater line extensions. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority decides p… - Fuel testing receives dedicated state funding: benefit, low. The Department of Transportation transfers $388,254 in motor fuel tax money each year to the Department of General Services. The money pays for motor fuels testing. This item does not change fuel taxes or provide household payments. - Emergency calling upgrades get temporary financing: benefit, low. The 911 Services Board gets a $15 million line of credit as a temporary cash-flow advance. The money can only support Next Generation 911 implementation and must follow Virginia's required distribution rules. Finance and public safety secretaries must approve each drawdown, and requests must use th… - Year-end state balances can fund transportation: benefit, low. The law makes general fund balances available for transportation when the State Comptroller designates them under Virginia Code § 2.2-1514 B. The money comes from balances as of June 30, 2024, or June 30, 2025. This item states no amount and names no specific projects. - Public property sales can protect tax-exempt bonds: benefit, low. The state and its public bodies can first use public property sale proceeds for federal remedies protecting bonds' tax-exempt status. This applies when tax-exempt bonds financed the property's purchase, construction, improvements, or equipment. It changes how public bodies can use sale proceeds, no… - Backup funding protects Medicaid provider payments: benefit, low. Virginia authorizes up to $95 million in FY2025 state funds for Medicaid shortfalls caused by higher-than-expected enrollment. The budget director must hold the money until the Medicaid director shows that available state funds are insufficient. After notice of delayed payments, the money can also… - Better tracking of discharge service funds: benefit, low. The law provides $770,000 in general funds in FY2025 for a new tracking system. It tracks clinical services and spending under Discharge Assistance Planning and Local Inpatient Purchase of Services. This funding does not change who qualifies or create household payments. - Care facility compliance money stays available: benefit, low. Unspent special-fund revenue for long-term-care facility compliance stays in the fund after the fiscal year ends. The money remains available for its specified purpose. This does not create a resident payment or change eligibility for care. - Children's hospitals receive targeted Medicaid payments: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2024, qualifying freestanding children's hospitals can receive replacement payments for federal unpaid-care rule reductions. Annual payments equal the current disproportionate share hospital formula amount or $16 million, whichever is greater, and take priority over private acute-… - Community agencies divide funding by need: benefit, low. Increased state or federal funding for Community Action Agencies follows a set formula. It assigns 75% by low-income population, 20% by jurisdictions served, and 5% by area served. Allocations must be adjusted so each agency gets at least 1.5% of any increase. The law specifies no total increase or… - Federal funding for nursing home care: benefit, low. Virginia can draw federal funds to cover eligible unpaid Medicaid service costs at nonstate government-owned nursing facilities. Providers must certify costs through cost reports. Payments cannot exceed each facility's upper payment limit. Residents do not receive direct payments. - Funding for state employee health coverage: benefit, low. Virginia transfers an estimated $39.62 million in FY2025 and $80.48 million in FY2026 to state agencies and universities. The money covers the general-fund share of changes in employer contributions to Commonwealth health-plan premiums. It supports public employers' coverage costs. The law does not… - Funding helps implement health coverage enrollment: benefit, low. Virginia funds implementation of its Facilitated Enrollment Program in FY2025 and FY2026. Each year, it provides $447,700 in state general funds and about $1.21 million in other funds. This funding provision does not set individual eligibility rules or provide household payments. - Funding supports community mental health services: benefit, low. On Our Own receives a $100,000 state-funded contract each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for free peer recovery and community services. Virginia also provides $300,000 each year for clients assigned to the Bridge Behavioral Health program. In FY2026, about $2.28 million funds a Medical Society of Virgin… - Funding supports outpatient court competency services: benefit, low. Virginia provides $1.5 million in FY2026 to reimburse Community Services Boards for outpatient restoration-of-competency evaluations, services, and supports. Funding also covers clinician training. The law does not set individual payment amounts. - Funding supports phone and online Medicaid applications: benefit, low. Virginia funds the Cover Virginia Call Center's central Medicaid application-processing unit in each of FY2025 and FY2026. Annual funding includes about $3.89 million in general funds and $10.87 million in other funds. The unit may process only federal marketplace applications, phone applications t… - Healthcare research and claims data receive funding: benefit, low. The Virginia Center for Health Innovation gets $100,000 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 to study new care approaches. Virginia Health Information's All Payer Claims Database gets $87,500 from the general fund and $262,500 from other funds yearly. Database funding requires federal approval of an Oper… - Higher funding for qualifying medical residencies: benefit, low. Virginia authorizes annual supplements of $150,000 per qualifying obstetrics and gynecology or psychiatric residency. Applications at the enhanced rate begin upon enactment. Payments cannot begin before July 1, 2026, and depend on available appropriations. When applications exceed funding, the Medi… - Higher group home payments for children: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2024, Virginia authorizes a 50% increase in daily payments to qualifying therapeutic group homes. Homes must accept children needing Medicaid's early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment services. The money goes to homes, not directly to families. - Higher Medicaid home care payment rates: benefit, low. Specified agency- and consumer-directed personal care, respite, and companion rates rose 6.4% May 1, 2021, and 12.5% January 1, 2022. Those increases cover home- and community-based waivers and the Medicaid child screening and treatment program. The law authorizes further increases of 7.5% beginnin… - Higher Medicaid payments for care providers: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2024, Medicaid pays 100% of Medicare's rural rate for specified feeding equipment and supplies. It uses Medicare's non-rural rate when no rural rate exists. Peer mentoring rates must rise to match the latest Burns and Associates rate study. Licensed certified midwives and licensed… - Higher Medicaid payments for community treatment: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2022, peer recovery and family support payments double to $13 per 15 minutes individually and $5.40 in groups. A 12.5% increase over pre-July 2021 rates covers adult day health, consumer-directed facilitation, crisis care, transition coordination, case management, behavioral healt… - Higher Medicaid payments for nursing facilities: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2021, nursing facility payment formulas use direct and indirect peer-group price percentages of 109.3% and 103.3%. Nursing home and specialized-care payments increased $20 per patient daily through June 30, 2021, then $15 beginning July 1. Both fee-for-service and managed care pay… - Higher Medicaid payments for psychiatric treatment: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2021, Medicaid psychiatric service payments rise 14.7%, to 110% of Medicare rates. Beginning July 1, 2022, psychiatric residential treatment facility rates rise 8.89% for inflation since the FY2018 audited cost report. Their daily payment ceiling rises to $460.89. Beginning Januar… - Higher payments for dental and children's vision: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2022, Virginia authorizes a 30% increase in Medicaid and CHIP dental provider rates. Beginning July 1, 2024, it authorizes a further 3% dental rate increase. The law also authorizes a 30% increase for children's covered vision services beginning July 1, 2022. Providers receive the… - Higher payments for Medicaid physician care: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2021, Medicaid anesthesiologist rates rise to 70% of 2019 Medicare rates, including in managed-care contracts. Beginning July 1, 2022, Virginia authorizes Medicaid and CHIP primary care rates at 80% of federal FY2021 Medicare equivalents. Emergency department services are excluded… - Higher payments for qualifying children's hospitals: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2016, physician supplements reach federal limits within available funds for a qualifying freestanding children's hospital serving Planning District 8. That hospital must have had more than 50% Medicaid inpatient use in FY2014. Beginning July 1, 2017, freestanding children's hospit… - Higher payments for skilled nursing care: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2021, Medicaid skilled nursing and private-duty nursing rates rise to 80% of a state-developed benchmark. The increase must fit the money appropriated for this purpose. The provision does not state that funding amount. Payments go to nursing providers, not directly to members. - Higher payments for toddlers' early intervention: benefit, low. Medicaid early intervention provider rates rise 12.5% for services on or after January 1, 2024. Covered services must be for enrolled children under age three. Early intervention case management is excluded from this increase. Providers receive the money, not families. - Lake Taylor gains Medicaid payment support: benefit, low. Virginia must implement supplemental inpatient Medicaid payments for Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital. Managed-care payments must also fund the federally approved directed-payment increase. Federal approval and applicable payment limits apply. Lake Taylor must agree to provide the nonfederal… - Medicaid adds staff for program operations: benefit, low. Each year, Virginia's Medicaid agency gets $90,000 each from state and federal funds for one nursing-facility rate specialist. This employee must have actuarial and accounting experience. Another $300,000 each from state and federal funds supports five staff: three in budget, one in fiscal, and one… - Medicaid checks for other health coverage: benefit, low. Virginia's medical assistance department must improve checks for other health coverage available to Medicaid and CHIP applicants and members. It must report its efforts and possible improvements to specified legislative committees and Planning and Budget by October 1 annually. This provision does n… - Medicaid formula supports safety-net hospital payments: benefit, low. Effective July 1, 2014, Type One hospitals' daily disproportionate share hospital payment equals 17 times the Type Two rate. These Medicaid payments support hospitals serving low-income patients. The formula sets hospital reimbursement, not a payment to households. - Medicaid recoveries support state health funding: benefit, low. Virginia must pursue strategies to improve Medicaid claims and recoveries. Revenue goes to the Virginia Health Care Fund after allowed contractor fees. Paying a vendor from savings requires prior approval of its work and payment plan by the health secretary. Contingency-fee contractors are paid fro… - Medicaid supports collaborative behavioral health care: benefit, low. Beginning January 1, 2024, Virginia authorizes a Medicaid plan change to pay for collaborative care management services. Eligible services must be classified as collaborative care management under medical billing codes. Virginia's Medicaid agency must also develop guidelines for a statewide Collabo… - Medical training programs receive residency funding: benefit, low. Virginia provides $5.85 million in general funds and $5.85 million in other funds in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for residencies. Funding supports cohorts of 3, 18, 40, and 55 residents starting July 2021, July 2022, July 2024, and July 2025, respectively. It also supports specified psychiatry and OB… - Minimum Medicaid payments for medical equipment: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2021, Medicaid managed care plans must pay equipment providers at least 90% of the state Medicaid fee schedule. This covers durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies. The minimum applies to the same covered item or service. It does not establish a direct paym… - More funding for disability care services: benefit, low. Virginia authorizes 3% provider rate increases for listed developmental disability waiver services on July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025. These include residential, in-home, community, nursing, employment, consultation, and benefits-planning services. Personal care, respite, and companion rates must ri… - More funding for family cash assistance: benefit, low. The law sets FY2026 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance funding at about $57.90 million. This replaces the roughly $57.19 million amount shown previously in the bill. Households must qualify under the program's rules. The funding increase does not guarantee a larger household ch… - More options for mental health care: benefit, low. Virginia must seek federal approval for Medicaid peer support providers still completing required supervision hours for certification and registration. It can adjust caseloads and crisis or emergency room policies, without harming care quality or program integrity. The state can develop a contract… - Nursing facilities get quality-focused funding: benefit, low. The law requires nursing-facility quality payments, targeted to start by July 1, 2022, emphasizing adequate staffing and avoiding harmful care events. Capacity-building receives 50% of funding in year one and 25% in year two; year three payments depend entirely on performance. Beginning July 1, 202… - Partner hospitals gain Medicaid payment support: benefit, low. Virginia must make supplemental payments to private Medicaid hospitals in which a Type One hospital has a non-majority interest. The Type One hospital supplies the state share; federal approval is required, and payments begin with the approved plan change. Managed-care payments and contracts must a… - Pharmacies receive payments for Medicaid vaccines: benefit, low. Virginia Medicaid must authorize budget-neutral pharmacy payments for vaccinations covered under its medical benefit. Fee-for-service payments cover vaccine cost plus an administration fee capped at $16. For children eligible for free Vaccines for Children vaccines, reimbursement covers only admini… - Publicly linked nursing homes gain payments: benefit, low. Virginia may add Medicaid payments for nursing homes owned by local governments. Payments follow federal upper payment limits and other Medicaid payments; local entities must supply the state share through agreements before plan submission. Federal approval is required. The law also provides enough… - Schools receive funding for student health: benefit, low. Virginia provides $591,000 in FY2025 and $791,000 in FY2026 for school vision screenings, reimbursed at the state's share of $7 per eligible student. Screened students must be counted in average daily membership and attend kindergarten or grades 3, 7, or 10. Payments may be prorated, with priority… - Settlement money reserved for Medicaid funding: benefit, low. Virginia must deposit 41.5% of its tobacco Master Settlement Agreement allocation into the Virginia Health Care Fund. The fund also receives the state share of specified Medicaid health-plan repayments, excluding hospital assessment dollars. Fund revenues pay the state share of Medicaid unless the… - Social Services funds income verification: benefit, low. In FY2026, the law adds $7.310288 million from the general fund for employment and income verification services. It also adds $6.482709 million from other funds. The money stays unavailable until Social Services documents contract costs for the two-year budget period. This funding does not create h… - Specialized nursing facilities get separate payment group: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2022, Virginia creates a separate direct- and indirect-care payment group for qualifying nursing facilities. At least 80% of residents must have quadriplegia, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, paraplegia, or cerebral palsy. Facilities also need at least 90% Medicaid use… - State funding supports child care programs: benefit, low. Virginia provides about $2.65 million from its general fund in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for child care programs. The law funds programs, but does not set a payment amount for any family or provider. - State funds required child care for families: benefit, low. Virginia must fund the full cost of child care required through VIEW using general funds, TANF, and child care grant dollars. Social Services receives about $45.06 million in FY2025 and $48.91 million in FY2026, with the balance transferred from Education. Education must transfer the required Child… - State helps schools fund retiree health credits: benefit, low. In both budget years, Virginia bases school retiree health-care credit payments on 55% of employer costs. Payments cover funded Standards of Quality instructional and support positions. The state distributes payments using the local ability-to-pay composite index. This supports school employers' co… - Updated payments for developmental disability support: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2022, Virginia authorizes updated developmental disability waiver provider rates using the latest rate estimates. Payments use tiers where appropriate. Covered services include residential care, in-home care, employment support, day support, nursing, and case management. Rates mus… - Updated payments for self-directed care support: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2024, provider payments for help managing consumer-directed care use updated rate estimates. Training pays $90.14 hourly in Northern Virginia and $80.91 elsewhere. Initial visits pay $360.54 and $323.64; routine visits pay $112.67 and $101.14, respectively. Reassessment visits pay… - Veterans nursing facilities gain Medicaid payment options: benefit, low. Virginia may supplement Medicaid payments to nursing facilities owned by the Department of Veterans Services. Payments are limited to the federally approved upper payment limit minus other Medicaid payments. Before plan submission, the department must agree to provide the state share and confirm it… - Virginia reviews developmental disability service rates: benefit, low. The law authorizes Virginia's Medicaid agency to conduct a court-required study of developmental disability service rates. The agency must include stakeholders and consider their feedback. Recommended rates and their budget costs are due October 1, 2025. The study does not itself set new rates or h… - Virginia studies one Medicaid pharmacy manager: benefit, low. The law provides $500,000 each from general and nongeneral funds in FY2025 to study one manager for all Medicaid pharmacy benefits. The study must review savings, costs, implementation, pharmacy access, and dispensing fees. An independent consultant must have experience advising Medicaid fraud unit… - Virginia upgrades and oversees benefits systems: benefit, low. The law funds a benefits system replacing CommonHelp: $3.5 million each from general and nongeneral funds in FY2025, then $350,000 each in FY2026. Unused money carries forward; FY2026 also includes $805,000 from each source for electronic identity checks, with impact reports due each October 1. Soc… - Housing pilot targets barriers to community care: benefit, low. Virginia's behavioral health department may accept unsolicited private-provider proposals for a pilot to acquire clinically appropriate housing. The pilot may serve people on the Extraordinary Barriers List or help prevent unnecessary hospital stays. Proposals must address census issues at state fa… - Newport News gets housing infrastructure financing: benefit, low. The Secretary of Finance must approve a short-term, interest-free treasury loan of up to $40 million to Newport News. The state-supported loan finances housing infrastructure tied to a United States Navy capital investment. The Navy must commit sufficient resources, and the city must provide matchi… - State property transfers gain more flexibility: benefit, low. The Governor can transfer eligible college property to the college's educational or real estate foundation. The property must come from local or private money, gifts, or grants—not General Assembly appropriations. These transfers bypass state property-disposal laws, and foundations can use the inco… - Universities can transfer land for development: benefit, low. Mary Washington and William and Mary can transfer full ownership of land parcels to their respective foundations. The land can support student, faculty, or staff housing, recreation, athletics, operations, offices, retail, and related campus activities. The law does not name parcels, set project co… - Capital reviews track student costs: benefit, low. Agencies seeking specified general-obligation bond financing must submit financial feasibility studies to the State Treasurer by August 15 each year. Those projects need an updated study and Treasurer review before debt issuance when the last review is over one year old. For specified college proje… - College construction funding must use rankings: benefit, low. State budget and capital-planning officials must use Virginia's higher education project rankings when choosing projects for funding. This requirement sets no project amounts and provides no new money. - College disability programs receive dedicated funding: benefit, low. In each of FY2025 and FY2026, J. Sargeant Reynolds gets $64,547 for deaf students' programs and $91,004 for intellectual disability programs. New River gets $78,328 for deaf students' programs and $69,682 for intellectual disability programs each year. Danville gets $26,001 annually for its deaf st… - Colleges gain time-limited operating authority: benefit, low. The Virginia Community College System gets five years of added authority over technology, purchasing, and capital projects. The Department of General Services must review its Shared Services Center and approve decentralized purchasing. Later requests to delegate purchasing authority require consult… - Colleges get support for Pell-eligible students: benefit, low. Colleges receive $37.5 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to recruit and retain students eligible for Pell Grants. Competitive applicants must show changes to outreach, recruitment, admissions, and retention; priority goes to colleges with below-average Pell enrollment. Institutional awards depen… - Colleges receive health workforce training funds: benefit, low. Northern Virginia Community College receives $191,884 in state funds each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for nursing partnerships. These aim to increase newly licensed nurses and the supply of nursing faculty. Virginia Western receives about $1.41 million annually for transferred associate degree progra… - Colleges receive interest payments and rebates: benefit, low. Estimated college interest payments total $17.769903 million in general funds and $21.531657 million in other funds for FY2025. FY2026 amounts are $20.004934 million and $18.128517 million, respectively. Planning and Budget must transfer each college's interest to its education budget after the sta… - Community colleges get stronger cybersecurity funding: benefit, low. The Virginia Community College System gets $1 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for cybersecurity improvements. The money supports college systems, not direct household payments. - Community colleges target more full-time faculty: benefit, low. Virginia's community college system has a goal of making 70% of faculty positions full-time. The system is expected to use base operating support toward that goal and prioritize new funding for individual colleges' operations. It must report funding allocations and any cost-recovery plans to legisl… - Contribution rates fund public worker benefits: benefit, low. For FY2025 and FY2026, retiree health-credit contribution rates are 1.12% for state employees and 1.21% for teachers. Group life insurance rates are 1.18% for state employees and 0.47% for the employer share for teachers. The sickness and disability program rate is 0.50%; its funding calculation us… - Cyber hub funds research and internships: benefit, low. The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Hub receives $7.5 million in state funds each year in FY2025 and FY2026. Funding covers leased space, establishment of the hub, research faculty, entrepreneurship, student internships, education, and operations. Unspent funds remain available, and this funding beco… - Danville students get aviation training support: benefit, low. Danville Community College receives $1.5 million and two positions in each of fiscal 2025 and 2026 for aviation maintenance training. The college must prepare a work plan covering spending, implementation, performance goals, and partner duties. It must begin federal and state program and accreditat… - Education funding for children in institutions: benefit, low. Virginia provides about $41.39 million in fiscal 2025 and $44.57 million in fiscal 2026 for education in specified institutions. These include hospitals, clinics, and detention homes. Detention-home funding covers only children held under a Virginia court order. The Department of Education makes ag… - Eligible colleges gain more operating flexibility: benefit, low. Eligible colleges can negotiate authority in a third operating area after at least three successful years using their original authority. They must renew five-year agreements for both original areas and meet applicable negotiation requirements. Covered colleges' small-purchase thresholds align with… - Employer pension rates fund public workers: benefit, low. The law sets employer pension contribution rates for FY2025 and FY2026. Rates are 14.21% for public school teachers and 12.52% for state employees. They are 31.32% for state police, 24.60% for Virginia law officers, and 30.67% for the judicial retirement system. Employee contributions are separate.… - Extra math help prepares students for algebra: benefit, low. Lottery funding provides about $18.807 million in FY2025 and $18.803 million in FY2026 for algebra readiness help. Students must be in grades 6–9 and show risk of failing the Algebra I test on approved diagnostic tests. Funding supports 2.5 extra instructional hours weekly at a 10-to-1 student-teac… - Funding covers public workers' wage increases: benefit, low. Virginia makes $902,706 available in fiscal 2025 and about $3.07 million in fiscal 2026 for public employers' wage costs. Transfers go to state agencies and higher education institutions. They cover the general fund share of minimum wage increases scheduled for January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026.… - Funding helps adults earn education credentials: benefit, low. Virginia provides about $2.41 million in each of fiscal 2025 and 2026 for Race to GED. That includes $465,375 each year for PluggedIn VA. The money supports adult education and credential services, not direct payments to participants. - Funding provides extra reading help for children: benefit, low. Lottery funds provide about $39.83 million in FY2025 and $47.45 million in FY2026 for kindergarten-through-grade-3 reading intervention. Funding covers the state share of 2.5 extra instructional hours weekly, with five students per teacher. Students must show reading deficiencies on approved diagno… - Funding supports alternative schooling for students: benefit, low. Regional alternative education receives about $10.68 million in FY2025 and $11.27 million in FY2026 from lottery funds. Programs serve certain expelled students, suspended students when appropriate, and students returning from the Department of Juvenile Justice. The money supports educational servi… - Funding supports science learning and internships: benefit, low. Northern Virginia Community College receives $489,000 in state funds each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for SySTEMic Solutions. An equal private funding match is expected. Activities include science and technology dual enrollment, industry-aligned certificates, teacher training, student employment, int… - Higher school salary support near Northern Virginia: benefit, low. Both budget years increase state school salary support in Stafford, Fauquier, Spotsylvania, Clarke, Warren, Frederick, and Culpeper Counties. Fredericksburg and Winchester also qualify. Instructional and support funding increases by 25% of the cost-of-competing adjustment rates used in Planning Dis… - Institutions keep eligible program investment interest: benefit, low. Virginia institutions receive investment interest on auxiliary-enterprise funds when they recover those programs' full indirect costs. Cost recovery must be certified to the Comptroller and checked through an annual public audit. Cash balances representing outstanding Treasury loans do not receive… - Lower loan rates for consolidated schools: benefit, low. A consolidated school division can qualify for a lower Literary Fund loan rate during its 15-year consolidation period. Its composite index, a measure of local funding capacity, must fall to a level qualifying for that lower rate. The Board of Education must then reduce the rate for the rest of the… - More college advising about student aid: benefit, low. The law provides $4 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for advising and outreach about Virginia's G3 program. This money supports marketing and public awareness for students and prospective students. It does not change who qualifies or set individual benefit amounts. - More equipment and credentials for students: benefit, low. In each of fiscal 2025 and 2026, lottery funds provide $1.8 million for secondary vocational equipment. Each division gets $2,000 plus an enrollment-based share; this adds to local funding and requires no local match. Another $2 million yearly provides $1.4 million for industry-standard equipment i… - More funding for college job training: benefit, low. In both FY2025 and FY2026, regional workforce programs get $7.75 million annually where job demand is high and workers are scarce. Programs require an employer match; funding can cover startup costs and career and technical dual-enrollment courses. Each year also provides $1.05 million for health s… - More funding for cybersecurity research: benefit, low. The law provides $10 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. The money supports research and faculty hiring at its Hub and certified Node sites. Unused money stays available, and the funding becomes part of the base budget for later years. - More funding for early childhood training: benefit, low. Virginia Peninsula Community College gets $350,000 annually in FY2025 and FY2026 for mixed-delivery programs, equipment, and materials. This includes $100,000 annually for early childhood instruction, equipment, and operating costs. The college can partner with an outside provider for hands-on earl… - More school funding for gifted students: benefit, low. Virginia funds the state share of one full-time instructional position per 1,000 students for gifted education. Funding uses adjusted March 31 average daily enrollment. School divisions must include the established state-and-local per-student gifted education cost in required local school spending.… - Public colleges can keep limited reserves: benefit, low. Public colleges can carry over unspent education and general balances into institutional reserves. Each reserve is capped at 6% of the college's general fund education appropriation for the most recently completed fiscal year. Reserve spending needs Board of Visitors approval and immediate reportin… - Public colleges gain financing and contracts: benefit, low. Public colleges can participate in the federal Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program. They can use federal grant and contract funds as that program permits. Public colleges can also accept nonprofit research or mission-related funding agreements requiring binding arbit… - Public colleges gain more purchasing options: benefit, low. All public colleges can use VASCUPP's shared purchasing contracts, regardless of their delegated purchasing authority. Colleges outside that purchasing group must add required state procurement terms. Institutions with the required nongeneral-fund construction agreement receive waivers of competiti… - Public colleges retain designated revenue support: benefit, low. The law provides about $42.041701 million in FY2025 and $41.005050 million in FY2026 for college interest earnings. Interest on tuition, fees, and other non-general educational revenues goes to state-certified public colleges under the required distribution method. Colleges must document planned us… - Regional colleges receive training center funding: benefit, low. Each year in FY2025 and FY2026, Wytheville's advanced manufacturing center receives $130,005 and Mecklenburg's Job Retraining Center receives $115,130. Southside Virginia Community College receives $19,560 annually, split equally between the Estes center in Chase City and Lake Country center in Sou… - School loans and consolidation funding support: benefit, low. The Board of Education offers annual Literary Fund loan applications, prioritizing local ability to pay and setting benchmarked, below-market interest rates. Up to $78 million is available, subject to funds; loans cover construction, renovation, enlargement, and eligible refinancing or debt redempt… - Schools can keep qualifying unused funds: benefit, low. Qualifying localities can carry unused state school funds from FY2025 into FY2026 and from FY2026 into FY2027. They must meet required local school funding and matching requirements for chosen incentive or Lottery-funded programs. Carried money must be assigned to the school division and spent the… - Schools get more specialist staffing options: benefit, low. School divisions can use technology-teacher funds for a data coordinator, technology teacher, or blended role. They can use Early Reading Intervention funds and required local matches to hire reading specialists for required reading services. They can also use Algebra Readiness funds and required l… - Schools keep earlier opening date waivers: benefit, low. School divisions with a good-cause opening-date waiver for the 2011–2012 school year keep that waiver. The extension covers the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 school years. - State backstops school bond payments: benefit, low. Virginia covers qualifying school bond payment shortfalls, first using available Literary Fund money and then General Fund money. This applies to qualifying bonds authorized and issued after June 30, 1997, excluding bonds with specified alternative protections. The state may recover the payment fro… - State funding supports school staff costs: benefit, low. Virginia pays a 55% state share of eligible employer benefit costs, using statewide prevailing salaries. Funding covers no more than the instructional positions required by the Standards of Quality. Distribution uses each locality's funding index, with values above 0.8000 treated as 0.8000. For cer… - Struggling high schools get device grants: benefit, low. Qualifying schools get $400 per ninth-grade fall student for laptops or tablets, plus $2,400 for two teacher content-creation packages. Schools must include ninth grade and lack full accreditation for two consecutive years. FY2025 eligibility uses spring 2024 tests and FY2024–FY2025 ratings; FY2026… - Support for more minority doctoral graduates: benefit, low. Virginia provides $170,000 in each of fiscal 2025 and 2026 to help increase the number of minority doctoral graduates. The money supports the Southern Regional Education Board initiative. Spending must follow agreements between Virginia and the Board. No individual award amount is stated. - Unemployment agency can borrow during spikes: benefit, low. The Virginia Employment Commission can use its $30 million credit line for unemployment-program operating costs during significant unemployment increases. Unemployment must be at least 5%. It must also reach 120% of the average rate for the same 13-week period in the previous two years. Approval re… - Universities receive money for medical research: benefit, low. In FY2025, UVA gets $46.5 million for biotechnology, and Virginia Tech gets $26.5 million for its Patient Research Center. VCU gets $13 million for Medicines for All, and Old Dominion gets $4.053234 million for its Digital Patient Model. Money stays unavailable until each university signs a perform… - Virginia Tech medical school approval granted: benefit, low. The law approves establishing the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine within Virginia Tech upon a qualifying acquisition. Virginia Tech must acquire it during the July 2024–June 2026 budget period through efforts to strengthen its Carilion Clinic partnership. The law states that establishment… - Workforce grant money reserved for later: benefit, low. Upon enactment, the community college system must transfer $13.6 million from education program cash balances to the workforce credential grant fund. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia receives the transfer for deposit. This money is not appropriated to the Council in fiscal 2026. I… - Development grants and loans for localities: benefit, low. The Commonwealth's Development Opportunity Fund receives $19.75 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to attract economic development projects. The Governor can award local governments grants or loans for specified project costs after consulting the designated legislative committee chairs. A local m… - Funding for business grants and recruitment: benefit, low. Investment Performance Grants receive $2.686350 million in FY2025 and $2.809250 million in FY2026 for qualifying projects. Economic Development Incentive Grants receive $2.269 million and $2.239 million, respectively, for qualifying projects. Both programs keep unused prior-year funds available for… - Funding for regional entrepreneur support networks: benefit, low. The Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Division receives $3 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026 to support entrepreneurial communities. The law also provides $2 million each year to establish the Regional Innovation Fund. That fund can provide continuing support for promising entrepreneur-network projects… - Funding for startups and new products: benefit, low. The Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority receives $3.1 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for early-stage investments. Funding supports Virginia Venture Partners and other indirect investment methods. Returned money, including proceeds from company sales, stays available for future investm… - Funding for technology and manufacturing programs: benefit, low. Technology Industry Development Services receives $1 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. It supports federal funding efforts, government partnerships, innovation policies, and contracts that help bring ideas to market. The Virginia Center for Unmann… - Grants for advanced shipbuilding facilities: benefit, low. The law deposits $8 million in FY2025 into the Advanced Shipbuilding Production Facility Grant Fund. The money pays facility grants to recipients eligible under the governing Virginia law. The provision funds shipbuilding facilities rather than direct household payments. - Matched funding for Roanoke therapy labs: benefit, low. Roanoke receives $4 million in FY2025 to improve an existing facility for cell and gene therapy laboratory space. The City must secure an equal non-state match, using cash or in-kind contributions. A qualifying cell or gene therapy research tenant affiliated with a nationally recognized hospital mu… - State expands options for technology investments: benefit, low. The Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority can use additional transfers under a referenced 2019 budget provision for more investment programs. It can create a fund that invests in private funds and invest directly with Virginia accelerators and university technology programs. It can also run an… - State funding to attract film production: benefit, low. The Governor's Motion Picture Opportunity Fund receives $6 million from the general fund in FY2025 and $4 million in FY2026. It also receives an estimated $150,000 each year from digital media fee revenue. The Governor can use the money to attract film production to Virginia. These are industry fun… - State grants support manufacturing research: benefit, low. The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing gets $1.1 million each in FY2025 and FY2026 for private-sector grants. Uses include membership incentives, directed research, and early research projects. New-member incentives require no prior Center membership; small manufacturing members must ha… - Aviation fuel avoids extra district tax: benefit, low. Certain Virginia transportation districts cannot collect their additional sales tax on aviation fuel. Other taxes on aviation fuel still apply. - Continued sales tax relief for drilling: benefit, low. Qualifying oil and gas business purchases remain exempt from Virginia sales and use tax through July 1, 2026. Covered items include raw materials, fuel, power, supplies, machinery, tools, repair parts, and replacements. They must be used directly in drilling, extraction, processing, or well-area cl… - Facility sales taxes go to municipalities: benefit, low. Qualifying municipalities receive all sales tax revenue from transactions at covered public facilities they financed with bonds. Bonds must have been issued on or after July 1, 2001 and before July 1, 2006. They must have paid at least part of the covered facility’s cost. Household sales tax rates… - Recycling equipment tax credit continues: benefit, low. Businesses can claim Virginia’s credit for machinery and equipment used for advanced recycling and processing recyclable materials. The credit remains available for tax years starting before January 1, 2027. The supplied text does not state its amount or calculation. - Regional commissions receive local fuel taxes: benefit, low. Additional fuel sales tax revenue from covered transportation districts must return to their regional transportation commissions. Each commission receives amounts matching the shares collected in its member jurisdictions. The law does not set a new fuel tax rate or household payment. - Research centers receive sales tax exemptions: benefit, low. From July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018, federally funded research centers received an expanded exemption for qualifying research property. Property had to be used directly and exclusively for basic research or experimental or laboratory research and development. That exemption period ended. Beginn… - Tax deduction for project connection upgrades: benefit, low. For tax years beginning January 1, 2026 or later, taxpayers can deduct qualifying project interconnection upgrade costs. The upgrade must be required to connect a project covered by the law’s triggering-project rules. Individual and corporate provisions prohibit deducting the same cost under both r… - Transportation funds get a refund shield: benefit, low. Refunds of Virginia's Tax Credit for Retaliatory Costs to Other States cannot reduce Commonwealth Transportation Fund deposits by more than $266,667. This protects transportation-fund revenue. It does not change taxpayer credit eligibility or refund amounts. - Medicaid limits weight loss drug coverage: cost, high. The law limits Medicaid weight loss drug coverage effective July 1, 2024, upon federal approval. Coverage remains for people with a body mass index above 40. It also remains above 37 with high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, or dyslipidemia, a blood-fat disorder. A separate exception covers tradi… - Some adoptive families lose assistance access: cost, high. Adoption subsidies and support services are unavailable for children adopted through parental placements. The restriction does not apply when a child placing agency was the child's legal guardian at adoption. Existing adoption assistance agreements remain protected. - Second-degree students wait for college aid: cost, high. Students seeking a second or later bachelor’s degree cannot receive covered undergraduate awards until first-degree students’ aid needs are fully met. Another statute can provide a different rule. The law does not specify an individual award amount. - Virginia funds bond and loan repayments: cost, high. Virginia provides about $1.043 billion in FY2025 and $1.029 billion in FY2026 to repay bonds and loans. The money covers identified state general obligation, Public Building Authority, and College Building Authority debt and related expenses. Payments support state debt obligations, not direct hous… - Substance-exposed newborn reports require safety investigations: cost, medium. The law provides $4.527969 million annually in FY2025 and FY2026 to reinvest adoption savings. Of that, $1.333031 million annually funds child safety assessments and investigations following reports of newborns exposed to controlled substances. Child Protective Services must investigate even when t… - Medicaid asset checks cover applications and renewals: cost, medium. Virginia Medicaid workers must search for unreported assets when people apply or renew coverage subject to an asset limit. Workers must use available electronic sources, including local property records and Department of Motor Vehicles data. The law does not change the asset limit or create a new h… - New disability slots need specific authorization: cost, medium. Virginia cannot add Intellectual Disabilities or Individual and Family Developmental Disabilities and Support waiver slots without specific authorization. Exceptions include Money Follows the Person, people leaving state institutions, and authorizations in the cited 2011 laws or § 37.2-319. Other a… - State funding for abortion services restricted: cost, medium. Virginia agencies cannot use general or nongeneral fund appropriations to provide abortion services. Spending required by federal law or Virginia statute remains allowed. The restriction limits services paid for through these funds; it is not a general ban on abortion. - Nonresident online students face cost-based tuition: cost, medium. Virginia colleges must collect tuition and fees exceeding all instructional costs from nonresident students using the Southern Regional Electronic Campus. Both direct and indirect costs count. Each institution's Board of Visitors sets the rates. The law does not state a specific tuition price or in… - Public workers without coverage face hour limits: cost, medium. Employees ineligible for a state or agency health plan cannot average more than 29 work hours weekly over 12 months. Adjunct faculty hours include teaching and other work their college determines is needed for their duties. State teaching hospitals with their own health plans are exempt from the ho… - Retirement limits for some public officials: cost, medium. The Compensation Board cannot fund employer contributions to police-style retirement systems above the general classified state workforce rate. Sworn Department of State Police personnel are exempt; employees or local government employers bear any excess benefit cost. Agency heads paid with this la… - Severance limits for new employment-agency hires: cost, medium. Certain new Virginia Employment Commission positions hired after enactment are excluded from Workforce Transition Act transitional severance benefits. The exclusion covers positions under the referenced staffing provision for job placement, unemployment insurance, workforce development, and economi… - State funding caps college coaches’ pay: cost, medium. The general-fund portion of a public college coach’s salary cannot exceed $100,000. The rule took effect July 1, 2013. Salaries above the cap were subject to a five-year phase-down of 20 percent per year. The cap does not necessarily limit pay from other funding sources. - Withdrawing students must return unearned grants: cost, medium. Students receiving grants under the covered state financial-assistance appropriations must return the unearned portion when they withdraw during a semester. The college calculates that portion using the percentage applied for federal Return to Title IV student-aid purposes. The law sets no fixed re… - Virginia keeps earlier itemized deduction limits: cost, medium. Virginia keeps the earlier federal limit on itemized deductions for state income tax purposes. It does not follow the change to that limit in the federal 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act. Affected taxpayers remain subject to the earlier limit, which can reduce their Virginia deduction. The supplied t… - School retirement funding faces source cap: cost, medium. In FY2026, Virginia can set aside no more than $175 million from Literary Fund principal for school employee retirement contributions. The cap limits this funding source, not a stated individual pension amount. The law does not say whether it reduces an existing payment. - Virginia excludes new federal business deductions: cost, medium. Virginia generally follows federal income tax rules as they stood on December 31, 2025, subject to state exceptions. It also follows later federal extensions of provisions Virginia follows or previously followed. However, Virginia does not adopt the 2025 federal changes to research expense deductio… - Added costs for unpaid election penalties: cost, low. Unpaid election-law charges and civil penalties are subject to interest, collection fees, and late penalties. These added costs follow the Virginia Debt Collection Act. This provision does not state the rates or amounts. - Drivers pay registration and reinstatement fees: cost, low. Owners pay an extra $6.25 each time they register a covered pickup, panel truck, or motor vehicle. Drivers also pay $100 for each license reinstatement subject to the Trauma Center Fund fee. These charges apply to covered registrations and reinstatements, not every driver. - Fees for bulk sex offender records: cost, low. The State Police Superintendent must set a policy and reasonable fee for bulk transfers of public sex offender registry information. The fee must offset registry administration costs; no amount is specified. Transfers to the Statewide Automated Victim Notification system remain free. - Frequent state recipients need electronic payments: cost, low. Recipients of six or more payments per year from the Virginia State Treasurer must receive those payments electronically. The Treasurer chooses the electronic payment method. The Comptroller can allow non-electronic payments when the recipient's circumstances justify relief. This rule changes payme… - Paper campaign reports face filing fees: cost, low. The State Board of Elections must set a fee of up to $25 for each covered paper campaign finance report. The fee applies to non-electronic reports filed under Virginia Code § 24.2-947.5. Regulations must allow a waiver for filers who cannot afford to pay. - Permits required for state property events: cost, low. Groups need permits for covered events on property controlled by Virginia's Department of General Services. Covered events include assemblies of 10 or more people for expressive activities or other activities likely or intended to draw onlookers. A permit is available only when the event does not i… - Income checks for Medicaid applicants and members: cost, low. Medicaid workers must check available Virginia Employment Commission data when applicants or members report no earned or unearned income. Workers must use the same income-check procedures for all applicants and members. The law does not change income limits or add a new household reporting duty. - State employee housing requires a fee: cost, low. State employees living in state-owned or state-leased housing must pay a fee. Agencies choose rates under Department of General Services guidelines and must document their reasons. The department's director can waive collection in exceptional cases documented as serving the state's best interest. N… - Twenty-dollar fee for recorded property documents: cost, low. Virginia charges $20 for each recorded deed subject to the state recordation tax. The same fee applies to each admitted certificate of satisfaction, which records that a debt has been paid. Half the revenue goes to the general fund. Half supports cost-sharing for farm conservation practices. - Citizen board members cannot receive pay: cost, low. Virginia executive-branch agencies cannot pay citizen members for serving on boards, commissions, authorities, councils, or similar bodies. The ban applies to compensation from any fund. The law states no payment amount. - Online tuition rules for nonresident students: cost, low. Virginia community college tuition and fee revenue from out-of-state distance-learning students must exceed the direct and indirect costs of instruction. The State Board for Community Colleges sets rates to meet that requirement. The law does not set a specific price. - State employees face tighter pay rules: cost, low. State salary-band increases generally need funding for the rest of the biennium, a next-biennium plan, and Finance Secretary agreement. Otherwise, they need legislative funding; qualifying increases generally start in the fiscal year’s first pay period. Promotions, role changes, hiring or retention… - State employees pay for facility meals: cost, low. State employees must pay for meals served in state facilities unless a legal or written personnel-director exemption applies. Agencies set charges covering at least raw food, direct labor, and meal preparation and service utility costs. On-duty employees assigned to facilities run by Corrections or… - State workers face parking charges: cost, low. Agencies must charge employees for parking at state-owned facilities when the General Services director requires it. The Governor approves the charging basis, and revenue goes to a special fund for parking costs. Non-college agencies in privately leased metropolitan Richmond space must charge for a… - Heated cigarettes face per-stick state tax: cost, low. Virginia taxes cigarettes intended to be heated at 2.25 cents per stick. The tax covers products sold, stored, or received on or after July 1, 2024. These products cannot be certified until the Tax Department develops a tax stamp for them. - Higher tobacco and liquid nicotine taxes: cost, low. For taxable sales or purchases starting July 1, 2020, Virginia doubles tobacco product tax rates from their June 30, 2020 levels. Liquid nicotine was taxed at 6.6 cents per milliliter from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2024. Beginning July 1, 2024, its tax is 11 cents per milliliter. Higher taxes… - Some tax actions cannot face lawsuits: cost, low. Virginia courts cannot hear suits challenging Tax Commissioner actions taken under the specific subdivision covered by this provision. This is not a general ban on court challenges in other tax disputes. - Stafford can tax qualifying venue admissions: cost, low. Stafford County has authority to tax admissions at a qualifying entertainment venue by up to 10%. The county and venue must sign an agreement, and the venue must need at least 75 acres. Its first county business license must date from July 1, 2015 or later. Its owner must have bought or leased the… - Tobacco buyers face specified tax rates: cost, low. Virginia's cigarette tax is 3 cents per cigarette sold, stored, or received starting July 1, 2020. Heated tobacco is taxed at 2.25 cents per stick from January 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024. Beginning July 1, 2024, heated tobacco is taxed at 20% of its wholesale price. These taxes can add to buyer… - Tobacco distributors face tax registration thresholds: cost, low. Beginning January 1, 2021, tobacco distributors must register for Virginia Tobacco Products Tax after meeting either sales threshold. Registration applies above $100,000 in Virginia tobacco sales revenue or at 200 or more separate Virginia sales transactions. Either threshold can be met in the curr… - Local precinct changes face temporary limits: cost, low. Localities generally cannot change precinct boundaries from February 1 through June 19, 2026. Exceptions cover court orders, locality boundary changes, government-form changes, and changes in the number of non-at-large election districts. Revisions adopted after January 1, 2026, cannot be used in e… - Presidential elections lose an audit option: cost, low. Virginia election officials cannot conduct risk-limiting audits of presidential elections. The ban also covers elections to nominate presidential candidates. It removes this specific election-checking process, not all forms of election oversight. - Richmond Carillon work needs legislative approval: cost, low. Construction, improvements, or renovation on state property at the Carillon in Richmond's Byrd Park require General Assembly approval first. The law specifies no project budget. - Some capital planning records stay private: cost, low. Some written communications and documents shared by the Six-Year Capital Outlay Plan Advisory Committee and staff are exempt from public-records law. Covered topics include capital-pool funding, project costs, project approval, and transfers between capital-pool projects. - Temporary ban on ordering special elections: cost, low. Election authorities cannot order a special election in any Virginia locality from April 22 through June 10, 2026. The restriction concerns when elections are ordered. - Medicaid providers face online appeal rules: cost, low. Effective upon enactment, Virginia's Medicaid agency can amend regulations to require provider appeals through its online portal only. Providers can request an exception before the filing deadline for good cause. Reasons include lack of rural internet access or other explained hardships. This autho… - Mental health waiver needs lawmakers' approval: cost, low. Virginia's Medicaid and behavioral health agencies must continue work toward a federal serious mental illness waiver. Medicaid can develop an application and must maintain a plan covering service changes, costs, and timing. The current plan is due September 1 each year. Medicaid cannot implement an… - Off-campus college sites face approval rules: cost, low. Public colleges need state council approval for off-campus teaching sites supported by general funds or credit-course tuition and mandatory fees. Conditional approval lasts no more than one year; continued operation needs Governor and General Assembly approval through legislation or appropriations.… - Private colleges face state aid limits: cost, low. Private colleges admitted to a Virginia higher-education aid program on or after January 1, 2024, must meet participation requirements. They must be nonprofit and formed or incorporated in Virginia, with their main business and educational activity in Virginia. They must have accreditation from a n… - Public college programs require state approval: cost, low. Public colleges can operate academic programs using this law's funds only through required state approval. Programs need State Council of Higher Education approval and inclusion in the Executive Budget, or General Assembly approval. The council can grant exemptions in exceptional cases. - Agency benefit expansions need legislative funding: cost, low. State agencies cannot expand benefit eligibility or raise per-person benefit costs without a General Assembly appropriation for the change. Agencies also need legislative authorization for new services that require future equipment, facilities, or higher operating spending. Exceptions cover COVID-1… - Agency fees for ignoring electronic payments: cost, low. The Comptroller can charge an agency $5 per check or earnings notice for failing to follow state electronic-commerce initiatives. The Comptroller must first determine that the agency failed to comply. The Department of Accounts collects the fee through accounting entries. The agency pays, not the h… - Localities pay August primary election costs: cost, low. Each county or city holding the August 4, 2026 primary must pay its election costs through its treasurer. The law sets no dollar amount and requires no direct payment from residents. - Public-purpose grants require matching money: cost, low. Nonstate agencies receiving state appropriations must operate in Virginia, serve the public or a public purpose, and have incurred operating costs. Unless specifically exempted, they must certify available cash or in-kind contributions equal to the appropriation before receiving money. A match cann… - State agencies face service billing controls: cost, low. Agencies running internal service funds must submit operating information, rates, and reserves for state budget review and approval. Overhead charges to other agencies generally cannot change unless the enacted budget allows it. The Governor can change rates for emergencies or legislatively approve… - State construction faces approval and spending limits: cost, low. State agencies and public colleges generally need legislative capital-plan approval and the Governor's written approval for capital projects. Major project funds cannot be released before environmental requirements are met, and design contracts cannot last forever. Agencies generally cannot change… - State media and college promotions face limits: cost, low. Public colleges cannot spend controlled public funds on recruiting materials that exaggerate or extol the school to attract students. When other local distribution methods are not economically feasible, colleges can use mailings or newspaper inserts, but not both. Executive agencies and the Lottery… - State spending authority for presidential debate: cost, low. The law lets the Governor spend additional money as needed for the October 2024 presidential debate at Virginia State University. It sets no spending cap. This authority covers that event's costs, not a recurring household benefit. - State technology and vehicle purchases need approval: cost, low. State agencies generally need written technology-chief approval before independently buying technology or telecommunications goods and services. Purchases must fit state and agency plans and follow state technology standards, with exceptions for specified research, teaching, non-major projects, and… - State-funded groups must report results annually: cost, low. Nonlocal-government groups specifically named as state-fund recipients must report spending and results to their funding agency each year by September 15. The rule does not apply when another law or budget requirement already covers their use of the money. Service providers and facility-improvement… - Unused auxiliary grant funding is removed: cost, low. The state budget director must remove $1 million from the general fund auxiliary grants appropriation by June 30, 2025. The reduction reflects unused program balances. This item does not state any change to a recipient's grant amount or eligibility. - Fees on state accounts and financing: cost, low. The Treasurer can charge a sliding fee up to 0.2% on managed nongeneral-fund accounts receiving investment income. Estimated account-fee collections are $3 million annually. Public institutions using pooled college bonds, projects using specified constitutional bond financing, and alternative finan… - Disability care facilities pay revenue assessment: cost, low. Virginia charges intermediate care facilities for people with intellectual disabilities an assessment equal to 6% of revenue. The state may adjust interim Medicaid rates to cover new Medicaid costs from the assessment. This is a provider charge, not a direct charge on household income or benefits. - Less child care subsidy funding: cost, low. FY2026 funding for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families child care subsidies is $48.912768 million. That is down from $51.981727 million shown previously in the bill text. Families must qualify under the program's rules. The law does not specify a change to any one family's subsidy. - Less funding for public pharmacy services: cost, low. The law cuts the Virginia Department of Health's Pharmacy Services funding by $8 million. Funding falls from $17.722521 million to $9.722521 million. The provision does not identify which services change or which households are affected. - Limits on extra Medicaid provider payments: cost, low. Virginia must track the federal ceiling on extra Medicaid hospital payments. When the ceiling is reached, the state must cut or end payments as needed, starting with the newest. Virginia can also remove obsolete extra provider payments authorized before July 1, 2021. Those payments must have no qua… - Lower hospital payments for preventable readmissions: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2020, Medicaid pays hospitals 50% of the normal rate for qualifying, potentially preventable readmissions. The patient must return to the same hospital within 30 days with the same or a similar diagnosis. Similar diagnoses share the first three digits of their ICD diagnosis codes;… - Medicaid providers receive some payments later: cost, low. Virginia moves specified quarterly disproportionate-share hospital and direct and indirect medical education payments from June to July. Monthly managed-care payments must be made in the first week of the following month. The final June remittance to Medicaid and FAMIS providers is delayed one week… - Medicaid transportation calls stay in Norton: cost, low. A statewide call center serving a Medicaid or FAMIS transportation brokerage program must be located in Norton, Virginia. This requirement applies to the operator. It does not change who qualifies for rides or the transportation benefit amount. - College boards face purchasing oversight duties: cost, low. Where practical, public four-year college boards must direct staff to standardize commonly purchased goods, including through college-wide contracts. Boards must consider annual reports on exceptions, including small purchases. The State Council of Higher Education must train board members annually… - College partnership schools face funding limits: cost, low. For this funding, college partnership laboratory schools must be public, nonreligious schools established by public four-year institutions. Other institutions can access the fund through a Virginia public four-year partner approved as fiscal agent and partner by June 30, 2024. Funded schools must d… - Colleges must cover discretionary tuition waivers: cost, low. A college granting a new tuition waiver not authorized by Virginia law must cover the waiver's cost. This applies to both resident and nonresident students. The law does not require colleges to offer these waivers or set their amounts. - Colleges must fund older retirement debts: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2019, covered public colleges must pay a share of unfunded retirement costs for qualifying converted positions. Positions must have existed December 31, 2011, and become eligible for the Optional Retirement Plan for Higher Education starting January 1, 2012. The employee filling t… - Executive agencies must limit staffing: cost, low. The Governor must limit executive-branch staffing to what approved programs need to operate efficiently. The state budget office must review staffing periodically and seek to remove unnecessary positions through attrition. Higher education institutions and the State Council of Higher Education are… - New community campuses face funding limits: cost, low. New community college campuses have limited funding sources for land, parking, outdoor lighting, sidewalks, and outdoor sports or recreation facilities. The limits also cover site work more than 5 feet from a building. These costs must use appropriated federal funds, Trust and Agency funds includin… - Noncredit vocational courses lack state support: cost, low. Virginia can reimburse general adult education programs using a fixed amount per student or class. State funds cannot support vocational courses that do not offer credit. The restriction does not ban those courses or require students to pay a fee. - Public colleges face financial performance standards: cost, low. Public colleges without Management Agreements must meet audit, financial reporting, payment collection, bill payment, and board debt-policy standards. Audits must give an unqualified opinion with no significant deficiencies. Staff-turnover goals and small, women-owned, and minority-owned business p… - Public colleges must review staffing structures: cost, low. Where practical, public four-year college boards must direct reviews of organizational structures, supervision, staff work, and workloads. Colleges must identify ways to streamline operations and implement recommendations where possible. Boards must require periodic reports on average and median di… - School funding updates face inflation caps: cost, low. The Department of Education must cap inflation rates when updating school funding every two years. It must use the method prescribed by Virginia's referenced retirement law. This provision does not state the cap's rate or the dollar effect on any division. - Schools face funding reductions and withholding: cost, low. The Education Department can transfer available general funds between budget items when program funding falls short. If a shortfall remains, it can reduce payments proportionately among participating school divisions. The Board of Education must withhold some or all pending-year At-Risk Add-On fund… - Self-managed colleges face tighter operating benchmarks: cost, low. Standards applying since July 1, 2009, cover colleges with Management Agreements, including audits, reporting, investment returns, and debt burden. Colleges must maintain a bond rating of AA- or better. Voluntary turnover must stay within 15% of the state classified-employee rate; internal progress… - Administration charges reduce tax-return donations: cost, low. Virginia can keep up to 5% of tax-return donations to each participating organization for administration. Total retention cannot exceed $50,000 per taxable year across all organizations. The rule applies to tax years beginning January 1, 2003 or later. It reduces money sent to organizations, not th… - Businesses receive less tax collection pay: cost, low. Starting with the June 2010 return due in July 2010, sales-tax dealers required to pay by electronic funds transfer receive no collection compensation. Other dealers receive compensation only on the first 3% of tax. Rates are 1.6% for monthly taxable sales of $0–$62,500, 1.2% for $62,501–$208,000,… - Charitable assistance credits face funding limits: cost, low. Neighborhood Assistance Act Tax Credits are capped at $20 million in each of FY2025 and FY2026. Education proposals receive $12 million of that limit; other proposals receive $8 million. At least 50% of people an organization serves must be low-income people or eligible students with disabilities.… - Corporations face tighter related-party tax exceptions: cost, low. For tax years beginning January 1, 2004, or later, Virginia limits exceptions to adding back related-company intangible income. The tax-based exception covers only income assigned to a jurisdiction where the property owner has enough ties to be taxed. The licensing exception covers only income from… - End-date limits for state tax breaks: cost, low. The General Assembly cannot extend covered sales tax exemptions or tax credits beyond June 30, 2030. New covered incentives enacted after the 2019 regular session and before the 2029 regular session must end by then. Exceptions cover specified nonprofit exemptions, housing opportunity credits, and… - Land preservation credits face annual caps: cost, low. Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit claims are capped at $20,000 per taxpayer for tax years beginning in 2017 through 2022. The same cap applies to tax years beginning January 1, 2024, or later. Credits carried over from earlier years count toward the annual limit. The supplied text does not stat… - Racing facility pays new daily tax: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, a significant infrastructure facility limited licensee owes $110,000 for each live racing day. The payment goes to the locality where the facility is located. It is in addition to other taxes and fees. - Required valuation method for data centers: cost, low. Localities must assess data center fixtures classified as real estate at 100% of fair market value. They must use the cost approach to determine that value. The supplied text does not establish the change in any owner’s property tax bill. - Appointees can buy missing retirement service: mixed, high. Full-time employees appointed by the Governor can use severance money to buy service needed for the specified retirement option. They must meet that option’s requirements except for minimum service. They can buy only enough service to reach that minimum. The purchase costs 15 percent of the greater… - Online students get separate tuition grants: mixed, high. New students studying exclusively online or through distance learning can receive Tuition Assistance Grants up to $2,560 in fiscal 2025. The maximum is $2,625 in fiscal 2026, using 50 percent of the undergraduate residential award level. Students already studying exclusively online in 2019–2020 ret… - Optometry grants require Virginia practice commitment: mixed, high. Virginia students attending optometry schools or colleges can receive grants of up to $5,000 per year. The law provides $20,000 each year in FY2025 and FY2026. Recipients must agree to establish a practice in Virginia for at least two years after completing their studies. - Private college grants carry award limits: mixed, high. The Tuition Assistance Grant program receives about $104.1 million in fiscal 2025 and $112.3 million in fiscal 2026. Qualified undergraduates at eligible independent nonprofit colleges can receive up to $5,125 in 2025 and $5,250 in 2026. Qualified graduate and medical students can receive up to $5,… - Teaching loans offer service-based loan forgiveness: mixed, high. The law provides $708,000 each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for teaching scholarship loans of up to $10,000 annually. Students must meet statutory criteria, have at least a 2.7 GPA, and receive a Virginia regionally accredited college’s nomination. Full-time or part-time students must attend an approv… - Lottery profits move into proceeds fund: mixed, high. The Comptroller must move estimated lottery profits from the Virginia Lottery Fund to the Lottery Proceeds Fund. Transfers are limited to $943.82425 million in FY2025 and $923.626865 million in FY2026. An initial transfer covers the first five months, followed by monthly transfers. The final transf… - Virginia moves reserves into general spending: mixed, high. Virginia transfers about $332.312 million from the Revenue Reserve Fund to the general fund in FY2025. It transfers about $999.078 million in FY2026. Combined Revenue Stabilization and Revenue Reserve balances cannot exceed 17.53% of specified average tax revenues in FY2025 or 15% in FY2026. Transf… - Birth injury families get premium repayment: mixed, medium. Virginia's Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Program can require an admitted claimant's parent or guardian to buy private health insurance. It must cover medically necessary and reasonable expenses resulting from the claimant's birth injury. With proof of payment, the program must repa… - Child care centers can enlarge groups: mixed, medium. The Superintendent of Public Instruction can temporarily allow child day centers to serve more children per staff member. Groups from birth through school eligibility age can have one extra child per staff member. Groups from school eligibility age through age 12 can have two extra children per sta… - Child care copay caps, job-search limits: mixed, medium. In fiscal year 2026, child care subsidy families below 100% of the federal poverty level pay $5 monthly. Other families' copayments can reach up to 5% of annual income, but cannot exceed the 5% income cap. Parents using the program while searching for work have a 90-day limit. A household can recei… - Medicaid drug approvals include access safeguards: mixed, medium. Virginia must establish a Medicaid preferred drug list and require approval before covering covered weight loss drugs. Prior-approval decisions must come within 24 hours; doctors can request a 72-hour emergency supply, including a pharmacy dispensing fee. The program must provide fast reviews, time… - Medicaid expansion depends on federal funding: mixed, medium. The law authorizes Virginia to cover the specified Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion group. It also requires disenrollment following a federal law or rule change that reduces the specified enhanced federal matching funds. Virginia's Medicaid agency must determine that funding fell, in consulta… - New mental health care replaces older services: mixed, medium. From July 1, 2021, Virginia may revise Medicaid community treatment, partial hospitalization, and crisis care rules and rates. It may also establish family therapies, intensive outpatient care, mobile crisis care, 23-hour observation, and residential crisis stabilization. Changes must stay within a… - Specialty drug rules for Medicaid patients: mixed, medium. Virginia's Medicaid agency has authority to establish a specialty drug program through a State Plan change. Any hired vendor must use appropriate case management when setting payment and drug-use methods. The agency must publish and update approved drugs, rates, and guidelines at least every three… - Updated Medicaid nursing and home care rules: mixed, medium. Virginia reviews and adjusts medical-need rules for private duty nursing, skilled nursing, and home health care. Updates account for medical advances, technology, and integrated care models, including behavioral supports. The law allows changes to covered services, provider qualifications, and priv… - College aid supports students with limits: mixed, medium. Colleges can use specified state aid funds for grants, work-study, graduate assistantships, and matching federal or private non-work aid. Undergraduates need at least half-time enrollment in qualifying programs; graduate grant recipients and dual undergraduate-graduate students need full-time enrol… - Colleges face nonresident undergraduate enrollment limits: mixed, medium. Covered colleges with more than 25 percent nonresident undergraduates generally cannot increase that share. An increase must support state workforce needs identified with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Resident undergraduate enrollment cannot fall below fall 2018 full-time-equivalen… - Covered state salaries can rise or fall: mixed, medium. The Governor and independent-agency boards can raise or lower salaries for specified state positions by up to 10% per fiscal year. Changes must reflect performance and service to Virginia. Pay must remain within the applicable job's salary range. The authority covers the listed positions, not all s… - Guaranteed assistance students get aid priority: mixed, medium. Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program students receive grant priority over classmates with equal remaining financial need. Their awards must be larger than those classmates’ awards. Students with the greatest need receive at least enough to cover tuition; other awards depend on remaining need and… - Preschools get flexibility alongside classroom limits: mixed, medium. Publicly funded Mixed-Delivery Preschool staff are exempt from teacher licensing requirements and qualifications. Virginia Preschool Initiative classes exceeding Board benchmarks need one teacher for up to 10 students, plus a full-time aide for 11–20; the cap is 20. Other classes need one teacher f… - Public colleges control resident tuition prices: mixed, medium. Virginia public colleges can set tuition and fees for resident student groups at levels they consider appropriate. Total student tuition and fee revenue must stay within the college’s approved budget from sources other than the general fund. Nonresident undergraduate and graduate tuition plus requi… - State workers face mileage reimbursement limits: mixed, medium. For official travel within the continental United States, the first 15,000 personal-car miles each fiscal year use the lower of two rates. Those are the IRS business rate and the lowest combined capital-and-operating trip-pool rate for a compact state vehicle. The IRS rate applies when a state vehi… - Congressional maps depend on voter approval: mixed, medium. The law sets boundaries for 11 Virginia congressional districts using an electronic block file and its resulting map file. Those files control legal boundary decisions. The district rules take effect only after majority approval of the specified constitutional amendments at the April 21, 2026 elect… - Virginia replaces its congressional district map: mixed, medium. The law repeals Virginia's congressional map drawn by the state Supreme Court after the 2020 census. That map can no longer be used. The law sets boundaries for Virginia's 11 congressional districts using counties, cities, voting districts, and precincts. The supplied boundary provision describes t… - Hospital assessments fund Medicaid coverage and care: mixed, medium. Beginning on or after October 1, 2018, Virginia may assess private acute-care hospitals for Medicaid expansion and related costs. That assessment equals the specified nonfederal costs times 1.02, divided by hospitals' net patient revenue. A separate assessment funds higher hospital Medicaid payment… - Medicaid plans face consolidation and financial oversight: mixed, medium. Virginia must seek federal approval to combine CCC Plus and Medallion 4.0, with consolidation specified for July 1, 2022. It may reprocure or amend managed care through one contract effective July 1, 2025. Dental, disability waiver, and currently excluded services stay fee-for-service; adding servi… - Funding supports school staff and principals: mixed, medium. The law provides an estimated $390.6 million in FY2025 and $404.6 million in FY2026 for school staffing standards. Funding supports five elementary resource teachers, one support position, and one instructional technology position per 1,000 students. It also supports a full daily planning period fo… - School technology grants require local matching: mixed, medium. School technology grants use equipment-note financing estimated at $55.764 million in FY2025 and $55.582 million in FY2026. Divisions must first build and maintain the ability to provide online state testing. Students with a documented need for paper tests remain excepted. Funds also support school… - Smaller early-grade classes require local funding: mixed, medium. The law provides an estimated $156.375875 million in FY2025 and $150.917871 million in FY2026 for smaller kindergarten-through-third-grade classes. Participating divisions must provide matching money based on their local ability to pay. Schools must meet class-size and student-to-teacher limits tie… - Housing project credits extended with limits: mixed, medium. Virginia housing opportunity credits cover tax years starting before January 1, 2031; eligible returned credits can be reallocated through December 31, 2030. Qualified Virginia projects need eligibility certificates, and taxpayers can claim credits only during the project’s credit period. Authoriza… - Virginia primary moves to August 2026: mixed, low. For covered offices in the November 3, 2026 election, the primary moves from June 16 to August 4, 2026. No primary for those offices can occur June 16. Primary ballots are due June 18, available for absentee voting June 19, with in-person absentee voting through August 1. General-election ballots a… - Assisted living rates have regional limits: mixed, low. Beginning January 1, 2026, Virginia may base approved assisted living and adult foster care rates on 85% occupancy. The maximum approved rate is $2,130 per month. Virginia may raise that maximum by 15% for covered facilities and homes in Planning District Eight. The law does not state how these rat… - Medicaid reviews behavioral health drug use: mixed, low. Virginia’s Medicaid agency must continually review behavioral health medicines against FDA-approved uses and doses. It can require clinical justification after prescribing when a member receives multiple behavioral health drugs. For members age 18 or younger taking three or more such drugs, it can… - New Medicaid renewal and appeal rules: mixed, low. After federal approval, Virginia must make federal tax-return use the default for Medicaid renewals. Applicants who do not want their returns used must opt out. Appeal rules must clarify who must prove their case, what a fresh hearing reviews, document deadlines, and decision deadlines. Virginia's… - State employees choose coverage, share premiums: mixed, low. Covered state employees must have the option to accept or reject offered medical or hospital coverage. Health plans supported by the specified funding must allow employees to be charged part of medical premiums. The law sets no employee premium amount and does not require a particular premium incre… - University hospitals gain debt collection options: mixed, low. VCU Health System can leave the Attorney General's debt-collection process and use private collectors or attorneys. If it leaves, it can independently settle, reduce, or forgive account debts. UVA Medical Center has these options after showing the Secretary of Finance that another collector is expe… - Christopher Newport housing refinancing includes rents: mixed, low. Christopher Newport University can make, continue, extend, or change foundation agreements to refinance certain housing and office projects. These agreements can let the university lease facilities, list them in its building inventory, and manage operations and upkeep. They can also allow rental fe… - Partner housing brings student assignment powers: mixed, low. Mary Washington can develop housing and related facilities with its foundation or partners, on or off state land. Norfolk State can develop foundation housing on or next to campus under Virginia’s public-private education facilities law. Both can manage housing, collect rent, favor it in student as… - Universities gain campus financing options: mixed, low. James Madison, Longwood, Radford, and William and Mary can use partner agreements and alternative financing for housing, parking, and operational facilities. Longwood’s authority also covers foundation projects such as a convocation center and recreation; William and Mary’s includes employee housin… - Virginia State gains mixed-use development powers: mixed, low. Virginia State can work with its foundations and controlled entities on a mixed-use development corridor. The corridor includes student housing, parking, and dining, and facilities can be on state-owned land. The university can manage facilities and favor them in student, parking, or operational as… - College fee caps allow limited increases: mixed, low. At public colleges without a Commonwealth management agreement, covered non-instructional mandatory fees for Virginia undergraduates cannot rise over 3 percent yearly. Exceptions cover specified pay and benefit costs, federal mandates, authorized building projects, student health services, and legi… - Colleges set faculty early retirement rules: mixed, low. Public college governing bodies can set age and service requirements for voluntary faculty early retirement plans with cash payments. Those requirements determine which faculty members can participate. Each plan must state its total yearly cost for the Governor's approval and the Attorney General's… - Driver education fees capped, funding conditional: mixed, low. School boards can charge for behind-the-wheel driver education, but the fee plus state reimbursement cannot exceed average per-student cost. Charging the fee cannot trigger a proportional reduction in Basic Aid. School divisions must follow the state's standardized driver-education program to recei… - Equal course cost rules for students: mixed, low. Virginia education agencies must ensure consistent cost policies for dual-enrollment courses held at community colleges. The policies must address school division contributions and student charges. Public school and homeschooled students must be treated in the same manner. The law does not set pric… - State training help carries service duties: mixed, low. State agencies may pay compensation, expenses, or both for approved training or study that improves employees’ qualifications for state service. Support uses appropriated or otherwise available funds and is not guaranteed. The Governor’s rules must provide for a reasonable period of return service… - State workers face electronic pay rules: mixed, low. The State Comptroller may require state workers to receive wages through direct deposit or a prepaid debit card account. Card accounts must allow workers to withdraw or transfer their money. This authority can limit payment choices but does not change pay amounts. - Summer remedial classes free, without credit: mixed, low. School divisions cannot charge tuition for Remedial Summer School Programs supported by the state appropriation. Students attending these programs cannot earn high school credit for participation. - Weekend July starts shift state payday: mixed, low. When July 1 falls on a weekend, state employees receive pay for June 10–24 on July’s first workday. This changes payday timing, not the amount of pay. - Business zone grants face funding limits: mixed, low. Enterprise Zone grants get $15.75 million in FY2025 and $14.75 million in FY2026. The housing and community development department may reduce awards to fit funding, without paying the missing amount the next year. Property investment grants may cover rooftop solar or parking-lot solar canopies with… - Candidates face special 2026 filing rules: mixed, low. Candidates in the November 3, 2026 elections follow special filing, nomination, and certification deadlines. United States House candidates generally have later deadlines than other candidates. Applicable congressional signature requirements use district boundaries as constituted January 1, 2026. C… - Commemoration grants bypass state procurement rules: mixed, low. Grants supporting the 2019 Commemoration to nonprofit groups organized under federal 501(c)(3) rules are exempt from Virginia's Public Procurement Act. The provision states no grant amount or direct household benefit. - Congressional maps get different drawing rules: mixed, low. The law sets different rules for congressional districts established by the General Assembly from January 1, 2025, through October 31, 2030. These districts use 2020 census population adjusted to reallocate prison populations. Specified existing redistricting provisions in Virginia Code § 24.2-304.… - Election upgrade funds stay, paper costs remain: mixed, low. Specified unused state funds remain available to replace Virginia's Election and Registration Information System and match federal election funds. After eligible federal funds and the initial $2,035,142 state match are spent, the Finance and Administration secretaries must approve remaining allotme… - Police aircraft funding includes repayment requirement: mixed, low. The law continues about $3.61 million annually in FY2025 and FY2026 to finance four State Police helicopters. It provides $103,470 annually to hire an aviation mechanic in Abingdon. Financing three replacement airplanes receives about $1.64 million in FY2025 and $1.62 million in FY2026. Both aircra… - State Police shift resources toward emergencies: mixed, low. State Police must adjust its drug enforcement division and redirect resources as needed toward homeland security, threat intelligence, and attack response. The Governor can also direct resources toward other crucial disaster and emergency preparedness work. Authorized drug enforcement and investiga… - Virginia aligns precincts with congressional districts: mixed, low. Congressional district block files and the resulting digital map control legal decisions about district boundaries. County, city, and precinct boundaries use 2020 Census data. Elections officials can fix mismatches with legally established local precinct data only when fixes follow the law's writte… - Wastewater plants face deadlines and credits: mixed, low. Spotsylvania County's FMC and Massaponax wastewater projects must meet nutrient-removal deadlines by January 1, 2027. Fredericksburg's deadline is January 1, 2030. Starting with the January 1, 2026 compliance year, projects missing nutrient limits must acquire enough point-source credits until thei… - Water grants face stricter spending rules: mixed, low. The Department must open a yearly Water Quality Improvement Fund application period and report qualified projects by October 1. Priorities include pollution reduction, cost, other funding, applicant need, and readiness. Grant agreements must be fully signed before construction costs begin, and gran… - Children's services face reviews and reporting: mixed, low. Localities receiving Children’s Services Act money must use an approved service-review process with a uniform assessment. They must submit required case, service, spending, and placement records securely; public releases cannot identify people. Compliance with the Act is required for supplemental s… - Children's services payments change, rates capped: mixed, low. For eligible Children's Services Act services provided before July 1, 2025, the existing state allocation formula continues. Beginning July 1, 2025, the state reimburses localities as they submit required requests for eligible services. For private day educational services provided from that date,… - Reading and math help needs matching: mixed, low. Divisions can receive funding for extra reading specialists or coaches serving students who read below grade level. Funds also cover reading-specialist training tuition for current instructional staff, beyond positions already funded through Basic Aid. A separate $1.834538 million each year support… - School security grants require local funding: mixed, low. Virginia authorizes up to $12 million in equipment notes in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for competitive school security grants. Each division can receive up to $250,000, generally with a 25% local match; applications are due August 1 annually. The match can fall for divisions with a composite index b… - Accomack can receive farmers market property: mixed, low. The Agriculture and Consumer Services Department can transfer listed Eastern Shore Farmers Market properties to Accomack County's Industrial Authority without a purchase payment. It can also grant needed easements. The Authority must pay transaction expenses. The transfer requires an appropriation… - Agencies must borrow for approved deficits: mixed, low. An agency with a Governor-approved deficit plan and authorized deficit must borrow the approved amount. The Governor must approve the borrowing sources and terms. The plan must identify financial, administrative, and management steps to eliminate the deficit and prevent future deficits. Unspent loa… - Alcohol agency savings support general fund: mixed, low. The Comptroller transfers $3.864585 million to the general fund by June 30 in each budget year. The money must come from operating efficiencies at the Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. The provision does not specify changes to alcohol prices, services, or household taxes. - Chesterfield project funding requires local match: mixed, low. Chesterfield County gets $1 million in FY2025 for site design and engineering for a major energy-related development project. The County must provide an equal local match under an agreement with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority. State payments reimburse costs. Unspent state m… - Clarke County receives property at market price: mixed, low. After capital project 18686, Improve and Convey Property in Clarke County, is complete, General Services must convey parcel 27-A-10-A to Clarke County. The county pays fair market value. Sale proceeds go to the general fund. The law does not state the property's value. - Conservation and clean energy funds shrink: mixed, low. The Land Preservation Fund sends $466,600 yearly to the general fund by June 30. By June 30, 2026, the Soil and Water Conservation District Dam Maintenance, Repair, and Rehabilitation Fund transfers $25 million. The Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank transfers $2.234476 million by the same date.… - Economic development balances move into budget: mixed, low. An estimated $4.760334 million in remaining grant balances moves to the general fund by June 30. Sources are the Truck Manufacturing, Semiconductor Manufacturing, Special Workforce, Major Eligible Employer, and Advanced Shipbuilding Production Facility Grant Funds. The Virginia Economic Development… - Mount Rogers port funding and returns: mixed, low. The Port Authority receives $2.5 million in general funds in FY2025 for an inland port in the Mount Rogers Planning District. The money supports acquisition, planning, design, and development. The Port Authority and Economic Development Partnership must develop a business recruitment strategy. The… - Police program revenues support general fund: mixed, low. The Intensified Drug Enforcement Jurisdictions Fund sends an estimated $5 million yearly to the general fund by June 30. State Police also transfer all annual revenue from the Firearms Transaction, Concealed Weapons Permit, and Conservator of the Peace Programs. These provisions do not change indiv… - Racing fund sends money to budget: mixed, low. The State Racing Operations Fund transfers an estimated $29 million to the general fund by June 30, 2025. Another estimated $31 million is due by June 30, 2026. Transfers must follow budget Item 99 and Virginia Code § 59.1-392. The provision does not specify changes to household racing costs or ben… - Recovered disaster funds return to budget: mixed, low. At each fiscal year-end, qualifying federal cost recoveries move from the Disaster Recovery Fund to the general fund. These recoveries cover money originally appropriated for federally declared emergencies. The Department of Emergency Management must report the transfer amount by June 1 yearly. The… - Regulatory fund balances support general budget: mixed, low. Excess money in the Regulatory, Consumer Advocacy, Litigation, and Enforcement Revolving Trust Fund moves to the general fund under Item 51. Estimated transfers are $5.907294 million in 2024–25 and $500,000 in 2025–26. The 2021 Triennial Review Fund also transfers $5.532568 million by June 30, 2025… - Richmond health-system payments require legislative approval: mixed, low. The Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority is not required to pay Richmond under the June 15, 2021 agreement. This also covers related documents concerning its guaranteed obligations. Payments require express General Assembly authorization. The provision states no payment amount. - State agencies gain facility financing options: mixed, low. General Services can lease or finance listed facilities for motor vehicles, corrections, aging and rehabilitation, health, and emergency management agencies. Private disaster warehouses require existing funds to cover annual costs and a General Services finding that state space is inadequate. Offic… - State construction faces cost checks: mixed, low. Agencies must submit capital project plans for state budget-office review and approval, with costs comparable to similar projects. Planning money must follow each project's stated purpose. Construction funding consideration requires reasonable costs, high state priority, and justified space and pro… - State energy upgrades follow cost thresholds: mixed, low. Qualifying energy upgrades to state property costing up to $3 million count as operating expenses. Upgrades above $3 million through $7 million qualify only when energy savings cover all costs, including interest and debt payments. Larger projects, and midrange projects without full cost recovery,… - State grants must cover overhead costs: mixed, low. State agencies and public colleges accepting grants or contracts must recover full state and agency overhead costs. Exceptions apply when the grantor prohibits recovery or the law exempts it. Nongeneral fund budgets must include estimated agency recoveries; Planning and Budget can increase appropri… - State redirects court fund collections: mixed, low. The Court Debt Collection Program Fund sends $3.4 million to the general fund by June 30, 2025. It sends another $2.4 million by June 30, 2026. Collections for the fund under Virginia Code § 17.1-275.12 move to budget Items 329, 394, and 416 the next month. That money must serve the purposes stated… - State spending limits allow temporary borrowing: mixed, low. Agencies generally cannot commit or spend beyond general-fund appropriations or collected and appropriated nongeneral revenue. The Governor can approve deficits for unexpected federal or court mandates, underfunded first-year approved actions, or delays threatening required services, life, safety,… - State splits asbestos cleanup reimbursements: mixed, low. The Comptroller splits annual Manville Property Damage Settlement Trust reimbursements for asbestos cleanup at state-owned buildings. Half goes to the general fund. Half goes to the state agencies that paid cleanup costs. - Temporary credit for Virginia agency operations: mixed, low. The Racing Commission receives a $125,000 general-fund cash advance on July 1 each year, repayable by December 30. The Comptroller can also provide credit lines up to $2.5 million each for Motor Vehicles and State Police. Those advances must be repaid from federal Uniform Carrier Registration reven… - Tobacco funds cover settlement enforcement costs: mixed, low. By June 30 each year, the Comptroller transfers $244,268 from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund. Another $48,854 comes from the Tobacco Settlement Fund. Both transfers go to the general fund to reimburse the commissions' shares of Attorney General tobacco-settlement enfo… - University lab funding requires equal match: mixed, low. The University of Virginia Medical Center receives $7.5 million in FY2025 for advanced lab space supporting fast-growing life-sciences companies. It must provide an equal non-state match and sign an agreement with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority. Before release, the Departme… - Virginia sells or transfers correctional properties: mixed, low. Corrections must sell Brunswick and Culpeper correctional centers. Brunswick sale proceeds go to the general fund; the state can negotiate an economic-development purchase with the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, regional governments, and industrial development authorities. General Servic… - Emergency departments must identify offsite care: mixed, low. Qualifying free-standing emergency departments must tell the payer where care occurred and label it as free-standing emergency care. The rule covers hospital departments off the main campus or in independent facilities that are subject to federal emergency-care law. It does not require direct notic… - Virginia can bridge temporary cash shortages: mixed, low. When general-fund payments temporarily exceed revenue collections, the Comptroller can use available nongeneral-fund cash, excluding commodity board funds. Draws cannot exceed immediate authorized payment needs or leave lending funds short of their own near-term needs. Transportation Fund cash is a… - Affiliated doctors gain payments with safeguards: mixed, low. Virginia must supplement Medicaid payments to doctors affiliated with an Eastern Virginia medical school that is a state political subdivision. Payments reflect the gap between approved average commercial rates and existing payments; managed-care payments must also support access, subject to federa… - Bioscience research grants require matching money: mixed, low. The Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation gets $3.75 million each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for research and tools. Research funding requires at least a dollar-for-dollar match from private, foundation, or other government sources. Each project needs at least two actively involved instit… - Chesapeake providers gain payments with repayment rules: mixed, low. Virginia must add inpatient and outpatient Medicaid payments for Chesapeake Regional Hospital and adjust managed-care payments, subject to federal limits and approval. Beginning July 1, 2022, employed or contracted physician practice plans also receive supplemental payments up to the federal maximu… - Child care pilot funding and subsidy waitlists: mixed, low. The Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot receives $25 million in FY2025 and no funding in FY2026. The law does not state household eligibility rules or assistance amounts for that pilot. Separately, the Department of Education must set yearly local Child Care Subsidy Program service targets based o… - Health centers can recover earlier costs: mixed, low. Federally Qualified Health Centers must report increases or decreases in their services to Virginia's Medicaid agency within 12 months. The law also specifies an October 1, 2024 timely-filing deadline where federal law allows. Virginia can repay unreimbursed costs incurred before a center's initial… - Health clinics receive payments and reporting rules: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2015, Virginia must provide supplemental Medicaid payments for state health department clinic services. Payments account for other Medicaid payments and stay within the federally approved upper payment limit. The health department may transfer already approved general funds for th… - Hospital payment support with acquisition limits: mixed, low. Virginia may increase Medicaid payments to Type One hospitals and physicians within appropriations to address disproportionate-share payment limits. Physician supplements can reach the average commercial rate shown by UVA and VCU health systems. Authorized changes also include graduate medical educ… - Hospital payments can follow unpaid care needs: mixed, low. Virginia may move excess disproportionate share hospital payments to eligible hospitals with uncovered uncompensated-care costs. This shifts existing money between hospitals rather than adding funding. The method must be budget neutral and use no state money beyond the approved hospital-payment bud… - Hourly payments allowed for adult day care: mixed, low. Virginia can change Medicaid adult day health care payments from a daily rate to an hourly rate. Payments can cover no more than six hours per day. The change must keep total spending unchanged and cannot increase the service's cost. - Insulin development funding requires low prices: mixed, low. Virginia provides $3 million in FY2025 to a nonprofit manufacturer developing fast-acting biosimilar insulin. The company must provide an equal non-state match. It must commit to prices no higher than $30 per vial or $55 for five pre-filled pens. Its agreement must require repayment if it fails to… - Medicaid finances gain flexibility and limits: mixed, low. Virginia's medical assistance department can change agency payment dates to maximize federal reimbursement when state and federal rules allow. Since July 1, 2023, it has full responsibility for developmental disability waiver financial analysis, rates, and budgets. The law also funds a staff positi… - Medicaid nursing homes get payment changes: mixed, low. Virginia must replace its nursing facility payment method with the Patient-Driven Payment Model by October 1, 2025. The change must keep total spending unchanged. Specialized-care rates used inflation-adjusted fiscal year 2020 rates during fiscal years 2021–2023; the prior method resumed afterward.… - Medicaid plan payments reflect behavioral health needs: mixed, low. Beginning January 1, 2021, Virginia must adjust managed-care payments for behavioral health needs among certain Medicare and Medicaid members. The model covers Cardinal Care's community-well population with both types of coverage. Rates must distinguish members receiving behavioral health treatment… - Medicaid plans keep payments, return gains: mixed, low. Reprocured or amended contracts can cap quality withholds at 1% in years 1–2, 2% in years 3–4, and 3% afterward. These caps apply when included in the contract. From July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, two programs' withholds were paid to plans instead; reporting continued. Contracts can also requi… - Medicaid providers get firm appeal deadlines: mixed, low. Virginia must notify providers of overpayments within the earliest applicable deadline. Limits are four years after a claim or complete cost report, or 15 months after the final report following sale or termination. Informal appeal decisions are due within 180 days; missing the deadline favors the… - More providers can face hospital assessments: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2024, Virginia can include previously excluded providers in the hospital payment assessment revenue base. The assessment cannot exceed federal limits. Any required state plan changes need federal approval. Virginia can act before finishing related regulations; added revenue can su… - New Medicaid emergency room program rules: mixed, low. The law requires a modified Medicaid emergency room use program effective January 1, 2024. The program must meet federal approval requirements. The text does not describe specific use rules or changes to members' charges or coverage. - New payment method for Medicaid rehabilitation: mixed, low. For services on or after July 1, 2024, Medicaid outpatient rehabilitation payments use a resource-based relative value method. Rate calculations must include an adjustment that keeps total spending unchanged. The law does not specify changes to members' costs or access. - Residential providers get updated Medicaid payment rules: mixed, low. Psychiatric residential treatment daily rates use audited FY2018 provider costs, subject to a statewide weighted-average cost ceiling. New Virginia facilities can use estimated costs for up to two years, then an audited 12-month cost report. Virginia may reset rates every three years, with the firs… - State moves health benefit fund balances: mixed, low. At each fiscal year-end, the Administration of Local Benefits Services Fund's balance moves to the Health Insurance Fund - Local. The Administration of Health Benefits Payment - LODA Fund's balance moves to the Line of Duty Death and Health Benefits Trust Fund. By June 30 yearly, $154,743 moves fro… - Tighter reviews of Medicaid plan spending: mixed, low. For rate periods beginning January 1, 2018, Medicaid plan rates must reflect expected efficiencies and savings. Virginia's actuary must review excessive medical spending involving related companies and carry forward downward medical-spending trends. Administrative expenses must be updated yearly fo… - College development powers include rents and limits: mixed, low. Richard Bland College can lease 186 acres next to its main campus to a college foundation for development. It can contract for facility development, management, maintenance, and rent collection on occupied college-owned property. It can also restrict competing projects and seek police powers allowe… - State property sales face oversight rules: mixed, low. Surplus state property can be sold or leased during a declared emergency or after 30 days' written notice to legislative committees. Another route covers property worth less than $5 million that a public college possesses and controls. Every sale or lease needs written approval from the responsible… - State property use gets safeguards: mixed, low. Before leasing, licensing, or using property, agencies must certify that appropriations cover costs and space meets state planning rules. General Services can find good cause, and its director can waive requirements in writing; qualifying higher education institutions are exempt. The Governor can e… - College financial benefits depend on results: mixed, low. Virginia's higher education council certifies colleges meeting applicable performance goals and recommends associated financial benefits. Goals include reaching 95% of approved in-state enrollment, degree, science-through-health degree, and specified upper-level full-time-equivalent student project… - College maintenance funding weighs building needs: mixed, low. Virginia's budget office must revise its formula for recommending public-college maintenance reserve allocations. The formula must account for higher needs from poor building condition, building age, and differences in use. The provision sets no total funding amount or college-by-college allocation. - College performance measures remain on hold: mixed, low. Colleges seeking an agreement for a new area of operating authority must adopt at least one education measure and target. Development requires consultation with the Finance Secretary, Education Secretary, appropriate Cabinet Secretary, and State Council of Higher Education. The Council must approve… - Colleges gain flexibility with retained funds: mixed, low. Colleges can use reappropriated funds for authorized project planning, but must repay them when construction receives funding. Virginia colleges retain 70% of research indirect-cost recoveries for research and related needs. At sponsored-program levels authorized in the 2003 budget act, 30% goes to… - Funding supports Roanoke and Botetourt learning: mixed, low. Virginia Western receives $261,370 and four positions each year in FY2025 and FY2026 for participation in two education centers. These are the Roanoke Higher Education Center and Botetourt County Education and Training Center at Greenfield. Another $345,000 in state funds each year covers the Botet… - Job grants require local matching funds: mixed, low. Community employment and training grants receive $7.25 million in TANF funds in FY2025 and $9 million in state funds in FY2026. Programs help low-income people, including TANF recipients, find and keep jobs with career paths, wage growth, and supportive services. One rule allows a 10% local match i… - Manufacturing research grants need outside matching: mixed, low. The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing receives $600,000 in each of FY2025 and FY2026 for university research partnerships. Research grants need at least an equal amount of outside federal or private research funding. Funds also support follow-up efforts to pursue jointly funded federal… - New formulas divide state school funding: mixed, low. Virginia excludes certain lease, rental, and facility costs when calculating school funding and uses a 15-year bus replacement schedule. FY2025 funding uses the July 1, 2022 school-age population estimate; FY2026 uses the July 1, 2023 estimate. These estimates guide required state and local school… - Public college staffing stays flexible but capped: mixed, low. Public colleges can adjust educational staffing with workload and funding, but need prior budget-director approval above 105% of appropriated general-fund positions. Colleges and the State Council of Higher Education can fill all positions authorized by the act. The Governor can waive that hiring a… - School aid shortfalls lower local requirements: mixed, low. Virginia reduces each locality's state Basic Aid proportionately when enrollment-based costs exceed the available general fund appropriation. The calculation uses statewide March 31 average daily membership. Each locality's required local funding share also falls proportionately. The rule keeps sta… - School funding calculations follow revised rules: mixed, low. Major ability-to-pay index errors trigger current-school-year funding corrections only for the affected division, without changing other localities' indices. Updated data alone cannot trigger an adjustment during the two-year budget period. For divisions partnered as fiscal agent and contractual di… - School matching funds face return rules: mixed, low. Divisions choosing Lottery or Incentive programs with local matches must certify participation by July 1 each fiscal year. They must certify enough local appropriations above required school funding; state payments wait for certification, and matches are checked afterward. Unspent required school-s… - Schools can share unused alternative placements: mixed, low. A school division can ask the Education Department to use another division's unused regional alternative education slots. State tuition funding cannot exceed the amount calculated for the originally assigned division. The requesting division must pay any remaining tuition. - State officials negotiate school connection rates: mixed, low. Educational technology lines into public schools are treated as telephone-company services to the state. The state schools superintendent and state technology agency's chief information officer negotiate their rates. The law does not set a price or state whether schools pay more or less. - State retirement costs shift into rates: mixed, low. Qualifying agencies avoid separate retirement-system payments for enhanced benefits for employees who are involuntarily separated. The full cost instead enters employer contribution rates. Executive-branch eligibility requires budget-director certification of a qualifying budget cut, approved reorg… - State staffing gains flexibility within limits: mixed, low. Agencies with binding staffing ceilings need approval to exceed their budgeted full-time position counts. Executive increases require listed operational needs, last no more than one year, and must be reported within 10 days. Over-limit agencies must seek temporary approval or reduce staffing throug… - Temporary loans for two university projects: mixed, low. The State Treasurer can make temporary loans for authorized projects at Longwood University and the University of Mary Washington. Loans cover planning, construction, and other project costs. Revenue bonds issued by or for each university's foundation provide construction or permanent financing. Th… - Work program funding follows local performance: mixed, low. Virginia maintains minimum performance standards for the Virginia Initiative for Education and Work, known as VIEW. Participating local social services departments receive funds based on those standards and their VIEW caseloads. State social services, local departments, and state budget officials d… - Workforce credential funding has program limits: mixed, low. Workforce credential grants receive $22.45 million in state funds in FY2025 and $23.75 million in FY2026. Another $15 million in other funds is provided in FY2025. No more than 25% of grant funds can support one occupational field. Community colleges cannot start grant-funded programs that duplicat… - Communications taxes cover state administration costs: mixed, low. The Comptroller must transfer communications sales and use tax proceeds to cover the Tax Department’s indirect administration costs. The estimated transfer is $90,780 in each budget year. This shifts revenue to the general fund without changing the tax rate or household tax bills. - Corporate tax deductions and review costs: mixed, low. Certain corporate amended returns make related businesses owe Virginia tax on corresponding amounts they previously subtracted. For specified transactions, clear and convincing evidence can support permission to deduct related interest costs in later years. The Tax Commissioner can also charge peti… - Earlier tax rules continue through 2027: mixed, low. The law applies Virginia's 2019 Chapter 808 provisions to tax years beginning January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2027. This timing overrides earlier applicability language and contrary laws or regulations. The supplied text does not identify the underlying tax rules or affected taxpayers. - Historic renovation credits get higher ceilings: mixed, low. Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit claims are capped at $5 million per taxpayer for tax years beginning in 2017 through 2024. For tax years beginning January 1, 2025, or later, the annual cap rises to $7.5 million. Taxpayers can claim more than before, but cannot exceed the new ceiling. Both caps i… - Local tax distributions follow new rules: mixed, low. The Communications Sales and Use Tax Trust Fund sends $2 million to the general fund by June 30, 2025. This allocation comes before distributions to counties, cities, and towns. For certain municipal sales-tax entitlements, counted revenue comes from the 2.025% unrestricted sales and use tax. These… - Revenue rules for vehicle tax relief: mixed, low. The law defines which state revenues count in designated personal property tax relief calculations. Included receipts cover specified taxes, permits, fees, licenses, and required general fund deposits. One calculation excludes lump-sum payments, unusual one-time payments, and proceeds from state pr… - Tax agency can borrow startup funds: mixed, low. The Taxation Department can request a treasury loan for startup costs tied to tax changes under the 2013 law. Covered changes include sales and use tax modifications and other state or local taxes under that law. The loan must be repaid from those tax revenues. The department can also retain enough… - Vehicle revenues move to general fund: mixed, low. The Uninsured Motorists Fund sends $7.4 million yearly to the general fund by June 30, instead of the State Corporation Commission. In 2025–26, $12.518587 million moves from the Department of Health's special emergency medical services fund to the general fund. That money comes from an existing $2… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Luke E. Torian (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-02-20 | House | Senate amendments agreed to by House | pass | 59 | 35 | | | 2026-02-19 | Senate | Committee amendment Item 77 #1s agreed to (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-19 | Senate | Committee amendments agreed to (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-19 | Senate | Committee amendment Item 4-5.04 #1s agreed to (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-19 | Senate | Committee amendment Item 4-14 #2s agreed to (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-19 | Senate | Committee amendment Item 365 #1s agreed to | pass | 21 | 18 | | | 2026-02-19 | Senate | Committee amendment Item 4-14 #1s agreed to | pass | 21 | 18 | | | 2026-02-19 | Senate | Passed Senate with amendments | pass | 21 | 18 | | | 2026-02-17 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations with Senate Amendments Substituted for House Amendments | pass | 9 | 5 | | | 2026-02-10 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 63 | 35 | | | 2026-02-09 | House | Contested committee amendment Item 4-5.04 #1h agreed to | pass | 63 | 34 | | | 2026-02-09 | House | Engrossed by House as amended | pass | 63 | 34 | | | 2026-02-09 | House | Contested committee amendment Item 4-14 #2h agreed to | pass | 63 | 34 | | | 2026-02-09 | House | Uncontested Appropriations Committee Amendments agreed to Block Vote | pass | 90 | 7 | | | 2026-02-06 | House | Reported from Appropriations with amendment(s) | pass | 15 | 7 | | ## Actions (35) - 2026-02-20: Senate amendments agreed to by House (59-Y 35-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-20: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0007) (Governor) - 2026-02-20: Approved by Governor-Chapter 7 (Effective - 2/20/2026) (Governor) - 2026-02-20: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., February 27, 2026 (Governor) - 2026-02-20: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on February 20, 2026 (House) - 2026-02-20: Signed by President (Senate) - 2026-02-20: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2026-02-20: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB29ER) (House) - 2026-02-20: Enrolled (House) - 2026-02-19: Passed Senate with amendments (21-Y 18-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Committee amendment Item 4-14 #2s agreed to (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Committee amendment Item 4-14 #1s agreed to (21-Y 18-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Committee amendment Item 4-5.04 #1s agreed to (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Committee amendment Item 365 #1s agreed to (21-Y 18-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Committee amendment Item 77 #1s agreed to (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Committee amendments agreed to (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Read third time (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Passed by for the day (Senate) - 2026-02-17: Read second time (Senate) - 2026-02-17: Budget amendments available (HB29) (Senate) - 2026-02-17: Reported from Finance and Appropriations with Senate Amendments Substituted for House Amendments (9-Y 5-N) (Senate) - 2026-02-11: Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations (Senate) - 2026-02-11: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate) - 2026-02-10: Read third time and passed House (63-Y 35-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-09: Contested committee amendment Item 4-14 #2h agreed to (63-Y 34-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-09: Contested committee amendment Item 4-5.04 #1h agreed to (63-Y 34-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-09: Uncontested Appropriations Committee Amendments agreed to Block Vote (90-Y 7-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-09: Engrossed by House as amended (63-Y 34-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-09: Read second time (House) - 2026-02-06: Read first time (House) - 2026-02-06: Reported from Appropriations with amendment(s) (15-Y 7-N) (House) - 2026-02-06: Budget amendments available (HB29) (House) - 2026-01-22: Budget amendments available (HB29) (House) - 2025-12-17: Referred to Committee on Appropriations (House) - 2025-12-17: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104424D (HB29) (House) ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2026-02-20: [PDF](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/budget/5201/HB29/1171756.PDF) - Amendment, 2026-02-17: [HTML](https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB29), [PDF](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/amendmentpdf/5196/1156877.PDF) - Amendment, 2026-02-06: [PDF](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/amendmentpdf/5194/1133247.PDF) - Amendment, 2026-01-22: [PDF](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/amendmentpdf/5189/1093941.PDF) - Amendment, 2026-01-06: [PDF](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/amendmentpdf/5194/1133245.PDF) - Chaptered, 2025-12-20: [PDF](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/budget/5228/HB29/1182571.PDF) - Introduced, 2025-12-17: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081883.HTML), [PDF](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/budget/5169/HB29/1081892.PDF), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081882.PDF) ## Related bills - HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed) - SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed) - HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed) - HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed) - HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed) - HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/budget/5201/HB29/1171756.PDF) - [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB29) - [Amendment (PDF)](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/amendmentpdf/5196/1156877.PDF) - [Amendment (PDF)](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/amendmentpdf/5194/1133247.PDF) - [Amendment (PDF)](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/amendmentpdf/5189/1093941.PDF) - [Amendment (PDF)](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/amendmentpdf/5194/1133245.PDF) - [Chaptered (PDF)](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/budget/5228/HB29/1182571.PDF) - [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081883.HTML) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/budget/5169/HB29/1081892.PDF) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081882.PDF) ## Related - [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026) - [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026) - [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026) - [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026) - [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026) - [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026) - [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills) - [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB29-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).