Bills & Legislation

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; increases civil penalties.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; civil penalties. Increases the minimum and maximum civil penalties that may be imposed upon an officer, employee, or member of a public body for violations of certain provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The bill also adjusts the minimum and maximum civil penalty for such second and subsequent violations, in addition to increasing the minimum and maximum civil penalties that can be imposed on a public body for violations related to certifying a closed meeting.

N. Baxter EnnisRepublican

School-based mental health teletherapy services; policies and requirements.

School boards; school-based mental health teletherapy services; increasing accessibility of mental health teletherapy services; policies and requirements. Directs the Department of Education (the Department) to include in the model memorandum of understanding between a school board and a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider that it is required to develop and distribute to each school board pursuant to applicable law parameters for the provision of mental health teletherapy for students outside of regular school hours and during regular school hours on school property. The bill also requires each school board to, for the purpose of increasing the accessibility of mental health services for public school students, (i) permit any student enrolled in the school division to schedule and participate in mental health teletherapy services during regular school hours on the same basis as such students are permitted to participate in school counseling services; (ii) enter into a memorandum of understanding, consistent with the model memorandum of understanding developed by the Department, with a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider that ensures and sets forth parameters for the provision of such mental health teletherapy services during regular school hours; (iii) develop and implement policies and procedures for permitting any student to participate in such mental health teletherapy services during regular school hours; and (iv) develop, post in a publicly accessible location on its website, and make available to all administrative and instructional personnel in the school division at the beginning of each school year informational materials relating to such mental health teletherapy policies.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Dulles Greenway; toll rates.

Dulles Greenway; toll rates. Requires that (i) the toll rates for the Dulles Greenway set by the State Corporation Commission do not materially discourage the public's use of the toll road; (ii) the cost of operating the toll road is reasonably apportioned across all toll road users based on the relative distance each class of user travels on the toll road, such that the toll rates are established in a reasonable and nondiscriminatory manner in relation to the benefit obtained; and (iii) such toll rates provide the operator with no more than a reasonable return, which is defined in the bill.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Transportation infrastructure; JLARC to study Department of Transportation's policies and funding.

Study; JLARC; policies and funding allocations of the Department of Transportation for maintenance of transportation infrastructure; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to analyze policies and funding allocations of the Department of Transportation in regard to the maintenance of highways, bridges, sidewalks, bicycle paths and lanes, shared-use paths, and other transportation infrastructure. The study requires JLARC to submit each of its reports no later than the first days of the 2026 and 2027 Regular Sessions of the General Assembly.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Zoning appeals, board of; petition for appeal, clarifies procedure.

Board of zoning appeals; petition for appeal; emergency. Clarifies the procedure by which a person aggrieved by a decision of the board of zoning appeals may appeal the decision to the circuit court by changing the manner in which a petition is styled. The bill also (i) changes instances of \"board\" to \"board of zoning appeals\" to clarify that \"board\" does not refer to a county's board of supervisors, (ii) provides that service of process is to be obtained as in other actions at law, and (iii) contains a retroactive savings clause that is intended to prevent dismissal of certain appeals that have not yet been finally adjudicated. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Thomas C. Wright, Jr.Republican

Solar facilities; local regulations, special exceptions for solar photovoltaic projects.

Local regulation of solar facilities; special exceptions. Provides that a ground-mounted solar energy generation facility to be located on property zoned agricultural, commercial, industrial, or institutional shall be permitted pursuant to various criteria to be included in a local ordinance, such as specifications for setbacks, fencing, solar panel height, visual impacts, and grading, and a decommissioning plan for solar energy equipment and facilities.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Artificial Intelligence Transparency Act; established.

Artificial Intelligence Transparency Act established. Requires developers of generative artificial intelligence systems made available in the Commonwealth to ensure that any generative artificial intelligence system that produces audio, images, text, or video content includes on such AI-generated content a clear and conspicuous disclosure that meets certain requirements specified in the bill. The bill also requires developers of generative artificial intelligence systems to implement reasonable procedures to prevent downstream use of such system without the required disclosures and requires any third-party licensee of a generative artificial intelligence system to also implement such procedures. The bill provides that a violation of the disclosure requirements constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill allows the Attorney General to offer developers a right to cure noncompliance that is noticed by the Attorney General and provides that a person or entity claiming to be injured due to a violation of the disclosure requirements shall be entitled to initiate an action for monetary damages or equitable relief.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Energy Innovation Pilot Program; established, report.

Energy Innovation Pilot Program established. Establishes the Energy Innovation Pilot Program to foster the development of innovative energy projects by allowing Program participants to provide grid services or other beneficial energy measures. Under the Program, a participant, after obtaining State Corporation Commission approval, is not required to comply with specific state statutes and regulations pertaining to the generation, transmission, or distribution of electric energy for sale, except for those laws and regulations that are required for worker safety, public safety, or environmental protection, for a period of five years. The bill includes provisions for application requirements, an approval process, Program exit procedures, a test period extension process, suspension or revocation of Commission approval, consumer protections, Commission investigations, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements.

David R. SuetterleinRepublican

Firefighters and emergency medical services providers; collective bargaining.

Collective bargaining by firefighters and emergency medical services providers. Authorizes firefighters and emergency medical services providers employed by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth to engage in collective bargaining through labor organizations or other designated representatives. The bill establishes the Fire Service Cooperation Board to administer its provisions. The bill provides for the appointment of a three-member board of arbitration regarding any dispute arising between an employer and firefighters or emergency medical services providers. Under the bill, determinations made by such board of arbitration are final on a disputed issue and are binding on the parties involved. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

L. Louise LucasDemocrat

Virginia State Route 55; Department of Transportation to study traffic congestion reduction.

Study; Department of Transportation; traffic congestion reduction on Virginia State Route 55; report. Requests the Department of Transportation to study traffic reduction on Virginia State Route 55. The study shall include the identification of methods and solutions for traffic reduction on Virginia State Route 55 and an assessment of the feasibility, cost, and impact on traffic flow of such methods and solutions.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

Motor vehicle accidents; actions brought by uninsured motorists, limited damages.

Motor vehicle accidents; actions brought by uninsured motorists; limited damages. Places limits on the amount of recoverable damages in a motor vehicle accident resulting in personal injury or property damage when the person injured or whose property was damaged is an uninsured motorist. The bill provides that the limits do not apply if (i) the tortfeasor was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, (ii) the tortfeasor failed to stop and report the injury of damage after such accident, or (iii) the injury or damage was a result of an intentional act taken by the tortfeasor to injure the person or damage such person's property.

Eric R. ZehrRepublican

COVID-19 pandemic; DEM to convene work group to study the Commonwealth's response, report.

Department of Emergency Management; work groups related to the Commonwealth's response to the COVID-19 pandemic; report. Directs the Department of Emergency Management to convene work groups to (i) study the reliance of the Commonwealth and its localities on federal grants for core emergency management functions, (ii) study and develop a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework to take effect during a disaster for which a state of emergency has been declared, and (iii) study and develop solutions to address breaks in technology continuity among communities across the Commonwealth during emergencies. The bill directs each work group to complete its work and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than November 30, 2025. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth. This bill was incorporated into SB 1326.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

ABC Board; primary law-enforcement agency for certain crimes against property and involving fraud.

Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; police power; primary law-enforcement agency for certain crimes against property and involving fraud. Provides that special agents of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board shall serve as the primary law-enforcement agency for enforcing, reporting, and investigating certain crimes against property and crimes involving fraud that occur on property owned or leased by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority.

Christie New CraigRepublican

Campaign finance; coordination and required independent expenditure committee disclosure.

Campaign finance; coordination and required independent expenditure committee disclosure; civil penalties. Provides a more detailed definition of the term "coordinated" or "coordination" in the context of campaign finance than current law. The bill also requires all persons making independent expenditures to file statements of organization and to file campaign finance reports thus making such persons subject to existing civil penalties for violations of filing laws.

Rozia A. Henson, Jr.Democrat

Short-term rentals; registration, civil penalty, effective date.

Short-term rentals; registration; civil penalty. Directs the Department of Taxation to establish a registry of short-term rental properties and requires accommodations providers and accommodations intermediaries to register with the Department. Under the bill, an accommodations provider shall provide to the Department its name and the address of each property it offers for short-term rental. The bill states that the Department shall issue each such accommodations provider a unique numerical identifier for each such property. Furthermore, an accommodations intermediary shall provide the Department with its name and the contact information for the individual responsible for liaising with state and local officials regarding noncompliant short-term rental listings. The bill states that as a condition of listing a short-term rental on its platform, an accommodations intermediary shall require each accommodations provider to provide such provider's name and the unique numerical identifier and specific address for each short-term rental offered. Under the bill, such information, as well as information regarding receipts and taxes paid, shall be provided to the Department by the accommodations intermediary on a quarterly basis, unless the accommodations intermediary submits monthly reports containing the property addresses and gross receipts for all accommodations facilitated by such intermediary in a locality during such quarter.The bill states that the Department shall provide the commissioner of the revenue for each locality with access to the registry and information contained therein. The commissioner of the revenue shall notify an accommodations intermediary of any short-term rental on its platform that is not lawfully authorized to be offered on its platform, and the accommodations intermediary shall remove any such listing from its platform. Under the bill, any accommodations intermediary that does not remove such a listing from its platform shall be subject to a civil penalty of $1,000 to be paid into the Virginia Housing Trust Fund.The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Motor vehicle accidents; actions brought by uninsured motorists, limited damages.

Motor vehicle accidents; actions brought by uninsured motorists; limited damages. Places limits on the amount of recoverable damages in a motor vehicle accident resulting in personal injury or property damage when the person injured or whose property was damaged is an uninsured motorist. The bill provides that the limits do not apply if (i) the tortfeasor was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, (ii) the tortfeasor failed to stop and report the injury or damage after such accident, or (iii) the injury or damage was a result of an intentional act taken by the tortfeasor to injure the person or damage such person's property.

Eric R. ZehrRepublican

Possession of retail tobacco products and hemp products intended for smoking by a person younger than 21 years of age prohibited; penalty.

Possession of retail tobacco products and hemp products intended for smoking by a person younger than 21 years of age prohibited; penalty. Prohibits any person younger than 21 years of age from possessing any retail tobacco product or hemp product intended for smoking, as those terms are defined in relevant law. A violation of such prohibition is punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $100 for a first violation and a civil penalty not to exceed $250 for a second or subsequent violation. The bill also provides that a court may, as an alternative to the civil penalty, and upon motion of the defendant, prescribe the performance of up to 20 hours of community service for a first violation and up to 40 hours of community service for a second or subsequent violation, but if the defendant fails or refuses to complete the community service as prescribed, the court may impose the civil penalty. Additionally, upon such violation, the judge may enter an order suspending the motor vehicle and driver's license of such person pursuant relevant law.

Paul V. MildeRepublican

Va. Alcoholic Bev. Control Authority; law-enforcement agency for certain larceny-related offenses.

Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; police power; primary law-enforcement agency for certain larceny-related offenses. Provides that special agents of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board shall serve as the primary law-enforcement agency for enforcing and investigating certain larceny and fraud-related crimes that occur in government stores.

Jeion A. WardDemocrat

Collective bargaining; individual home care providers.

Collective bargaining; individual home care providers. Establishes within the Department of Medical Assistance Services the Virginia Home Care Authority to ensure the effectiveness and quality of the services of home care programs in the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes individual providers, as defined in the bill, to select an exclusive bargaining representative and to collectively bargain with the Virginia Home Care Authority regarding matters including wages, benefits, and all terms and conditions of employment that are within the Authority's control. The bill's provisions do not become effective unless legislation is enacted in the Commonwealth authorizing public employees to engage in collective bargaining. This bill was incorporated into SB 917.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Enhanced earned sentence credits; exemptions, felony drug offenses.

Enhanced earned sentence credits; exemptions; felony drug offenses. Removes any person convicted of a second or subsequent felony drug offense from being eligible to earn enhanced earned sentence credits.

Mark J. PeakeRepublican

Health insurance; coverage for at-home blood pressure monitors, report.

Health insurance; coverage for at-home blood pressure monitors. Requires health insurers, health maintenance organizations, and corporations providing health care coverage subscription contracts to provide coverage for at-home blood pressure monitors to individuals who (i) have a diagnosis of hypertension, (ii) are at risk of developing hypertension, or (iii) have been recommended for at-home blood pressure monitoring by a licensed health care provider. The coverage provided under the bill shall not be subject to any copayment or fees for an at-home blood pressure monitor. The bill directs the Bureau of Insurance, in consultation with the Department of Health, to establish guidelines for implementing the coverage required by the bill, to monitor compliance of such requirements by health care providers, and to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1, 2026.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Campaign finance; coordination and required independent expenditure committee disclosure.

Campaign finance; coordination and required independent expenditure committee disclosure; civil penalties. Provides a more detailed definition of the term "coordinated" or "coordination" in the context of campaign finance than current law. The bill also requires all persons making independent expenditures to file statements of organization and to file campaign finance reports thus making such persons subject to existing civil penalties for violations of filing laws.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Natural gas utilities; retail supply choice, report.

Natural gas utilities; retail supply choice; work group; report. Allows every person access to distribution service or retail natural gas from a natural gas utility authorized to provide natural gas service to the area where the service will be received. The bill prohibits a public entity from adopting an ordinance, resolution, or any other requirement that limits or prohibits customers from acquiring natural gas service and supply from both utility and non-utility gas companies. The bill prohibits public entities from denying building permits solely based on a proposed utility provider and directs public entities to ensure that all applicable permits and fees are reasonable, as compared to other utility providers, and do not restrict an applicant's ability to use the services of an authorized utility provider. The bill also directs the Department of Energy to convene a work group for the purposes of evaluating the impact of critical infrastructure sectors on natural gas service or natural gas supply choice and the impact of any public entity restricting a critical infrastructure sector from acquiring fuel and to submit a report of its findings and recommendations by November 1, 2025.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Governor; protecting the resiliency of the Commonwealth's critical infrastructure.

Governor; protecting the resiliency of the Commonwealth's critical infrastructure. Directs the Governor to establish two committees, the Critical Infrastructure Committee and the Resilient Energy Committee, consisting of security professionals, energy experts, utility representatives, and scientists, for the purpose of assessing Virginia's critical infrastructure and making recommendations for the protection of such infrastructure from all hazards.

Luther Cifers, IIIRepublican

Juvenile secure detention facilities; closure or consolidation, funding contributions.

Juvenile secure detention facilities; closure or consolidation; funding contributions; education programs. Provides that upon the closure or consolidation of a juvenile secure detention facility, any locality or commission operating a juvenile secure detention facility in which juveniles will be placed who previously would have been placed in the closed or consolidated juvenile secure detention facility shall negotiate in good faith with the locality from which a juvenile may be placed to arrive at mutually agreeable funding contributions for the operation of such receiving juvenile secure detention facility. The bill requires such agreements to include certain provisions related to equal access to post-dispositional programming and medical and hospitalization costs and provides that such agreements may include provisions related to transportation of juveniles and transportation options for parents or guardians.The bill further states that if the localities or commissions are unable to reach such an agreement, then the Department of Juvenile Justice shall determine the funding contributions and that failure of any locality or commission to comply with such determination may result in the loss or reduction of state funding. Under the bill, any locality or commission operating a juvenile secure detention facility that refuses to accept placement of juveniles who previously would have been placed in a closed or consolidated juvenile secure detention facility shall not be eligible for state funding.The bill changes the required staffing ratio for education programs in regional and local detention homes to one full-time equivalent program employee for every six students based on a rolling average daily population at the facility as calculated by the Department of Education from the previous three fiscal years. Under current law, the ratio for such programs is one teacher for every 12 beds based on the capacity of the facility. The bill also provides that the Board of Education shall require all such education programs to have either a principal or a lead teacher on site and requires contracts for the hiring and supervision of teachers to allow a teacher employed by a local school board to continue teaching in his local school division and be hired as a part-time teacher for such an education program. The bill requires that each part-time teacher for an education program be provided an annual $3,000 bonus.Lastly, the bill directs the closure of seven juvenile secure detention facilities across the Commonwealth and specifies the facilities to be closed and the facilities into which they may be consolidated. The bill requires the facilities to be closed and consolidated by January 1, 2026, and states that any such facility that fails to comply with the requirements for closure and consolidation, in addition to any other remedy available at law, shall not be eligible for state funding.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Digital Content Authenticity and Transparency Act; established, civil penalty.

Digital Content Authenticity and Transparency Act established; civil penalty. Requires a developer of an artificial intelligence system or service to apply provenance data to synthetic digital content that is generated by such developer's generative artificial intelligence system or service and requires a developer to make a provenance application tool and a provenance reader available to the public. The bill requires a controller of an online service, product, or feature to retain any available provenance data and requires a capture device to include a provenance application tool by default. The bill grants the Attorney General the exclusive authority to enforce such provisions and impose civil penalties pursuant to the bill. Under certain circumstances, the Attorney General may offer a developer an opportunity to cure a violation before imposing such civil penalties. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Adam P. EbbinDemocrat

Living Shoreline Grant Fund; established.

Living Shoreline Grant Fund established. Establishes the Living Shoreline Grant Fund to be administered by the Marine Resources Commission for the purpose of awarding grants to a local government or a federally recognized tribe in the Commonwealth to match federal or other matching funds. The bill requires such grants be used for the construction, renovation, or improvement of living shorelines greater than 1.5 miles in any shore angle direction. The bill requires the Commission to give priority to projects that (i) are located on public lands, (ii) demonstrate the ability for the living shoreline to migrate upland over time through documented control of upland properties, or (iii) are identified as priorities in the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions.

Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee for personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's dependent care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations similar to those promulgated by the Federal Election Commission to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections. This bill was incorporated into HB 2165.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Solar photovoltaic project; decisions of localities, regional energy plans.

Solar photovoltaic project; siting. Requires the Department of Energy's Division of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency to establish regional planning targets for each planning district for energy production and energy efficiency. The bill requires such targets to be included in the Virginia Energy Plan and for each planning district commission to amend its regional strategic plan to include a regional energy plan that meets such targets. The bill requires localities to incorporate into their comprehensive plans energy production and energy efficiency targets based on their planning district commission's regional strategic plan. The bill requires the Director of the Department of Energy to convene an Interagency Solar Advisory Committee for the purposes of reviewing solar photovoltaic project proposals and issuing advisory opinions on such proposals when requested. The Advisory Committee is required to review each proposal and to issue an advisory opinion within 120 days and provide such opinion to the relevant locality. In reviewing a proposal, the bill requires the Advisory Committee to consider (i) regional planning targets for the relevant planning district; (ii) the goals of the Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy; (iii) renewable energy portfolio requirements; (iv) cost effectiveness; (v) the project's proximity to existing energy infrastructure; (vi) any impacts to natural, historical, or cultural resources; (vii) any impacts to historically economically disadvantaged communities; and (viii) any other factor the Advisory Committee deems relevant. The bill requires localities to review and consider such advisory opinion before making decisions regarding a solar photovoltaic project.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Magistrates; power to issue arrest warrants.

Power of magistrates to issue arrest warrants. Prohibits a magistrate from issuing an arrest warrant for an offense upon the basis of a complaint by a person other than a law-enforcement officer or an animal control officer without prior authorization by the attorney for the Commonwealth or by a law-enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the alleged offense. Current law places such prohibition only on felony offenses.

Eric R. ZehrRepublican

Early Childhood Care and Education, Commission on; expands membership.

Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education; members. Expands from 31 to 32 the minimum number of members of the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education by adding one representative of the Department of Veterans Services to the nonlegislative citizen members of the Commission. This bill was incorporated into SB 1391.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Electric utilities; electric distribution infrastructure serving data centers.

Electric utilities; electric distribution infrastructure serving data centers. Prohibits the costs associated with the construction or extension of any electric distribution infrastructure that primarily serves the load of a data center from being recovered from any other customer.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Retail electric energy; renewable energy certificates.

Retail electric energy; renewable energy certificates. Requires competitive service providers, as defined in the bill, to serve 100 percent of their customers' energy and capacity needs from electric generating units located within the PJM transmission region. Under the bill, a competitive service provider must ensure that 100 percent of its customers' energy is either zero-carbon electricity or matched with renewable energy certificates. A certain percentage of a retail customer's annual load must be matched with zero-carbon electricity or renewable energy certificates from within the PJM transmission region. The bill allows certain retail customers to be exempt from non-bypassable charges associated with the renewable energy portfolio standard. The bill also requires the State Corporation Commission to promulgate rules as necessary to ensure that the provisions of the bill do not create an unreasonable shifting of costs to nonparticipating customers and to ensure that in all integrated resource plans and cost recovery proceedings no incumbent electric utility is improperly incorporating the loads of retail electric customers into its forecasts or load projections.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Admission to bail; risk assessment.

Admission to bail; risk assessment. Provides that a judicial officer shall (i) require an evidence-based pretrial risk assessment be prepared prior to admitting an offender to bail, (ii) review such risk assessment, and (iii) obtain the person's criminal history when such person was arrested for the commission or attempted commission of a second or subsequent violent felony.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Health insurance; cost sharing for breast examinations.

Health insurance; cost sharing for breast examinations. Prohibits health insurance carriers from imposing cost sharing for diagnostic breast examinations and supplemental breast examinations, as those terms are defined in the bill, under certain insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2026. The bill provides that such examinations include examinations using diagnostic mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, or breast ultrasound. This bill is a recommendation of the Health Insurance Reform Commission. This bill was incorporated into SB 1436.

Tara A. DurantRepublican

Contracts assigning rights to earned wages; legal rate of interest.

Contracts assigning rights to earned wages; legal rate of interest. Provides that any contract entered into on or after July 1, 2025, pursuant to which a person receives a cash advance for assigning to a company or other entity a portion of such person's rights to receive earned wages, salary, commissions, or other compensation for services shall be considered a loan and that any additional funds such person is obligated to pay under the terms of the contract shall be considered interest. The bill provides that such contract shall be subject to the legal rate of interest.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Preliminary protective orders; dispositional hearings.

Preliminary protective orders; hearings. Requires a court to schedule the dispositional hearings for preliminary protective orders on the same hearing or trial date as a related criminal offense until such related proceeding is resolved. The bill contains technical amendments.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Data centers; noise abatement.

Data centers; noise abatement. Provides that any local government land use application required for the siting of a data center shall be approved only in accordance with certain notice and noise abatement requirements. The bill provides that residents within a half-mile radius of the parcel shall receive notice of the proposed data center and that the data center operator shall hold two neighborhood meetings. The bill requires a data center operator to design and build the data center to incorporate sound mitigation methods sufficient to prevent the sound levels emanating from the data center from exceeding the ambient noise levels that were observed in a baseline study, as determined by a third-party acoustic engineer. The bill also provides that upon issuance of a certificate of occupancy, and for five years thereafter, the data center operator shall conduct a noise study performed by a third-party acoustical engineer to document noise levels emanating from the data center measured at the property line of the nearest property to the data center property that is planned or zoned for residential land uses, or other noise-sensitive use as reasonably determined by the locality, during peak operation of the data center mechanical equipment. The bill also provides that if the data center operator intends to use backup power generators on the parcel, the operator shall maintain a public website announcing the times when the generators will be in operation. Finally, the bill provides that any noise ordinance adopted by a locality shall set maximum allowable sound levels for data centers, including by (i) using alternative low frequency noise metrics and (ii) setting noise rules and enforcement mechanisms in its zoning ordinance, separate from existing noise ordinances.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Electric utilities; request for proposals required for certain facilities.

Electric utilities; request for proposals required for certain facilities. Requires an electric utility seeking approval to construct or purchase a generating facility that emits carbon dioxide to demonstrate that it has conducted a request for proposals designed to fairly evaluate all available supply-side and demand-side options prior to seeking approval for such generating facility. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to review the request for proposals before the utility's issuance to ensure all available resources will be fairly evaluated.

Scott A. SurovellDemocrat

Firearms, stun weapons, etc.; possession or transportation by persons adjudicated delinquent.

Possession or transportation of firearms, firearms ammunition, stun weapons, explosives or concealed weapons by persons adjudicated delinquent; penalty. Provides that the prohibition on the possession and transportation of firearms and ammunition by convicted felons applies to persons previously adjudicated delinquent. The bill requires that persons who were previously adjudicated delinquent of a violent felony are subject to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and two years for any other felony within the prior 10 years.

Mark J. PeakeRepublican

Electric utilities; retail competition.

Electric utilities; retail competition. Authorizes a customer who is a customer of a Phase I Utility that had a typical residential customer bill for a residential customer using 1,000 kWh per month that exceeded 125 percent of the statewide average during the most recent calendar year to purchase electric energy from any supplier of electric energy licensed to sell retail electric energy within the Commonwealth. The bill also decreases the period that such a customer who switches from an investor-owned electric utility to a competing supplier is barred from returning as a customer of its utility from five years to 90 days.

T. Travis HackworthRepublican

Electric utilities; approval required for construction of certain electrical transmission lines.

Electric utilities; approval required for construction of certain electrical transmission lines. Prohibits the construction of a new transmission line overhead unless the State Corporation Commission first determines that the construction of such transmission line in whole or in part underground is not in the public interest.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Fentanyl; possession in presence of minor prohibited, enhanced penalty.

Possession of fentanyl in presence of minor prohibited; enhanced penalty. Makes it a Class 3 felony for any person 18 years of age or older to knowingly possess any substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, including its derivatives, isomers, esters, ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, in the presence of a minor younger than 15 years of age, unless such substance was obtained directly from, or pursuant to, a valid prescription or order of a practitioner while acting in the course of his professional practice, or except as otherwise authorized by the Drug Control Act.

Tara A. DurantRepublican

Counties, cities, and towns; comprehensive plan may include use of accessory dwelling units.

Counties, cities, and towns; comprehensive plan; accessory dwelling units. Clarifies that the comprehensive plan prepared by a local planning commission and adopted by a local governing body may include the use of accessory dwelling units, defined in the bill, as part of any residential development and use designated within such plan. The bill contains technical amendments.

William M. Stanley, Jr.Republican

Assault and battery; adds campus police officers to definition of law-enforcement officer.

Assault and battery; campus police officers; penalty. Adds campus police officers to the definition of law-enforcement officer for the crime of assault or assault and battery on a law-enforcement officer.

Mark J. PeakeRepublican

Discovery; electronic means, report.

Discovery; electronic means; report. Requires all attorneys for the Commonwealth to provide discovery materials for all courts to counsel of record for the accused by electronic means unless such materials are prohibited from being distributed by law or impossible to provide by electronic means. The bill directs the Supreme Court of Virginia to promulgate rules to implement this provision by July 1, 2027. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2028.The bill also requires the Executive Secretary of the Compensation Board, or a designee, to convene a work group to determine the costs associated with any changes in operations and technology infrastructure necessary to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill requires the Executive Secretary of the Compensation Board to provide an interim report to the General Assembly by November 30, 2025, and a final report to the General Assembly by August 1, 2026. This bill was incorporated into SB 963.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Health carriers and pharmacy benefits managers; prohibited conduct, civil penalty.

Prohibited conduct by health carriers and pharmacy benefits managers; civil penalty; enforcement. Prohibits any carrier, pharmacy benefits manager, or representative of a pharmacy benefits manager from (i) requiring that a covered individual purchase pharmacy services exclusively through a mail-order pharmacy or retail pharmacy affiliated with a pharmacy benefits manager or (ii) prohibiting or limiting a covered individual from selecting a pharmacy or pharmacist of his choice that has agreed to participate in the health benefit plan according to the terms of the plan. The bill adds a civil penalty of $5,000 for a violation of prohibited conduct by health carriers and pharmacy benefits managers and adds that the State Corporation Commission has authority to investigate any such violations.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat