Bills & Legislation

Unemployment benefits; increase weekly benefit amount.

Unemployment benefits; increase weekly benefit amount. Provides that, for unemployment compensation claims effective on or after July 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly benefit amount shall be $48 higher than the current weekly benefit amount, as denoted in the table in the printed bill. This bill is identical to SB 759.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Primaries; abstract of votes, law-enforcement officer to obtain returns not forwarded.

Elections; conduct of primaries; abstract of votes; law-enforcement officer to obtain returns not forwarded. Removes the requirement that if the abstract of votes is not received by the State Board of Elections from any county or city within six days after any state primary election, the State Board shall dispatch a law-enforcement officer to obtain it. The bill removes a conflict with an existing provision that requires the State Board to dispatch law-enforcement when the abstract of votes is not received within 10 days after any election.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Hospitals; emergency department physicians.

Hospitals; psychiatric emergency departments. Allows hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments located in the City of Hampton to operate without a physician on duty when certain conditions are met, including having written agreements in place with emergency medical service providers and being immediately adjacent to a non-psychiatric emergency department. The bill requires such psychiatric emergency departments to submit treatment data to the General Assembly on an annual basis by November 1. This bill is identical to SB 738.

Rodney T. WillettDemocrat

Removal of clutter; cutting of grass; agricultural use exemption; Planning District 19.

Removal of clutter; cutting of grass; agricultural use exemption; Planning District 19. Exempts localities located in Planning District 19 from provisions that exclude agricultural land from requirements relating to the removal of clutter and cutting of grass when such land is one acre or less and located in an area that is used for a residential purpose. This bill is identical to SB 742.

Kimberly Pope AdamsDemocrat

Workers' compensation; law-enforcement officers and firefighters, post-traumatic stress disorder.

Workers' compensation. Provides that, for the purposes of workers' compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder incurred by a law-enforcement officer or firefighter, an incident or exposure without any accompanying physical injury occurring in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2027, is a qualifying event, as defined in the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Employees of state government; personal interest in certain contracts prohibited.

Employees of state government; personal interest in certain contracts prohibited; certain exception for certain employees of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind. Excludes from the prohibition against any officer or employee of any governmental agency of state government having a personal interest in a contract with the governmental agency of which he is an officer or employee, other than his own contract of employment, the personal interest of an employee of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind in a contract between the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind and a publisher or wholesaler of textbooks or other educational materials for students that accrues to him solely because he has authored or otherwise created such textbooks or materials. This bill is identical to SB 816.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Consumer finance companies; additional charges.

Consumer finance companies; additional charges. Provides that, for the purposes of the prohibition on additional charges by consumer finance companies, exceptions to such prohibition include (i) charges for guaranteed asset protection waivers for the protection and benefit of the borrower in connection with any loan and (ii) charges for guaranteed asset protection insurance for the protection and benefit of the borrower in connection with any loan.

Jason S. BallardRepublican

Higher educational institutions, public; reasonable accommodations for religious beliefs, etc.

Public institutions of higher education; reasonable accommodations for the religious beliefs and practices of individual students. Requires each public institution of higher education to provide reasonable accommodations, as defined in the bill, for the religious beliefs and practices of individual students with regard to admissions, class attendance, and the scheduling of examinations and work assignments and to provide and describe in the institution's student handbook or an equivalent document and in the institution's faculty handbook or an equivalent document a grievance procedure for any student to seek redress when the student believes that he has been unreasonably denied such reasonable accommodations for his religious beliefs and practices.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Regulatory boards; powers and duties, disciplinary action, dismissal.

Professions and occupations; powers and duties of regulatory boards; disciplinary action; dismissal. Permits regulatory boards to take a disciplinary case against a licensee under advisement, defer a finding in such case, and dismiss such action upon terms and conditions set by the Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation. The bill additionally clarifies that regulatory boards may take such actions as well as other disciplinary actions and monetary penalties by including a reference to such disciplinary actions and monetary penalties among the listed powers of certain regulatory boards.

May NivarDemocrat

Mortgage lenders and brokers; criminal history records check.

Mortgage lenders and brokers; criminal history records check. Replaces the option for an applicant submitting the required criminal history records check for licensure as a mortgage lender or mortgage broker, or an applicant to acquire control of a licensee, to submit fingerprints and other information to the Commissioner of Financial Institutions to forward such information to the Central Criminal Records Exchange with the option to submit such information to an FBI-approved channeler to forward such information to the FBI for the purposes of obtaining national criminal history record information. Under current law, there is also an option for such an applicant to submit such information to the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat

Virginia Public Procurement Act; adds to definition of professional services.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; definitions; "professional services." Adds to the definition of "professional services," for use throughout the Virginia Public Procurement Act, services of a licensed investment advisor, financial advisor, or insurance broker procured by the Department of the Treasury.

Kimberly Pope AdamsDemocrat

School boards; student diabetes care & management in schools, division wide plan required.

Public elementary and secondary schools; student diabetes medical care and management. Establishes several provisions relating to student diabetes medical care and management in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth, including requiring divisionwide plans for the care of students who are diagnosed with diabetes in each school division, effective beginning with the 2028–2029 school year. This bill incorporates HB 624 and is identical to SB 122.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

State Police, Department of; purchase of handguns or other weapons of certain officers.

Purchase of handguns or other weapons of certain officers; Department of State Police. Provides that the Department of State Police may allow the immediate survivor of any law-enforcement officer formerly employed by the Department who had at least 10 years of service with the Department and who died while receiving long-term disability payments to purchase his service handgun, with the approval of the Superintendent of State Police, at a price of $1. This bill is identical to SB 86.

Mitchell CornettRepublican

Individuals receiving services in a hospital, training center, etc.; right to send and receive mail.

Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; individuals receiving services; right to send and receive mail. Allows state facilities operated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to process sealed letter mail for electronic delivery. This bill is identical to SB 580.

R. Lee WareRepublican

Human trafficking; issuance of vacatur for victims, definitions.

Issuance of vacatur for victims of human trafficking. Expands the current process for the issuance of writs of vacatur for victims of human trafficking to include ancillary matters, defined in the bill, and any charge or arrest related to a qualifying offense as defined in current law. The bill also expands the list of qualifying offenses eligible for such writ. This bill is identical to SB 748.

Karrie K. DelaneyDemocrat

Temporary detention; certified evaluators, sunset extended.

Temporary detention; certified evaluators; sunset extended. Extends from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2027, the sunset date on the current provisions of law authorizing hospitals with a psychiatric emergency department located in the City of Hampton to employ certain trained individuals to perform evaluations to determine whether a person meets the criteria for temporary detention for behavioral health treatment. The current law also requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to submit monthly and annual reports on temporary detentions and crisis evaluations. This bill is identical to SB 735.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Geologists; regulations, exemptions.

Professions and occupations; regulation of geologists; exemptions. Exempts the practice of geology by any officer, employee, agent, or contractor of the United States of America when practicing solely as such from the licensing requirements for professional geologists.

Bill WileyRepublican

Commercial motor vehicle; expands definition.

Commercial motor vehicle; definition. Expands the definition of a commercial motor vehicle to include vehicles inclusive of a towed vehicle with a gross vehicle weight or a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds. Currently, the definition includes, in relevant part, a towed vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds. The new definition is consistent with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations.

Bill WileyRepublican

Geology; added to definition of "professional services," continuing education.

Professions and occupations; regulation of geologists. Adds geology to the definition of "professional services" as used in the Virginia Public Procurement Act. The bill also eliminates the option for the Board for Professional Soil Scientists, Wetland Professionals, and Geologists to waive the examination requirement for licensure as a professional geologist for an applicant who has at least 12 years of geological work. The bill also requires the Board to promulgate regulations governing continuing education requirements for geologists licensed by the Board that require the completion of eight hours annually in continuing education for any license renewal or reinstatement. This bill is identical to SB 492.

Bill WileyRepublican

Deer; permit may be issued to kill if damaging residential plants and certain property.

Killing of deer damaging residential plants and certain property. Allows the Director of the Department of Wildlife Resources or his designee to issue a permit to kill a limited number of antlered deer when such deer cause damage to residential plants and the Director or his designee determines, upon inspection, that there is clear and convincing evidence that the damage was done by antlered deer. Upon a landowner or lessee's request, the bill also requires the Director or his designee to issue a permit to kill antlerless deer on commercial agricultural production lands when such deer cause damage to fruit trees, Christmas trees, crops, horticultural plants, or personal property utilized for commercial agricultural production within the Commonwealth. When such damage is caused by antlered deer, the bill requires the Director or his designee to issue a permit to kill a limited number of antlered deer if the Director or his designee determines that there is clear and convincing evidence that the damage was done by antlered deer. The bill also changes the extent to which a person can assist in hunting when his hunting license has been revoked or suspended in the Commonwealth by prohibiting such person from assisting in hunting until the hunting restriction has been lifted. Current law allows such a person to assist in hunting after a certain period of time.

Mitchell CornettRepublican

State plan for medical assistance; provider-to-provider consultation.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; state plan for medical assistance; provider-to-provider consultation; telemedicine. Specifies that the Medicaid provision for provider-to-provider consultation includes payment for consultations provided through telemedicine services. This bill incorporates HB 87.

Mark C. DowneyDemocrat

St Emergency Med. Services Advisory Bd.; membership, regional emergency medical services councils.

State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board; membership; regional emergency medical services councils. Reduces the composition of the State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board from 28 members to 24 members to account for four fewer representatives from regional emergency medical services councils.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Veterinarians; amending applications of licensure, etc.

Board of Veterinary Medicine; applications for licensure or renewal; indication of interest to serve as a veterinarian for a public or private animal shelter. Directs the Board of Veterinary Medicine to amend its applications for licensure and renewal of licensure to allow applicants to indicate interest in serving as a veterinarian for public or private animal shelters and to provide disclosure that, if the applicant indicates such interest, the Board shall provide the applicant's name and contact information to the State Veterinarian for inclusion on a list distributed to animal shelters quarterly.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

High school graduation requirements and diploma pathways; implementation.

High school graduation requirements; application. Provides that, in the event that the Board of Education establishes or modifies any graduation requirements or diploma pathways, the Board shall only apply such new or modified graduation requirements or diploma pathways to students who enter ninth grade at the beginning of or after the first school year of implementation of such new or modified graduation requirements or diploma pathways. The bill is applicable beginning with students who enter the ninth grade on or after the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year. This bill is identical to SB 724.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Licensed substance abuse treatment practitioners; licensure by endorsement, etc.

Licensed substance abuse treatment practitioners; licensure by endorsement; licensure without examination. Directs the Board of Counseling to establish a pathway to licensure by endorsement as a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner for applicants who have held certification as a certified substance abuse counselor for at least 10 years without a history of disciplinary action, have completed at least five years of documented supervised experience, hold at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of counseling, and hold a Master Addiction Counselor credential issued by NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. The bill provides that such pathway to licensure by endorsement does not require examination.

Joshua G. ColeDemocrat

School bd. policies; communication & language accessibility for limited English proficient parents.

School boards; language access plan for limited English proficient parents. Requires each school board to develop, implement, and post in a publicly accessible location on its website a language access plan consisting of policies and procedures designed to ensure meaningful communication with and informational accessibility for limited English proficient (LEP) parents, as that term is defined in the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 685.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Ancillary traffic infractions; certification.

Certification of ancillary traffic infractions. Allows the court to certify any ancillary traffic infraction to the clerk of the circuit court upon certification of any felony offense, provided that the attorney for the Commonwealth and the accused consent to such certification. Current law only allows ancillary misdemeanor offenses to be certified. As introduced, the bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Criminal Justice Conference.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Environmental Justice in Permitting Process Guidance Memo; DEQ to publish an updated version.

Department of Environmental Quality; Environmental Justice in the Permitting Process Guidance Memo; cumulative impacts. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality to publish an updated version of the Environmental Justice in the Permitting Process Guidance Memo for public comment. The bill requires the updated memo to consider how to assess the cumulative impacts of the types of permits covered in the guidance memo and outreach strategies to engage communities impacted by any such permit. The bill requires the public comment period process to include two public town halls held no later than July 31, 2026, and requires the Department to respond to the public comments by October 31, 2026. The Department is required to issue the final guidance memo by December 31, 2026.

Kathy K.L. TranDemocrat

Local, regional, and community correctional facilities; access to counsel for inmates.

Local, regional, and community correctional facilities; access to counsel for inmates. Requires the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to establish additional standards no later than January 1, 2027, to ensure access to legal counsel for inmates held in any local, regional, or community correctional facility and enumerates the standards that the Board shall include in such additional standards.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Notaries; prohibition on certain advertising, investigation by Attorney General.

Notaries; prohibition on certain advertising; investigation by Attorney General; civil penalties. Provides that the Attorney General may issue a civil investigative demand whenever he has reasonable cause to believe that any notary public has, in violation of law, (i) offered or provided legal advice on immigration or other legal matters or represented any person in immigration proceedings or (ii) has assumed, used, or advertised the title "notario," "notario publico," or "licenciado," or other term in a language other than English that indicates that such notary is authorized or licensed to practice law. The bill increases the civil penalties for a violation of clause (ii) from up to $500 to up to $2,500 for a first violation and from up to $1,000 to up to $5,000 for a second or subsequent violation. The bill also provides that the Attorney General may seek to enjoin any such violation and may recover restitution, reasonable expenses, and reasonable attorney fees.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Electric utilities, certain; purchased power cost risk mitigation practices.

State Corporation Commission; electric utilities; fuel and purchased power cost risk mitigation practices. Directs the State Corporation Commission, in certain cost recovery proceedings and other annual filings as determined by the Commission, to examine the efficacy and sufficiency of fuel and purchased power cost risk mitigation practices by Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power. Under the bill, the Commission is required to include legislative recommendations related to effectively regulating fuel and purchased power cost risk in an existing report. This bill is identical to SB 505.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Net energy metering; standby charge, facility capacity.

Net energy metering; standby charge; facility capacity. Increases the minimum capacity from 15 kilowatts to an aggregate nameplate capacity of 20 kilowatts of alternating current for an electrical generating facility for which certain electric utility customers are required to pay a monthly standby charge as part of the net energy metering program.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Professional & Occupational Regulation, Department of; amendments for purposes of regulatory boards.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Makes several amendments for the purposes of regulatory boards within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to include (i) removing the exemption for a person engaged in the practice of engineering, architecture, or land surveying as a full-time, salaried employee of the Commonwealth on March 8, 1992, from certain licensure requirements provided the employee does not furnish advisory service for compensation to the public in connection with engineering, architecture, or land surveying; (ii) providing that any state agency or political subdivision that is unable to employ a qualified licensed engineer, architect, or land surveyor to fill a responsible charge position, after a reasonable and unsuccessful search, may fill the position with an unlicensed person upon the determination by the chief administrative officer of the agency or political subdivision that the person, by virtue of education, experience, and expertise, can perform the work required of the position; (iii) directing the Board for Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians to promulgate regulations for the issuance of training permits and work permits; and (iv) repealing provisions of the Code allowing for the waiver of examinations for wax technicians and estheticians. The bill contains technical amendments.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Public school teachers; reemployment of teacher who has not received continuing contract status.

Public school teachers; terms of employment; reemployment of teacher who has received continuing contract status; written notice required. Requires written notice of noncontinuation of a continuing teacher contract to be given by the teacher by June 15 of each year; otherwise, the contract continues in effect for the ensuing year in conformity with local salary stipulations, including increments. Current law requires such written notice of noncontinuation of a continuing teacher contract to be given by either the teacher or the school board by June 15 of each year. This bill is identical to SB 117.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Esthetics Licensure Compact; authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to Compact.

Professions and occupations; barbers and cosmetologists; Esthetics Licensure Compact. Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Esthetics Licensure Compact. The Compact permits eligible licensed estheticians to practice in Compact member states, provided that they meet certain requirements. The Compact takes effect when enacted by a seventh member state.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Hampton Roads Infrastructure Coordination and Readiness Framework; HRTPO to develop, report.

Hampton Roads Planning District Commission; development of a Hampton Roads Infrastructure Coordination and Readiness Framework. Directs the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) to develop an infrastructure coordination and fiscal readiness framework for Planning District 23, to be known as the Hampton Roads Infrastructure Coordination and Readiness Framework (the Framework), and to coordinate and consult with certain other entities in the development of the Framework. The bill requires HRPDC to submit to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees on Transportation, the House Committees on Finance and Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations a report of the progress of the development of the Framework no later than December 1, 2026, and a final report on the Framework no later than December 1, 2027.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Standards of Quality; state accountability, Standards of Learning assessment expedited retake score.

Standards of Quality; state accountability; Standards of Learning assessment expedited retake scores. Directs the Board of Education, in its calculation of the passage rate for a Standards of Learning assessment or the level of achievement of the Standards of Learning objectives for an individual student growth assessment for the purposes of state accountability ratings, to include, for any student who retakes an assessment on an expedited basis and receives a passing score, the passing score received on the expedited retake and to exclude the score such student received on the assessment taken during the regular assessment administration period.

Israel D. O'QuinnRepublican

Absentee voting; emergency application for absentee ballot.

Absentee voting; emergency application for absentee ballot. Provides that a qualified voter may apply for an emergency absentee ballot if he has applied to receive an absentee ballot by the deadline but has not received his ballot within 10 days of the election and will be unable to vote on election day due to his hospitalization or illness, the hospitalization, illness, or death of a spouse, child, or parent, or other emergency found to justify receipt of an emergency absentee ballot.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Assault and battery; adds district court temporary recall judge, penalty.

Assault and battery; district court temporary recall judge; penalty. Adds a judge of a district court under temporary recall to the definition of "judge" as it relates to the crime of assault and battery, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor that is enhanced to a Class 6 felony with a mandatory minimum term of confinement of six months if such judge is engaged in his public duties at the time of the offense. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and is identical to SB 144.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Cemeteries; maintenance of abandoned or neglected graveyards, owner unknown.

Cemeteries; maintenance of abandoned or neglected graveyards; owner unknown. Permits the owner of adjacent land or an incorporated nonprofit entity to petition the circuit court for an exclusive license to maintain a graveyard that has been abandoned, is unused and neglected by the owner, and the owner of such graveyard is unknown, or cannot with reasonable diligence be found. The bill requires the petitioner to (i) demonstrate a good faith effort to identify and contact an owner of record of the graveyard and (ii) publish in a newspaper having general circulation in the locality in which the graveyard is located, once a week for two consecutive weeks, notice that a petition for a maintenance license has been filed. The bill allows a court to grant a petitioner an exclusive license for the maintenance of an abandoned graveyard not to exceed five years. Such petitioner may, by petition of the court, renew such license indefinitely. After the court grants a petitioner a license to maintain the property, the owner of such graveyard may petition the circuit court of the county or city in which the graveyard is located to terminate the license.

Briana D. SewellDemocrat

Land development; definitions, solar canopies in surface parking areas, delayed effective date.

Land development; solar canopies in parking areas. Provides that any locality may include in its land development ordinances a provision that requires that an applicant must install a solar canopy over designated surface parking areas. Such provisions shall apply only to nonresidential parking areas with 100 or more new off-street contiguous parking spaces and may require coverage of up to 50 percent of the surface parking area. The bill provides that an ordinance adopted pursuant to this bill shall be subject to various additional requirements and shall allow for deviations, in whole or in part, from the requirements of the ordinance when its strict application would prevent the development of uses and densities otherwise allowed by the locality's zoning or development ordinance or when a property owner shows that the solar canopy, if installed as otherwise required under the ordinance, will generate less than 75 percent of the electricity that would be expected, given the nameplate capacity of the solar modules installed on such canopy, if the canopy were to be installed at another location in the locality without surrounding impediments to insolation such as buildings or shading vegetation. Finally, the bill provides that the applicant or owner may use the electric energy generated from such solar canopy to offset the consumption of the parking lot or adjoining building served under the same account. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill incorporates HB 457 and is identical to SB 26.

Briana D. SewellDemocrat

Clerks of circuit court; fees, restitution, online payment systems, report.

Clerks of circuit court; restitution; fees; online payment systems; report. Provides that if a clerk's office allows payment to occur via an already established online payment system for the collection of court fines and fees or costs, it shall offer such payment method for all restitution payments.

Karrie K. DelaneyDemocrat

Va. Sexual & Domestic Violence Victim fund; fee for offenses related to solicitation of minors, etc.

Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund; additional fee for certain offenses. Provides that the clerk shall assess a fee of $500 for conviction of certain offenses outlined in the bill. The bill requires such fees to be credited to the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund and designated for funding support services for eligible victims. This bill is identical to SB 329.

Karrie K. DelaneyDemocrat

Commonwealth Aviation Fund; changes allocation amounts.

Commonwealth Aviation Fund; allocations. Changes (i) the allocation amounts from the Commonwealth Aviation Fund, (ii) the entity to which certain funds from such Fund are allocated from air carrier airports to commercial service airport sponsors, and (iii) the classification of airports from air carrier airport and reliever airport to commercial service airport and regional business airport, respectively.

Karrie K. DelaneyDemocrat

Private activity bonds; allocation of state ceiling.

Private activity bonds; allocation of state ceiling. Increases the housing allocation of the Virginia state ceiling on private activity bonds from 57 to 67 percent by (i) increasing the allocation to the Virginia Housing Development Authority from the current 43 percent to 50 percent and (ii) increasing the allocation to local housing authorities from the current 14 percent to 17 percent. The bill also maintains the current 18 percent for the Governor's state allocation portion and reduces the industrial development bonds for manufacturing and exempt facilities portion of the ceiling from 25 to 15 percent. This bill is identical to SB 729.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

Delinquent children; loss of driving privileges for alcohol, firearm, and drug offenses, truancy.

Delinquent children; loss of driving privileges for alcohol, firearm, and drug offenses; truancy. Allows the court discretion in ordering the denial of a child's driving privileges in instances when the child has failed to comply with school attendance and meeting requirements as provided in relevant law. Under current law, the court is required to order the denial of such child's driving privileges. The bill also provides that if the court has ordered the denial of a child's driving privileges, the court shall order such child to surrender his driver's license, which shall be held in the physical custody of the court during any period of license denial. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and is identical to SB 146.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Public schools; use of seclusion and restraint, report.

Department of Education; use of seclusion and restraint in public schools; certain actions; report. Requires the Department of Education to (i) provide to each local school board a link to or a copy of the Board of Education's Regulations Governing the Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Virginia and encourage each such board to fully comply with such regulations and (ii) submit to the Chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health no later than October 1, 2026, a report on the current implementation and utilization of such regulations that shall include (a) a detailed summary of the Department's current processes and procedures for enforcing such regulations and (b) a compilation and analysis of data relating to how such regulations are currently being implemented and utilized by public schools in each school division.

Phillip A. ScottRepublican

Motor Vehicles, Department of; release of data to certain institutions of higher education, fee.

Department of Motor Vehicles data; certain institutions of higher education; fees. Authorizes the release of certain privileged Department of Motor Vehicles data to those institutions of higher education that have entered into an agreement with the Department to offer special license plates bearing the seal, symbol, emblem, or logotype of that institution of higher education. The bill authorizes the Department to charge a one-time fee of $10,000 from each participating institution to cover the cost of implementing the provisions of this bill. The bill limits the use of such data to surveys, marketing, and solicitations related to such institution of higher education and such purposes as are otherwise authorized in writing by the subject of the information and requires the consent of the subject of the information prior to disclosure of the information. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 445.

Briana D. SewellDemocrat