Bills & Legislation

War veterans; protection for memorials.

Protection of memorials for war veterans. Provides that it is unlawful for localities or individuals to disturb or interfere with certain monuments, markers, and memorials for war veterans or to prevent citizens from taking proper measures and exercising proper means for the protection, preservation, and care of the monuments, markers, or memorials. The bill describes \"disturb or interfere with\" to include removing, damaging, or defacing monuments, markers, or memorials or, in the case of the Civil War, placing Union markings or monuments on previously designated Confederate memorials or placing Confederate markings or monuments on previously designated Union memorials. The bill also deletes current provisions that allow localities to remove, relocate, contextualize, or cover such monuments or memorials. The bill changes an existing advisory referendum provision by limiting its applicability to those monuments, markers, and memorials that were erected at least 40 years ago and by requiring a two-thirds majority vote, both by voters and by the governing body, before any monument can be removed, relocated, or covered. The bill also establishes a process whereby any person with an interest can initiate an action against a person or locality that damages or defaces a publicly owned monument if a locality or its officers have failed to take such action within 60 days of the damage or defacement.

Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.Republican

Public school funding; composite index of local ability-to-pay.

Public school funding; composite index of local ability-to-pay; use value of real estate devoted to certain uses. Requires, for the purpose of determining the state and local shares of basic aid funding, that the composite index of local ability-to-pay utilize the use value of all applicable real estate (i) devoted to agricultural use, horticultural use, forest use, and open-space use in each locality that has adopted an ordinance by which it provides for the use valuation and taxation of such real estate and (ii) used in agricultural and forestal production within an agricultural district, forestal district, agricultural and forestal district, or agricultural and forestal district of local significance in each locality that provides for the use valuation and taxation of such real estate, regardless of whether it has adopted a local land-use plan or local ordinance for such valuation and taxation.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

Mobile machinery and equipment; tax credit for purchase.

Tax credit for purchase of mobile machinery and equipment used by road contractors for processing recyclable asphalt materials on pavements and roadways. Creates a nonrefundable tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 in an amount equal to 20 percent of the purchase price paid, as defined in the bill, during the taxable year for machinery and equipment used to reclaim, recycle, or reprocess existing asphalt materials from pavements and roadways. The bill requires a taxpayer to submit invoices with an income tax return verifying the amount of purchase price paid for such machinery and equipment. The bill provides a $3 million aggregate annual cap on the number of credits to be distributed, as administered by the Department of Taxation. Any credit not used for the taxable year in which the purchasing price for recycling machinery was paid may be carried over for the next 10 years until the total credit amount is used.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

State pharmacy benefits manager; DMAS to select & contract with a third-party administrator to serve

Department of Medical Assistance Services; state pharmacy benefits manager. Requires the Department of Medical Assistance Services by December 31, 2025, to select and contract with a third-party administrator to serve as the state pharmacy benefits manager to administer all pharmacy benefits for Medicaid recipients, including recipients enrolled in a managed care organization. The bill enumerates requirements for the Department's contract with the state pharmacy benefits manager and prevents the state pharmacy benefits manager from having a business conflict of interest with any Medicaid provider or vendor. This bill was incorporated into HB 2610.

Terry G. KilgoreRepublican

Veterans; provision of copies of vital records.

Department of Veterans Services; provision of copies of veteran vital records. Requires the Board of Health to provide a copy of a veteran's vital records to the Department of Veterans Services upon the Department's request when a veteran or his surviving spouse requires a certified copy of a vital record to obtain service-connected benefits. This bill was incorporated into HB 2748.

Chris ObenshainRepublican

Income tax, state; creates family caregiver tax credit.

Income tax; family caregiver tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable family caregiver tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for expenses incurred by an individual in caring for an eligible family member, defined in the bill, who requires assistance with one or more activities of daily living, also defined in the bill. The credit equals 50 percent of eligible expenditures incurred by the caregiver up to $1,000. To qualify for the credit, the family caregiver must (i) not receive any compensation or reimbursement for the eligible expenditures and (ii) have federal adjusted gross income that is no greater than $100,000 or, if such family caregiver is married and filing jointly, shall have federal adjusted gross income of no greater than $200,000. The bill requires the Tax Commissioner to establish guidelines for claiming the credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forward by the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable year for which the credit was issued.

Luther Cifers, IIIRepublican

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.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Voter registration; systematic citizenship verification program.

Voter registration; systematic citizenship verification program. Provides that the Department of Elections is required to implement policies and procedures necessary to ensure that processes are in place to validate voter registrations and prevent noncitizens from registering to vote. Such processes must include (i) cooperation with state agencies to ensure that noncitizen registrations are not included in the registrations forwarded to the Department; (ii) effective utilization of all data available for identifying noncitizens, including data provided by state and federal agencies; (iii) a monthly systematic review of the voter registration system to identify noncitizens; and (iv) display of messages communicating the citizenship requirements for registration and penalties for violation. The bill also requires jury commissioners to collect information obtained from those persons not qualified to serve on a jury as a result of a condition that would also make them unqualified to register to vote. The sheriff, clerk of court, or other official responsible for maintaining such information provided by the commissioners is required to regularly transmit such information to the general registrar for the locality or localities served by such official. The bill requires general registrars to utilize such information to identify voters who are no longer qualified to vote and to initiate list maintenance procedures.

Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.Republican

Income tax, corporate; sourcing of sales other than sales of tangible personal property.

Corporate income tax; sourcing of sales other than sales of tangible personal property. Implements market-based corporate income tax sourcing for attributing sales, other than sales of tangible personal property, to Virginia beginning in taxable year 2026.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Stormwater management regulations; localities outside Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Stormwater management regulations; localities outside Chesapeake Bay watershed. Requires the State Water Control Board and the Department of Environmental Quality to apply in a locality that is located outside of the Chesapeake Bay watershed the regulations establishing minimum design criteria for measures that were in effect prior to July 1, 2014, to control (i) nonpoint source pollution and (ii) localized flooding and stream channel erosion.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Asphalt recycling equipment; tax credit for purchase of reprocessing existing asphalt materials.

Tax credit; purchase of asphalt recycling equipment for reprocessing existing asphalt materials from pavements and roadways; report. Creates a nonrefundable tax credit for taxable years 2025 and 2026 in an amount equal to 20 percent of the purchase price, as defined in the bill, paid during the taxable year for asphalt recycling equipment. The bill defines asphalt recycling equipment as machinery and equipment that is used to reclaim, recycle, or reprocess existing asphalt materials from pavements and roadways in the Commonwealth and that has been certified by the Department of Environmental Quality as being integral to the recycling process. The bill provides a $3 million aggregate annual cap on the number of credits to be distributed, as administered by the Department of Taxation, and an annual cap of 40 percent of the taxpayer's liability for taxes for any taxable year. Any credit not used for the taxable year in which the purchase price for recycling machinery was paid may be carried over for the next 10 years until the total credit amount is used.Finally, the bill requires the Department of Taxation, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Transportation, to submit a report to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Finance and Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than December 1, 2025, on the number of claims for such credit and any impact to environmental quality and pavement performance resulting from the use of asphalt recycling equipment.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Protective orders; military protective orders.

Protective orders; military protective orders. Permits a court to find good cause to issue a preliminary protective order when a petitioner has a Military Protective Order. The bill directs a law-enforcement officer to notify the agency that entered the Military Protective Order into the National Crime Information Center Systems that the law-enforcement officer has probable cause to believe the person violated the Military Protective Order if such person violated provisions of a state-issued protective order.

J.D. "Danny" DiggsRepublican

Students; statewide anonymous reporting mobile application.

Department of Education; statewide anonymous student reporting mobile application. Requires the Department of Education, with such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose pursuant to the general appropriation act or provided from any other source, and alone or in partnership with another state agency or a nonprofit organization, or a combination thereof, to (i) develop or procure a multiplatform compatible mobile application that permits any public elementary and secondary school student to submit anonymous reports relating to the health or safety of self or others, including threats of violence that are made on social media; (ii) train or contract for the training of individuals to respond to each such anonymous report in a timely and effective manner, including responding to the student and notifying the appropriate school official, local law-enforcement agency, or public safety answering point (PSAP), as that term is defined in relevant law; (iii) train students, parents, PSAP responders, law-enforcement officials, and school officials throughout the Commonwealth on the proper use of such mobile application; and (iv) provide permissible users with access to such mobile application at no cost.

Chris ObenshainRepublican

School Performance and Support Framework; certain excused student absences excluded, etc.

Board of Education; School Performance and Support Framework; readiness indicator; chronic absenteeism calculation; certain excused student absences excluded. Provides that in any case in which a student experiences an unexpected excused absence of any length based on extenuating circumstances, any such period of excused absence shall be excluded from the calculation of chronic absenteeism for the purpose of the readiness indicator in the Board of Education's school accountability system known as the School Performance and Support Framework or any successor school accountability system. This bill was incorporated into HB 1769.

Robert D. Orrock, Sr.Republican

Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund; performance agreement.

Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund; performance agreement. Removes the authority to make commitments related to accelerated permitting, property tax classifications, and other such issues in an agreement between a qualified company and a locality for purposes of the Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Coastal storm risk management; Off. of Commonwealth Resilience to study cost of feasibility study.

Coastal storm risk management; Office of Commonwealth Resilience to study costs of feasibility studies; report. Directs the Office of Commonwealth Resilience to conduct a study to (i) examine the methodologies and criteria, if any, that other states in the United States use to apportion responsibility between the state and the participating localities for that portion of the cost of coastal storm risk management (CSRM) feasibility studies and plan implementation for which the nonfederal sponsor is responsible and (ii) develop a recommended methodology and associated criteria for apportioning responsibility of the same for CSRM feasibility studies and plan implementation in Virginia. The bill directs the Office of Commonwealth Resilience to complete its work no later than November 30, 2026, and the Chief Resilience Officer of the Commonwealth to submit a report of the findings and recommendations of the study to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than December 31, 2026.

Phil M. HernandezDemocrat

Short-term rental properties; human trafficking awareness training.

Short-term rental properties; human trafficking awareness training. Mandates every accommodations intermediary to require its accommodations providers to complete certain training on recognizing and reporting instances of suspected human trafficking. Current law limits this requirement to every hotel proprietor and its employees and excludes short-term rentals. The bill prohibits an accommodations intermediary from listing a short-term rental property prior to receipt of an up-to-date written certification signed by the accommodations provider of such property that such accommodations provider has complied with the relevant training requirements.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Public schools; textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials.

Public schools; textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials. Makes several changes relating to the textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials that are utilized as the curriculum basis for public elementary and secondary school student instruction, including (i) defining such term for the purpose of various laws and regulations relating to approval, procurement, and no-cost provision of such materials; (ii) requiring each local school board to adopt and implement textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials in English language arts for grades six through 12 and mathematics, science, and history and social studies for grades kindergarten through 12 and requiring the Department of Education to support such local adoption and implementation in several ways, including by consolidating and simplifying the applications for all state and federal programs that provide funding to local school boards into a single application; and (iii) requiring each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education or alternative certification program that provides training for any student seeking initial licensure by the Board of Education with an endorsement in early/primary education preschool through grade three, elementary education preschool through grade six, middle education grades six through eight, and secondary education grades six through 12 to include a program of coursework and clinical experience and require all such students to demonstrate mastery in identifying and implementing textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials.

Carrie E. CoynerRepublican

Guidelines and policies on school-connected overdose; response and parental notification.

Guidelines and policies on school-connected overdose; response and parental notification. Adjusts the contents of the guidelines that the Board of Education is required to establish for school-connected overdose response and parental notification policies by requiring such guidelines to include guidance and model language for the development and implementation of a policy requiring each school board to provide within 24 hours of any school-connected overdose notification to the parent of each student within the local school division and criteria for ensuring sensitivity to the privacy interests of affected individuals in issuing such notification. The bill also requires each school board to notify the parent of each student in the local school division of any school-connected overdose within 24 hours of the overdose occurring in accordance with the guidance and criteria provided by the Board of Education.

Carrie E. CoynerRepublican

Public schools; textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials.

Public schools; textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Judges; increases maximum number in general district court in Ninth Judicial District.

Maximum number of judges in each judicial district. Increases from three to four the maximum number of authorized general district court judges in the Ninth Judicial District. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

HHR, Secretary of; Pharmacy Benefits Manager & Third-Party Administrator Oversight Work Group.

Secretary of Health and Human Resources; Pharmacy Benefits Manager and Third-Party Administrator Oversight Work Group; report. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, in consultation with the Attorney General, to convene the Pharmacy Benefits Manager and Third-Party Administrator Oversight Work Group to examine the impact of Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, 141 S. Ct. 474 (2020), and to formulate legislative recommendations for reducing prescription drug costs, minimizing health care expenses, reducing bureaucratic impediments to affordable health care, enhancing transparency, and improving overall health outcomes for residents of the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Work Group to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by November 1, 2026.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

Admission to bail; creates rebuttable presumptions against bail.

Admission to bail; rebuttable presumptions against bail. Creates a rebuttable presumption against bail for certain criminal offenses enumerated in the bill. The bill also requires the court to consider specified factors when determining whether the presumption against bail has been rebutted and whether there are appropriate conditions of release.

Mark J. PeakeRepublican

Board of Housing and Community Development; USBC; stakeholder group to evaluate temperature regulation.

Board of Housing and Community Development; USBC; stakeholder group to evaluate temperature regulation. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development to convene a stakeholder advisory group to evaluate changes to the Uniform Statewide Building Code addressing temperature regulation. The stakeholder group shall submit its findings and recommendations to the Board and to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology no later than November 1, 2025.

Karen Keys-GamarraDemocrat

Va. Residential Landlord & Tenant Act; algorithmic device services or products prohibited.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; algorithmic device services or products prohibited; civil penalty. Prohibits the sale of algorithmic device services or products, as defined in the bill, for the purpose of setting or recommending the amount of rent to be charged to a tenant for the occupancy of a dwelling unit. The bill also prohibits a person engaged in the business of providing algorithmic device services or products for the purpose of advising a landlord of the amount of rent that such landlord may consider charging a tenant for the occupancy of a dwelling unit from using nonpublic competitor data, defined in the bill, pertaining to residential properties in the Commonwealth in algorithmic calculations. A violation of such prohibited practices is considered an unfair deceptive trade practice for which the Attorney General may cause an action to be brought in the name of the Commonwealth.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Unauthorized use of voice or likeness; punitive damages, statute of limitations.

Unauthorized use of voice or likeness; punitive damages; statute of limitations. Expands the existing ability for any person to maintain a suit in equity, including the accompanying remedies available and statute of limitations, for the unauthorized use of his name, portrait, or picture for advertising purposes or for the purposes of trade to include the unauthorized use of his voice or likeness.

Bryce E. ReevesRepublican

State Government Internship Coordinator; DHRM to establish and employ.

Department of Human Resource Management; State Government Internship Coordinator. Requires the Department of Human Resource Management to establish and employ a State Government Internship Coordinator to attract high quality interns to the service of the Commonwealth with the goal of developing such interns to serve the Commonwealth as employees upon the conclusion of the internship and the intern's education. The bill also requires the Department to establish and administer a system to provide professional development opportunities for state agency interns, intern supervisors, and human resources staff.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Witness Impeachment Evidence Designation; review process.

Witness Impeachment Evidence Designation; review process. Prohibits a police officer from being discharged, disciplined, or threatened with discharge or discipline solely due to the designation of such police officer as a witness with a Witness Impeachment Evidence Designation. The bill defines "Witness Impeachment Evidence Designation" as a determination that is made by or a designation that is created by the attorney for the Commonwealth relating to a law-enforcement officer who is believed to have given inconsistent statements or otherwise engaged in conduct that meets the requirements for disclosure in a criminal prosecution according to the Constitution of the United States. The bill also provides for a review of the attorney for the Commonwealth's decision by the circuit court when a law-enforcement officer is designated as a witness with a Witness Impeachment Evidence Designation within certain time frames specified in the bill. Finally, the bill contains a retroactivity provision that applies the notice and appeal process created in the bill to any law-enforcement officer designated as a witness with a Witness Impeachment Evidence Designation prior to July 1, 2025.

Russet PerryDemocrat

School-connected overdoses; policies relating to parental notification and response, requirements.

School-connected overdoses; policies relating to parental notification and response; requirements. Expands current law relating to school-connected overdose parental notification and response policies by, in addition to requiring the Board of Education to establish guidelines for school-connected overdose response and parental notification policies, requiring (i) each division superintendent or his designee to notify the parent of each student in the local school division of any suspected school-connected overdose, with school-connected overdose defined as any verified overdose that occurs on school premises during or after regular school hours or during school-sanctioned activities whether on or off school premises, within 24 hours of learning of the suspected overdose and requiring such notification to include as much information as is known about the circumstances surrounding the suspected overdose, to the extent that the disclosure of any such information is not prohibited by any applicable laws, rules, or regulations relating to the disclosure and protection of a minor's personal, confidential, or otherwise sensitive information, and (ii) each local school board to adopt, implement, and maintain policies consistent with the provisions of the bill and the guidelines developed by the Board of Education.

Geary HigginsRepublican

Subsidized Work Experience Program; established.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Virginia Initiative for Education and Work; Subsidized Work Experience Program established. Establishes the Subsidized Work Experience Program (SWEP) for persons who are otherwise eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. The bill directs the Department of Social Services to conduct SWEP and assign SWEP participants as volunteers to agencies, community organizations, and educational institutions. The bill also directs the Department to promulgate regulations necessary to implement the provisions of SWEP.

Emily M. JordanRepublican

Supplemental payment to Medicaid member for transportation DMAS to seek fed. authority to provide.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; supplemental payment for transportation. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to seek federal authority to provide supplemental payments to Medicaid members to be used for transportation to medical appointments when other transportation options are not available.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Conveyance or assumption; certain restrictions prohibited.

Certain restrictions on conveyance or assumption; prohibited. Prohibits the holder of the obligation secured by a mortgage or deed of trust on certain residential real estate from imposing, agreeing to, or enforcing a legal restriction on conveyance or restriction on the assumption of a residential mortgage or deed of trust. The bill requires a holder, if a mortgage or deed of trust requires approval of the holder for a conveyance or assumption, to approve the sale or transfer of all or part of the encumbered property, or the sale or transfer of a beneficial interest in a trust all or part of the property, if (i) at least one of the people acquiring ownership is determined to be creditworthy under generally accepted mortgage underwriting standards; (ii) the seller retains an ownership interest in the property; or (iii) the transfer is by devise or descent. The bill provides that legal restrictions on conveyance are acceptable if the restriction is part of an eligible governmental or nonprofit program if the program is designed to assist the purchase of low-income or moderate-income housing.

Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.Republican

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty.

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt anti-rent gouging provisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing prior to the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlords who are under the ordinance may be required to give at least two months' written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent by more than the locality's calculated allowance, not to exceed three percent, and states that such allowance is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1 each year. The bill requires the locality to publish such allowance on its website by June 1 of each year. Certain facilities, as outlined in the bill, are exempt from such ordinance. The bill also requires a locality to establish an anti-rent gouging board to establish rules and procedures by which landlords may apply for and be granted exemptions from the rent increase limits set by the ordinance or delegate such duties and functions to an existing local board, department, or agency. Finally, the bill provides that a locality shall establish a civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set out in its ordinance.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Food packaging, certain; uniform labeling requirements.

Uniform labeling requirements for certain food packaging. Prohibits the use of a sell-by date on a label affixed to a food product that is manufactured on or after July 1, 2026. The bill instead requires a person selling or offering for sale such food product to use on the outside packaging or container of such food product the phrase "Best if Used by," "Best if Used or Frozen by," "Use by," or "Use by or Freeze by" or its associated abbreviations, as provided in the bill. The bill exempts from its provisions infant formula, eggs, including pasteurized in-shell eggs, beer or other malt beverages, certain shellfish, and any food that is required by law or regulation to bear a label indicating a date or time such food must be consumed, sold, or discarded. The bill maintains a person's discretion to use a quality date or safety date that is not otherwise required by law; however, the bill requires use of the specified label if a person chooses to include such a label on the food product. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Alfonso H. LopezDemocrat

Online marketplace; establishes requirements for high-volume third-party sellers.

Online marketplace; high-volume third-party sellers. Establishes requirements for high-volume third-party sellers, defined in the bill as participants in an online marketplace that have entered into at least 200 discrete sales or transactions for 12 continuous months during the past 24 months resulting in accumulation of an aggregate total of $5,000 or more in gross revenues. The bill requires an online marketplace to (i) require high-volume third-party sellers to provide identifying and contact information to the online marketplace; (ii) verify the information provided by a high-volume third-party seller within 10 days of receipt; and (iii) require that high-volume third-party sellers make certain conspicuous disclosures to consumers on their product listing pages, with certain limited exceptions. The bill provides that the Attorney General has the exclusive authority to enforce its provisions and authorizes the Attorney General to seek an injunction to restrain any violations of the bill and seek civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation. The bill also makes it a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act for any supplier in connection with a consumer transaction to sell, offer for sale, or facilitate the sale, including through an online marketplace platform or other online website or through the supplier's warehouse or distribution center, of stolen goods.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Misbranded food; manufactured-protein food products.

Misbranded food; manufactured-protein food products. Provides that a food is misbranded if it purports to be or is represented as a meat food product and such food product (i) bears or contains a manufactured-protein food product, as defined in the bill; (ii) is offered for sale; and (iii) has a label that is part of or placed on the food product package or other container storing such product that identifies the food as a meat food product, unless such label bears a conspicuous and prominent qualifying term and is in close proximity to an identifying meat term, as such terms are defined in the bill. The bill exempts a meat food product that the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services determines contains a trace amount of a manufactured-protein food product.

Tony O. WiltRepublican

Emergency services and disaster law; prohibition on media paywalls during states of emergency.

Emergency services and disaster law; prohibition on media paywalls during states of emergency. Provides that in any case in which the Governor declares a state of emergency, no digital media outlet operating in the Commonwealth shall operate behind a paywall or collect personal information from users who seek access to digital media regarding the subject matter of any declared state of emergency while such state of emergency is in effect.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Local school boards; powers and duties, binding arbitration agreements.

Local school boards; powers and duties; binding arbitration agreements. Permits any school board to enter into a written agreement to submit any existing controversy to binding arbitration and to execute a contract, including a collective bargaining agreement, that contains a provision to submit to binding arbitration any controversy arising thereunder. This bill is incorporated into SB 917.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Registration of lobbyists & conflict of interest; disclosure by those making political contribution.

Registration of lobbyists and conflict of interest; disclosure by those making political contributions. Requires any person who makes or anticipates making contributions in the aggregate during a calendar year of $1 million or more to candidates for office or political committees to register as a lobbyist and make disclosures of his personal financial interests.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Judges; increases maximum number in general district court in the Thirty-first Judicial District.

Maximum number of judges in each judicial district. Increases from five to six the maximum number of authorized general district court judges in the Thirty-first Judicial District. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts.

Luke E. TorianDemocrat

Military and emergency laws; acquisition of land adjacent to a military base.

Military and emergency laws; acquisition of land adjacent to a military base. Provides that no person shall purchase, acquire, lease, or hold any interest in land adjacent to a military base in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2026, unless such purchase, acquisition, lease, or holding of interest complies with the provisions of 50 U.S.C. § 4565.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Consumer-directed services employees; removal of limitation on hours worked per day.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; consumer-directed services employees; removal of limitation on hours worked per day. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to amend regulations related to community waiver services for individuals with developmental disabilities to remove the limitation that consumer-directed services employees shall work no more than 16 hours per day. The bill directs the Department to seek all necessary federal approval to effectuate such change.

David R. SuetterleinRepublican

Disaster Assistance Fund; established.

Disaster Assistance Fund; established. Establishes the Disaster Assistance Fund for the purpose of addressing life, safety, and housing costs related to a disaster that are not covered by any form of federal assistance, private donations, or insurance. Expenditures and disbursements from the Fund require authorization by the General Assembly. In addition to all other appropriations to the Fund, the bill also directs proceeds generated from the Commonwealth's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative auction that occurred in December 2023 and deposited into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Fund with the Department of Environmental Quality and all interest accrued to such fund.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

School of Dentistry of Virginia Commonwealth University; efficacy of expanding facilities, report.

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; School of Dentistry of Virginia Commonwealth University; efficacy of expanding facilities; study; report. Directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to, in consultation with the entities set forth in the bill, study and submit to the Governor, the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations, and the House Committees on Education and Appropriations by November 1, 2025, a report on the efficacy of expanding the School of Dentistry of Virginia Commonwealth University's facilities into a building owned by the Commonwealth located in Southern Virginia.

William M. Stanley, Jr.Republican

Department of Labor and Industry; work group to evaluate workplace violence.

Department of Labor and Industry; work group to evaluate workplace violence. Directs the Department of Labor and Industry to convene a work group for the purpose of evaluating the prevalence of workplace violence in the Commonwealth, including its effects on the workplace and measures to address workplace violence. The bill requires the work group to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Labor and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor no later than December 1, 2026.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Virginia Workforce Housing Assistance Program; established, report.

Virginia Workforce Housing Assistance Program; report. Establishes the Virginia Workforce Housing Assistance Program to provide grants to eligible employers, defined in the bill, that set up housing down payment assistance programs for employees in amounts equal to the lesser of 15 percent of housing down payment assistance expenses incurred by an eligible employer during the fiscal year or $50,000. The bill specifies that an eligible employer may only receive grants in the aggregate of up to $150,000 across all fiscal years or $250,000 for housing down payment assistance expenses incurred for employees in certain fiscally stressed localities. The bill provides that the Program be administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development in coordination with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority.

Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.Republican

Virginia Housing Trust Fund; creation and management.

Virginia Housing Trust Fund; creation and management. Provides that the Department of Housing and Community Development (the Department) shall use at least 65 percent of the moneys from the Virginia Housing Trust Fund (the Fund) to provide flexible financing for low-interest loans through eligible organizations and up to 35 percent of the moneys from the Fund to provide grants through eligible organizations for targeted efforts to reduce homelessness. Under current law, the Department is required to use at least 80 percent of the moneys from the Fund to provide flexible financing for low-interest loans and up to 20 percent of the moneys from the Fund to provide grants for targeted efforts to reduce homelessness.

Emily M. JordanRepublican

Elementary/secondary schools; Va. Com. on youth to study policies to support student mental health.

Study; Virginia Commission on Youth; policies to support student mental health in Virginia's elementary and secondary schools; report. Directs the Virginia Commission on Youth to undertake a study on policies to support student mental health in Virginia's elementary and secondary schools, with a focus on improving funding and other resources, training and professional development, partnerships with health services, curriculum development, research and evaluation, and public awareness campaigns. The Behavioral Health Commission, along with the staffs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, are directed to provide assistance to the Commission during the course of the two-year study.

Marty MartinezDemocrat