Bills & Legislation

Commending Thomas D. Harvey.

Commending Thomas D. Harvey.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Commending the Reverend Dr. Roberta Young-Jackson.

Commending the Reverend Dr. Roberta Young-Jackson.

Jerrauld C. "Jay" JonesDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Harlan Ray Beckley.

Celebrating the life of Harlan Ray Beckley.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Commending the NAC Save Our Youth Foundation, Inc.

Commending the NAC Save Our Youth Foundation, Inc.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Sincere B. Allah.

Celebrating the life of Sincere B. Allah.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Commending W.T. Nottingham.

Commending W.T. Nottingham.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Booker T. Washington Commemorative Commission; reconstituted as a joint commission.

Booker T. Washington Commemorative Commission; reconstituted as a joint commission. Provides for the Booker T. Washington Commemorative Commission, established originally as a Senate commission for the purpose of honoring Booker T. Washington with a statue in the Old Senate Chamber, to be reconstituted as a joint commission consisting of members of both the Senate and the House of Delegates. The commission's purpose is also expanded to study and recommend an appropriate statue to be located on Capitol Square.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Lucille Murray Brown.

Celebrating the life of Lucille Murray Brown.

Lamont BagbyDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Marvin Sherlock Holmes, Sr.

Celebrating the life of Marvin Sherlock Holmes, Sr.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Commending Huntley Meadows Park.

Commending Huntley Meadows Park.

Scott A. SurovellDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Virginia Mozell Jefferson Tyler.

Celebrating the life of Virginia Mozell Jefferson Tyler.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Commending Jerren Lucas, Sr.

Commending Jerren Lucas, Sr.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Commending Woodley Hills Elementary School.

Commending Woodley Hills Elementary School.

Scott A. SurovellDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Margaret Peters Stalnaker.

Celebrating the life of Margaret Peters Stalnaker.

Christie New CraigRepublican

Commending Curtis Allen.

Commending Curtis Allen.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Commending Groveton Elementary School.

Commending Groveton Elementary School.

Scott A. SurovellDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Claudia Hantman Arko.

Celebrating the life of Claudia Hantman Arko.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Gladys Mae West.

Celebrating the life of Gladys Mae West.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Commending Historic Huntley.

Commending Historic Huntley.

Scott A. SurovellDemocrat

Commending Corner Bakery.

Commending Corner Bakery.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Constitutional amendment (second reference); fundamental right to reproductive freedom.

Constitutional amendment (second reference); fundamental right to reproductive freedom. Provides that every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom and that such right shall not be, directly or indirectly, denied, burdened, or infringed upon unless justified by a compelling state interest, as defined in the amendment, and achieved by the least restrictive means. The amendment specifies that, notwithstanding the other provisions of the amendment, the Commonwealth may regulate the provision of abortion care in the third trimester, provided that in no circumstance shall the Commonwealth prohibit an abortion (i) that in the professional judgment of a physician is medically indicated to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual or (ii) when in the professional judgment of a physician the fetus is not viable.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Medical malpractice; limitations on recovery, certain actions.

Medical malpractice; limitation on recovery; certain actions. Eliminates the cap on the recovery in actions against health care providers for medical malpractice where the act or acts of malpractice occurred on or after July 1, 2026, and occurred against a patient age 10 or younger.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program; establishment of student meal plan credit donation program.

Institutions of higher education; Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program; establishment of student meal plan credit donation program. Renames the Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program, established pursuant to applicable law, as "the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program" and amends the Program by expanding the criteria that a public institution of higher education or eligible private institution of higher education must satisfy to receive a designation as a "Hunger-Free Campus" and be awarded a grant under the Program to include a requirement that any such institution to establish both (i) an on-campus food pantry, pursuant to current law, and (ii) if such institution offers a meal swipe program or equivalent student meal swipe plan, a student meal credit sharing program, whereby students may voluntarily donate unused meal plan credits to be distributed for use by other students at campus dining halls or at its on-campus food pantry or to otherwise support its on-campus food pantry. The bill also requires grants awarded pursuant to the Program to be used to support on-campus efforts and initiatives to eliminate student food insecurity at such institution through the maintenance and operation of both its food pantry, pursuant to current law, and its student meal credit sharing program established in accordance with the bill.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Emergency management; work group to evaluate existing needs in the Commonwealth, report.

Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security; evaluation of emergency management needs in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to establish a work group to evaluate existing emergency management needs, analyze sustainability of current funding of such needs, and review alternative funding models for such needs in other states, and to report the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and General Laws and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and General Laws and Technology on or before October 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 169.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Data centers; taxes on banks that are tenants of a center.

Bank franchise tax; retail sales and use tax; tangible personal property tax; data centers. Provides that on and after July 1, 2026, if any tenant of a data center is a bank, then the retail sales and use tax exemption for data center computer equipment shall not apply to the data center operator and any tenants of the data center. The bill also adds computer equipment and peripherals of all banks used in a data center to personal property that is taxable for banks subject to the bank franchise tax in lieu of most other taxes.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Data centers; site assessment, sound profile of the high energy use facility.

Siting of data centers; site assessment; high energy use facility. Provides that, prior to any approval of a rezoning application, special exception application, or special use permit for the siting of a new high energy use facility (HEUF), as defined in the bill, a locality shall require that an applicant perform and submit a site assessment to examine the sound profile of the HEUF on residential units and schools located within 500 feet of the HEUF property boundary. The bill also allows a locality to require that a site assessment examine the effect of the proposed facility on (i) ground and surface water resources, (ii) agricultural resources, (iii) parks, (iv) registered historic sites, and (v) forestland on the HEUF site or immediately contiguous land. The provisions of the bill shall not apply to a site with an existing legislative or administrative approval where an applicant is seeking an expansion or modification of an already existing or approved facility and such expansion does not exceed an additional 100 megawatts or more of electrical power. Finally, the bill provides that its provisions shall not be construed to prohibit, limit, or otherwise supersede existing local zoning authority. This bill incorporates SB 130 and is identical to HB 153.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Rest area signage; adds human trafficking information.

Rest area signage; human trafficking information. Adds information about human trafficking and how to self-identify the signs of human trafficking to the notice required to be posted by the Department of Transportation at all rest areas along any interstate highway. Current law requires the Department to post notice of the existence of a human trafficking hotline.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Eastern Virginia Health Sciences Center at ODU; renames as Virginia Health Sciences at ODU.

Public institutions of higher education; Old Dominion University; Eastern Virginia Health Sciences Center renamed as Virginia Health Sciences. Renames the Eastern Virginia Health Sciences Center at Old Dominion University as Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University.

L. Louise LucasDemocrat

Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; tuition and fee waivers.

Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; tuition and fee waivers. Requires the Commissioner of Veterans Services to consider certain domicile or physical presence requirements for the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program satisfied when (i) the failure to meet such requirements is solely attributable to a relocation outside of the Commonwealth by lawful military order or (ii) in the case of a survivor or dependent that meets all other eligibility requirements who has relocated to the Commonwealth by lawful military order, when the survivor or dependent has established residency in the Commonwealth, after having been enrolled in a higher education tuition and fees program for military survivors and dependents in another state.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Equity in public school funding and staffing; At-Risk Program established, Standards of Quality.

Public schools; Standards of Quality; certain calculations; At-Risk Program established. The bill establishes (i) the At-Risk Program for the purpose of supporting programs and services for students who are educationally at-risk, including programs and services of prevention, intervention, or remediation; (ii) a state-funded, flexible per pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on to be applied for each special education student, calculated in accordance with the provisions of the bill, for the purpose of better meeting the educational needs of students with disabilities; and (iii) a state-funded, flexible per-pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on to be provided for each English language learner student, calculated in accordance with the provisions of the bill, for the purpose of better meeting the educational needs of English language learner students. The bill also establishes requirements and conditions for each school division receiving funding pursuant to the At-Risk Program or either of the per pupil Standards of Quality funding add-ons established pursuant to the bill, including a requirement that each such school division annually report to the Department of Education on the planned and actual uses of such funds. The bill directs the Department to annually compile and publish on its website a summary of the reports received from each school division on the use of such funds. Finally, the bill authorizes the Department, upon providing notice and an opportunity for corrective action, withhold, recover, or redirect funds provided pursuant to the bill from any school division found to be in noncompliance with the requirements set forth in the bill.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

RS & UT; food for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products, delayed effective date.

Sales and use tax; food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products. Eliminates the remaining one percent local sales and use tax that is imposed on food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products. Under current law, no other sales and use tax is applied to such products. The bill requires an equivalent amount of revenue to be distributed to cities and counties on a monthly basis in compensation for the lost tax revenue. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

David R. SuetterleinRepublican

Reapportionment; reallocation of populations, population data, civil commitment facilities.

Reapportionment; reallocation of populations; civil commitment facilities. Requires persons civilly committed to a residential behavioral health facility administered by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to be counted and reallocated for redistricting and reapportionment purposes. This bill is identical to HB 59.

Tammy Brankley MulchiRepublican

Powers of service districts; control of invasive plant species.

Powers of service districts; control of invasive plant species. Allows a service district created within a locality to control the spread of any plant that is identified on the list of invasive plant species established by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. This bill is identical to HB 388.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Photo speed monitoring devices, etc.; placement and operation, civil penalty, report.

Photo speed monitoring devices, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems, and stop sign violation monitoring systems; placement and operation; violation enforcement; civil penalties. Authorizes state and local law-enforcement agencies to place and operate pedestrian crossing violation and stop sign violation monitoring systems in school crossing zones, highway work zones, and high-risk speed corridors for purposes of recording pedestrian crossing and stop sign violations, as those terms are defined in the bill. The bill requires local law-enforcement agencies implementing or expanding the use of pedestrian crossing violation and stop sign violation monitoring systems, prior to the implementation or expansion of such systems, to conduct a public awareness program for such implementation or expansion.The bill directs the Supreme Court of Virginia to develop a summons for vehicle speed violations captured by photo speed monitoring devices and violations captured by the other devices authorized by this bill and requires summonses issued for such violations captured by such devices to be such summons. The bill makes various changes to the requirements for the use of these devices, including the use of funds from collected civil penalties, signage, data retention and storage, photo speed monitoring device calibration, making certain information available to the public, requirements for private vendors, and reporting. The bill establishes civil penalties for violations of requirements and provides that, for any summons issued, failure to comply with the requirements for the operation of such devices renders such summons invalid and requires courts to dismiss such summons.The bill also limits the use of such devices in highway work zones to when workers are present, as defined in the bill, and provides that a certificate sworn to or affirmed by a law-enforcement officer or a retired sworn law-enforcement officer is not prima facie evidence of the facts contained therein for a device placed in a highway work zone unless the operator of the photo speed monitoring device, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring system, or stop sign violation monitoring system, respectively, provides a sworn certification verifying that workers were present at the time of the violation.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Local government sporting events and sporting facilities; automated external defibrillators.

Local government sporting events and sporting facilities; automated external defibrillators. Requires localities to ensure that operational automated external defibrillators are available at local government sporting events and sporting facilities. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2028.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

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 HB 1300.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Open containers; prohibition on consumption and possession in the passenger area of motor vehicles.

Open containers; prohibition on consumption and possession in the passenger area of motor vehicles.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Transformer Manufacturing Expansion Grant Fund; created.

Transformer Manufacturing Expansion Grant Fund. Establishes the Transformer Manufacturing Expansion Grant Fund to provide grant installment awards between July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2041, in an amount not to exceed $5.1 million per fiscal year and in an aggregate amount not to exceed $60 million, to a qualified company that (i) engages in the manufacture of electrical transformers, (ii) executes a memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth, and (iii) is expected to make a capital investment of at least $301 million and create and maintain at least 1,185 new full-time jobs.

L. Louise LucasDemocrat

Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing Grant Fund; created.

Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing Grant Fund. Establishes the Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing Grant Fund to provide grant installment awards between July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2046, in an amount not to exceed $6 million per fiscal year and in an aggregate amount not to exceed $97,723,000 to a qualified company that (i) engages in the manufacture of solid rocket motors, (ii) executes a memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth, and (iii) is expected to make a capital investment of at least $537,570,000 and create and maintain at least 1,546 new full-time jobs. This bill is identical to HB 1531.

L. Louise LucasDemocrat

Challenges of qualified voters; duty of local electoral board to certify, civil penalty.

Elections; challenges of qualified voters; duty of local electoral board to certify; civil penalty. Provides that the certification of the results of an election is a clear ministerial duty of the local electoral boards and that a member of the local electoral board who neglects or refuses to perform such duty in accordance with law shall be subject to removal proceedings by the State Board of Elections and assessed a civil penalty not exceeding $1,000. The bill also authorizes the State Board of Elections to intervene and carry out the duties related to election certification in the event a local electoral board fails or refuses to do so. Additionally, the bill prohibits challenges to a voter's qualification to vote from any person who is not an officer of election.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Vulnerable road user safety zones; VDOT to develop criteria & recommendations for designation.

Department of Transportation; criteria and recommendations for the potential designation of vulnerable road user safety zones; report. Requires the Department of Transportation to develop criteria and recommendations for the potential designation of vulnerable road user safety zones in the Commonwealth in areas that have experienced elevated rates of crashes, injuries, or fatalities involving pedestrians or cyclists. The bill requires the Department to submit a report with its criteria and any recommendations to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Transportation and the House Committees on Appropriations and Transportation no later than November 1, 2026.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

School board employee grievance procedure; timing of dispute resolution.

School board employee grievance procedure; timing of dispute resolution. Requires the grievance procedure for certain school board employees to afford a timely and fair method of the resolution of disputes arising between the school board and such employees before dismissal or other disciplinary actions, excluding suspensions. Current law requires such procedure to afford a timely and fair method of the resolution of disputes arising between the school board and such employees regarding dismissal or other disciplinary actions, excluding suspensions, but is silent on the timing of such dispute resolution. This bill is identical to HB 116.

Lamont BagbyDemocrat

Underground transmission lines; pilot program, clarifies qualifying projects, report.

Pilot program for underground transmission lines; qualifying projects; levy; report. Authorizes the State Corporation Commission, in reviewing any application submitted by a public utility for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the construction of an electrical transmission line of 500 kilovolts filed between January 1, 2025, and July 1, 2033, to approve up to four applications for qualifying projects to be constructed in whole or in part underground as part of the pilot program for underground transmission lines and to provide an expedited review of any such application. The bill removes certain provisions related to the existing pilot program.Under the bill, a project shall be qualified if (i) the Commission finds that an engineering analysis demonstrates that it is technically feasible to place the proposed line in whole or in part underground, (ii) the application contains certain information regarding projections of project costs, (iii) the application contains evidence that the governing body of each locality in which at least a portion of the proposed line will be placed underground supports the project's inclusion in the program and agrees to meet its related funding obligations, and (iv) the Commission finds the overall cost of the project reasonable and consistent with the public interest. The bill permits the Commission to deny an application for a project that otherwise meets the criteria to qualify, provided that the Commission publicly shares its rationale for doing so.The bill requires at least 50 percent of the marginal costs, as defined in the bill, of the portion of a qualifying project chosen to be placed underground within a locality pursuant to its provisions to be paid by such locality. The bill permits such a locality to meet such requirement through imposing a levy that meets certain requirements on electric utility customers within the locality, issuing a general obligation bond subject to a referendum, allocating its own funds, or any combination of such methods. The bill extends the Commission's final report deadline for the pilot program from December 1, 2024, to December 1, 2034. This bill is identical to HB 1487.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Real property tax bills; disclosure, resource protection area.

Real property tax bills; disclosure; resource protection area.

Scott A. SurovellDemocrat

Contractors; regulation, solar installation companies, sale, lease, etc., of solar energy systems.

Regulation of contractors; solar installation companies; sale, lease, or power purchase of solar energy systems; civil penalty. Authorizes the Board for Contractors (the Board) to require specific contract provisions and disclosures relating to the sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system, as defined in the bill. The bill requires a sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system to have a written contract that includes specific provisions related to the solar installation company, system design and performance or production guarantees, and information related to invoices and payments. The bill includes several mandatory disclosures to be included with a sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system. Under the bill, a willful violation of such requirements shall be subject to a civil penalty of no more than $2,500 per violation. The bill also directs the Board to adopt regulations and update existing regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by January 1, 2027. The remaining provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 1439.

Lamont BagbyDemocrat

School nurses; sickle cell disease training.

School nurses; sickle cell disease training. Directs local school divisions to require school nurses to complete, within six months of employment and at least every three years thereafter, an online or in-person course of instruction approved by the Board in collaboration with the Department of Health regarding recognition and management of sickle cell disease. This bill is identical to HB 1446.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Kratom; Virginia Sate Crime Commission to conduct an analysis of enforcement and regulation, report.

Virginia State Crime Commission; kratom regulation and enforcement; report.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Community Builders Pilot Program; name change, statewide demonstration model site, repeals sunset.

Community Builders Pilot Program; name change; sunset repeal; statewide demonstration model site. Makes permanent and renames the Community Builders Pilot Program established within Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools as the Community Builders Program (the Program). The Community Builders Pilot Program is currently set to expire on July 1, 2027. The bill also requires, with such funds as may be appropriated by the General Assembly for such purpose pursuant to the general appropriation act, Roanoke City Public Schools to serve as the statewide demonstration model site for the Program for the purpose of hosting interested representatives of other school divisions to observe the Program and receive training and materials from Roanoke City Public Schools in order to facilitate the replication of the Program in such other school divisions. This bill is identical to HB 1153.

David R. SuetterleinRepublican

Clerk fees; secure remote access to nonconfidential court records by certain attorneys.

Clerk fees; secure remote access to nonconfidential court records by certain attorneys. Provides that no clerk shall charge a fee to an attorney for secure remote access to nonconfidential court records when such attorney is certified by the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission in the jurisdiction served by such clerk, provided that such attorney is currently appointed to represent a defendant in such jurisdiction and agrees to continue accepting appointments in such jurisdiction. The bill also provides that if, after receiving secure remote access for nonconfidential court records, such attorney (i) is found to have abused such privilege of such secure remote access; (ii) is removed from the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission's court-appointed attorney list; or (iii) ceases to accept appointments for representation from the granting court, the clerk may terminate the agreement granting such secure remote access. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. This bill is identical to HB 520.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Electric utilities; licensed retail suppliers, renewable portfolio standard requirements.

Electric utilities; licensed retail suppliers; notice period for return to service. Permits an individual nonresidential retail customer of electric energy of Appalachian Power or Dominion Energy Virginia whose noncoincident peak demand exceeded five megawatts during the most recent calendar year to purchase electric energy from a licensed supplier within the Commonwealth. Currently, such a customer may only purchase electric energy from a licensed supplier if the customer's peak demand did not exceed one percent of the incumbent electric utility's peak load during the most recent calendar year unless the customer had a noncoincident peak demand of more than 90 megawatts. The bill changes from five years to eighteen months the advance notice period required for such a customer to return to service by an incumbent electric utility. This bill is identical to HB 921.

David R. SuetterleinRepublican