Bills & Legislation

Child abuse or neglect; centralized hotline for reports or complaints, etc.

Department of Social Services; corrective action plans; centralized hotline for reports or complaints of child abuse or neglect. Establishes a centralized hotline for reports and complaints of child abuse or neglect and grants the Commissioner of Social Services the authority to create and enforce a corrective action plan for any local board of social services or local department of social services that (i) fails to administer public assistance and social services programs in accordance with applicable laws and regulations or (ii) takes any action or fails to act in a manner that poses a substantial risk to the health, safety, or well-being of a child or adult. The bill permits similar authority for any local board of social services that (a) fails to provide child welfare services in accordance with applicable law or regulations or (b) takes any action or fails to act in a manner that poses a substantial risk to the health, safety, or well-being of a child. Under the bill, if a local board or department fails to comply with a corrective action plan, the Commissioner has the authority to temporarily assume control of all or part of the local board's operations. The bill also provides that, when a local board of social services or local department of social services requests assistance, the Commissioner has the authority to utilize staff of the Department of Social Services or contract with private entities to provide public assistance and social services programs in the locality served by the local board or department. The bill requires the Department of Social Services to establish and maintain a hotline for reports and complaints of child abuse or neglect and specifies that the Department shall determine the validity of such reports and complaints. The bill eliminates the requirement that local departments must be capable of receiving and responding to reports and complaints of abuse or neglect and instead requires that any complaint of child abuse or neglect received by a local department shall be immediately forwarded to the Department's child abuse and neglect hotline. The bill also adds adult services to the definition of "social services" for purposes of Title 63.2 (Welfare (Social Services)). The bill directs the Department of Social Services to (1) promulgate regulations necessary to implement the provisions of the bill and (2) contract with a third party by August 1, 2026, to conduct a comprehensive study and review of the screening process used for child protective services complaints across Virginia. The bill also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a Social Services Task Force to develop a comprehensive improvement plan to address changes needed within the State Department of Social Services and the local departments of social services. The provisions of the bill related to centralized intake have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Office-based buprenorphine treatment; Board of Medicine to amend regulations.

Board of Medicine; office-based buprenorphine treatment; counseling. Directs the Board of Medicine to amend its regulations regarding office-based buprenorphine treatment to require providers to offer counseling or referral to counseling to each patient as clinically necessary and mutually agreed-upon. The bill specifies that a patient's refusal of counseling does not preclude the patient from receiving office-based buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care and is identical to HB 712.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Virginia Human Rights Act; nondiscrimination, procedures for charge of unlawful discrimination.

Virginia Human Rights Act; procedures for a charge of unlawful discrimination. Provides that, for the purposes of nondiscrimination in places of public accommodation, "place of public accommodation" includes educational institutions. The bill reduces from 15 to five the number of employees in the definition of "employer" for purposes of nondiscrimination in employment. The bill also amends from 300 days to two years the timeframe for filing a complaint alleging unlawful discrimination with the Office of the Attorney General.

Adam P. EbbinDemocrat

Emergency medical services and medical support; VDH to publish resources regarding large events.

Department of Health; resources for provision of emergency medical services for events. Directs the Department of Health to publish on its website a document for event planners and event venues to provide to prospective clients containing (i) notice that emergency medical services personnel may be made available for events, (ii) information regarding the benefits of appropriate medical support for large or high-risk events, and (iii) a list of emergency medical services providers available to provide services at event venues in each locality of the Commonwealth.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Health insurance; tobacco surcharge.

Health insurance; tobacco surcharge. Eliminates the authority of a health carrier to vary its premium rates based on tobacco use. Under current law, a health carrier may charge premium rates up to 1.5 times higher for a tobacco user than for a nonuser. The provisions of the bill apply to health benefit plans providing individual or small group health insurance coverage entered into, amended, extended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 220.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Graduation with an advanced studies diploma; requirements, complet. of Int'l Baccalaureate diploma.

Board of Education; high school graduation; simultaneous completion of International Baccalaureate diploma and advanced studies diploma. Requires the Board of Education to permit any student who (i) during or after grade 10, transferred into a public high school in the Commonwealth and (ii) is simultaneously pursuing an advanced studies diploma and an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma to complete certain courses or sequences of courses required for an IB diploma, as approved by the Board, including substitutes for the Virginia and U.S. history and government courses and for the economics and personal finance credit requirement. The bill also directs the Board to grant a waiver from the training in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators required for graduation to any student who (a) pursuant to his individualized education program or Section 504 Plan cannot successfully complete the training or (b) after grade 10, transfers from a school or other education program that does not require or give credit for such training. This bill is identical to HB 595.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Health insurance; reporting requirements.

Health insurance; reporting requirements. Amends various reporting requirements related to health insurance, including by requiring the State Corporation Commission to maintain and publicly post an inventory of mandated benefits and providers, requiring health carriers to report annually on provider terminations and reinstatements, and consolidating reports related to balance billing and arbitration. The bill repeals reporting requirements related to the Comparable Health Care Service Incentive Program and Virginia Health Savings Account Plan. This bill is identical to HB 618.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Eviction Reduction Program; established, report.

Department of Housing and Community Development; Eviction Reduction Program; report. Establishes the Eviction Reduction Program within the Department of Housing and Community Development to expand the Department's work to (i) promote housing stability, (ii) identify factors that contribute to eviction filings, and (iii) provide interventions to prevent or divert evictions. The bill requires the Department to report annually to the General Assembly regarding the Program. The bill directs the Department to develop and include in its report criteria and guidelines necessary to administer the Program in consultation with stakeholders, including Eviction Diversion Program grantees as identified by the Department. This bill is identical to HB 527.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Electric utilities; electric grid utilization metrics; State Corporation Commission.

Phase I and Phase II Utilities; electric grid utilization metrics. Requires Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power to petition the State Corporation Commission for approval of grid utilization metrics by October 15, 2026, which petition may be consolidated with the integrated resource plan filing for Dominion Energy in 2026. Under the bill, the petition shall include certain assessments comparing current electric grid system performance with optimal utilization of existing electric grid assets. The bill also requires the Commission to include in an existing annual report its findings on each applicable utility's assessment of relevant grid utilization metrics, which shall include an analysis of the potential for each applicable utility to increase electric grid utilization through the deployment of non-wires alternatives. This bill is identical to HB 434.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Real estate salesperson; DPOR to conduct review of current process for obtaining licensure.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; review of real estate salesperson licensure process; report. Directs the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to conduct a comprehensive review of the Commonwealth's current process for obtaining licensure as a real estate salesperson and to submit, on or before January 1, 2027, a report of its findings to the Chairs of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Motion picture production; extends income tax credit sunset.

Motion picture production tax credit; sunset extended. Extends the motion picture production tax credit sunset date from taxable year 2026 to taxable year 2030. This bill is identical to HB 400.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Peer recovery specialists; VDH & DOC to develop guidelines for hiring.

Department of Health; Department of Corrections; peer recovery specialists. Directs the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Corrections to develop agency guidelines for hiring peer recovery specialists with previous criminal convictions for compensated employment. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to HB 209.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Accountancy, Board of; licensing requirements, inactive and emeritus status.

Board of Accountancy; licensing requirements; inactive and emeritus status. Directs the Board of Accountancy to establish "Inactive" and "Emeritus" CPA license statuses for licensees who no longer provide services to the public or services to or on behalf of an employer. The bill requires the Board to develop guidelines to provide active and inactive licensees additional clarity governing the manner in which such licensees should reference autobiographical and biographical information with respect to their CPA licensure to remain historically accurate and compliant with the law and relevant regulations. The bill directs the Board of Accountancy to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to HB 870.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Contraception; definitions, establishes right to obtain, applicability, enforcement.

Contraception; right to contraception; applicability; enforcement. Establishes a right to obtain contraceptives and engage in contraception, as such terms are defined in the bill. The bill clarifies that none of its provisions shall be construed to permit or sanction the performance of any sterilization procedure without a patient's voluntary and informed consent. The bill creates a cause of action that may be instituted against anyone who infringes on such right. This bill is identical to HB 6.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Electric utilities; renewable portfolio standard program, zero-carbon electricity, etc.

Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard; zero-carbon electricity; accelerated clean energy buyers. Revises the conditions under which accelerated clean energy buyers, defined in existing law as accelerated renewable energy buyers, may contract with Appalachian Power or Dominion Energy Virginia to obtain renewable energy certificates (RECs). The bill exempts an accelerated clean energy buyer obtaining capacity, energy, or RECs from qualifying resources or facilities from the assignment of non-bypassable costs associated with compliance with the renewable portfolio standard program based on the amount and type of renewable energy certificates obtained in proportion to such accelerated clean energy buyer's total electric energy consumption. This bill incorporates SB 470. This bill is identical to HB 369.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Mechanics and storage liens; vehicle data.

Mechanics and storage liens; abandoned vehicles; vehicle records. Removes the requirement that the Department of Motor Vehicles, when searching for owner or lienholder information for a vehicle titled in another jurisdiction for (i) the enforcement of a mechanic's or storage lien or (ii) determining ownership of an abandoned vehicle, ascertain such information by contacting the other jurisdiction. The bill retains the requirement that the Department ascertain such information upon initiation of a search by the bailee or person in possession of an abandoned vehicle.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Motor vehicle insurance; unauthorized addition of insured drivers prohibited.

Motor vehicle insurance; unauthorized addition of insured drivers prohibited. Prohibits an insurance carrier authorized to issue motor vehicle liability insurance policies from automatically adding any person to the list of persons insured under a motor vehicle owner's policy or to the household of a named insured for purposes of such policy based solely on certain information enumerated in the bill.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Career and technical education courses, pathways, and credentials; biennial review, report.

Board of Education; career and technical education courses, pathways, and credentials; biennial review; report. Requires the Board of Education and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, with the assistance of the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement, the Virginia Office of Education Economics, the Department of Education, the Virginia Community College System, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, to conduct, beginning with the fiscal year starting July 1, 2026, and each odd-numbered year thereafter, a biennial review of all career and technical education course, pathway, and credential offerings available to public school students across the Commonwealth for the purpose of ensuring that all such career and technical education course, pathway, and credential offerings are (i) aligned with current and emerging industry and workforce needs, demands, and standards and (ii) designed to effectively prepare students for postsecondary success through gainful employment in a high-demand industry or field, enrollment in postsecondary education, or enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. The bill requires the Board of Education and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to develop and submit to the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, and the Chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by October 1 of each odd-numbered year a report on each such biennial review.

Lamont BagbyDemocrat

Income tax, state; free tax filing program for individuals.

Department of Taxation; free tax filing program for individuals. Directs the Tax Commissioner to develop and offer a free individual state income tax filing program, effective beginning in taxable year 2028, that is similar to the federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Direct File Program as it existed during the 2025 tax filing season. The bill contains technical amendments that remove obsolete language regarding fillable forms. This bill is identical to HB 1180.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Photo speed monitoring devices; photo-monitoring systems for traffic signals, proof of violation.

Photo speed monitoring devices; photo-monitoring systems for traffic signals; school bus video-monitoring systems; proof of violation; certain persons swearing to or affirming certificates; training. Authorizes retired sworn law-enforcement officers, registered special conservators of the peace, and technicians employed by a locality to swear to or to affirm certificates for the purposes of enforcement of violations recorded by traffic light signal violation monitoring systems, traffic control device violation monitoring systems, photo speed monitoring devices, or school bus video-monitoring systems upon completion of a training course developed and approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. The bill also requires law-enforcement officers swearing to or affirming such certificates to complete such training course. These provisions of the bill have an effective date of July 1, 2027. The bill also requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to develop, approve, and make available such training course no later than January 1, 2027. This bill incorporates SB 81 and is identical to HB 684.

J.D. "Danny" DiggsRepublican

Bus obstruction monitoring systems; parking, stopping, and standing enforcement, civil penalties.

Parking, stopping, and standing enforcement; bus obstruction monitoring systems. Allows localities to authorize the use of bus obstruction monitoring systems by a public transit agency operating within the locality for the purpose of enforcing local ordinances related to parking, stopping, or standing in bus stop zones or in lanes reserved for transit buses during posted times. This bill is identical to HB 564.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Trees; conservation and replacement during development process in certain localities, report.

Conservation and replacement of trees during development process; work group; report. Expands certain existing local government authority to plant or replace trees during the development process by expanding such authority statewide. The bill allows localities to establish higher tree canopy replacement percentages based on density per acre. The bill also alters the current process for granting exceptions to a local ordinance by modifying a provision that requires the granting of an exception when the strict application of the ordinance would result in unnecessary or unreasonable hardship to the developer, and replacing it with a requirement that the locality concur with such a determination. The bill permits localities to monitor and assess the condition and coverage of tree canopies at development sites during a period of up to 20 years after the trees are planted. The bill also allows any town within Planning District 8 belonging to an eight-hour nonattainment area for air quality standards to require, by ordinance, that a subdivision or development provide for the preservation or replacement of trees on the development site such that the minimum tree canopy or cover 10 years after development is projected to meet specified coverage criteria. Under current law, the criteria apply to tree canopy coverage 20 years after development. Finally, the bill directs the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience to convene a work group to conduct a comprehensive review of the tree canopy laws and regulations and report the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns and Senate Committee on Local Government by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 549.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Fairfax, City of; amending charter, elections, compensation for members of boards or commissions.

Charter; City of Fairfax; financial powers; elections; compensation for members of boards or commissions. Amends the charter for the City of Fairfax by replacing a cap on the transient occupancy tax with a reference to general law. The bill also amends the charter to align it with current law requiring municipal elections to be held at the November general election. Finally, the bill removes the limit of $50 per meeting for compensation of members of boards and commissions and provides that such compensation is in such amounts as established by the City Council. This bill is identical to HB 1342.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

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 HB 1304.

Mark J. PeakeRepublican

Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act; required disclosures for buyer beware.

Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act; required disclosures for buyer to beware; proximity to military ground installation. Adds a property's proximity to any military ground installation to the residential property disclosure statement provided by the Real Estate Board on its website for the buyer to beware as to whether a property may be impacted by related noise or other effects of military operations.

Bryce E. ReevesRepublican

Auctioneers Board; citizen members.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; Auctioneers Board; citizen members. Clarifies that no citizen member appointed to the Auctioneers Board shall (i) have training or experience as an auctioneer; (ii) be the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of an auctioneer; or (iii) have any direct or indirect financial interest, except as a consumer, in auctioneering. The bill further prohibits appointing any citizen member of the Board currently licensed in, employed by, or financially affiliated with any profession or occupation that provides similar services to auctioneers, including a real estate broker or salesperson.

Bryce E. ReevesRepublican

Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund; claim limits, license threshold amounts.

Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund; claim limits; license threshold amounts. Expands the scope of Chapters 127 and 133 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025, which increased certain claim limits and license threshold amounts, to apply to any claimant who filed a verified claim with the Director of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation on or after June 6, 2024, for recovery from the Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund and whose claim was thereafter approved by the Board for Contractors.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Public schools; student instruction, addictive potential of time spent using certain electr. device.

Public schools; student instruction; addictive potential of time spent using certain electronic devices. Requires instruction concerning time spent using electronic devices such as computers, cell phones, and other smart devices and the addictive potential thereof to be provided by the public schools as prescribed by the Board of Education. This bill is identical to HB 1486.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Nursing homes and certified nursing facilities; required liability insurance coverage.

Nursing homes and certified nursing facilities; required liability insurance coverage. Provides that the regulations of the Board of Health shall require purchasers of licensed nursing homes or certified nursing facilities with claims-made policies of liability insurance coverage to purchase an extended reporting endorsement of two years after the date of sale or to purchase liability insurance coverage with dates that begin two years prior to the date the existing owner's policies end.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units, delayed effective date.

Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units. Requires a locality to include in its zoning ordinances for single-family residential zoning districts accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as defined in the bill, as a permitted accessory use. The bill requires a person to seek a permit for an ADU from the locality, requires the locality to issue such permit if the person meets certain requirements enumerated in the bill, and restricts the fee for such permit to $500 or less. The bill prohibits the locality from requiring (i) setbacks for the ADU that are greater than the setback required for the primary dwelling or the setback required for accessory structures on the residential lot, whichever is less; (ii) conditions for ADUs that are more restrictive than those for single-family dwellings within the same zoning area with regard to height, rear, or side setbacks, lot size or coverage, or building frontage; or (iii) consanguinity or affinity between the occupants of the ADU and the primary dwelling. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Alcoholic beverage control; banquet license, municipality or nonprofit organization.

Alcoholic beverage control; banquet license; municipality or nonprofit organization. Allows a manufacturer, bottler, broker, importer, or wholesaler to sponsor or provide support, including equipment, staff, financial, and other support, for a special event for which a municipality or nonprofit organization has been issued a banquet license when such special event is to be held on the grounds of a museum or a government-registered national, state, or local historic site at which the municipality or nonprofit organization is licensed to operate a gift shop, provided that any retail license issued to the premises has been deactivated by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority for the duration of such special event. The bill limits such municipalities or nonprofit organizations to no more than eight banquet licenses for such special events per year. This bill is identical to HB 1343.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Pharmaceutical Substance Manufacturing Grant Fund; created.

Pharmaceutical Substance Manufacturing Grant Fund. Establishes the Pharmaceutical Substance Manufacturing Grant Fund to provide grant installment awards between July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2045, in an amount not to exceed $34 million per fiscal year and in an aggregate amount not to exceed $191,255,000, to a qualified company that (i) engages in the manufacture of pharmaceutical substances, (ii) executes a memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth, and (iii) is expected to make a capital investment of at least $4 billion and create and maintain at least 500 new full-time jobs. This bill is identical to HB 1076.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Public schools; school security and discipline, employment of school security officers, training.

Public schools; school security and discipline; employment of school security officers; training requirements. Amends the requirements for the training course of which an individual employed as a school security officer is required to submit proof of completion to the Department of Criminal Justice Services in order to carry a firearm in the performance of his duties by (i) eliminating the requirement that such training course include training in active shooter emergency response and, instead, requiring it to include training in critical incident preparedness and response and (ii) clarifying that such training course include training in behavioral threat assessment.

J.D. "Danny" DiggsRepublican

Mental health & substance abuse disorders; network adequacy standards, comparative analyses, report.

Mental health and substance abuse disorders; network adequacy standards; comparative analyses; report; emergency regulations. Directs the Department of Health to issue regulations that include quantitative network adequacy standards for timely access to care, travel time, and geographical distance that are at least as stringent as those imposed for qualified health plans and qualified dental plans. The bill amends the definitions of "mental health services" and "substance abuse services" for the purposes of health insurance coverage.The bill requires health carriers to submit all comparative analyses prepared pursuant to federal law to the Bureau of Insurance on the date and frequency as specified by the Bureau and includes additional information to include in such submission. Under the bill, the Bureau may impose a penalty not to exceed $100,000 for a noncompliant or insufficient comparative analysis or require a carrier to remove, revise, or remedy noncompliant treatment limitations. The bill also amends the contents of the annual report submitted by the Bureau to the General Assembly to cover enforcement efforts with respect to the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.The bill authorizes the Bureau to promulgate regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of the bill and directs the Department of Health to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill directs the Department of Human Resource Management to evaluate the impact of the proposed changes to the provisions of the bill related to health insurance. The provisions of the bill related to health insurance have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 656.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Forest Sustainability Fund; Office of Working Lands Preservation to manage.

Office of Working Lands Preservation; powers and duties; Forest Sustainability Fund. Adds management of the Forest Sustainability Fund to the powers and duties of the Office of Working Lands Preservation within the Department of Forestry. This bill is identical to HB 543.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Uninsured Employer's Fund; administrative expenses.

Uninsured Employer's Fund; administrative expenses. Provides that the costs of administering the Uninsured Employer's Fund, which is administered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission, are paid out of such fund. This bill is identical to HB 572.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Electric utilities; disconnection reports, State Corporation Commission database, annual summary.

Electric utilities; disconnection reports; State Corporation Commission database; annual summary. Requires each investor-owned utility and electric cooperative operating in the Commonwealth to provide a monthly report on residential account disconnections to the State Corporation Commission. The monthly report is required to include specific information outlined in the bill, including the number of residential accounts involuntarily disconnected due to nonpayment, the amount of time in which such accounts were reconnected to service, the amounts of arrearages attributable to such disconnected accounts and other residential accounts, and information related to how many of the disconnected accounts participate in a payment assistance program or have a serious medical condition certification form on file with the electric utility. The bill requires the Commission to publish the information from such monthly reports in a comprehensive and easily accessible online database. The bill also requires the Commission to submit an annual executive summary to the Governor and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation on trends in electric utility disconnections based on the reports submitted by electric utilities, the first of which is due by September 1, 2027. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. This bill is identical to HB 828.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Electric Utility Regulation, Commission on; scope and name changes to Energy Commission of Virginia.

Commission on Electric Utility Regulation; name change. Renames the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation as the Energy Commission of Virginia. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Comprehensive mental health, substance abuse, & developmt. disability crisis services; written plan.

Comprehensive crisis system; Marcus alert system; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; comprehensive mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disability crisis services; written plan. Allows the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, in collaboration with the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to amend the written plan created pursuant to relevant law after the publication of such written plan, provided that (i) the stakeholders listed in relevant law are consulted during the development of any new language to be added to such written plan and (ii) a public comment period of no less than 30 days is held prior to the finalization of such written plan. The bill also provides that the written plan shall serve as the operational framework for relevant components of the comprehensive crisis system and the Marcus alert system and that state agencies and local implementing partners shall align their policies, procedures, and operations on an ongoing basis with the requirements and guidance set forth in the written plan, as amended. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Behavioral Health Commission. This bill is identical to HB 453.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Marcus Alert Evaluation Task Force; created.

Marcus Alert Evaluation Task Force creation. Requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to convene and adjust and update the membership of a Marcus Alert Evaluation Task Force to assist in determining the effectiveness of the Marcus Alert system. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Behavioral Health Commission. This bill is identical to HB 225.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

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 HB 1256.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Vehicle equipment; clear film on windshields.

Vehicle equipment; films on windshields. Authorizes the application of clear film to the windshield of a vehicle, so long as it is maintained in a condition consistent with federal requirements.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Vested rights; rulings or orders of the local circuit court, residential project.

Vested rights; rulings or orders of the local circuit court. Provides that a landowner's vested rights in a specific residential project shall not be affected by a subsequent ruling or order of the local circuit court applicable to a zoning ordinance amendment when such ruling or order affects at least 25 individual parcels within a locality unless the significant affirmative governmental act approving such residential project is the direct subject of the ruling or order.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Income-Qualified Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Task Force; established, report.

Department of Housing and Community Development; Income-Qualified Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Task Force established; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to establish, in collaboration with the Department of Energy, and with assistance from the Department of Social Services, the Income-Qualified Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Task Force to determine barriers to access and enrollment in the current energy efficiency programs for income-qualified energy customers and to evaluate and develop a plan to address any necessary improvements regarding coordination among state and federal government agencies for utility services and resources to more effectively deliver energy-efficient housing, weatherization resources, and energy efficiency upgrades for income-qualified individuals and households in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Task Force to meet at least six times between July 1, 2026, and September 30, 2027, and to submit a report of its findings and recommendations no later than September 30, 2027. The bill specifies that such report shall include policy recommendations and a plan to ensure that weatherization-ready repairs and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits are provided to all eligible income-qualified individuals and households in the Commonwealth residing in multifamily buildings, single-family dwellings, and manufactured homes by December 31, 2034. This bill is identical to HB 3.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

School Construction and Modernization, Commission on; revisions, elimination of sunset.

Commission on School Construction and Modernization; revisions; elimination of sunset. Eliminates the expiration date of the Commission on School Construction and Modernization, which, pursuant to current law, is set to expire on July 1, 2026. The bill also directs the Commission to (i) meet at least four times each year and post notice of the date, time, and location of each meeting on the central, publicly available electronic calendar maintained by the Commonwealth in accordance with applicable law; (ii) update annually the statewide needs estimate for construction and modernization of school facilities; (iii) develop and deliver by November 1, 2026, a 10-year capital roadmap; and (iv) collaborate with early childhood care and education Ready Regions and comprehensive community colleges in the Commonwealth to collect and evaluate data relating to Ready Region and comprehensive community college facility usage, availability, and needs. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Education, in order to assist the Commission with its work, to update and make available to the Commission an inventory of all public school facilities in the Commonwealth by September 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 544.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Transmission lines, certain; Department of Transportation to identify opportunities for siting.

Policy of the Commonwealth; siting of certain new electric transmission facilities; Department of Transportation work group; report. Provides that in the siting of new electric transmission facilities, it is the policy of the Commonwealth that existing linear infrastructure corridors shall be prioritized over new corridors. The bill directs the Department of Transportation to convene a work group to identify opportunities and develop recommendations to amend regulations and permitting processes to facilitate the expedient and efficient siting of new electrical transmission infrastructure in existing state highway rights-of-way. This bill is identical to HB 889.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Consumer protection; automatic renewal or continuous service offers, disclosure and cancellation.

Consumer protection; automatic renewal or continuous service offers; disclosure and cancellation. Amends certain definitions related to automatic renewal or continuous service offers, including the definition of "clear and conspicuous" as it relates to seller disclosures and requirements to provide a simple cancellation mechanism. The bill replaces the term "supplier" in current provisions with "seller" and provides a definition for such term. The bill requires sellers to provide a cancellation mechanism that is at least as easy to use as the mechanism used to initiate the automatic renewal or continuous service offer, and includes additional requirements for providing such cancellation mechanism. Under the bill, certain businesses are no longer exempt from disclosure and cancellation requirements for automatic renewal or continuous service offers, and a violation of the provision constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. This bill is identical to HB 1022.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Substantial risk orders; eligible petitioners, court jurisdiction, constr. possession of firearms.

Substantial risk orders; eligible petitioners; substantial risk factors and considerations; court jurisdiction; constructive possession of firearms; penalty. Expands the list of persons eligible to file a petition for an emergency substantial risk order. The bill provides various factors that a judge or magistrate shall consider for the purpose of determining whether to issue an emergency substantial risk order or a substantial risk order. The bill expands court jurisdiction over substantial risk orders from circuit courts to juvenile and domestic relations district courts and general district courts and requires petitions against minors to be filed in juvenile and domestic relations district courts. The bill requires a copy of the order to be served on the parent or guardian of the minor at any address where the minor resides or the local board of social services in the case where the minor is the subject of a dependency or court-approved out-of-home placement. The bill also provides the process for which firearms not owned by the subject of a petition are returned to the lawful owner of such firearms. The bill provides that any emergency substantial risk order or substantial risk order issued remains in full force and effect pending any appeal. Lastly, the bill provides that any person that makes a materially false statement or representation to a court during the petitioning process is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill is identical to HB 901.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

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 HB 1289.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Public schools; right to free public elementary and secondary education, discrimination, etc.

Public schools; right to free public elementary and secondary education; discrimination based on immigration status prohibited; civil cause of action. Prohibits any child in the Commonwealth from being denied a free public education through secondary school on the basis of the actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status of the child or the child's parents, in accordance with the Constitution of Virginia and consistent with the requirements of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The bill also, among other things, prohibits any school board, public elementary or secondary school, school resource officer employed by a local law-enforcement agency in any public elementary or secondary school, or any individual who is an employee, contractor, or agent of a school board from engaging in certain enumerated actions and practices that involve or result in the denial of a free public education, or denial of the benefits or exclusion from participation in any program or activity thereof, of a child on the basis of the actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status of the child or the child's parents. The bill establishes a civil cause of action for violations of the foregoing prohibitions. The bill requires the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General, to develop and make available to each school board by August 1, 2026, guidance and resources on developing policies and procedures to implement the requirements set forth in the bill and requires each school board to develop and implement by December 31, 2026, such policies and procedures and to require each public elementary and secondary school principal and administrator in the school division to complete training on compliance with the provisions of the bill as soon as is practicable but not later than the beginning of the 2027–2028 school year, consistent with the guidance and resources developed and made available by the Department of Education. This bill is identical to HB 836.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat