Bills & Legislation

Virginia Museum of Transportation; established, report.

Virginia Museum of Transportation; established; report. Establishes the Virginia Museum of Transportation as a public entity and educational institution under the Commonwealth. The bill provides that the Museum is governed by a 15-member board of trustees.

Christopher T. HeadRepublican

General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; definition of "gift."

General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; definition of "gift." Excludes from the definition of a gift, for purposes of the General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act, food and beverages that are consumed by a legislator while sitting and sharing a meal with at least one legislator of a different political party.

Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.Republican

VA School for the Deaf & the Blind, Board of Visitors of the; authority to establish campus police.

Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind; authority to establish campus police department. Permits the Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind to establish a campus police department, in compliance with the provisions of law relating to campus police departments established by institutions of higher education, and to employ campus police officers therein.

Christopher T. HeadRepublican

Elections; absentee voting; drop-off locations for return of absentee ballots.

Elections; absentee voting; drop-off locations for return of absentee ballots; 24-hour video surveillance requirement. Requires 24-hour video surveillance of all absentee ballot drop-off locations.

Eric R. ZehrRepublican

Health insurance; cost-sharing, pharmacy benefits managers, compensation and duties, civil penalty.

Health insurance; cost-sharing; pharmacy benefits managers; compensation and duties: civil penalty. Amends provisions related to rebates provided by carriers and health benefit plans to health plan enrollees by defining "defined cost-sharing," "pharmacy benefits management services," and "price protection rebates." The bill requires that an enrollee's defined cost-sharing for each prescription drug be calculated at the point of sale based on a price that is reduced by an amount equal to at least 80 percent of all rebates received or expected to be received in connection with the dispensing or administration of the prescription drug.The bill prohibits a pharmacy benefits manager from deriving income from pharmacy benefits management services provided to a carrier or health benefit plan except for income derived from a pharmacy benefits management fee. The bill requires the amount of any pharmacy benefits management fees to be set forth in the agreement between the pharmacy benefits manager and the carrier or health benefit plan and that such fee not be based on the acquisition cost or any other price metric of a drug; the amount of savings, rebates, or other fees charged, realized, or collected by or generated based on the activity of the pharmacy benefits manager; or the amount of premiums, deductibles, or other cost-sharing or fees charged, realized, or collected by the pharmacy benefits manager from enrollees or other persons on behalf of an enrollee. The bill requires a pharmacy benefits manager to annually certify to the State Corporation Commission that it has met certain requirements. The Commission is directed to impose a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 per claim for a violation of these provisions.The bill establishes a pharmacy benefits manager duty, which includes the duties of care, good faith, and fair dealing, owed to any enrollee, provider, or health benefit plan that receives pharmacy benefits management services from the pharmacy benefits manager or that furnishes, covers, receives, or is administered a unit of a prescription drug for which the pharmacy benefits manager has provided pharmacy benefits management services. The bill requires the Commission to define by regulation the scope of such duty and provides for a private cause of action for any person aggrieved by the breach of such duty. The bill is identical to SB 1078.

Paul V. MildeRepublican

New solar generation facilities; certificate of convenience and necessity, bond required.

New solar generation facilities; certificate of convenience and necessity; bond required. Provides that the State Corporation Commission shall only issue a certificate of convenience and necessity for a public utility to construct, enlarge, or acquire a solar generation facility that has a size of over one acre if the public utility has filed with the Commission a bond for performance payable to the Commonwealth. The amount of such bond shall be determined by the Commission depending on the size of the solar generation facility but shall not be less than $10,000.

Israel D. O'QuinnRepublican

Virginia Water Protection Permit; interbasin transfers of water prohibited.

Virginia Water Protection Permit; interbasin transfers of water prohibited. Prohibits the Department of Environmental Quality from issuing a Virginia Water Protection Permit for a surface water withdrawal if more than five percent of the nonconsumptive volume of such withdrawal will be returned to a different major river basin, as defined in the bill. The bill clarifies that such prohibition does not apply to any lawful withdrawal in existence on July 1, 2025.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

State Police Officers' Retirement System; membership for Department of Wildlife Resources conservation police officers.

State Police Officers' Retirement System; membership for Department of Wildlife Resources conservation police officers. Provides membership in the State Police Officers' Retirement System (SPORS) to conservation police officers in the Department of Wildlife Resources for service earned on or after July 1, 2026. The bill directs the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) to assess the administrative and financial impacts of the bill and provide recommendations for implementing the bill to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2025. Except for the assessment and recommendations to be made by VRS, the provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Abandoned Mine Land Grant Retention Fund established.

Abandoned Mine Land Grant Retention Fund established. Establishes the Abandoned Mine Land Grant Retention Fund and requires any eligible designated funds received under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to be deposited into the Fund. The bill authorizes the Director of the Department of Energy to provide grants for certain projects described in the federal Act relating to the protection of public health, safety, and property from the adverse effects of coal mining practices.

T. Travis HackworthRepublican

Aquatic fauna/water quality in Chesapeake Bay & its major tributaries; surface water intakes.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science; study of the cumulative impacts of surface water intakes on aquatic fauna and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its major Virginia tributaries; report. Directs the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to study the cumulative impacts of surface water intakes on aquatic fauna and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its major Virginia tributaries. The bill requires VIMS to submit a report of its findings and any recommendations to the Governor, the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources, and the House Committee on Appropriations no later than October 1, 2028.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Voter registration; high school registration activities and parental consent.

Voter registration; high school registration activities and parental consent. Prohibits any person or organization, except a high school administrator, teacher, or staff person or a general registrar or his staff, from facilitating voter registration activities at a public high school. The bill also requires the form of the application to register to vote to include a statement of consent that must be signed by the parent or legal guardian of any applicant who is younger than the age of 18 at the time of his application. The bill specifies that such statement must include an acknowledgement that the minor applicant's personally identifiable information is required for voter registration.

Timothy P. GriffinRepublican

Safety and Health Codes Board; THC impairment standard for certain work sites.

Safety and Health Codes Board; THC impairment standard for certain work sites. Directs the Safety and Health Codes Board to promulgate regulations to establish a THC impairment standard and testing protocol to be used exclusively on manufacturing and utility work sites and to commence the rulemaking process no later than October 1, 2025.

Kim A. TaylorRepublican

Firearms; adding court ordered outpatient mental health treatment as prohibition to ownership.

Adding court ordered outpatient mental health treatment as a prohibition to ownership of a firearm.

A.C. CordozaRepublican

Drinking water; maximum contaminant levels, water treatment or filtration systems.

Drinking water; maximum contaminant levels; water treatment or filtration systems; Residential Well Water Testing and Treatment Program and Program Fund established. Directs the State Board of Health to adopt regulations to utilize point-of-use or point-of-entry drinking water treatment or filtration systems to remove or significantly reduce concentrations of contaminants of concern that meet or exceed any maximum contaminant level or health advisory for the same contaminant adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The bill also establishes the Residential Well Water Testing and Treatment Program and Program Fund to allow the Department of Health's Office of Drinking Water to test and treat contaminated drinking water through grants for the use of eligible treatment or filtration systems in private residential wells.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Commonwealth Savers Plan; Access Fund established, definitions, report.

Commonwealth Savers Plan; Access Fund established; report. Establishes the Access Fund as a portion of the Fund of the Commonwealth Savers Plan (the Plan), to be managed by the governing board of the Plan (the board) as a part of the Fund but to be accounted for separately from the Fund, into which certain Fund moneys shall be allocated for the purpose of supporting the Plan's goal of enhancing the accessibility, attainability, and affordability of higher education for all citizens of the Commonwealth. The bill directs the board to (i) establish or identify and fund certain programs and partnerships to further the goal of enhancing the accessibility, attainability, and affordability of higher education for all citizens of the Commonwealth, including programs and partnerships that provide scholarships, grants, or mentoring and coaching services to certain identified demographics of students; (ii) use certain distributions from the Access Fund, in accordance with the investment objectives and total return spending policy described in the bill and the standard of care set forth in applicable law, to support such programs and partnerships; (iii) appoint an Access Advisory Committee for the purpose of assisting the board by making recommendations relating to any such programs and partnerships for which distributions from the Access Fund could be used; and (iv) submit to relevant committees of the General Assembly and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission by December 1 of each year a report on the Plan's activities relating to the Access Fund for the preceding year. Finally, the bill directs the Audit and Actuarial Committee to, in addition to its other duties set forth in applicable law, assess and make recommendations to the board regarding the availability of Fund moneys for allocation to the Access Fund.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Watershed general permits for nutrients; priority projects, compliance schedule.

Watershed general permits for nutrients; priority projects; compliance schedule; emergency. Amends the compliance schedule for three priority projects for additional nitrogen and phosphorus removal under the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan Enhanced Nutrient Removal Certainty Program: the Fredericksburg Wastewater Treatment Facility, the Spotsylvania County-FMC Wastewater Treatment Facility, and the Spotsylvania County-Massaponax Wastewater Treatment Facility. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Tara A. DurantRepublican

Concealed handgun; carrying without a permit.

Carrying a concealed handgun; permit not required. Allows any person who is otherwise eligible to obtain a concealed handgun permit to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere he may lawfully carry a handgun openly within the Commonwealth.

Nicholas J. FreitasRepublican

Electric utilities; renewable portfolio standard program, deficiency payments.

Electric utilities; renewable portfolio standard program; deficiency payments. Removes provisions requiring deficiency payments by certain electric utilities if such utilities are unable to meet the compliance obligation of the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) program requirements or if the cost of renewable energy certificates necessary to comply with RPS program requirements exceeds $45 per megawatt hour.

Terry G. KilgoreRepublican

Electric utilities; renewable energy standard eligible sources.

Electric utilities; renewable energy standard eligible sources; zero-carbon electricity generating nuclear facilities. Provides that, for the purposes of the renewable energy portfolio standard, eligible sources include zero-carbon electricity generating nuclear facilities located in the Commonwealth.

Terry G. KilgoreRepublican

Driver communication improvement program; DMV to develop and implement program.

Department of Motor Vehicles; driver communication improvement program. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to develop and implement a program for the promotion, printing, and distribution of envelopes for use by drivers with a disability that can impair communication, as that term is defined in relevant law, provide to a law-enforcement officer for the purpose of easing communication during a traffic stop or upon such law-enforcement officer's arrival at the scene of a traffic accident.

Bill DeStephRepublican

College and Career Ready Virginia Program; changes to Program and duties of certain entities.

Department of Education; Virginia Community College System; College and Career Ready Virginia Program. Makes the following changes to the College and Career Ready Virginia Program (the Program) and the duties of certain entities relating to the Program: (i) modifies the provisions requiring both the Virginia Community College System (the System) and the Online Virginia Network Authority to offer each school board access to certain courses, including virtual courses, at each high school by eliminating all references to the Online Virginia Network Authority, thereby requiring only the System to offer each school board such courses pursuant to the Program; (ii) provides that the provisions of the Program requiring the System to offer each school board access to certain programs at no cost to the school board do not apply to any advance college academy or early college academy; (iii) removes from the membership of the advisory committee that the Department of Education and the System are directed to establish pursuant to applicable law representatives of Richard Bland College and representatives of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; and (iv) delays from course registration for the fall term of the 2025 academic year to course registration for the fall term of the 2026 academic year the effective date of provisions of applicable law requiring the System to offer each school board access to certain courses.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Constitutional amendment; right to work (first reference).

Constitutional amendment (first reference); right to work. Proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia that declares that any agreement or combination between any employer and any labor union or labor organization whereby persons not members of such union or organization are denied the right to work for the employer, or whereby such membership is made a condition of employment or continuation of employment by such employer, or whereby any such union or organization acquires an employment monopoly in any enterprise, constitutes an illegal combination or conspiracy and is void.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Labor and employment; portable benefit accounts, income tax, deduction.

Labor and employment; portable benefit accounts; income tax; deduction. Authorizes a Virginia resident who has worked as an independent contractor to establish a portable benefit account. Under the bill, a portable benefit account offered through and administered by a bank, credit union, or other depository institution and distributions from the account may be used for the payment of various health-related costs. The bill also creates a temporary deduction for the amount of contributions made to a portable benefit account by an independent contractor for the 2025 and 2026 taxable years.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Immunizations; authority of the Commissioner of Health, religious tenets or practices, exception.

Immunizations; authority of the Commissioner of Health; religious exception. Exempts a person, including a parent or guardian on behalf of a child, who objects to administration of a vaccine on religious grounds from mandatory immunization requirements issued by the State Health Commissioner during an epidemic. Currently, exemption from mandatory immunization requirements during an epidemic is available only to those persons to whose health the administration of a vaccine would be detrimental, as certified in writing by a licensed physician.

Nicholas J. FreitasRepublican

Designated illegal acts; transfer of prisoners convicted of acts.

Transfer of prisoners convicted of designated illegal acts. Requires the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with the consent of the appropriate state authorities, to take physical custody of and responsibility for any alien upon conviction of certain felony offenses. Under current law, such agency has discretion to take physical custody of any such alien. Additionally, the bill adds any felony violation of criminal sexual assault to the list of such authorized felony offenses.

Nicholas J. FreitasRepublican

Tobacco products; caps statutory tax rate imposed on selling or distributing of cigars, etc.

Tobacco products tax; cigars. Caps the statutory tax rate imposed on the selling or distributing of cigars by a distributor or remote retail seller at 20 percent of the manufacturer's sales price or 30 cents ($0.30) per cigar, whichever is lower. Under current law, the effective rate is 20 percent of the manufacturer's sales price due to language in the appropriation act, which doubles the statutory rate. The bill also directs the Department of Taxation to update its form TT-8, Virginia Tobacco Products Tax Return (OTP), to begin collecting data on the number of premium cigars sold in the Commonwealth as a distinct category from all other cigars. The bill directs the Department to update such form as soon as practicable and provide a report of the data so collected and estimated fiscal impacts of adopting a cap of 30 cents ($0.30) per cigar or another rate on the tobacco products tax imposed on premium cigars to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than December 1, 2025.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

Constitutional amendment; right to food choice (first reference).

Constitutional amendment (first reference); right to food choice. Proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia that declares the right of the people to acquire the food of their choice from the source of their choice shall not be infringed.

Nicholas J. FreitasRepublican

Line of Duty Act; auxiliary police officers and volunteer deputy sheriffs.

Line of Duty Act; auxiliary police officers and volunteer deputy sheriffs. Adds auxiliary police officers and volunteer deputy sheriffs to the list of individuals eligible for benefits under the Line of Duty Act.

Tara A. DurantRepublican

Veterans Services, Department of; powers and duties of Commissioner, online portal.

Department of Veterans Services; powers and duties of Commissioner; online portal. Provides that the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services shall develop and maintain an online portal to connect veterans, members of the Virginia National Guard, Virginia residents in the Armed Forces Reserves who qualify for veteran status, and their immediate family members to available resources, programs, and services in the Commonwealth and provide a means to submit electronic applications for such resources, programs, and services.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Autism Advisory Council; name change, membership, repeals sunset date.

Autism Advisory Council; name change; membership; staffing; powers and duties. Provides for the Autism Advisory Council to be reconstituted as a permanent, independently staffed agency in the legislative branch of state government. Currently, the Autism Advisory Council is set to expire on July 1, 2027. The bill repeals that expiration date and renames the agency as the Autism Commission. The bill also modifies the membership of the Commission to more closely align with the membership makeup of other independently staffed legislative agencies and directs the Commission to appoint and employ an executive director and other staff to assist in carrying out the duties of the Commission.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Health and Human Resources, Secretary of; review of informed consent for surgeries, report.

Duties of Secretary of Health and Human Resources; informed consent for surgeries; review; report. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, in consultation with the Department of Health Professions, to review every five years hospitals' procedures for obtaining informed consent for surgeries and requires the Secretary to provide a report on the review to the General Assembly.

Robert D. Orrock, Sr.Republican

Virginia Gaming Commission; established, penalties, report.

Virginia Gaming Commission; established. Establishes the Virginia Gaming Commission as an independent agency of the Commonwealth, exclusive of the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of government, to oversee and regulate all forms of legal gambling in the Commonwealth except for the state lottery. The bill sets eligibility requirements for the appointment of a Commissioner and Virginia Gaming Commission Board members, provides powers and duties of such Commissioner and Board members, and provides for the transfer of current employees of relevant state agencies to the Commission. The bill contains numerous technical amendments.

Bryce E. ReevesRepublican

Abortion; born alive infant, treatment and care, penalty.

Abortion; born alive infant; treatment and care; penalty. Requires every health care provider licensed by the Board of Medicine who attempts to terminate a pregnancy to (i) exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of a human infant who has been born alive following such attempt as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age and (ii) take all reasonable steps to ensure the immediate transfer of the human infant who has been born alive to a hospital for further medical care. A health care provider who fails to comply with the requirements of the bill is guilty of a Class 4 felony and may be subject to disciplinary action by the Board. The bill also requires every hospital licensed by the Department of Health to establish a protocol for the treatment and care of a human infant who has been born alive following an attempt to terminate a pregnancy and for the immediate reporting to law enforcement of any failure to provide such required treatment and care.

Nicholas J. FreitasRepublican

Rental assistance voucher pilot program; established, report.

Department of Housing and Community Development; rental assistance voucher pilot program. Establishes the rental assistance voucher pilot program within the Department of Housing and Community Development for the purpose of providing direct rental assistance to qualifying households, as defined by the bill, in the form of rental assistance vouchers. The bill directs the Department to submit an annual report to the General Assembly on the implementation and impact of the rental assistance voucher program. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2028.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

SOL assessments & related student assessment methods; assessment development, etc., reform.

Board of Education; Standards of Learning assessments and related student assessment methods; assessment development, implementation, and administration reform. Modifies provisions relating to assessment methods for determining the level of achievement of the Standards of Learning objectives by all students, including (i) requirements relating to assessment administration aimed at maximizing instructional time and optimizing time used for assessment administration; (ii) criteria and guidelines for the structure and content of Standards of Learning assessments and alternative assessments developed by local school boards, including criteria for the types of assessment items that shall be included; (iii) provisions relating to eligibility and timelines for students to retake assessments; and (iv) the scoring of Standards of Learning assessments and related assessments, including a requirement that all such assessments be scored on a 100-point scale. The bill requires the Board of Education to provide any teacher who participates in the scoring of Standards of Learning assessments professional development points toward renewal of his license for the time spent scoring such assessments. The bill also requires the Board of Education to develop and make available to each school board certain templates and guidelines relating to assessment content and structure and assessment scoring.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Practice of medicine; advertising of prescription drugs or devices.

Professions and occupations; practice of medicine; advertising of prescription drugs or devices. Excludes prescription drugs or devices, as such terms are defined in relevant law, from the definition of "commercial appliances or remedies," as such term relates to the practice of medicine and other healing arts, and provides that the sale of such prescription drugs or devices shall not be prevented or prohibited. Current law provides that the advertising or sale of commercial appliances or remedies shall not be prevented or prohibited.

Paul V. MildeRepublican

Income tax, state; subtractions of military benefits.

Taxable income; subtractions; military benefits. Removes the current cap of $40,000 of military benefits that may be subtracted from Virginia taxable income for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2026, such that the total amount of military benefits may be subtracted from such income.

Bryce E. ReevesRepublican

Voter registration; time period for closing registration records before elections;

Voter registration; time period for closing registration records before elections; five days. Provides that registration records be closed during the five days before any election. Under current law registration records are close during the 21 days before a primary or general election and, if the registration records have not been closed previously for a primary or general election, during the six days before a special election called by the Governor, Speaker of the House of Delegates, or President pro tempore of the Senate, or pursuant to rule or resolution of either house of the General Assembly and during the 13 days before any other special election.

Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.Republican

Elections; form of ballot, party identification, option for candidates for local offices.

Elections; form of ballot; party identification; option for candidates for local offices. Provides that, for local offices only, each candidate who has been nominated by a political party or in a primary election may be identified by the name of his political party at the discretion of the candidate.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

Real property tax; exemption surviving spouses of members of armed forces who died in line of duty.

Real property tax exemption; surviving spouses of members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. Authorizes localities by ordinance to provide a total exemption from real property taxes regardless of assessed value beginning in taxable year 2025. Under current law, a total exemption is only allowed for those dwellings in the locality with assessed values in the most recently ended tax year that are not in excess of the average assessed value for such year of a dwelling situated on property that is zoned as single family residential.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund; establishing a reserve fund within Fund, etc.

Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund; Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund. Directs the Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish a reserve fund within the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund (the Fund) to be used when annual general fund revenue collections do not exceed the official revenue estimates contained in the general appropriation act and requires 15 percent of any amounts appropriated to the Fund due to annual general fund revenue collections in excess of the official estimates contained in the general appropriation act to be withheld from appropriation and held in the reserve fund unless otherwise specified. The bill also changes the formula for allocating moneys in the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund and provides that, in any fiscal year, any funds distributed to the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program for the purpose of matching grants for agricultural best management practices on lands in the Commonwealth that cannot be obligated or are not used due to a cancelled contract by a grant recipient during such fiscal year, regardless of whether such lands are within or outside of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, may be reappropriated by the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board to any soil and water conservation district with pending documented requests.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Workers' compensation; presumption of certain cancers, sheriffs and deputy sheriffs.

Workers' compensation; presumption for certain cancers; sheriffs and deputy sheriffs. Expands the workers' compensation presumption of compensability for certain cancers causing the death or disability of certain employees who have completed five years of service in their position to include sheriffs or deputy sheriffs.

Jonathan "Jed" ArnoldRepublican

Income tax, state; creates second-chance employment tax credit.

Income tax; second-chance employment tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable second-chance employment tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for five percent of the amount of wages paid to a qualified employee during the taxable year. The bill defines a qualified employee as an individual who was convicted of a felony or a Class 1 or Class 2 misdemeanor. The annual amount of the credit that may be claimed by the employer shall not exceed $1,250 per qualified employee or $2,250 in the case of a qualified employee who is on probation or parole. The credit may be claimed in the first year in which the qualified employer employs a qualified employee and in each subsequent year in which such employer continues to employ such qualified employee. The bill requires that such qualified employer adopt and implement a second-chance hiring policy that meets or exceeds standards set in guidance by the Department of Human Resource Management. The aggregate amount of tax credits available in any fiscal year shall not exceed the amount appropriated for such year as provided in the general appropriation act.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Standards of Quality; certain calculations, support services.

Public schools; Standards of Quality; certain calculations; support services. Requires the Department of Education (the Department) (i) in calculating nonpersonal costs in the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include the costs associated with work-related employee travel and leased facilities; (ii) in calculating the deduction of federal funds in the Standards of Quality funding formula, to examine actual school division spending on support costs as a percentage of actual school division spending on all public education costs, with certain exceptions such as food service; (iii) in calculating the costs in the Standards of Quality funding formula beginning with fiscal year 2029, to include all employee benefit costs incurred by a majority of school divisions; (iv) in calculating the cost of salaries under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include facilities staff and transportation staff salaries in the calculation of any cost of competing adjustment to salaries for instructional and support positions; and (v) in estimating the cost of any compensation supplement for instruction and support positions under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include and estimate the cost of such a compensation supplement for facilities staff. The bill also prohibits the Department from applying any cap on inflation rate adjustments to non-personal cost categories during the biennial process of re-benchmarking the aid to the public education budget. The bill (a) requires a per-pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on to be provided for each special education student; (b) requires support services positions to be funded based on a calculation of prevailing costs and prohibits such positions from being subject to any method of funding calculation that caps the number of funded support services positions based on a ratio of such positions to students enrolled in the school division, with the exception of certain support services positions enumerated in the bill; and (c) establishes 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.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Mathematics Improvement, Office of; established, mathematics improvement/advancement policies, etc.

Public elementary and secondary education; Office of Mathematics Improvement established; mathematics improvement and advancement policies and programs. Establishes several new programs and policies for the purpose of improving mathematics instruction and student learning outcomes in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth, including (i) directing the Department of Education (the Department) to establish the Office of Mathematics Improvement (the Office) as an office within the Department; (ii) directing the Director of the Office, in collaboration with the Department, to establish an Elementary School Mathematics Advisory Task Force, a Middle School Mathematics Advisory Task Force, and a High School Mathematics Advisory Task Force; (iii) creating several grant programs aimed at incentivizing, encouraging, and expanding opportunities for improving mathematics instruction for educators and mathematics learning outcomes for students, including the Summer Mathematics Intervention Grant Program, the Advance Placement Mathematics Exam Fee Elimination Fund and Program, the Mathematics Improvement and School Support Grant Program, and the Advanced Mathematics Teacher Incentive and Support Grant Program; (iv) making several changes to staffing requirements relating to teachers providing mathematics instruction, including creating a mathematics specialist microcredential program and establishing staffing ratios for mathematics specialists in public schools and permitting schools to use state funding appropriated to support meeting such staffing ratios to support teachers in completing the professional development or training necessary to receive the requisite licensure or endorsements; and (v) requiring the Department to expand the advanced mathematics courses offered through Virtual Virginia, as established pursuant to applicable law, for the purpose of ensuring that students attending public schools across the Commonwealth have access to a full range of advanced mathematics courses. The bill also (a) directs the Board of Education (the Board) to modify its regulations to increase the flexibility of receiving an Algebra I add-on endorsement for teachers; (b) directs the Board, in collaboration with the Office, to develop and approve a Geometry add-on endorsement for teachers; (c) requires the development and dissemination of various guidance documents for school boards and school counselors and online training programs and modules for educators relating to expanding and encouraging mathematics instruction and education, particularly advanced mathematics instruction and education; and (d) requires the Department to compile and post in a publicly accessible location on its website by August 1 of each year a report detailing the impact of the provisions of the bill on expanding mathematics offerings and improving mathematics learning outcomes in public schools across the Commonwealth. The bill provides timelines for modifying regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Certified community health workers; state plan amendment to provide reimbursement for services.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; work group; state plan amendment; reimbursement for services by certified community health workers. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to convene a work group to (i) design a state plan amendment to provide reimbursement for services provided by certified community health workers, (ii) identify opportunities to expand the use of community health workers by Medicaid managed care organizations, and (iii) determine the feasibility of developing flexible training and certification standards that allow community health workers to use their education and experience to satisfy some of the requirements for qualification as a doula or registered peer recovery specialist. The bill requires the Department to report the work group findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by October 1, 2025. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Mattress Stewardship Program; established, report, civil penalties.

Mattress Stewardship Program established; report; civil penalties. Establishes the Mattress Stewardship Program that allows certain industry associations to administer the Program as a mattress recycling organization with approval and certification from the Department of Environmental Quality. The bill requires certain producers, retailers, and renovators of mattresses to register with a certified mattress recycling organization and requires a producer to identify each mattress brand it sells or offers for sale in the Commonwealth on or before June 1, 2027. Prior to the Program going into effect, the bill requires a mattress recycling organization to submit a plan with certain criteria relating to the collection and recycling of mattresses and the implementation of the Program. The bill establishes annual reporting requirements for the mattress recycling organization and establishes a Mattress Stewardship Program Advisory Board to provide advice on the proper implementation and sustainability of the Program. Finally, the bill establishes the powers and duties of the Department as they relate to the bill and civil penalties for violations of the Program by the producers, the retailers, or the mattress recycling organization.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Va. Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers, delayed effective date.

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to full-time salaried 911 dispatchers. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher on or after July 1, 2026, but allows an employer, as that term is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher before July 1, 2026, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Russet PerryDemocrat