Bills & Legislation

Medical Assistance Services, Dept. of; creating an income exemption for personal care assistants.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; income exemption for personal care assistants. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to seek the appropriate approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to create an income exemption for licensed providers of personal care assistance.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

Income tax, corporate and state; tax credit for braille labeling program.

Income tax credit; braille labeling program. Creates a nonrefundable individual and corporate income tax credit, as applicable, for up to $50,000 of expenditures incurred in the development and implementation of a braille labeling program on products, items, or packages sold in or shipped to the Commonwealth in taxable years 2025 through 2029. The aggregate amount of credits allowed for all taxpayers in a taxable year is $1,000,000.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

National Board Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund; eligibility.

National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund; eligibility; incentive grant awards. Renames the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund as the National Board Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund, expands eligibility for incentive grant awards from such Fund pursuant to such Program from solely teachers who have obtained national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to (i) all public school staff who are candidates for initial national certification or maintenance of national certification to cover certain costs of obtaining or maintaining such certification and (ii) all public school staff who have successfully obtained or maintained such certification. The bill also declares as eligible for an annual incentive grant award in the amount of $7,500 all public school staff who have obtained or maintained such certification and an additional $2,500 in any year during the life of certificate in which the public school staff member is employed in a Title 1 school. Current law declares as eligible for an annual incentive grant award of $5,000 in the first year and $2,500 in each subsequent year all teachers who have obtained or maintained such certification.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Electric utilities; regulation, development of renewable energy facilities.

Regulation of electric utilities; development of renewable energy facilities; powers of State Air Pollution Control Board; powers of State Corporation Commission. Repeals provisions (i) requiring the State Air Pollution Control Board to adopt regulations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from any electricity generating unit in the Commonwealth and authorizing the Board to establish an auction program for energy allowances; (ii) prohibiting the State Corporation Commission from approving any new utility-owned generation facilities that emit carbon dioxide as a by-product of energy generation, in certain circumstances; (iii) declaring that statutory allowances for energy derived from sunlight, onshore wind, offshore wind, and storage facilities are in the public interest; and (iv) relating to the development of solar and wind generation and energy storage capacity, development of offshore wind capacity, and generation of electricity from renewable and zero-carbon sources. The bill provides that planning and development activities for new nuclear generation facilities are in the public interest.

Nicholas J. FreitasRepublican

Virginia Residential Development Infrastructure Program and Fund; established.

Virginia Residential Development Infrastructure Program and Fund. Establishes the Virginia Residential Development Infrastructure Program and Fund to provide financial assistance to localities for expanding or improving public infrastructure needed to support new residential development through the construction or installation of an eligible project, as defined by the bill. The bill provides that the Department of Housing and Community Development will administer the Program, in consultation with the Virginia Resources Authority.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Retail Sales and Use Tax; exemption data centers.

Sales and use tax exemption; data centers. Requires data center operators to meet certain energy efficiency standards in order to be eligible for the sales and use tax exemption for data center purchases. Under the bill, a data center operator shall be eligible for the exemption only if such operator demonstrates that (i) its facilities either have a power usage effectiveness score of no greater than 1.2 or, for data centers co-located in buildings with other commercial uses, achieve an energy efficiency level of no less than the most efficient 15 percent of similar buildings constructed in the previous five years and (ii) by January 1, 2028, it will procure carbon-free renewable energy and associated renewable energy certificates equal to 90 percent of its electricity requirements or its electricity will be otherwise derived from non-carbon-emitting, renewable sources.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Criminal records; technical amendments to court procedures relating to sealing of records.

Sealing of criminal records. Makes several technical amendments to court procedures relating to the sealing of criminal records. This bill is a recommendation of the Judicial Council of Virginia and the Committee on District Courts.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

Enhanced earned sentence credits; exemptions; firearm-related offense; felony conviction while a prisoner.

Enhanced earned sentence credits; exemptions; firearm-related offense; felony conviction while a prisoner. Removes any person convicted of a felony offense involving a firearm from eligibility for enhanced earned sentence credits and restricts any person convicted of a felony for an offense that occurred while a prisoner in a local, state, or community correctional facility from receiving any further earned sentence credits.

Scott A. WyattRepublican

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy; autopsy protocol, information published.

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy; autopsy protocol; information; training. Requires the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to take certain actions upon the finding that an individual died from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), defined in the bill. The bill directs the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to publish information on SUDEP and a SUDEP death investigation form on its website. Additionally, the bill requires the Chief Medical Examiner and local medical examiners to complete training in the investigation of SUDEP on a triennial basis. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Health insurance; coverage for non-opioid prescription drugs.

Health insurance; coverage for non-opioid prescription drugs. Prohibits a health insurance carrier from imposing any cost-sharing, prior authorization, step therapy, or other limitation on coverage of a covered non-opioid drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment or management of pain that is more restrictive or less favorable to the enrollee relative to a covered opioid drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment or management of pain.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Historical horse racing; pari-mutuel wagering, certain localities.

Historical horse racing; pari-mutuel wagering; certain localities. Prescribes the distribution of the breakage retained by any licensee in a locality that has not passed a referendum allowing pari-mutuel wagering on or after July 1, 2018, and in which no terminals were authorized by the Commission on or before January 1, 2024.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

State Police Officers' Retirement System; membership for DWR 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.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Solar photovoltaic projects; siting, decisions of localities, etc.

Virginia Energy Facility Review Board established; localities; comprehensive plan and local ordinances related to siting of critical interconnection projects; planning district commissions; regional energy plans; Virginia Clean Energy Technical Assistance Center established. Establishes the Virginia Energy Facility Review Board as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth for the purposes of conducting critical interconnection reviews, conduct analysis and study policy options, review regional energy plans, local comprehensive plans, and local solar and storage ordinances and to facilitate the responsible siting of critical interconnection projects in the Commonwealth.The bill also establishes the Virginia Clean Energy Technical Assistance Center, consisting of public institutions of higher education, to serve as an interdisciplinary study, research, and information resource and to provide technical assistance to state agencies, planning district commissions, localities, the Review Board, other public bodies, and private entities in matters related to critical interconnection projects. The bill requires the Center to collaborate with the Review Board to issue the regional energy report and to establish the model local ordinance.The bill requires the Review Board to issue a regional energy report that models each planning district's meaningful annual contribution to clean energy generation, energy efficiency measures, and energy storage. Each planning district commission is required to adopt a regional energy plan to address energy generation, storage, and use that demonstrates a meaningful contribution to the Commonwealth's energy goals as determined by the regional energy report issued by the Review Board and to submit the plan to the Review Board. The Review Board is required to determine if a regional energy plan is in compliance with certain provisions within 60 days of receipt of such plan. If the Review Board determines that the regional energy plan is not in compliance, the relevant planning district commission has 60 days to adopt a compliant regional energy plan. If the relevant planning district commission fails to adopt a compliant energy plan within the 60 days, the Review Board, within 90 days of such failure, is required to issue an alternative regional energy plan that is in effect for such region.The bill requires the Review Board to establish a model local ordinance for siting, permitting, and zoning of critical interconnection projects and all other ground-mounted front-of-meter solar energy and energy storage projects. The bill requires each locality to adopt an ordinance for the permitting of solar energy facilities and energy storage facilities that is consistent with the Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy and the model ordinance and submit it to the Review Board. Under the bill, the Review Board is required to determine if the local ordinance is compliant with certain requirements. If the Review Board determines that the local ordinance is not in compliance, the locality has 60 days to adopt a compliant local ordinance. If the locality fails to adopt a compliant local ordinance within the 60 days, the bill provides that the model local ordinance established is in effect for such locality. The bill provides a procedure for a planning district commission or a locality to appeal a Review Board determination regarding a regional energy plan or a local ordinance.Under the bill, any developer planning to construct a critical interconnection project is required to submit an application to the Review Board. The Review Board is required to determine if the critical interconnection project (i) qualifies as a project of statewide significance, defined in the bill, and (ii) complies with the ordinance in each locality in which the proposed critical interconnection project would be located. In making its determination, the Review Board is required to consider the Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy, certain regulations adopted by the State Air Pollution Control Board, certain renewable portfolio requirements, and any other information it deems relevant. The bill provides that the Review Board has the discretion to disregard any unreasonable restriction, defined in the bill, in the local ordinance on the installation of the critical interconnection projects or the building of structures that facilitate the installation of critical interconnection projects. In addition, the Review Board may consider any regional energy plan developed by the relevant planning district commission. The Review Board is required to issue its opinion on the critical interconnection project within 90 days of receiving an application.The bill requires a locality to issue its final decision regarding any zoning change, variance, or the issuance of a special exemption, special use permit, or conditional use permit related to a critical interconnection project no later than 180 days after receiving a critical interconnection opinion issued by the Review Board. If the locality's final decision diverges from the Review Board's opinion, the locality is required to include a written determination setting forth all facts and conclusions reached by the locality that support its final decision. Under the bill, a locality's failure to make a final decision within the 180-day period constitutes a granting of the zoning change, variance, special exemption, special use permit, or conditional use permit related to a critical interconnection project.The bill requires that any appeal of a locality's decision related to a critical interconnection project will be filed in the circuit court of such locality. The bill provides that such appeal can be brought only by the aggrieved applicant or the owner of the property subject to a special exception and no other person has standing to file such appeal or seek judicial review. Under the bill, in any such appeal, there is a rebuttable presumption that the opinion of the Review Board is correct. Such presumption may be overcome by a preponderance of the evidence that the locality's decision to grant or deny a project or to include the challenged conditions was consistent with provisions in the locality's ordinance that are not unreasonable restrictions. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Campaign finance; campaign contribution limits, civil penalty.

Campaign finance; campaign contribution limits; civil penalty. Prohibits persons from making any single contribution, or any combination of contributions, that exceeds $5,000 to any one candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, or the Senate of Virginia or $3,000 to any one candidate for the House of Delegates in any one election cycle. The bill does not place any limits on in-kind contributions to such candidates from political party committees. The bill establishes thresholds for any candidates making contributions to their own campaign in excess of $400,000 in a race for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, or the Senate of Virginia or $200,000 in a race for House of Delegates. The bill also prohibits persons from making any single contribution, or any combination of contributions, that exceeds $10,000 to any one political committee in any calendar year. Civil penalties for violations of the limits established by the bill may equal up to two times the excess contribution amounts. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Campaign finance; contributions from corporations prohibited, civil penalty.

Campaign finance; contributions from corporations prohibited; civil penalty. Prohibits any corporation from making any contribution to any committee organized under the provisions of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006 and prohibits any such committee from soliciting or accepting any contribution from any corporation. Any committee that knowingly accepts, or any person who knowingly makes to such committee, contributions in violation of the prohibition is subject to a civil penalty of up to two times the amount of the contribution, as assessed by the State Board of Elections.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Local and Regional Jails, State Board of; oversight of local and regional jails, powers and duties.

State Board of Local and Regional Jails; oversight of local and regional jails; powers and duties. Increases from 11 to 19 the membership of the State Board of Local and Regional Jails (the Board) by requiring the appointment of (i) two members of the Senate and two members of the House of Delegates and (ii) four additional nonlegislative citizen members, including (a) one representative of a nonprofit organization that provides training or rehabilitation programs for incarcerated inmates; (b) one male citizen and one female citizen who were formerly incarcerated within the Commonwealth; and (c) one person who is a grandparent, parent, child, sibling, or spouse or domestic partner of a person currently incarcerated within the Commonwealth.The bill also adds numerous additional duties for the Board, including to (1) provide information, as appropriate, to inmates, family members, representatives of inmates, and local, regional, and community correctional facility employees and contractors and others regarding the rights of inmates; (2) establish policies for a statewide uniform reporting system to collect and analyze data related to complaints received in or about local, regional, and community correctional facilities; (3) monitor, document, review, and report on the operation of stores and commissaries in local correctional facilities and systems for providing electronic visitation and messaging and telephone calls; and (4) review, monitor, and report and make recommendations on policies related to (A) attorney access to clients for calls and visitation; (B) access to voting for incarcerated individuals who are eligible to vote; and (C) the collection of data on suicides, suicide attempts, and self-harm in custody. The bill also specifies additional information to be included in the Board's currently required annual report to the General Assembly and the Governor and requires such report to be made available to the public online.The bill enumerates certain items for assessment that may be included in the Board's annual inspection of each local correctional facility, as required by current law, and also specifies the Board's authority and right to access such facilities, interview persons, and access certain information and documents. Upon completion of an inspection, the bill requires the Board to produce a report, including information enumerated in the bill, to be made available to the public online and to be delivered to the Governor, the Attorney General, the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, the House Committee on Public Safety, and the sheriff in charge of the local correctional facility or superintendent of the regional correctional facility.Finally, the bill allows the Board to initiate and attempt to resolve an investigation upon its own initiative, or upon receipt of a complaint from an inmate, a family member or representative of an inmate, or a local, regional, or community correctional facility employee or contractor, or others, regarding various concerns as enumerated in the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Rozia A. Henson, Jr.Democrat

Public secondary schools; interscholastic athletics; certain recruitment policies and practices prohibited.

Public secondary schools; interscholastic athletics; certain recruitment policies and practices prohibited. Prohibits any school board employee, including any interscholastic athletics coach or director, from implementing any policy or engaging in any practice whereby the employee (i) designates any secondary school student-athlete as homeless pursuant to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended, solely for the purpose of recruiting such student-athlete to transfer to the local school division to participate in interscholastic athletics or (ii) receives money or other things of value from any individual or entity, including any institution of higher education or any intercollegiate athletics program at such an institution, solely for the purpose of recruiting a secondary school student-athlete to participate in intercollegiate athletics.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat

Local fiscal distress; apptmnt. of an emergency fiscal manager for certain localities in PD 19.

Local fiscal distress; Planning District 19. Narrows the potential application of certain provisions related to appointment of an emergency fiscal manager for certain fiscally distressed localities in Planning District 19 (Crater Planning District) by limiting the provisions to cities with a population greater than 20,000.

H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.Republican

Firefighters and emergency medical services providers; collective bargaining.

Collective bargaining by firefighters and emergency medical services providers. Authorizes firefighters and emergency medical services providers employed by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth to engage in collective bargaining through labor organizations or other designated representatives. The bill establishes the Fire Service Cooperation Board to administer its provisions. The bill provides for the appointment of a three-member board of arbitration regarding any dispute arising between an employer and firefighters or emergency medical services providers. Under the bill, determinations made by such board of arbitration are final on a disputed issue and are binding on the parties involved. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

Film industry community zones; local designation.

Film industry community zones; local designation. Allows localities to establish, by ordinance, one or more zones in a film industry community, defined in the bill as a community that has a film industry presence or the potential of a film industry presence within the designated area and where such presence drives, or has the potential to drive, significant economic activity. The bill provides that a locality, or another political subdivision acting on behalf of the locality, may offer unique benefits to film industry businesses, along with related businesses that serve the needs of the film industry, looking to locate within a film industry community zone, including the reduction of certain fees and taxes. In addition, the bill provides that local governing bodies are authorized to enter into agreements for the payment of economic development incentive grants to such businesses. The bill also allows a governing body to provide for certain regulatory flexibility and incentives and provides that the establishment of a film industry community zone does not preclude a filmmaker from participating in the Governor's Motion Picture Opportunity Fund and the motion picture production tax credit.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty.

Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty. Provides that no person shall leave, place, or store a handgun in an unattended motor vehicle, as defined in the bill, when such handgun is visible to any person who is outside such unattended motor vehicle. The bill provides that any person violating such prohibition is subject to a civil penalty of no more than $500 and that such unattended motor vehicle may be subject to removal for safekeeping.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Elections, State Board of; appointment of Commissioner of Elections.

State Board of Elections; appointment of Commissioner of Elections. Changes the appointing authority of the Commissioner of Elections from the Governor to the State Board of Elections, with an affirmative vote of four of the five State Board members required for the appointment or removal of the Commissioner, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The bill also changes the start of the four-year term of the Commissioner from July 1 of the year following a gubernatorial election to the second year following such election. The bill exempts the Department of Elections from provisions allowing the Governor to appoint a chief deputy and a confidential assistant for policy or administration. In the event that a vacancy occurs in the office of the Commissioner, the bill provides that the Director of Operations of the Department will perform the duties of the Commissioner until such vacancy is filled by the State Board. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Israel D. O'QuinnRepublican

Collective bargaining; individual home care providers.

Collective bargaining; individual home care providers. Establishes within the Department of Medical Assistance Services the Virginia Home Care Authority to ensure the effectiveness and quality of the services of home care programs in the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes individual providers, as defined in the bill, to select an exclusive bargaining representative and to collectively bargain with the Virginia Home Care Authority regarding matters including wages, benefits, and all terms and conditions of employment that are within the Authority's control. The bill's provisions do not become effective until July 1, 2026, and unless legislation is enacted in the Commonwealth authorizing public employees to engage in collective bargaining.

Irene ShinDemocrat

Virginia Housing Trust Fund; geographic equity impact assessment.

Virginia Housing Trust Fund; geographic equity impact assessment. Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to conduct an annual geographic equity assessment (GEIA) to identify distressed localities that have historically received less investment for housing and economic development. The bill provides that, of the 80 percent of moneys from the Virginia Housing Trust used to provide flexible financing for low-interest loans, no more than 20 percent shall be allocated to a single locality unless such locality has been identified as underserved in the most recent GEIA.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Cigars; TAX to collect data on number sold with sales price equal or greater than $1.50, report.

Department of Taxation; tobacco products tax; cigars; report. 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 cigars sold in the Commonwealth at a sales price equal to or greater than $1.50 as a distinct category from all other cigars. The bill directs the Department to update such form or devise another appropriate method for data collection 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 this category of cigars to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than January 15, 2026.

R. Lee WareRepublican

Person not free on bail; court appearance.

Court appearance of a person not free on bail. Makes various changes to provisions regarding bail hearings, including (i) the appointment of counsel for the accused, (ii) the information provided to counsel for the accused, (iii) a requirement that counsel for the accused, when practicable, be provided with adequate time to confer with the accused prior to any bail hearing, and (iv) the compensation of counsel for the accused. Effective in due course, the bill provides that the chief judge in each circuit shall create a plan to be completed by November 1, 2025, that establishes the means by which the jurisdiction will meet these requirements. The remainder of the bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Charitable gaming; conduct of athletic event drawings.

Charitable gaming; conduct of athletic event drawings. Authorizes affiliated nonprofit organizations to conduct athletic event drawings in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The bill places limits on when and where an athletic event drawing may be held and requires the prize amount of any such drawing to be 50 percent of the total amount collected from the sale of the tickets. The bill requires the organization to donate a certain percentage of the remaining funds in accordance with Department regulations.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Voter registration; cancellation of registration, notice of cancellation, new address if available.

Voter registration; cancellation of registration; notice of cancellation; new address if available. Requires general registrars to cancel the registration of any person for whom a notice has been submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles in accordance with the Driver License Compact and forwarded to the general registrar that the voter has moved from the Commonwealth, provided that the registrar mail notice of such cancellation to the person at his new address, as reported to the DMV, if available, and the address at which the person most recently had been registered in Virginia. Under current law, such cancellation is permissive and there is no provision for availability regarding the notice of cancellation required to be mailed to the person's new address.

Phillip A. ScottRepublican

Tax preferences; codifies certain provisions in effect pursuant to the appropriation act.

Codification of tax preferences in effect pursuant to the appropriation act. Codifies certain tax and fee provisions that are in effect under current law pursuant to provisions of the appropriation act. The provisions are (i) an annual vehicle registration fee increase of $2 that is used for emergency medical services, (ii) a clarification of the amount of sales tax revenue pledged to public facility projects, (iii) a sales and use tax exemption for tangible personal property purchased by a federally funded research and development center, (iv) an additional $20 recordation fee that is used for conservation purposes, and (v) a clarification that aviation fuel is not subject to the regional gas tax.

Vivian E. WattsDemocrat

Net operating losses; TAX, et al., to analyze treatment in Va. when compared to other states.

Department of Taxation; corporate tax returns involving net operating losses; work group; report. Directs the Department of Taxation to convene a work group composed of tax practitioners experienced in the preparation of corporate tax returns involving net operating losses to study the treatment of net operating losses in Virginia when compared to other states and to make recommendations to simplify such treatment in Virginia. The bill directs the work group to complete its meetings by October 1, 2025, and the Department to submit a report of the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the House Committee on Finance, and the House Committee on Appropriations by November 1, 2025.

Jason S. BallardRepublican

Urban Public-Private Partnership Redevelopment Fund; funding requirements, report.

Urban Public-Private Partnership Redevelopment Fund; funding requirements; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop criteria and guidelines for the use of funds from the Urban Public-Private Partnership Redevelopment Fund, including prioritizing grants to localities experiencing an above average or high level of fiscal stress as designated by the Commission on Local Government and localities experiencing a significant decrease in commercial real estate assessments. Under current law, the Board of Housing and Community Development is directed to develop guidelines for administration of the Fund. The bill expands the qualifying private entities available for partnership with a local government for the redevelopment of a local site, removes the existing $500,000 grant cap for such local government, and eliminates the requirement that each grant be conditioned upon a 100 percent match of funds by the local government. In addition, the bill requires the Department, on or before December 1 of each year, to submit a report to the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, the Governor, and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, including the number of projects funded and the costs of the Fund. Further, the bill repeals the Housing Revitalization Zone Act.As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Housing Commission.

David L. BulovaDemocrat

Candidates for office; persons entitled to have name printed on ballot; required campaign finance reports.

Candidates for office; persons entitled to have name printed on ballot; required campaign finance reports. Provides that a person who fails to file at least one of the campaign finance reports required by law to be filed in an election year by July 20 is not entitled to have his name printed on the ballot at the general election for the office sought.

Vivian E. WattsDemocrat

Collection of state taxes; period of limitations on collection.

Department of Taxation; collection of state taxes; period of limitations on collection. Removes provisions requiring that the period of limitations on tax collection by the Department of Taxation be suspended during the effective period of an installment agreement between a taxpayer and the Tax Commissioner for the payment of income taxes.

Karen Keys-GamarraDemocrat

Income tax; housing opportunity tax credit; sunset extended.

Income tax; housing opportunity tax credit; sunset extended. Extends the housing opportunity tax credit sunset date from taxable year 2025 to taxable year 2030. The bill also increases the aggregate credit cap across all calendar years from $255 million to $595 billion and imposes an annual aggregate credit cap of $68 million in each calendar year between 2026 and 2030. The bill also provides that of the $68 million in credits authorized per calendar year from 2026 through 2030, 33 percent shall be reserved for qualified projects located in a geographic area within the Balance of State Pool, defined in the bill. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Housing Commission.

David L. BulovaDemocrat

Public facilities, certain; entitlement to sales tax revenues, extends sunset.

Entitlement to sales tax revenues from certain public facilities; sunset. Extends from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2028, the period of time during which authorized localities may issue bonds on or after January 1, 2013, for the construction of public facilities and retain sales and use tax revenue generated within such facilities to pay off such bonds.

Rae CousinsDemocrat

Military leaves of absence for employees of the Commonwealth or political subdivisions; law-enforcement officers.

Military leaves of absence for employees of the Commonwealth or political subdivisions; law-enforcement officers. Provides that any person who is employed by the Commonwealth or a political subdivision of the Commonwealth as a law-enforcement officer shall receive paid leaves of absence for up to 388 work hours for which a leave of absence is required, during which such person is engaged in federally funded military duty, to include training duty, or is called forth by the Governor for military duty.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

Future in Focus Program; established.

Future in Focus Program. Establishes the Future in Focus Program to provide services and support to individuals 21, 22, and 23 years of age who participated in the Fostering Futures program immediately prior to attaining 21 years of age. Such services and support shall be designed to assist participants in transitioning to adulthood, becoming self-sufficient, and creating permanent, positive relationships. The bill directs the State Board of Social Services to promulgate regulations to implement the bill's provisions.

Anne Ferrell TataRepublican

Income tax, state; creation of currently not collectible status.

Individual income taxes; creation of currently not collectible status. Directs the Department of Taxation to create a form through which taxpayers may file for currently not collectible status and specifies that corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies shall be ineligible for such status. The bill provides that the Department shall place an applicant into such status upon a finding that the collection of income taxes from such applicant would create or exacerbate an undue hardship for such applicant. Such applicant shall reapply for such status annually. This bill incorporates HB 2667 and has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Elections; prohibited area within five feet of any area designated for voting outside polling place.

Elections; general provisions; prohibited area. Adds the five feet beyond any area designated for voting outside the polling place to the prohibited area where campaigning and certain other activities are unlawful during elections.

David A. ReidDemocrat

First-time Homebuyer Grant Program; established.

First-time Homebuyer Grant Program. Establishes a First-time Homebuyer Grant Program for the purpose of assisting first-time homebuyers with first-time homebuyer expenses, as those terms are defined in the bill. The bill provides that the Department of Housing and Community Development shall award eligible first-time homebuyers a grant in an amount equal to five percent of such expenses incurred during a calendar year, not to exceed $10,000. Any grant awarded pursuant to the Program shall be repaid to the Commonwealth if the property for which expenses were incurred is sold within three years from the purchase date, unless the sale is made following a natural disaster or other act of God.

Joshua G. ColeDemocrat

Virginia Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act; administrator to exercise due diligence to locate owner.

Virginia Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act; administrator to exercise due diligence to locate owner. Requires the State Treasurer or his designee to exercise due diligence to locate the owner of unclaimed funds or abandoned property previously paid or delivered to the State Treasurer or his designee. Such exercise of due diligence shall include, if necessary, that the State Treasurer or his designee coordinate with the Tax Commissioner to provide the Department of the Treasury with relevant tax information for the purposes of locating such owner.

C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr.Democrat

Public school funding and staffing; special education students, support services positions.

Equity in public school funding and staffing; special education students; at-risk students; English language learner students; report. Requires state-funded add-ons to be provided to support special education students that are calculated by multiplying weights set forth in the general appropriation act by the relevant basic aid per-pupil amount for each such student. The bill establishes the At-Risk Program for the purpose of supporting programs and services for students who are educationally at risk, including prevention, intervention, or remediation activities required pursuant to relevant law, teacher recruitment programs and initiatives, programs for English language learners, the hiring of additional school counselors and other support staff, and other programs relating to increasing the success of disadvantaged students in completing a high school degree and providing opportunities to encourage further education and training. The bill also contains provisions relating to certain funding requirements for the At-Risk Program. The bill requires the Department of Education to develop and implement a data collection process related to English language learner expenditures and student English proficiency levels and identify other options to support English language learners and provide a status report to the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding on its implementation and data collection efforts by September 1, 2025. Finally, the bill requires the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or any other relevant stakeholders with expertise in special education as the Department of Education deems appropriate, to develop a plan for revised special education staffing requirements that addresses the staffing needs of each special education program in each school division as determined by the specific educational and behavioral support needs of students who receive special education and aims to improve special education teacher recruitment and retention and to report its findings to the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding by November 1, 2025. The bill is a recommendation of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. This bill incorporates HB 1831.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

Wage garnishment; recovery of certain improper payment, etc., state tax debt.

Wage garnishment; state or local tax debt. Provides that the maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings of an individual for any workweek that is subject to garnishment to collect delinquent taxes and charges owed to the state or any local government shall not exceed 25 percent of such individual's disposable earnings for that week. The bill contains technical amendments and applies only to garnishments issued on and after January 1, 2026.

Phil M. HernandezDemocrat

Voter registration; lists of registered voters and persons voting, publication of costs.

Voter registration; lists of registered voters and persons voting; publication of costs. Requires the Department of Elections to publish on its website the cost of purchasing lists of registered voters and lists of persons voting at elections.

H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.Republican

Pari-mutuel wagering; historical horse racing, percentage retained for distribution.

Pari-mutuel wagering; historical horse racing; percentage retained for distribution. Provides that with respect to all authorized historical horse racing terminals, of the amount that a horse racing licensee retains from wagering on historical horse racing pools and in addition to the current distribution required under law, 0.0125 percent each shall be distributed to the Shenandoah County Agricultural Foundation and the Great Meadow Foundation to support the promotion, education, maintenance, and safety of horse racing at such facilities. The bill also increases the distribution percentage provided from the amount that a horse racing licensee retains from wagering on historical horse racing pools to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund from 0.01 percent to 0.025 percent.

David A. ReidDemocrat

Commonwealth Aviation Fund; changes allocation amounts.

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

Karrie K. DelaneyDemocrat

Trees; preservation during development.

Preservation of existing trees during development; certain localities. Allows a locality with a population of at least 75 people per square mile or a locality located within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, when assessing the adequacy of existing trees identified by the developer during the development process to be preserved or in assessing the overall impact of the development on existing trees, to require, by ordinance, the developer to (i) submit a survey or map detailing the location of critical root zones on the subject property, including any roots from mature trees that have grown over the subject property line to the abutting property or property adjacent to the subject property, or (ii) provide other information reasonably calculated to assist the locality to determine if such trees are sufficient to meet all or part of the tree canopy requirements.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Statewide housing targets; requires localities to increase their total housing stock.

Statewide housing targets for localities. Requires localities to increase their total housing stock by at least 7.5 percent over the five-year period beginning January 1, 2027. The bill provides that in order to meet the 7.5 percent growth target, a locality shall develop a housing growth plan that best meets the needs of the locality and may include any of various listed housing growth strategies. The bill further provides that after January 1, 2032, an applicant who seeks local government approval for a residential development that will have the effect of increasing the supply of housing in a locality and has that application rejected may, in addition to other remedies, appeal such decision to the Housing Approval Board, which shall be established by the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development. The bill authorizes the Housing Approval Board to overturn local decisions and approve applications under certain circumstances. However, if the Housing Approval Board determines that a locality has in good faith implemented at least three of the housing growth strategies listed in the bill and has not rejected more than 25 percent of new housing development proposals over the previous five years, the Housing Approval Board shall allow the local decision to stand. Finally, the bill provides that the Housing Approval Board shall give extra weight for increases in affordable housing and for the rehabilitation of current, underutilized housing stock. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat