Bills & Legislation

Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program; established, report.

Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program. Establishes the Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program (the Program) to provide matching funds to employers in order to incentivize employers to contribute to the child care costs of their employees. The Program shall be administered by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (the Foundation). To participate in the Program, an employer shall agree to make child care contributions to the eligible mixed-delivery provider on behalf of the employee and shall provide any other information deemed necessary by the Foundation. To the extent funds are available, the Foundation shall issue a state match directly to such eligible mixed-delivery provider or to a third-party administrator. Program funds shall be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis; however, the Foundation is encouraged to prioritize awards to proposals involving contributions from small businesses. The bill requires the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation to provide an interim report to the General Assembly by September 1, 2026, and a summative report to the General Assembly by September 1, 2027, on the effectiveness and impact of the Program.

Adele Y. McClureDemocrat

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.

Chris S. RunionRepublican

Registration decals; discontinued.

Registration decals; discontinued. Discontinues the requirement for and issuance of decals displaying the expiration month and year of motor vehicle registration to be displayed on license plates. The bill also removes the requirement for the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue appropriately designated license plates for motor vehicles held for rental. The bill does not eliminate existing requirements that vehicles are to be registered. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Terry L. AustinRepublican

Va. Brownfield & Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund; increases kilowatt of nameplate capacity.

Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund. Increases from $100 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields to $200 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields the grant amount a project developer can receive from the Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund.

Michael J. WebertRepublican

Virginia National Guard; deployment to active duty combat.

Virginia National Guard; deployment to active duty combat. Prohibits the Virginia National Guard from being deployed into active duty combat, defined in the bill, unless Congress has made an official declaration of war, defined in the bill, or has taken an official action as authorized by the Constitution of the United States for the purposes of expressly executing the laws of the United States, repelling invasion, or suppressing an insurrection.

Nicholas J. FreitasRepublican

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; publishing of certain institution-level data on website required.

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; publishing of certain institution-level data on website required. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to annually publish in an easily accessible format and location on its website data for each public institution of higher education and each nonprofit private institution of higher education eligible to participate in the Tuition Assistance Grant Program on the (i) cost of tuition and fees; (ii) student retention rate; (iii) student graduation rate; (iv) wages of former students three years after graduation; (v) 20 baccalaureate degree programs with the highest average annual wages following graduation; and (vi) 20 associate degree or certificate programs with the highest average annual wages following graduation. The bill requires such data to be presented in a user-friendly format so that the user can compare the data clearly and visually.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

Speed safety cameras; placement and operation.

Speed safety cameras; placement and operation. Changes the terms "photo speed monitoring device" to "speed safety camera" and "high-risk intersection segment" to "high-risk speed corridor" in provisions related to vehicle speed violations. The bill authorizes localities to provide by ordinance for the placement and operation of a speed safety camera by the law-enforcement agency of such locality in certain locations. The bill authorizes any locality without its own law-enforcement agency to, by ordinance, authorize officers of the law-enforcement agency with jurisdiction within such locality to issue a summons and swear to or affirm a certificate for a vehicle speed violation. For any new speed safety camera placed, the bill provides for a warning by mail instead of a summons and no civil penalty for alleged vehicle speed violations within the first 30 days of such camera's operation. The bill makes various other changes to the requirements for the use of speed safety cameras, including changes related to signs indicating the use of such cameras; the use of funds collected from civil penalties; requirements for private vendors; the periodic review of the use of such cameras; the provision of information to the public related to the use and placement of such cameras; the creation of advisory groups; and consultation with certain entities prior to placement and operation of such cameras.

Holly M. SeiboldDemocrat

SOL; Bd. of Education shall prioritize incorporation of assessments in languages other than English.

Board of Education; Standards of Learning assessments; availability in commonly spoken languages other than English. Requires the Board of Education to prioritize the incorporation of Standards of Learning assessments in commonly spoken languages in the Commonwealth other than English into its statewide student assessment system, and in any contract that it enters into with a third party for the development, establishment, and maintenance of such system.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Professional and Occupational Regulation, Department of; board appointment requirements.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; boards; appointment requirements; years of experience. Lowers from at least five years to at least three years the years of experience required for the appointment of (i) home inspectors to the Virginia Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors; (ii) hearing aid specialists, otolaryngologists, opticians, and ophthalmologists to the Board for Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians; (iii) real estate appraisers to the Real Estate Appraiser Board; (iv) alternative onsite sewage system operators, alternative onsite sewage system installers, and onsite soil evaluators to the Board for Waterworks and Wastewater Works Operators and Onsite Sewage System Professionals; and (v) cemetery operators to the Cemetery Board.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Charter; City of Virginia Beach.

Charter; City of Virginia Beach. Amends the charter for the City of Virginia Beach to reflect the City's transition to a city council consisting solely of single-member districts and the mayor.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Industrial development authorities; Town of Front Royal.

Industrial development authorities; Town of Front Royal. Extends from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2030, the period of time during which the industrial development authority created by the Town of Front Royal may include Warren County in any of its economic development projects.

Delores OatesRepublican

Commissioner of Hwys.; prequalification program for self-bonding program, removes certain reports.

Commissioner of Highways; prequalification program for self-bonding program; certain reports; repealed. Removes (i) the biennial report requirement for the Commissioner of Highways regarding the use of funds in the Innovation and Technology Transportation Fund; (ii) the requirement for a prequalification program agreed upon by the Commissioner of Highways and the Department of the Treasury for the self-bonding program for transportation-related construction projects; and (iii) reporting requirements for the Department of Transportation regarding certain information related to performance or payment bonds, waivers, and self-bonding program enrollment.

Eric R. ZehrRepublican

Commending Molly and Robert Hardie.

Commending Molly and Robert Hardie.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Law-enforcement officers, state and local; enforcement of federal traffic violations in Northern Va.

Enforcement of federal traffic violations by state and local law-enforcement officers; photo speed monitoring devices; Planning District 8 (Northern Virginia). Provides that state and local law-enforcement officers may enforce federal traffic violations on any highway within Planning District 8. The bill also provides that a state or local law-enforcement agency may place and operate a photo speed monitoring device on a National Park highway, as defined in the bill, for the purposes of recording vehicle speed violations, provided that such law-enforcement agency has been authorized by the federal government or the National Park Service to place such photo speed monitoring device on such National Park highway.

Scott A. SurovellDemocrat

Employment health and safety standards; heat illness prevention.

Employment health and safety standards; heat illness prevention. Requires the Safety and Health Codes Board to adopt regulations establishing reasonable standards designed to protect employees from heat illness and establish a list of high-hazard industries, as defined in the bill. The bill authorizes a person aggrieved by a violation of its provisions or the regulations promulgated thereunder to seek to obtain injunctive relief, to recover statutory damages of $1000, or both, in an action commenced within one year of the cause of action. The bill requires the Safety and Health Codes Board, in consultation with the Department of Labor and Industry, to develop a list of high-hazard industries by January 1, 2026, and to develop and adopt regulations requiring employers in high-hazard industries to implement standards for heat illness prevention by May 1, 2026.

Phil M. HernandezDemocrat

Eminent domain powers of public service corporations; compensation to the Commonwealth & localities.

Certain eminent domain powers; conservation easements; compensation to the Commonwealth and localities. Requires any person, defined in the bill, if it takes by condemnation proceedings any land or right-of-way or similar interest therein that is subject to a conservation easement, to compensate (i) the Commonwealth in an amount equal to the value of any tax credit received by the landowner under the provisions of the Virginia Land Conservation Incentives Act of 1999 during the pendency of the conservation easement and (ii) the locality in which the right-of-way is located (a) in an amount of any property tax avoided by the landowner during the pendency of the conservation easement and (b) if the right-of-way is located on property that is registered with the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places, in an amount equal to the additional value conferred upon the property during the period that property was registered.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund; distribution of certain funds, reports.

Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund; reallocation of certain funds for conservation practices. Allows until July 1, 2027, in any fiscal year, any funds previously distributed to the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program for the purpose of grants for agricultural best management practices that cannot be obligated by a soil and water conservation district by June 15 during the fiscal year to be reallocated by the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board to any soil and water conservation district for conservation practices. The bill also allows the Board to reallocate the remaining previously distributed funds that cannot be obligated by June 15 to the soil and water conservation districts within the same watershed. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to include in its annual reports to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations relating to the clean-up plan for the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia waters the amounts of funds reappropriated between watersheds as provided in the bill.

Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.Republican

Celebrating the life of Peggy Lynn Davis.

Celebrating the life of Peggy Lynn Davis.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

Department of Veterans Services; 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.

David A. ReidDemocrat

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

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

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program; established, report, effective date.

Public schools; student discipline; Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program; established. Establishes the Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program (the Program), to be administered by the Department of Education (the Department), for the purpose of addressing school discipline issues and promoting evidence-based restorative practices, as that term is defined in the bill, in public schools in the Commonwealth by awarding grants to a school division in each superintendent's region in the Commonwealth to be used in developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to integrate evidence-based restorative practices in such school divisions in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill directs the Department to (i) develop the application process by which a school board may apply to receive funds pursuant to the Program; (ii) establish criteria for the selection and award of grants pursuant to the Program; and (iii) develop a process for evaluating the progress and performance of each school division selected to receive a grant pursuant to the Program in implementing such evidence-based restorative practices and satisfying the Program requirements set forth in the bill. The bill requires any such school division to (a) establish a learning collaborative for the purpose of developing a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based restorative practices in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (b) submit to the Department by July 1 of each year immediately following any year for which it receives a grant a report on its progress in implementing such evidence-based restorative practices for the preceding school year. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

Workers' compensation benefits; post-traumatic stress disorder incurred by firefighters, etc.

Workers' compensation benefits; post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters. Increases from 52 weeks to 104 weeks the maximum duration after the date of diagnosis that workers' compensation benefits are payable for post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters acting in the line of duty.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Sickle cell disease; feasibility of Medicaid benefit and Medicaid Health Homes, report.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; sickle cell disease; feasibility of Medicaid benefit and Medicaid Health Homes; report. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to determine the feasibility of participating in an optional Medicaid benefit for sickle cell disease and establishing Medicaid Health Homes to coordinate care and provide treatment for individuals with sickle cell disease. The bill requires the Department to report its findings in its annual review of sickle cell disease treatment and submit such review to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the Joint Commission on Health Care by November 15, 2025. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care.

Candi Mundon KingDemocrat

Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act; created, prohibited practices, penalties.

Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act; prohibited practices; penalties. Creates the Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act to regulate the practices of persons seeking to receive compensation for preparing, presenting, prosecuting, advising, consulting, or assisting any individual regarding any veterans' benefits matter, as defined in the bill. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Bryce E. ReevesRepublican

Rural Affairs, Secretariat of; JLARC to study need for and feasibility of creating position.

Study; JLARC; creation of Secretariat of Rural Affairs; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study the need for and feasibility of creating a Secretariat of Rural Affairs in the Commonwealth.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Uniform Statewide Building Code; stakeholder group to evaluate temperature regulation.

Board of Housing and Community Development; USBC; temperature regulation. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development to, during the 2024 Virginia Code Development Cycle, evaluate potential revisions to the Uniform Statewide Building Code to require that certain owners and operators that rent, lease, or let one or more dwelling unit, rooming unit, or guestroom to supply cooling and furnish heat to maintain certain temperatures in all habitable rooms.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Land records; recording and indexing fees.

Land records; recording and indexing fees. Provides that no clerk of a circuit court shall assess separate recording and indexing fees for one document that contains two or more instruments that may serve independent legal purposes, unless the person presenting such document or instruments requests that such document or instruments be recorded and indexed in more than a single instance. The bill also provides that no recordation tax shall be required of a quitclaim deed between a grantor and grantee when no consideration has passed between the parties, provided that such quitclaim deed shows on its face that no consideration has passed.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

State Government Internship Coordinator; DHRM to establish and employ.

Department of Human Resource Management; State Government Internship Coordinator. Requires the Department of Human Resource Management to establish and employ a State Government Internship Coordinator to attract high quality interns to the service of the Commonwealth with the goal of developing such interns to support their ability to compete for positions in agencies of the Commonwealth upon conclusion of their internships and completion of their educational programs. The bill also requires the Department to establish and administer a system to provide professional development opportunities for state agency interns, intern supervisors, and human resources staff.

Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr.Democrat

Virginia's manufacturing sector; JLARC to update its 2016 study of the impact of regulations.

Study; JLARC to update its 2016 study of the impact of regulations on Virginia's manufacturing sector; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to update its 2016 study of the impact of regulations on Virginia's manufacturing sector. This bill is a recommendation of the Manufacturing Development Commission.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Elections; campaign finance disclosure reports, searchable electronic database.

Elections; campaign finance disclosure reports; searchable electronic database. Requires the Department of Elections to provide an interface for the campaign finance database maintained by the Department that allows users to easily search for and sort information by individual candidates and types of elections, offices, committees, other spenders, and contributors; contributions, receipts, disbursements, expenditures, loans, and other categories of information included in campaign finance reports; and late filings, incomplete filings, and other violations. The bill specifies that the interface shall also provide users tools for manipulating and exporting data. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Commending the 2025 House-Senate basketball game to benefit Massey Cancer Center.

The annual House Senate Basketball Game.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Core emergency management functions; DEM to study reliance on federal grants.

Department of Emergency Management; work groups related to the Commonwealth's response to the COVID-19 pandemic; report. Directs the Department of Emergency Management to convene work groups to (i) study the reliance of the Commonwealth and its localities on federal grants for core emergency management functions, (ii) study and develop a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework to take effect during a disaster for which a state of emergency has been declared, and (iii) study and develop solutions to address breaks in technology continuity among communities across the Commonwealth during emergencies. The bill directs each work group to complete its work and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than November 30, 2025. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth. This bill incorporates SB 1325.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Coastal storm risk mgmt.; Office of Commonwealth Resilience to study costs of feasibility studies.

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

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Workforce Development and Advancement, Department of; powers and duties.

Department of Workforce Development and Advancement; powers and duties. Requires the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement to ensure that all state workforce development programs and state workforce education and training programs (i) address an industry need identified on a high-demand occupation or field list created by the Department and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development and Advancement and (ii) include a job placement component in their implementation and operating plans. Publicly funded workforce development and workforce education and training programs may apply for an exemption from such requirements, and the Commissioner shall approve or disapprove such application within 45 days of receipt. The bill provides that if the Commissioner does not provide a response within 45 days of receipt, the waiver request will be deemed approved. The bill also provides that if a program is denied an exemption by the Commissioner, such program may appeal the decision to the Secretary of Labor within 10 days of the date of denial by the Commissioner and the Secretary of Labor will make a final determination within 30 days of receipt of the appeal.

Irene ShinDemocrat

Pregnant individuals; DMAS to seek federal authority to implement presumptive eligibility, etc.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; presumptive eligibility for pregnant individuals; qualified entities; performance standards for qualified entities. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to seek federal authority to implement presumptive eligibility for pregnant individuals, in addition to the existing hospital presumptive eligibility program and, if the Department receives such authority, allows the Department to authorize qualified entities to make determinations of presumptive eligibility for pregnant individuals. The bill directs qualified entities to provide (i) the necessary applications for medical assistance on the day in which the presumptive eligibility decision is made and (ii) assistance with completing such applications through available modalities. Under the bill, qualified entities are authorized to make determinations of presumptive eligibility for pregnant individuals who meet eligibility criteria for certain medical assistance programs and have not had a presumptive eligibility period during the current pregnancy. The bill also sets forth certain performance standards that qualified entities must meet to remain a qualified entity, described in the bill.

Michael B. FeggansDemocrat

Surplus real property; prioritization of disposition for affordable housing.

Surplus real property; prioritization of disposition for affordable housing. Requires the Department of General Services to determine whether, following an offer of surplus property to the chief administrative officer of the locality within which the surplus property is located, as well as to any economic development entity for such locality, such surplus property is suitable for the development of affordable housing, as defined by the bill. If the Department so determines, the bill provides that such property shall be offered for at least 90 days exclusively to eligible organizations, as defined by the bill, for the purpose of developing affordable housing, provided that the terms of the disposition include a recorded covenant to provide affordable housing for at least 30 years.The bill also requires the governing body of each locality to prepare an inventory list of all real property within its jurisdiction to which the locality or any dependent special district within its boundaries holds fee simple title that is suitable for the development of affordable housing. If the governing body of a locality chooses to dispose of such a property, such property shall be offered for at least 90 days exclusively to eligible organizations, as defined by the bill, for the purpose of developing affordable housing, through purchase, lease, exchange, or donation in return for a recorded covenant to provide affordable housing for at least 30 years.

Debra D. GardnerDemocrat

Public campaign financing; counties and cities may establish for certain offices.

Public campaign financing; counties and cities may establish for certain offices. Authorizes the governing body of a county or city to establish by ordinance a system of public campaign financing for elected local offices. The bill specifies certain requirements for a system of public campaign financing established by a governing body, including the provision of a public election fund to be administered by the treasurer of the county or city. A system of public campaign financing established by a county or city is permitted to more stringently regulate the campaign finance activity of participating candidates and shall be subject to regulation and oversight by the State Board of Elections to ensure its conformity with state law and policy to the extent practicable.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Community Living and Family and Individual Supports Waiver; program rule amendments.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; 1915(c) Home and Community Based Waivers; program rule amendments; direct support professionals. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to seek the necessary approvals to amend the program rules for the Community Living and Family and Individual Supports Waivers to provide for compensation of a direct support professional for a waiver recipient in an acute care hospital under certain circumstances.

Betsy B. CarrDemocrat

Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program; guidance and criteria for awarding grants.

Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program; guidance and criteria for awarding grants; military community. Requires that the guidance and criteria developed by the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs for use in awarding grants under the Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program provide that such grants be awarded primarily to projects that receive federal matching funds. However, in the event that federal matching funds are not available, the bill provides that such grants may be made to other projects that promote the objectives of the Program. The bill redefines "military community" for purposes of the Program to mean any locality that can demonstrate that more than five percent of the community's economy is derived from military funding and supporting partner entities who aid in the planning, design, construction, or completion of infrastructure projects that enhance military readiness, installation resiliency, or quality of life for such locality's community. Under current law, such term means any locality that can demonstrate that more than five percent of the community's economy is derived from military funding.

Anne Ferrell TataRepublican

English language learner expenditures & students; DOE shall develop data collection process.

Department of Education; English language learner students; data collection on expenditures. 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.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Railroad safety; minimum train crew used in movement of freight, civil penalties.

Railroad safety; minimum train crew; movement of freight; civil penalties. Requires railroad companies to comply with federal requirements for minimum train crews on all trains, locomotives, or light engines used in connection with moving freight and provides civil penalties for violations of such requirement.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Public Safety & Homeland Security & HHR, Secretaries of; combat sale of illicit cannabis products.

Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and Secretary of Health and Human Resources; combat the sale of illicit cannabis products; work group; report.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Child Care Subsidy Program waiting list; target timeline for assigning slots to priority groups.

Department of Education; Child Care Subsidy Program waiting list; additional priority group; target timeline for assigning slots to priority groups. Requires the Department of Education to amend its Child Care Subsidy Program Guidance Manual to add a seventh priority group to the Child Care Subsidy Program waiting list that consists of any family that meets all other Program eligibility criteria and includes a parent who is employed for at least 30 hours per week by a publicly funded child care provider in the Commonwealth that serves children from birth to age five, excluding employment by a local school division but including employment by a Head Start program that is located within a public school building. The bill also directs the Department of Education to require local departments of social services to target a maximum of 30 days for moving priority group families from the waiting list into services; regularly assess, in coordination with the Department of Social Services, the length of time it takes for priority groups to be assigned slots; and provide quarterly updates, beginning October 1, 2025, to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education on such timeline and any other barriers experienced by families in priority groups on the waiting list in accessing services.

Elizabeth B. Bennett-ParkerDemocrat

Solar facilities; local regulation, special exceptions.

Local regulation of solar facilities; special exceptions. Provides that a ground-mounted solar energy generation facility to be located on property zoned agricultural, commercial, industrial, or institutional shall be permitted pursuant to various criteria to be included in a local ordinance, such as specifications for setbacks, fencing, solar panel height, visual impacts, and grading, and a decommissioning plan for solar energy equipment and facilities, unless otherwise permitted by right.

Candi Mundon KingDemocrat

Emergency management and state health regions, etc.; study of makeup and composition.

Department of Emergency Management and the Department of Health to study the makeup and composition of the emergency management regions, state health regions, and local health districts; report. Directs the Department of Emergency Management and the Department of Health to study the makeup and composition of the seven emergency management regions, the five Virginia health regions, and the 35 local health districts to determine the feasibility of mutually beneficial alignment of such regions and districts. The bill directs the Departments to complete their work and report findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than November 30, 2025. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

High school students; postsecondary opportunities, transferable meta-major associate degrees.

Public high school students; opportunity to earn transferable meta-major associate degree during high school to reduce college debt. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, in cooperation with the Virginia Community College System and each associate-degree-granting public institution of higher education and each baccalaureate public institution of higher education, to establish a program by which qualified high school students earn an associate degree in a meta-major through dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, or a combination thereof, that (i) is fully transferable to any baccalaureate public institution of higher education that offers a program of study in such meta-major and (ii) to the extent possible, satisfies discipline-specific degree requirements in the student's preferred program of study.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

Veterans or military service members; deaths by suicide.

Deaths by suicide of veterans or military service members; inquiry by State Registrar of Vital Records; Department of Veterans Services annual report. Requires the State Registrar of Vital Records, when a death certificate is filed and lists suicide as the cause of death, to make an inquiry into whether the decedent was a veteran or military service member and to provide any information concerning the suicide of such veteran or military service member to the Department of Veterans Services. The bill also provides that the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services may request, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner shall deliver to the Commissioner, a copy of an autopsy report of a veteran or military service member whose cause and manner of death is determined to be a suicide. The bill also reestablishes the position of Suicide Prevention Coordinator as the Suicide Prevention Program and requires such Program to, in coordination with the State Police, compile and analyze data relating to such suicides to be included in the annual report submitted by the Department to the Governor and the General Assembly.

David A. ReidDemocrat

Zoning for Housing Production Pilot Program; created, report, sunset.

Zoning for Housing Production Pilot Program created; affordable dwelling unit policy incentives; report. Creates the Zoning for Housing Production Pilot Program to be administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development. To be eligible for a grant from the Program, an eligible locality, as named in the bill, is required to make a change to its zoning policies to allow for by-right development that is expected to further the goal of creating and maintaining mixed-income communities, affordable housing, and moderately priced housing, as those terms are defined in the bill. The Department is required to establish certain guidelines for the Program no later than December 31, 2025, and to notify eligible localities of the existence and purpose of the Program no later than February 1, 2026. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2028.

Betsy B. CarrDemocrat