Bills & Legislation

Gov't efficiency; agency reporting requirement, etc., jt. subcom. on Gov't. Efficiency established.

Government efficiency; agency reporting requirements; healthcare financing reform; Interagency Health Financing Task Force; managed care organization performance review; housing regulatory review; procurement reform; technology consolidation; real property management; personnel efficiency; federal funding contingency; establishment of the Joint Subcommittee on Government Efficiency; data integration and transparency.

Martin E. WilliamsRepublican

Warehouse employers; required disclosures and recordkeeping, civil penalties.

Labor and employment; warehouse employers; required disclosures and recordkeeping; civil penalties. Requires each employer of 500 or more warehouse employees in the Commonwealth to provide a written description of each quota to which an employee is subject, any incentive or bonus associated with meeting the quota, and any potential adverse employment action that may result from failure to meet the quota. Such employers are also required to disclose the use of an automated or algorithmic management system to monitor or evaluate employee performance. Under the bill, the time periods in quotas must account for relevant standards for meal periods, rest periods, bathroom access, or workplace safety. The bill also requires such employers to keep records of each employee's work-speed data, aggregate work-speed data, and written quota disclosures provided to employees. The bill prohibits retaliatory action against an employee for requesting information, making a good faith complaint, or participating in an investigation and includes a rebuttable presumption that any adverse employment action taken within 90 days of such conduct is retaliatory. Provisions of the bill are enforceable by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry under existing provisions to enforce and remedy safety and health violations.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program authority; right of entry, performance bond.

Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program authority; right of entry; performance bond. Removes the requirement for a Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program (VESMP) authority to have a performance bond with surety, cash escrow, letter of credit, any combination thereof, or such other legal arrangement in order to enter any establishment or upon any property, public or private, for the purpose of initiating or maintaining appropriate actions that are required by conditions imposed by the VESMP authority on a land-disturbing activity when an owner, after proper notice, has failed to take acceptable action within the time specified.

Nicole ColeDemocrat

Marijuana or marijuana products; underage possession, consequences, procedures.

Underage consumption or possession of alcoholic beverage or marijuana or marijuana products; consequences; procedures. Reduces the penalties for underage consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages or marijuana or marijuana products to a written warning for a first violation, a written warning and the provision of informational materials about how to access community services for a second violation, and a write-up and an optional referral for accessing community services for a third or subsequent violation. Under current law, underage consumption, purchase, or possession of alcoholic beverages is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor with a period of license suspension and an option for a deferred dismissal in certain circumstances. The current penalties for underage consumption or possession of marijuana or marijuana products is a civil penalty of $25 and an order to enter a substance abuse treatment or education program. The bill also provides that such underage persons are not capable of giving lawful consent to a search and that the unconcealed possession of an alcoholic beverage or marijuana or marijuana products shall not constitute probable cause to initiate a search of a person or that person's personal property to determine any further violations of law. The bill specifies that such underage persons shall not be subject to arrest or otherwise detained or taken into custody by a law-enforcement officer and that a law-enforcement officer's body-worn camera system shall be activated during any encounter involving an underage person suspected to be in violation of such provisions. The bill also puts limits on the dissemination and retention of any law-enforcement records related to violations of such provisions.

Leslie Chambers MehtaDemocrat

Residential development; authorizes any locality to impose impact fees.

Impact fees; residential development. Authorizes any locality to impose impact fees on certain residential developments in order to defray the costs of constructing public facilities necessitated by those developments. Under current law, such impact fees have limited applicability and may be imposed only by those counties that have established urban transportation service districts. The bill also deletes provisions of current law that narrow the scope of included public facilities for localities in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Rae CousinsDemocrat

Alcoholic beverage control; definitions, designer and vintage spirit bottles.

Alcoholic beverage control; definitions; designer and vintage spirit bottles. Defines, for the purposes of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, "designer spirit bottle" and "vintage spirit bottle."

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Onsite sewage system designs; Board of Health to establish a pre-certified library of designs, etc.

Department of Health; Board of Health; powers and duties; onsite sewage system designs. Directs the Board of Health to establish and maintain a pre-certified library of engineered onsite sewage system designs that may be used by right when site conditions materially match the design envelope for such systems. The bill also directs the Department of Health, in coordination with the Department of Environmental Quality, to implement a fast-track permitting timeline for subdivision plat review when a subdivision will have identical, decentralized onsite sewage system designs. Within 30 days from the date of written submission of a request for approval of a site evaluation and design for subdivision plat review, the Department of Health shall (i) issue the requested letter, permit, or approval or (ii) set forth in writing the specific reasons for denial.

Madison WhittleRepublican

Limitation on sentence upon revocation of suspension of sentence; technical violations.

Limitation on sentence upon revocation of suspension of sentence; technical violations. Provides that the court shall consider all technical violations that are alleged to have occurred after a prior sentencing or revocation hearing as single technical violation and adjudicate the case as such, with punishment imposed pursuant to relevant law. The bill also prohibits the court from treating multiple technical violations during a single probationary period between such prior sentencing or revocation hearing as separate cases or adjudicate such violations at separate hearings. The bill requires that when a defendant has been taken into custody for an alleged violation for which the court may impose not more than 14 days of active incarceration, the court shall docket such case as soon as practicable, and any such case shall be given precedence on the docket. The bill states that if such violation is not adjudicated within 14 days of the defendant being taken into custody, the defendant shall be admitted to bail, unless (i) such defendant consents to being further detained while awaiting adjudication or sentencing or (ii) the Commonwealth has established, by clear and convincing evidence, that the defendant presents a significant risk of harm to himself or the community based on substance use disorder or serious mental illness and has been referred for residential treatment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the bill provides that no such defendant shall be held in custody awaiting adjudication of or sentencing on such alleged technical violation for longer than 30 days. The bill also expands the list of technical violations and provides that it shall be a defense to an alleged violation if the defendant can show that he has substantially complied with his probation obligations.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Certain student assessment requirements; exception for certain students with disabilities.

Certain student assessment requirements; exception for certain students with disabilities. Excludes any students in grades seven through 12 who are children with disabilities and who participate in an alternative method of Standards of Learning assessment administration or who participate in an alternate assessment through the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program from the requirement that such students take Standards of Learning assessments or permissive local alternative assessments no earlier than two weeks prior to the last day of the school year and that each such student's score on any such assessment accounts for at least 10 percent of the student's final grade in the relevant course.

Tony O. WiltRepublican

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; prohibited provisions in rental agreements.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; prohibited provisions in rental agreements; landlord's maintenance responsibilities. Prohibits a rental agreement from containing any provision stating that the tenant agrees to pay (i) any fee for the maintenance of the premises, including the maintenance or provision of heating and cooling systems, pest control, trash disposal, common area utilities, and mail or package delivery; (ii) a fee for internet, cable, or any other utilities or services that amount to more than the cost paid by the landlord; or (iii) for the maintenance or security of the common areas. The bill also repeals the provision allowing the landlord and tenant to agree in writing that the tenant may perform certain duties typically assigned to the landlord and also specified repairs, maintenance tasks, alterations, and remodeling, but only if the transaction is entered into in good faith and not for the purpose of evading the obligations of the landlord and if the agreement does not diminish or affect the obligation of the landlord to other tenants in the premises.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team; established, definitions, penalty, report.

Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team established; penalty; report. Establishes the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team to develop and implement procedures to ensure that fetal and infant deaths occurring in the Commonwealth are analyzed in a systematic way. The bill requires the Team to compile triennial statistical data regarding fetal and infant deaths and to make such data available to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Department of Health. The bill provides that information and records obtained or created by the Team and portions of meetings of the Team at which individual fetal and infant deaths are discussed shall be confidential.

Margaret A. FranklinDemocrat

Dogs; hunting game animals, fur-bearing animals, and nuisance species, permits, civil penalties.

Department of Wildlife Resources; permits; use of dogs in hunting game animals, fur-bearing animals, and nuisance species; civil penalties. Directs the Department of Wildlife Resources to establish a permit for persons and a permit for organizations that hunt game animals, fur-bearing animals, or nuisance species with the aid of dogs and makes it unlawful for any person to (i) release a dog to hunt, pursue, or chase any game animal, fur-bearing animal, or nuisance species on any tract of real property or (ii) engage in hunting for any game animal, fur-bearing animal, or nuisance species with the aid of any dog unless such person has been issued a permit to hunt with dogs by the Department. The bill exempts from permitting requirements any person or organization (a) engaged in mounted fox hunting or hunting waterfowl, migratory birds, or upland game birds; (b) using a tracking dog to retrieve a wounded or dead bear, turkey, or deer; (c) whose dog remains in the immediate visual presence and control of such person or organization; or (d) on public lands where hunting is allowed. Finally the bill subjects any person who violates the provisions of the bill to a civil penalty of no more than $50 for a first violation and no less than $100 but no more than $250 for a second or subsequent violation within three years.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Loitering; unhoused persons.

Loitering; unhoused persons. Prohibits any locality from discriminating against any person on the basis of actual or perceived unhoused status by imposing a civil or criminal penalty against any unhoused person, defined in the bill, of any age for engaging in life-sustaining activities in or upon any public place, including in a legally parked car in a public place, provided that such activities do not obstruct the movement of pedestrian or vehicular traffic in a manner that creates a hazard to others. Life-sustaining activities include sleeping, resting, sitting, standing, lying down, or protecting oneself from the elements.

Joshua G. ColeDemocrat

Health insurance; pharmacies, freedom of choice, delivery of prescription drugs, penalties.

Health insurance; pharmacies; freedom of choice; delivery of prescription drugs; penalties. Prohibits an insurer, health maintenance organization, corporation providing preferred provider subscription contracts, or pharmacy benefits manager from imposing upon any person receiving pharmaceutical benefits any policy or practice requiring or incentivizing certain provisions relating to the delivery of prescription drugs. A violation of the bill's provisions constitutes an unfair trade practice under existing law and is subject to injunctive, penalty, and enforcement provisions in existing law.

Jeion A. WardDemocrat

Police chiefs; creates independent protections and procedures.

Police Chief Bill of Rights. Creates independent protections and procedures for certain chiefs of police, defined in the bill, by requiring a showing of just cause when a chief of police is proposed for removal from office. The bill requires that a police chief be given written notice of the specific grounds for his proposed removal and that such police chief be afforded an opportunity to be heard in his own defense, personally and with counsel, before an impartial hearing panel.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

Technical prof. license; curriculum & instruction coursework, comprehensive community colleges.

Teacher licensure; technical professional license; curriculum and instruction coursework; comprehensive community colleges. Permits any individual seeking a technical professional license to complete any required coursework in curriculum and instruction at any comprehensive community college in the Commonwealth that offers such coursework, regardless of whether such coursework is offered on a for-credit basis or as part of a noncredit workforce credential.

Delores OatesRepublican

Electric utilities; interconnection service standards, high-demand customers.

Electric utilities; interconnection service standards; high-demand customers. Requires the State Corporation Commission to establish standards for interconnection service by an electric utility to high-demand customers, as defined in the bill, in the Commonwealth that are designed to support economic growth in the Commonwealth while maintaining the reliability of the electric grid and minimizing the potential for stranded infrastructure costs.

Karen R. "Kacey" CarnegieDemocrat

Community Colleges, State Board for; acquisition and improvement of certain property.

State Board for Community Colleges; powers; Laurel Ridge Community College; acquisition and improvement of certain property; authorization. Authorizes the State Board of Community Colleges to acquire, by purchase, certain real property and improvements located adjacent to the Laurel Ridge Community College Campus and to execute and deliver such deeds, agreements, plats, and other instruments as necessary to carry out such acquisition in accordance with the provisions of the bill.

Bill WileyRepublican

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

Urban Public-Private Partnership Redevelopment Fund; funding requirements; report. Revises the Urban Public-Private Partnership Redevelopment Fund by expanding the qualifying private entities available for partnership with a local government for the redevelopment of local sites, removing the existing $500,000 grant cap for such local government, and eliminating the requirement that each grant be conditioned upon a 100 percent match of funds by the local government. The bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development (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 Chairs 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. In addition, the bill directs the Department to convene a work group to develop appropriate criteria and guidelines for the administration of the grant program established by the Fund, including for (i) how to prioritize awards for (a) localities experiencing an above average and high level of fiscal stress as designated by the Commission on Local Government and (b) localities experiencing a significant decrease in commercial real estate assessments and (ii) the amount and type of local match, including both requirements that consider monetary contributions and non-monetary contributions. The bill requires the work group to include representatives of the Department, the Virginia Association of Counties, the Virginia First Cities Coalition, the Virginia Municipal League, and the Virginia Economic Developers Association and to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by November 1, 2026. Under current law, the Board of Housing and Community Development is directed to develop guidelines for administration of the Fund. Finally, the bill repeals the Housing Revitalization Zone Act.

Gretchen M. BulovaDemocrat

Pesticides; manufacture, distribution, use, or sale of paraquat prohibited.

Pesticides; manufacture, distribution, use, or sale of paraquat prohibited. Prohibits any person from manufacturing, distributing, using, or selling any pesticide containing paraquat, defined in the bill, as an active ingredient. The bill allows the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to seize any such pesticide containing paraquat on complaint to the circuit court in the area where the pesticide is located.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Regional special ed.; DOE to assess enhancements & strategies to maximize use of funds for students.

Department of Education; assessment; utilization of funds for regional special education students; report. Requires the Department of Education (the Department), in collaboration with the Office of Children's Services, staff from the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees, and such other stakeholders as the Department deems appropriate, to assess potential enhancements and strategies to maximize utilization of funds designated for regional special education students, commonly referred to as the Students with Intensive Support Needs Application program, in order to decrease the number of referrals of students with disabilities into private day school placements. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and Education and the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations no later than December 15, 2026.

Stacey Annie CarrollDemocrat

Solar energy facilities; prevailing wage & apprenticeship requirements, state & local tax exemption.

Solar energy facilities; prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements; state and local tax exemption; report; civil penalties. Requires each solar developer, including its contractors and subcontractors, to ensure payment at the prevailing wage rate set by the Department of Labor and Industry for any mechanic, laborer, or worker employed, retained, or otherwise hired to perform construction, maintenance, or repair work for certain electricity generating sources. The bill requires each solar developer to (i) ensure that a percentage of the total labor hours of such work is performed by qualified apprentices and (ii) employ at least one qualified apprentice if four or more individuals are employed to perform such work. Under the bill, a solar developer that fails to meet the requirements of its provisions is required to make penalty payments to the Commissioner of Labor and Industry. Additionally, the bill provides that any certified solar generation facility, as defined in the bill, is declared a separate class of property and shall be classified for local taxation separately from other classifications of real or personal property. Such facilities shall be wholly exempt from state and local taxation under the Constitution of Virginia.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat

License plates, special; issuance to supporters of Quail Forever bearing legend QUAIL FOREVER.

Special license plates; QUAIL FOREVER. Authorizes the issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates for supporters of Quail Forever bearing the legend QUAIL FOREVER. The bill exempts such special license plates from requirements related to the minimum number of prepaid applications and the minimum number of active license plates after five years of issuance for special license plates.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

English language learner students; expenditures, annual data collection, report.

Department of Education; English language learner students; expenditures; data collection; report. Requires the Department of Education, in consultation with each school board, to annually collect, maintain, post publicly and conspicuously on its website, and report no later than November 1 to the Board of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly data on expenditures for the education of English language learner students in each local school division. The bill requires such data to be disaggregated by school level, grade level, and student English proficiency level.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Employment discrimination against members of the General Assembly; prohibition, penalty.

Employment discrimination against members of the General Assembly; prohibition; penalty. Prohibits discrimination in employment against a member of the General Assembly on the basis of his absence from employment due to his attendance at any regular or special session of the General Assembly or any meeting of a legislative committee, subcommittee, commission, council, or other entity on which he serves by reason of his status as a member of the General Assembly. A violation of the bill's provisions is a Class 3 misdemeanor.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Precipitation design standards; non-stationary precipitation, climate-adjusted rainfall.

Precipitation design standards; non-stationary precipitation; climate-adjusted rainfall. Requires the State Water Control Board to serve as the lead agency responsible for establishing and maintaining precipitation design standards to be used by all state agencies, localities, and other political subdivisions and in transportation projects. The bill requires such precipitation design standards to include the most recent precipitation frequency estimates published in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration national precipitation frequency atlas to account for observed and projected increases in precipitation intensity, frequency, and duration. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Transportation, and any other state agency to update any relevant manuals and design standards consistent with the provisions of the bill by July 1, 2027. The bill also allows the State Water Control Board and the Department of Transportation to adopt interim guidance or regulations implementing the provisions of the bill consistent with the Administrative Process Act, ensuring that updated precipitation design standards take effect no later than July 1, 2027. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee on Recurrent Flooding.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Noncustodial Parent Employment and Child Support Pilot Program; created, report, sunset.

Noncustodial Parent Employment and Child Support Pilot Program established; report; work group; sunset. Establishes the Noncustodial Parent Employment and Child Support Pilot Program within the Department of Social Services to assist noncustodial parents who are in arrears on child support payments or unemployed or underemployed with referrals to various resources, including employment referrals, employment skills training, education classes, parenting classes, and other forms of case management in lieu of or in addition to any available remedy available to enforce or collect child support payments. The bill directs the Department to report annually by December 1 to the Governor and the General Assembly data and information about the Program, including the number of parents participating in the Program, any reduction in the use of enforcement remedies to collect child support payments, and the amount of child support payments paid on time by parent participants. The bill also directs the Department to convene a work group to advise the Department on the design of and criteria for participation in the Program. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2031.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Public schools; industry-recognized uniform inspection and evaluation of indoor air quality.

Public schools; indoor air quality; industry-recognized uniform inspection and evaluation. Adds several items that are required to be included in the industry-recognized uniform inspection and evaluation of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system that is required at least every four years for each public elementary and secondary school building, including measurement of radon levels in the air and testing for moisture incursion. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

May NivarDemocrat

Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Fund and Program; amends fund and program.

Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Fund and Program; public, private, or nonprofit entity under contract with public school division. Amends the Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Fund and Program to allow moneys from the Fund to be awarded to any public, private, or nonprofit entity currently under contract with, or expected to be under contract with, a public school division to cover certain costs associated with transitioning from diesel school buses and other commercial motor vehicles, heavy equipment, or other machinery to electric school buses or other equipment that reduces air emissions. The bill also removes a provision that prohibits the allocation of funds to the Fund or the Program unless federal funds or nonstate funds are available to cover the entire cost of such allocation.

Gretchen M. BulovaDemocrat

Regional Care Compacts Pilot Program; established, report.

Regional Care Compacts Pilot Program established; workforce development; certified nurse aides; licensed practical nurses; report. Directs the Department of Health to establish the Regional Care Compacts Pilot Program to permit health care entities to enter into compacts, as defined by the bill, to incentivize health care workforce development. The bill permits such compacts to engage in workforce development activities, pool resources, enter into agreements with other entities to expand training and placement capacity, establish shared goals, and share workforce data in accordance with applicable privacy laws. The bill directs the Department to provide technical assistance and permits the Department to administer the Program in coordination with the Department of Health Professions, the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority, and other relevant entities. The bill requires compacts to report to the Department on their activities and requires the Department to submit a consolidated report to the Governor and General Assembly each year by December 1.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

School division accessibility challenges and barriers; summary and plan, report.

School division accessibility challenges and barriers; reports, summary, and plan. Requires each school board or division superintendent to review and report to the Department of Education no later than August 1, 2026, certain challenges and barriers relating to the accessibility of public elementary and secondary school buildings and grounds in the local school division. The bill requires the Department to consolidate all such reports into a summary document and submit (i) such document, (ii) a plan for achieving full compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 across all school divisions in the Commonwealth, and (iii) any legislative and budgetary recommendations for fully executing such plan to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the House Committee on Appropriations, and the House Committee on Education no later than November 1, 2026.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Speed safety cameras, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems, etc.; violation enforcement.

Speed safety cameras, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems, and stop sign violation monitoring systems; placement and operation; violation enforcement; civil penalties. Authorizes state and local law-enforcement agencies to place and operate pedestrian crossing violation and stop sign violation monitoring systems in school crossing zones, highway work zones, and high-risk speed corridors for purposes of recording pedestrian crossing and stop sign violations, as those terms are defined in the bill. The bill 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 makes various changes to the requirements for the use of speed safety cameras and extends most of those requirements to the use of pedestrian crossing violation and stop sign violation monitoring systems. The bill requires local law-enforcement agencies implementing or expanding the use of pedestrian crossing violation and stop sign violation monitoring systems, prior to the implementation or expansion of such systems, to conduct a public awareness program for such implementation or expansion.The bill also limits the use of speed safety cameras, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems, and stop sign violation monitoring systems in highway work zones to when workers are present, as defined in the bill, and provides that a certificate sworn to or affirmed by a law-enforcement officer or a retired sworn law-enforcement officer is not prima facie evidence of the facts contained therein for a speed safety camera, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring system, or stop sign violation monitoring system, as applicable, placed in a highway work zone unless the operator of the speed safety camera, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring system, or stop sign violation monitoring system, respectively, provides a sworn certification verifying that workers were present at the time of the violation.The bill directs the Supreme Court of Virginia to develop a summons for violations captured by speed safety cameras, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems, and stop sign violation monitoring systems and requires summonses issued for such violations to be such summons. The bill also establishes civil penalties for violations of requirements and provides that for any summons issued, failure to comply with the requirements for the operation of speed safety cameras, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems, or stop sign violation monitoring systems, as applicable, render such summons invalid.The bill contains delayed effective dates for certain provisions.

Holly M. SeiboldDemocrat

Farm Equipment Right to Repair Act; penalties, civil action.

Farm Equipment Right to Repair Act; Virginia Consumer Protection Act; penalties; civil action. Requires an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of agricultural equipment, or parts for such equipment, to make available to owners of such equipment and to independent repair providers, on fair and reasonable terms, documentation, parts, and tools for purposes of diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of such equipment. The bill requires, for agricultural equipment that contains an electronic security lock or other security-related function, OEMs to make available to the owners of such equipment and to independent repair providers, on fair and reasonable terms, any special documentation, parts, and tools needed to disable such lock or function and to reset it when disabled. A violation of the bill's provisions is a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. Any person who suffers a loss as the result of a violation of the bill's provisions shall be entitled to initiate an action for an injunction to enforce such provisions. The bill applies with respect to agricultural equipment sold or in use in the Commonwealth on or after January 1, 2027.

Lily V. FranklinDemocrat

Unemployment benefits; maximum duration.

Unemployment benefits; maximum duration. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2026, for claims effective on or after July 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly unemployment compensation benefit amount shall be paid for a maximum duration of 26 weeks.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Line of Duty Act; payments to beneficiaries.

Line of Duty Act; payments to beneficiaries. Provides that if a deceased person, as that term is defined in the Line of Duty Act, died as a result of certain cancers within 10 years from his date of retirement, his beneficiary shall be entitled to the payment of certain benefits. Under current law, such beneficiary shall be entitled to such payment if the deceased person's death (i) arose out of and in the course of his employment or (ii) was within five years from his date of retirement.

Rodney T. WillettDemocrat

Fire marshals; authority.

Authority of fire marshals.

Phillip A. ScottRepublican

Civil action for deprivation of rights; liability of persons acting under color of law.

Civil action for deprivation of rights; liability of persons acting under color of law. Creates a state civil cause of action for violations of rights guaranteed by the constitutions or laws of the United States and the Commonwealth. The bill provides that a person acting under color of law who deprives an individual of such rights and any supervisor of such person who is responsible for directing or overseeing such person's conduct shall be liable to such individual for compensatory damages, punitive damages, equitable relief, and reasonable attorney fees and costs.

Michelle Lopes MaldonadoDemocrat

Federal changes to graduate & prof. student loan prog. on in-state students; SCHEV to study impact.

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; evaluation; impact of recent federal changes to graduate and professional student loan programs on in-state students; report. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, with the assistance of an advisory group that it convenes, to evaluate the impact of revised federal borrowing limits, the elimination of federal Grad PLUS loans, and any related federal definitions that alter the classification of graduate and professional programs for student financial aid purposes on in-state students enrolled at public institutions of higher education and private nonprofit institutions eligible to participate in the Tuition Assistance Grant Program and report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2026. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Rules of construction; use of "shall," effective clause, report.

Rules of construction; use of "shall." Provides that "shall," as used in the Code of Virginia, establishes a mandatory requirement and is not merely directory, unless the statute explicitly provides otherwise. The bill responds to the holding in Henderson v. Commonwealth, 77 Va. App. 250 (2023), in which the Court of Appeals held that when the General Assembly uses "shall" in a statute commanding action by a public official or public body such usage is directory and not mandatory. The foregoing provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2027 Session of the General Assembly. The bill requires, effective in due course, the Virginia Code Commission to review the bill's provisions and evaluate the bill's effect on the Code of Virginia and to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2026.

Karrie K. DelaneyDemocrat

Law enforcement; artificial intelligence inventory, civil action.

Law enforcement; artificial intelligence inventory; civil action. Requires all law-enforcement agencies, defined in the bill as any state or local law-enforcement agency or sheriff's department, to conduct an inventory of any covered artificial intelligence system, defined in the bill, used by such agency and to make such inventory publicly available by November 1 of each year. The bill also provides that the Attorney General may investigate and, if warranted, bring a civil action against any law-enforcement agency to obtain equitable or declaratory relief to enforce the provisions of the bill and provides that a resident of the jurisdiction may bring a civil action against the law-enforcement agency to obtain equitable or declaratory relief to enforce the provisions of the bill. The bill requires such plaintiff to provide written notice of any alleged violation to the law-enforcement agency at least 90 days prior to filing suit, in a manner that is reasonably calculated to enable the law-enforcement agency to cure the alleged violation.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Use of artificial intelligence-based tools; covered artificial intelligence, disclosure of use.

Use of artificial intelligence-based tools; covered artificial intelligence; disclosure of use. Requires the use of covered artificial intelligence, as defined in the bill, in a criminal investigation to be disclosed in a police report filed for that investigation. Such a report shall be submitted to the attorney for the Commonwealth upon arrest or issuance of a summons and made available to the individual under investigation or such individual's counsel. The bill provides that any use of covered artificial intelligence subsequent to arrest shall be disclosed to the attorney for the Commonwealth and the individual under investigation as soon as practicable but no later than 30 calendar days following such use. The bill enumerates what each report shall include regarding the use of covered artificial intelligence and provides that the first draft of any report or record created in whole or in part by generative artificial intelligence shall be retained for as long as the final report is retained. The bill also provides that the program used to generate a draft or final report shall maintain an audit trail that identifies (i) the person who used artificial intelligence to create or edit the report; (ii) any changes made to the report following the initial draft; and (iii) the video and audio footage used to create a report, if any. The bill provides that the Attorney General may investigate and, if warranted, bring a civil action against any law-enforcement agency to obtain equitable or declaratory relief to enforce the provisions of the bill and provides that a resident of the jurisdiction may bring a civil action against the law-enforcement agency to obtain equitable or declaratory relief to enforce the provisions of the bill. The bill requires such plaintiff to provide written notice of any alleged violation to the law-enforcement agency at least 90 days prior to filing suit, in a manner that is reasonably calculated to enable the law-enforcement agency to cure the alleged violation.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

VSP; responsible for investigating alleged serious violent incident resulting in death of an inmate.

Department of Corrections; investigations of violent incidents. Designates the Department of State Police as the law-enforcement agency responsible for investigating (i) alleged serious violent incidents that result in the death of either an inmate or officer and (ii) alleged or suspected incidents of inmate suicide.

Eric PhillipsRepublican

State correctional facilities; participation of prisoners in employment & education program, report.

State correctional facilities; participation of prisoners in employment and educational programs; reentry planning. Expands the program assignments in which the Director of the Department of Corrections may place a prisoner while such prisoner is confined in a state correctional facility. The bill requires the Director to place a prisoner in an appropriate program assignment within (i) 90 days of the arrival of a prisoner sentenced to a new term of confinement to a state correctional facility or (ii) 60 days of a prisoner already in custody being transferred to a new state correctional facility and provides that participation in such program assignments shall be for an average of 30 hours per week, calculated individually across the calendar year. Finally, the bill expands upon the requirements for a prisoner's reentry plan, including requiring an assessment, if necessary, of a prisoner's readiness to take a high school equivalency test and any modifications needed for the prisoner to take or improve upon such test, and making available peer and group educational programs developed and led by qualified prisoners.

Joshua G. ColeDemocrat

Health care providers; required estimate for nonemergency health care services.

Health care providers; required estimate for nonemergency health care services. Requires health care providers to provide a good faith estimate of the payment amount for which the patient will be responsible for such nonemergency health care service, including any fees or other charges for an item or service the patient may reasonably be expected to receive in connection with the nonemergency health care service. The bill requires the good faith estimate to include (i) description of the scheduled nonemergency health care service, (ii) the provider's standard charge for the service and any related item or service, (iii) the provider's standard charges and any contracted rates known at the time the estimate is prepared, and (iv) a statement that the estimate is not binding and the actual amount billed may differ depending on changes in the scope of services or the health carrier's processing of the claim.

Vivian E. WattsDemocrat

Presidential visits; expenses of localities and constitutional offices.

Expenses of localities and constitutional offices related to presidential visits; publishing unreimbursed expenses; budget. Requires each locality and constitutional officer to determine all expenses of the locality or office of the constitutional officer, respectively, related to the provision of security for visits to the locality by the President of the United States. The bill specifies that a locality or office of a constitutional officer that incurs such expenses shall seek reimbursement from the appropriate agency of the federal government within 30 days of incurring the expenses and shall concurrently publish such expenses on its official website, if one exists. The bill also requires each locality and constitutional officer that anticipates incurring expenses in the upcoming fiscal year related to the provision of security for visits to the locality by the President of the United States to include the total anticipated expenses in the locality's budget or the constitutional officer's budget request for such fiscal year.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Veterans' Services Protection Act; created, prohibited practices, penalty.

Veterans' Services Protection Act; prohibited practices; penalty. Creates the Veterans' Services Protection Act to prohibit any person from receiving compensation for preparing, presenting, prosecuting, advising, consulting, or assisting any individual regarding any veterans' benefits matter, as defined in the bill, except as permitted under federal law. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Virginia Accountability Commission; established.

Virginia Accountability Commission established. Creates the Virginia Accountability Commission (the Commission). The Commission shall (i) create a public record of the conduct of federal agents and any federal military-style operations throughout the Commonwealth, (ii) examine the impact of that conduct on individuals and communities, and (iii) consider policy recommendations to prevent future harms to these individuals and communities. The bill requires the Commission to provide, not later than January 31, 2027, an initial status report outlining its findings and recommendations to the Governor, and not later than April 30, 2027, any supplementary reports the Commission deems appropriate. The bill provides that the Commission shall be composed of a chair, vice-chair, and up to seven additional members, for a total membership of up to nine uncompensated members, as appointed by the Governor, the House of Delegates, and the Senate. The bill also provides that the term of each Commission member shall expire one year from the date of his appointment, and Commissioners may be reappointed or replaced at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Finally, the bill requires the Office of Civil Rights with the Office of the Attorney General to provide administrative and professional staff support to the operations of the Commission. The Commission may also work with subject matter experts and non-profit organizations as it deems appropriate.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Law-enforcement agencies; use of certain technology & interrogation practices; forensic laboratory.

Law-enforcement agencies; use of certain technologies and interrogation practices; forensic laboratory accreditation. Directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services (the Department) to establish a comprehensive framework for the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems, machine learning systems, audiovisual surveillance technologies, and custodial and noncustodial interrogations of adults and juveniles by law-enforcement agencies, which shall include (i) developing policies and procedures and publishing model policies for the use of generative AI, machine learning systems, and audiovisual surveillance technologies and interrogation practices and (ii) establishing compulsory minimum training standards for basic training and recertification of law-enforcement officers in the use of generative AI, machine learning systems, and audiovisual surveillance technologies and in conducting interrogations. The bill provides that the Department shall establish and publish such model policies by January 1, 2027, and that all law-enforcement agencies shall adopt policies consistent with such model policies by July 1, 2027. The bill requires any person employed as a law-enforcement officer prior to July 1, 2026, to complete the training required by the bill by January 1, 2030. The bill also provides that no local law-enforcement agency or campus police department shall operate a forensic laboratory, defined in the bill, unless such forensic laboratory is accredited by an accrediting body that requires conformance to forensic-specific requirements and that is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement with a scope of accreditation that covers the testing being performed. The bill also prohibits local law-enforcement agencies and campus police departments from purchasing any equipment or instrument that is intended to be used in forensic laboratory analysis or any breath test device, presumptive chemical test, or presumptive mobile instrument unless such equipment, instrument, device, or test has been approved by the Department of Forensic Science or the Forensic Science Board. Such provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2030.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat