Bills & Legislation

Marine Resources Commission; marking of commercial fishing boats, nets, and other devices.

Marine Resources Commission; license tags and identification numbers; marking of commercial fishing boats, nets, and other devices. Provides that license tags or identification numbers for commercial fishing boats, nets, and other devices shall be attached and displayed in a manner prescribed by the Marine Resources Commission and repeals a provision that requires a licensee to apply for a new tag within 24 hours after the discovery of the destruction or loss of the original tag. Currently, the requirements for attaching and displaying license tags or identification numbers are set forth in state law.

Hillary Pugh KentRepublican

FOIA; exemption for records of minors participating in certain programs run by state public bodies.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exemption for records of minors participating in certain programs run by state bodies. Exempts from the mandatory disclosure requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the personal contact information of minors who are participating in a program, such as an apprenticeship or unpaid internship or externship, run by a state public body. The bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council.

Hillary Pugh KentRepublican

School Performance and Support Framework; Board of Education to consider certain changes, report.

Board of Education; School Performance and Support Framework; certain changes. Requires the Board of Education to consider certain enumerated changes to the School Performance and Support Framework that it adopted in order to implement its school accountability standards, including developing and applying new school performance label terminology that more clearly communicates school performance as part of a continuous scale and rebalancing the weight assigned to growth, at least equally with proficiency, to more fully account for each school's contribution to student learning. This bill incorporates HB 1323 and is a recommendation of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

Virginia's Great Outdoors Act; established, creates data center land conservation tax.

Virginia's Great Outdoors Act established; data center land conservation tax; land preservation distributions and appropriations. Creates a data center land preservation tax on and after January 1, 2027, in an amount equal to $3 per square foot of each data center facility footprint, as defined in the bill, and directs no less than $250 million of revenues from the tax to be distributed for various land protection and preservation purposes, including into the Virginia Tribal Commitment Fund, as created in the bill. The bill also repeals provisions requiring the Governor to include in the budget bill or in his amendments to the general appropriation act a recommended appropriation from the general fund, up to $20 million, for land preservation as follows: (i) 80 percent of the unissued credits to the Virginia Land Conservation Fund, of which at least 50 percent must be used for acquisitions with public access; (ii) 10 percent to the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund; and (iii) 10 percent to the Virginia Farmland and Forestland Preservation Fund.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Data brokers; regulation, civil penalties.

Regulation of data brokers; civil penalties. Prohibits a person from acquiring personally identifiable information, defined in the bill, through fraudulent means or acquiring and using such information for the purpose of (i) stalking or harassing another person; (ii) committing a fraud, including identity theft, financial fraud, or email fraud; or (iii) engaging in unlawful discrimination, including employment discrimination or housing discrimination. The bill requires a data broker, defined in the bill, to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive information security program that includes certain features and technical elements. The bill also requires a data broker operating in the Commonwealth, beginning on December 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to register with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Michelle Lopes MaldonadoDemocrat

Kinship foster care; barrier crime waiver, report.

Kinship foster care; barrier crime waiver; report. Establishes a process by which a local department of social services may apply for a barrier crime waiver on behalf of an individual who has been convicted of a Virginia barrier crime that (i) is not (a) included on the list of federal barrier crimes; (b) a violent felony offense; or (c) an offense requiring registration under the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act and (ii) does not otherwise fall under a barrier crime exception for foster or adoptive homes for the purpose of approval of the individual's home as a kinship foster home. The bill creates a process by which such a local department of social services may apply to the Department of Social Services for a waiver and for the Department to conduct an assessment of such application. The bill also requires the Department of Social Services to file an annual report by December 1 of each year detailing the specifics of the waiver process to the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services and the House Committee on Health and Human Services. This bill is identical to SB 305.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act; established, prohibited practices, penalties.

Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act established; prohibited practices; penalties. Creates the Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act, which prohibits an operator from making a companion chatbot, as those terms are defined in the bill, available to a user in the Commonwealth unless the companion chatbot is incapable of certain actions specified in the bill. The bill also requires an operator of a companion chatbot to include a disclaimer to users of all ages that a companion chatbot is not a human via a static, persistent disclosure and notify a user via a pop-up that he is not engaging with a human counterpart at specified intervals. The bill makes it unlawful for any operator of a companion chatbot to operate or provide a companion chatbot to a user unless such companion chatbot contains a protocol to take reasonable efforts for detecting and addressing expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm by a user to the companion chatbot. The bill also includes certain data privacy and transparency requirements. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Michelle Lopes MaldonadoDemocrat

Sex offenses, certain; sexual extortion, unlawful creation of image of another, penalties.

Certain sex offenses; sexual extortion; unlawful creation of image of another; penalties. Provides that any person who, with the intent to cause the complaining witness to engage in certain sexual acts, maliciously (i) threatens in writing, including electronically, (a) to disseminate, sell, or publish a videographic or still image, created by any means whatsoever, or (b) to not delete, remove, or take back a previously disseminated, sold, or published videographic or still image, created by any means whatsoever, that depicts the complaining witness or such complaining witness's family or household member, as defined in relevant law, as totally nude or in a state of undress so as to expose the genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast or (ii) threatens eviction, loss of housing, property damage, or any financial loss, but such complaining witness does not thereby engage in such sexual acts is guilty of attempted sexual extortion and shall be punished as prescribed by relevant law.The bill also adds to the existing offense of unlawfully creating an image of another a prohibition on any person knowingly and intentionally creating any videographic or still image by any means whatsoever of any nonconsenting person if that person is not exposed to show the genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast but such videographic or still image is obscene, as defined in relevant law, when such nonconsenting person is in a restroom, dressing room, locker room, hotel room, motel room, tanning bed, tanning booth, bedroom, or other location. A violation of such prohibition is a Class 1 misdemeanor unless such nonconsenting person is younger than the age of 18, in which case it is elevated to a Class 6 felony.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Southwest Reg. Recreation Authority; certification of Southwest Regional Recreation Area rangers.

Southwest Regional Recreation Authority; certification of Southwest Regional Recreation Area rangers. Provides that Southwest Regional Recreation Area rangers appointed by the board of the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority may be certified through the successful completion of training at an approved criminal justice academy as necessary and proper to protect and enforce the safe use and enjoyment of the Authority's properties.

James W. MorefieldRepublican

Renewable energy portfolio standard program; requirements, power purchase agreements.

Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements; power purchase agreements. Amends certain renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements for Dominion Energy Virginia, including the annual percentage of program requirements to be met with solar, wind, or anaerobic digestion resources of one megawatt or less located in the Commonwealth. The bill changes from 2025 to 2027 the compliance year beginning in which at least 75 percent of renewable energy certificates used by Dominion Energy Virginia shall come from eligible resources located in the Commonwealth. The bill also removes the requirement for a solar-powered or wind-powered generation facility to have a capacity of no less than 50 kilowatts to qualify for a third party power purchase agreement under a pilot program. The bill directs the State Corporation Commission, by July 1, 2033, to initiate a proceeding to evaluate the future availability of renewable energy certificates from certain resources and permits the Commission to increase or decrease by up to one percentage point the percentage of program requirements to be met by such resources in future compliance years. The bill provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage development on previously developed project sites, as defined in existing law, to reduce the land use impacts of solar development. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. This bill is identical to SB 175.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Firearm or explosive material; exemptions, carrying in public institutions of higher education.

Carrying a firearm or explosive material within Capitol Square or building owned or leased by the Commonwealth; exemptions; public institutions of higher education; penalty. Limits the exemption from the prohibition on the carrying of any firearm or explosive material within any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or agency thereof or any office where employees of the Commonwealth or any agency thereof are regularly present for the purpose of performing their official duties that currently applies to any property owned or operated by a public institution of higher education to instead apply to any individual within a building owned or operated by a public institution of higher education who possesses a weapon as part of such public institution of higher education's curriculum or activities or as part of any organization authorized by such public institution of higher education to conduct its programs or activities within such building, as such uses are approved through the law-enforcement or public safety unit of such institution. This bill is identical to SB 272.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Health insurance; limit on cost-sharing payments for prescription drugs under certain plans.

Health insurance; limit on cost-sharing payments for prescription drugs under certain plans. Requires each carrier that offers a health plan in either the individual or small group market to ensure that at least one health plan in each of the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels of coverage in each rating area in the individual and small group market conform with the following: (i) a plan that offers a platinum level of coverage shall limit a person's cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $150 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug; (ii) a plan that offers a gold level of coverage shall limit a person's cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $200 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug; (iii) a plan that offers a silver level of coverage shall limit a person's cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $250 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug; and (iv) a plan that offers a bronze level of coverage shall limit a person's cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $300 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug. The bill requires that any plans offered to meet its requirements are (a) clearly and appropriately named to aid the consumer or plan sponsor in the plan selection process and (b) marketed in the same manner as other plans offered by the carrier. The bill's provisions apply to any individual or group accident and sickness insurance policy, any individual or group accident and sickness subscription contract, and any health care plan for health care services delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on or after January 1, 2028. This bill is identical to SB 161.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Forfeiture of certain weapons; petition for return by Commonwealth.

Forfeiture of certain weapons; petition for return by Commonwealth. Permits the attorney for the Commonwealth to petition a court for the return of a weapon to its lawful owner where such weapon was used by any person in the commission of a criminal offense and forfeited to the Commonwealth by order of the court.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

Property Owners' Association Act; disclosure requirements, declarant control.

Property Owners' Association Act; disclosure requirements; declarant control. Requires a declarant who has any unexpired right to control the conduct of business of a property owners' association, once the majority of the members of the board of directors other than the declarant are owners of improved lots in the association, to disclose such rights and the status of the declarant's control in any contract for the sale of any lot in the association other than for development or resale. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Housing Commission.

Jr. Robert S. BloxomRepublican

Health insurance; reporting requirements.

Health insurance; reporting requirements. Amends various reporting requirements related to health insurance, including by requiring the State Corporation Commission to maintain and publicly post an inventory of mandated benefits and providers, requiring health carriers to report annually on provider terminations and reinstatements, and consolidating reports related to balance billing and arbitration. The bill repeals reporting requirements related to the Comparable Health Care Service Incentive Program and Virginia Health Savings Account Plan. This bill is identical to SB 626.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Tazewell, Town of; amending charter, residency requirement for town manager.

Charter; Town of Tazewell. Amends the charter for the Town of Tazewell in Tazewell County to remove the strict residency requirement for the town manager. The bill provides that the town manager is encouraged to reside within the town limits and may reside within a reasonable distance outside the town limits upon majority approval of town council. This bill is identical to SB 153.

James W. MorefieldRepublican

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant records.

Department of Housing and Community Development; Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant records. Requires a landlord, upon written request by a tenant, to within 10 business days provide such tenant a statement containing all charges and payments incurred by the tenant over the duration of the tenancy or the past 12 months, whichever is shorter. The bill specifies that such statement shall itemize separately rent and the cost of each utility and that the landlord is not obligated to provide such written statement if the landlord owns fewer than four rental dwelling units or less than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units, whether individually or through a business entity, in the Commonwealth unless the landlord receives any state or local rental or utility assistance funds on behalf of the tenant. The bill additionally directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to, based on input from relevant stakeholders, develop a standardized printable template for the landlord to use to provide the tenant such written statement. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Teacher Recruitment and Retention Mentorship Pilot Program; established, report, sunset.

Department of Education; division superintendents; Teacher Recruitment and Retention Mentorship Pilot Program established; administration; report. Directs the Department of Education (the Department), in coordination with the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, to establish and administer the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Mentorship Pilot Program (the Program) for the purpose of supporting division superintendents of school divisions with high teacher vacancy rates in improving teacher recruitment and retention in such school division by coordinating the establishment of mentorships whereby a division superintendent of a low vacancy-rate school division is connected with a division superintendent of a high vacancy-rate school division to provide mentorship in developing and implementing plans, strategies, and best practices for improving teacher vacancy rates in the high vacancy-rate school division. The bill directs the Department, in coordination with the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, to implement policies and procedures for the establishment and administration of the Program, including policies for coordinating such mentorships, encouraging participation of division superintendents in the Program, and for Program oversight. The bill directs each division superintendent mentorship pair participating in the Program to annually submit to the Department a report on their activities for the preceding school year and any recommendations relating to improving the effectiveness of mentorships under the Program. Finally, the bill directs the Department to submit to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1 of each year a report on the activities of the Program for the preceding school year. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2029.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Constitutional amendment; marriage between two adult persons, repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition.

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); marriage between two adult persons; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition. Provides for a referendum at the November 3, 2026, general election to approve or reject an amendment that requires the equal treatment under the law of a lawful marriage between two adult persons regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such persons. The amendment also repeals the current provision that defines marriage as only a union between one man and one woman. This bill is identical to SB 311.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units.

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

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Income tax, corporate; sourcing of sales, other than sales of tangible personal property.

Corporate income tax; sourcing of sales, other than sales of tangible personal property. Implements market-based corporate income tax sourcing for attributing sales, other than sales of tangible personal property, to Virginia, beginning with taxable year 2027.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Medical care facility data reporting; value of charity care, gross patient charges, report.

Medical care facility data reporting; value of charity care. Removes certain limitations on the meaning of "reviewable service" as it relates to data reporting requirements for medical care facilities and specifies that the value of charity care for such reporting shall be based on gross patient charges. The bill directs the State Health Commissioner to submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly regarding charity care at medical facilities that are required to satisfy a condition of a certificate of public need.

Rodney T. WillettDemocrat

Aggregate air pollution; Department of Environmental Quality to study, data center generators.

Department of Environmental Quality; study of aggregate air pollution; data center generators; report. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality to conduct a three-year study to research and model a variety of scenarios regarding aggregate air pollution in areas with a large volume of data centers and provide recommendations for future handling of minor air permits for data center generators and the need for increased air quality monitoring in the Commonwealth. The Department is directed to report its findings and any recommendations to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources by October 1, 2029.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Dealer's license plates; permitted uses.

Dealer's license plates; permitted uses. Authorizes the use of dealer's license plates on vehicles delivering or transporting vehicle parts and accessories and fuel, so long as such delivery or transport of fuel consists of no more than five gallons of such fuel and such fuel is in a container of a type approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles. The bill also authorizes a dealer to permit his license plates to be used in the operation of a motor vehicle by a person authorized by the dealer on a vehicle that is being driven to or from an automotive retail or supply store or retail facility selling automotive supplies or parts.

Scott A. WyattRepublican

Nursing facilities; Joint Commission on Health Care shall evaluate workforce, report.

Joint Commission on Health Care; evaluation of workforce in Virginia nursing facilities. Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to evaluate the workforce in Virginia's nursing facilities and to develop recommendations on several topics outlined in the bill. The bill requires the Joint Commission to report its findings to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Committees on Health and Human Services and Appropriations and the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations by December 1, 2026.

Rodney T. WillettDemocrat

Virginia All-Payer Claims Database; disclosure of information, limitation.

Virginia All-Payer Claims Database; disclosure of information; limitation. Specifies that the nonprofit organization facilitating the administration of the Virginia All-Payer Claims Database shall not disclose information relating to reimbursement beyond what is otherwise publicly available. Under current law, provisions against disclosure are not limited to information that is not otherwise publicly available.

Rodney T. WillettDemocrat

Specialty civil court dockets; business and complex litigation dockets established.

Specialty civil court dockets; business and complex litigation dockets established; criteria for eligible actions. Establishes a specialty docket, known as the business and complex litigation docket, to assist circuit courts with certain civil actions that involve specialized legal issues, complex contexts, intricate transactions, multiple parties, or other complicating factors. The bill provides that for an action to be eligible to be considered for a business and complex litigation docket, the action shall (i) present special complexity, including specialized issues or acute litigation management needs, and (ii) fall into one or more of several enumerated categories of civil actions. The bill also requires that such eligible action has a minimum amount in controversy of $100,000. The bill also enumerates several types of civil actions that are ineligible for such specialty docket but creates an exception for any such action that demonstrates extraordinary circumstances that would require specialized docket management. The bill creates a process by which counsel for any party or the circuit court judge initially assigned to an eligible action may request that the matter be transferred to the specialty docket and directs the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, in collaboration with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Specialty Docket Advisory Committee studying business and complex litigation dockets, to establish any rules or procedures as necessary for the transfer of such eligible actions.

Rodney T. WillettDemocrat

Exemptions from garnishment; minimum protected account balance, certain benefit payments.

Exemptions from garnishment; minimum protected account balance; certain benefit payments; procedure for financial institutions. Requires certain financial institutions to automatically exempt from garnishment (i) a minimum protected account balance, defined in the bill as the combined total of not more than $1,000 in a judgment debtor's account or across multiple accounts in the same financial institution, and (ii) a protected amount of certain benefit payments, defined in the bill, that have been deposited into the account via direct deposit or electronic deposit within the two months immediately preceding the day before a financial institution commences an account review. The bill describes an account review as a process of examining an account of a judgment conducted by a financial institution upon such financial institution's receipt of a garnishment summons to determine if any eligible benefit payments have been deposited within the applicable time period and, if so, to calculate the total sum of such benefit payments and establish the total as a protected amount that shall be automatically exempt from garnishment. The bill provides that such procedure to automatically exempt such funds shall not apply if the debt arises from a child support or spousal support obligation or if an exemption is otherwise prohibited by law.The bill further provides that a judgment debtor is not required to claim nor request a hearing for such automatic exemptions. Finally, the bill makes updates to the relevant provisions governing garnishment proceedings, notices to the garnishee and judgment debtor, and the form of a garnishment summons consistent with the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to SB 301.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Motion picture theaters; definitions, establishes requirements for open captioning.

Open captioning at motion picture theaters. Establishes requirements for open captioning for motion picture theaters. The bill requires all motion picture theater companies, excluding outdoor theaters such as drive-in theaters, that own, operate, control, or lease five or more locations in the Commonwealth and are open to the general public to provide open captioning on any film that has at least seven showings per operating week for a period greater than one operating week, provided that open captioning is available to the theater for such film as part of the digital cinema package. The bill specifies that (i) within the first two operating weeks following a film's release, a theater shall provide at least four open captioning viewings; (ii) at least one of such open captioning viewings shall start between (a) 5:59 p.m. and 11:01 p.m. on a Friday, (b) 10:59 a.m. and 11:01 p.m. on a Saturday or Sunday, or (c) 5:59 p.m. and 10:01 p.m. on a Monday through Thursday; and (iii) beginning in the third operating week following a film's release, a theater shall provide at least one open captioning viewing within 72 hours after receiving a request for such a viewing provided that no theater shall be obligated to provide open captioning viewing for any particular screening for which advance tickets have been sold prior to its receipt of such request. Under the bill, motion picture theater companies are required to provide contact information on their websites for receiving and fulfilling requests for open captioning screenings and advertise the date and time of open captioning screenings in the same manner used to advertise all other motion picture screenings and indicate which screenings shall include open captioning by utilizing the character symbol "OC" or such other language or symbols as may reasonably identify which screenings will include open captioning. The bill directs the Office of Civil Rights of the Attorney General of Virginia to establish a process for receiving consumer reports of suspected violations of the bill. As introduced, the bill was a recommendation of the Disability Commission. This bill is identical to SB 722.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Life or health insurances; unfair discrimination, pre-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of HIV.

Life insurance; health insurance; unfair discrimination; pre-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of human immunodeficiency virus. Prohibits any person from refusing to insure, refusing to continue to insure, or limiting the amount or extent of life insurance or accident and sickness insurance coverage available to an individual or charge an individual a different rate for the same coverage based solely on the status of such individual as having received pre-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus.

Jeion A. WardDemocrat

Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund; created, voluntary contributions, report.

Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund established; voluntary contributions; report. Establishes the Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund to provide grants for projects that conserve or enhance wildlife corridors prioritized by the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan and associated wildlife crossing infrastructure projects. The Director of the Department of Wildlife Resources shall administer the Fund in collaboration with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Department of Forestry, and the Department of Transportation. The Director of the Department of Wildlife Resources shall submit a report to the General Assembly by November 1 of each odd-numbered year concerning the amount of public and private funding received by the Fund, the awarding of grants from the Fund, and the progress of funded projects, including data on the use of project infrastructure by wildlife. The bill also provides mechanisms for individuals to make voluntary contributions to the Fund through a Department of Motor Vehicles electronic transaction and an individual income tax return.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

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

Board of Education; high school graduation; simultaneous completion of International Baccalaureate diploma and advanced studies diploma. Requires the Board of Education to permit any student who (i) during or after grade 10, transferred into a public high school in the Commonwealth and (ii) is simultaneously pursuing an advanced studies diploma and an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma to complete certain courses or sequences of courses required for an IB diploma, as approved by the Board, including substitutes for the Virginia and U.S. history and government courses and for the economics and personal finance credit requirement. The bill also directs the Board to grant a waiver from the training in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators required for graduation to any student who (a) pursuant to his individualized education program or Section 504 Plan cannot successfully complete the training or (b) after grade 10, transfers from a school or other education program that does not require or give credit for such training. This bill incorporates HB 132 and is identical to SB 63.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

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

Contraception; right to contraception; applicability; enforcement. Establishes a right to obtain contraceptives and engage in contraception, as such terms are defined in the bill. The bill clarifies that none of its provisions shall be construed to permit or sanction the performance of any sterilization procedure without a patient's voluntary and informed consent. The bill creates a cause of action that may be instituted against anyone who infringes on such right. This bill is identical to SB 596.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Affordable housing developments, certain; expedited approval.

Expedited approval for certain affordable housing developments. Allows a locality, by ordinance, to authorize a zoning administrator to use an administrative process to approve rezoning applications for certain affordable housing developments. The bill requires that the affordable housing development comply with the Virginia Fair Housing Law, connect to a public or community water supply or sewage system, and be located within or adjacent to an area identified by the locality that could support increased density development and provide access to services. The bill also requires the locality, prior to the adoption of such ordinance, to advertise its intention to propose such ordinance within a certain period of time in a newspaper having a general circulation in the locality. The bill allows the Department of Housing and Community Development to give a locality priority for any grants or loans administered by the Department if such locality demonstrates to the Department's satisfaction that its ordinance has met the provisions of the bill. Finally, the bill requires certain localities that adopt such ordinance to include in their annual local housing policy report to the Department a summary of the ordinance.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

Summons for unlawful detainer; legal resources, plain-language overview of process.

Summons for unlawful detainer; additional information; legal resources; plain-language overview of process. Provides that any summons for an unlawful detainer issued may, with the approval of the chief judge of the general district court or the chief judge of the circuit court, have attached additional information prepared by the Commonwealth, the locality in which the unlawful detainer hearing is to be held, or a nonprofit organization serving the jurisdiction in which such hearing is to be held regarding (i) legal resources available to the plaintiff and defendant, (ii) a plain-language overview of the unlawful detainer process, and (iii) the Eviction Diversion Program eligibility and applicability.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

Public schools; wearable panic alarm systems.

Alyssa's Law; public schools; wearable panic alarm systems permitted. Permits any school board to provide any school board employee in a public elementary or secondary school building in the local school division with a wearable panic alarm system, defined in the bill as a security system that is capable of being worn on the body of the user and by which the user manually activates a device that sends (i) a signal to the local 9-1-1 public safety answering point that indicates a school security emergency that requires immediate response and assistance from such public safety answering point and (ii) a multisensory schoolwide school security emergency notification, when appropriate.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

Smart Solar Permitting Platform; established, residential solar energy systems.

Smart Solar Permitting Platform established; residential solar energy systems; work group; report. Creates the Smart Solar Permitting Platform (the Platform) to serve as a tool for (i) contractors to obtain permits for the construction of streamline-eligible residential solar energy systems and (ii) localities to process applications for such permits. The bill requires the Department of Energy to establish, launch, and administer the Platform by July 1, 2027, as an internet-based platform that automates plan review and instantly releases a permit or a permit revision to construct certain residential solar energy systems that comply with any applicable building codes and state laws. The bill requires localities to allow contractors to submit an application to construct a residential solar energy system through the Platform or through an alternative automated solar permitting platform by July 1, 2028. The bill requires any locality that chooses to use an alternative automated solar permitting platform to submit an annual report to the Department no later than March 1 of each year. The bill directs the Director of the Department to convene a work group to determine the appropriateness of adding a surcharge to local government permitting fees to defray state costs for the Platform and to report its findings to the General Assembly on or before November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 382.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Data centers; policy of the Commonwealth.

Policy of the Commonwealth; data centers. Provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage the responsible operation of data centers in the Commonwealth while supporting grid reliability, affordability, and the deployment of renewable resources. The bill provides that in furtherance of this policy, the Commonwealth shall (i) promote coordination between data centers, state agencies, and regional grid operators to share information on energy usage, interconnection timelines, and barriers to rapid deployment of renewable and flexible energy resources; (ii) incentivize data centers to participate in demand response programs, implement energy storage and management systems, and leverage automated technologies to reduce peak demand and support grid stability; (iii) encourage flexible energy practices that allow data centers to adjust energy consumption in real time in alignment with available renewable generation; (iv) ensure large-scale data centers pay their fair share of infrastructure investments, mitigating impacts on residential and small business ratepayers; (v) require data centers to report water and aggregated energy usage, sustainability measures, and participation in grid support programs to appropriate state and federal agencies; and (vi) promote cybersecurity, physical security, and supply chain security measures to protect Virginia data center operations from foreign adversary access or compromise.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs); operation on highways in certain localities.

All-terrain vehicles; operation on highways in certain localities. Authorizes the operation of all-terrain vehicles in Giles County and Pulaski County on highways designated by such counties, provided that certain conditions are met. The bill provides certain requirements for the operation of all-terrain vehicles on such designated highways.

Jason S. BallardRepublican

Reapportionment; reallocation of populations, population data, civil commitment facilities.

Reapportionment; reallocation of populations; civil commitment facilities. Requires persons civilly committed to a residential behavioral health facility administered by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to be counted and reallocated for redistricting and reapportionment purposes. This bill is identical to SB 88.

R. Lee WareRepublican

Motor vehicle dealers; conduct of business, business hours, filing changes.

Motor vehicle dealers; conduct of business; business hours; filing changes. Changes the entity with which a dealer who changes his business hours must file such change from the Department of Motor Vehicles to the Motor Vehicle Dealer Board.

Scott A. WyattRepublican

Western Virginia Public Education Consortium; governance, funding, duties, report.

Western Virginia Public Education Consortium; governance; funding; duties. Makes several changes relating to the Western Virginia Public Education Consortium (the Consortium), including (i) requiring the chair of the board of the Consortium to submit an annual executive summary only in each biennium in which the Consortium receives funding from the General Assembly, (ii) adjusting the membership of the governing board of the Consortium to (a) accurately reflect school division consolidation that occurred after the Consortium's initial establishment and (b) include each member of the House of Delegates who represents a House District that is partially or wholly located in Western Virginia and each member of the Senate of Virginia who represents a Senatorial District that is partially or wholly located in Western Virginia, and (iii) removing the requirement for the governing board of the Consortium to develop and maintain linkages with schools and school divisions in Northern Virginia to promote enhanced usage of educational technology. This bill is identical to SB 692.

Jason S. BallardRepublican

Unauthorized use of voice or likeness; punitive damages, statute of limitations.

Unauthorized use of voice or likeness; punitive damages; statute of limitations. Expands the existing ability for any person to maintain a suit in equity, including the accompanying remedies available and statute of limitations, for the unauthorized use of his name, portrait, or picture for advertising purposes or for the purposes of trade to include the unauthorized use of his voice or likeness. This bill is identical to SB 753.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Autonomous truck-mounted attenuators; pilot program authorized.

Department of Transportation; autonomous truck-mounted attenuators; pilot program authorized. Authorizes the Department of Transportation to establish a pilot program for the implementation and deployment of autonomous truck-mounted attenuators within mobile work zones, defined in the bill. The bill has an expiration date of December 31, 2031. This bill is identical to SB 320.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Social work; applicants for licensure, criminal background check, report.

Social work; licensure; criminal background check. Requires applicants for licensure as a baccalaureate social worker, master's social worker, or clinical social worker to provide fingerprints and personal identifying information for a criminal background check, directs the Central Criminal Records Exchange to disseminate criminal history record information obtained to the Board of Social Work, and establishes the process by which an applicant may obtain his criminal history record in the event that such applicant disputes the criminal history information on which a denial of licensure privilege is based. The bill specifies that no criminal history record information obtained from a national criminal history record check conducted for employment or licensing purposes pursuant to federal law shall only be further disseminated to a federal, state, or local government agency or entity. The bill also specifies that any state or local government agency or entity that receives such record information shall not disseminate such information to any private person or entity. The bill also requires the Department of State Police (the Department) to convene a work group to review potential issues and concerns regarding the dissemination of criminal history record information. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2026. The bill has a partial delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Consumer Counsel, Division of; establishing mechanisms for receiving and investigating complaints.

Division of Consumer Counsel; duties; artificial intelligence fraud and abuse. Expands the duties of the Division of Consumer Counsel to include establishing mechanisms for receiving and investigating complaints by the Commonwealth's consumers involving emerging technologies, including referring appropriate complaints to the federal, state, and local departments or agencies charged with the enforcement of applicable consumer laws.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Respiratory Care Interstate Compact; authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to Compact.

Respiratory Care Interstate Compact. Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact. The Compact allows respiratory therapists who have or are eligible for an active, unencumbered license in the Compact member state where they reside to apply for a multistate license. The Compact has been passed in five states and takes effect when it is enacted by a seventh participating state.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Breast implants; Board of Medicine, et al., to create educational materials for patients.

Board of Medicine; breast implant educational materials; work group. Directs the Board of Medicine to convene a work group to create educational materials for patients considering breast implants and distribute such materials to its licensees by January 1, 2027.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Athletic Trainer Compact; authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to Compact.

Athletic Trainer Compact. Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Athletic Trainer Compact. The Compact permits qualified licensed athletic trainers to practice in other states that are also members of the Compact. The Compact has not yet been passed in any state and will take effect when the Compact is enacted by a seventh participating state.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Uninsured Employer's Fund; administrative expenses.

Uninsured Employer's Fund; administrative expenses. Provides that the costs of administering the Uninsured Employer's Fund, which is administered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission, are paid out of such fund. This bill is identical to SB 520.

Jeion A. WardDemocrat