Bills & Legislation

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty.

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt anti-rent gouging provisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing prior to the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlords who are under the ordinance may be required to give at least 90 days' written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent by more than the locality's calculated allowance, not to exceed three percent, and states that such allowance is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1 each year. The bill requires the locality to publish such allowance on its website by June 1 of each year. Certain facilities, as outlined in the bill, are exempt from such ordinance. The bill also requires a locality adopting an anti-rent gouging ordinance to establish an anti-rent gouging board to establish rules and procedures by which landlords may apply for and be granted exemptions from the rent increase limits set by the ordinance or delegate such duties and functions to an existing local board, department, or agency. The bill also requires the anti-rent gouging board to establish a fair return on investment rent increase exemption to the annual anti-rent gouging allowance where necessary to offset increased operating expenses. Finally, the bill provides that a locality shall establish a civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set out in its ordinance.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Assisted living facilities; resident referral agencies, required disclosures.

Assisted living facilities; resident referral agencies; required disclosures; referral fee limitations; civil penalty. Sets forth requirements for resident referral agencies, defined in the bill as any individual or entity that receives compensation from an assisted living facility, a third party, or a prospective resident for providing resident referrals to an assisted living facility, including required disclosures, referral fee limitations, enforcement, and civil penalties. The bill provides that assisted living facilities and residents are not obligated to participate with any resident referral agency and specifies that residents may opt out at any time in writing. The bill also specifies the minimum services a resident referral agency must provide before becoming eligible to receive a referral fee.

Holly M. SeiboldDemocrat

Middle Eastern and North African Advisory Board; established, sunset.

Middle Eastern and North African Advisory Board established. Establishes the Middle Eastern and North African Advisory Board in the executive branch for the purpose of advising the Governor on ways to develop economic, professional, cultural, educational, and governmental links between the Commonwealth and the Middle Eastern and North African community in Virginia. The bill provides for the expiration of the advisory board on June 30, 2029.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Kei vehicles; operation and requirements.

Kei vehicles; operation and requirements. Prohibits kei vehicles, as defined in the bill, from being operated on any limited access highway, interstate highway, or highway with a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour or more. The bill provides for the licensing and registration of kei vehicles by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The bill prohibits localities from placing certain restrictions on kei vehicles and prohibits the imposition of liability for motor vehicle dealers for any damages that are directly or indirectly attributable to the sale of a kei vehicle that was not manufactured in accordance with federal safety standards. The bill directs the State Air Pollution Control Board to develop and adopt emissions inspection standards for kei vehicles and directs the Superintendent of State Police to promulgate any regulations necessary for conducting safety inspections of kei vehicles.

Michael B. FeggansDemocrat

Elections; districts, precincts, and polling places, pilot program for super precincts.

Elections; districts, precincts, and polling places; super precincts; pilot program. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to conduct a pilot program under which one or more counties or cities with a population of more than 350,000 and less than 400,000 in the most recent United States census whose proposal for participation in such pilot program is unanimously approved by the State Board would be permitted to use super precincts in elections. The bill requires the governing body of a county or city applying to participate in the pilot program to submit a plan for participation that includes (i) the number of super precincts to be established in the county or city and the boundaries of each such super precinct, (ii) the number of vote centers to be established in each super precinct and the location of each such vote center, (iii) the elections during which such super precincts and vote centers are to be used, and (iv) a description of the process for operating such vote centers on election day, including how voters will be checked in, how ballots will be provided, how votes will be counted, and any additional voting systems that will be used to ensure the integrity of the election. The bill defines "super precinct" as the territory established by a county or city and approved by the State Board pursuant to the pilot program, to be served by one or more vote centers, and "vote center" as the structure that contains a place provided for a super precinct at which the qualified voters who are residents of the super precinct may vote in an election. The bill contains minimum criteria for any proposal for participation in the pilot program. The bill requires the State Board report on the implementation and effectiveness of the pilot program by December 1 of any year in which one or more localities participate in the pilot program. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2030.

Debra D. GardnerDemocrat

Admission to bail; fixing terms of bail, mental health considerations.

Admission to bail; fixing terms of bail; mental health considerations. Requires the judicial officer, prior to conducting any hearing on the issue of bail, release, or detention, to obtain the person's criminal history and any emergency custody or temporary detention order or involuntary admission issued for such person. The bill also requires the judicial officer to consider any emergency custody or temporary detention order or involuntary admission issued for the person when determining admission to bail. Lastly, the bill requires the judicial officer to take into account the following factors in fixing the terms of bail if such person is admitted to bail: (i) whether the person is likely to obstruct or attempt to obstruct justice, or threaten, injure, or intimidate, or attempt to threaten, injure, or intimidate a family or household member as defined in relevant law; (ii) the history of the accused or juvenile, including medical, mental health, including any emergency custody or temporary detention order or involuntary admission issued pursuant to relevant law, or substance abuse treatment; (iii) any evidence the person provided indicating that such person (a) is currently pregnant, (b) has recently given birth, or (c) is currently nursing a child; and (iv) whether such person will be an unreasonable danger to himself, family or household members as defined in relevant law, or the public.

Debra D. GardnerDemocrat

Corporate welfare tax; imposes on large employers a tax equal to 100% of qualified employee benefit.

Corporate welfare tax. Imposes on large employers, as defined in the bill, a corporate welfare tax equal to 100 percent of the qualified employee benefits received by any employees of such large employer residing in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Department of Taxation to obtain identifying data for individuals receiving qualified federal benefits, as defined by the bill, from the Department of Social Services pursuant to an interagency agreement and to compare such data to employment rosters received quarterly from large employers to determine the amount of qualified federal benefits received by employees of such large employers. The bill also prohibits an employer, in connection with the selection or referral of applicants or candidates for employment, to make inquiries or otherwise seek information relating to whether such applicant receives qualified federal benefits.

Joshua G. ColeDemocrat

Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium); designating as the official state grass.

Official emblems and designations; state grass; little bluestem. Designates little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) as the official state grass.

Holly M. SeiboldDemocrat

FOIA; officers, employees, or members of a public body, alleged willful and knowing violations.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; officers, employees, or members of a public body; alleged willful and knowing violations; mitigating factors to be considered. Specifies that civil penalties may only be imposed on officers, employees, or members of a public body in actions brought against them in their individual capacity for certain violations of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The bill further requires a court, when determining whether an officer, an employee, or a member of a public body has committed certain violations of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act willfully and knowingly, to consider certain mitigating factors, including good faith reliance on (i) opinions of the Attorney General; (ii) court cases substantially supporting such officer's, employee's, or member's actions; (iii) advisory opinions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council; and (iv) advice of counsel for the public body, as evidence that such officer, employee, or member did not willfully and knowingly commit such violation. Current law provides any officer, employee, or member of a public body the right to introduce at any proceeding regarding such willful and knowing violation a copy of a relevant advisory opinion issued by the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council. This bill is a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

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

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

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Noise ordinances; removes exemption for industrial property, civil penalties.

Noise ordinances; industrial property; civil penalties. Removes the exemption for noise generated in connection with the business being performed on industrial property from being subject to civil penalties for violations of local noise ordinances.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

General district courts; jurisdictional limits relating to motor vehicle accidents.

General district courts; jurisdictional limits; motor vehicle accidents. Provides that general district courts of the Commonwealth shall have jurisdiction over actions for bodily injury to or death of a person caused by a motor vehicle accident for an amount in controversy not to exceed $50,000, exclusive of interest, costs, and any prior settlement made pursuant to a motor vehicle owner's insurance policy.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Zoning appeals, board of; appellate jurisdiction upon appeal from the circuit court.

Board of zoning appeals; appellate jurisdiction upon appeal from the circuit court. Provides that appeals lie directly to the Supreme Court of Virginia from any final decision of a circuit court on appeal from a board of zoning appeals.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

Surveillance pricing; prohibited, civil penalties.

Surveillance pricing; prohibited; civil penalties. Prohibits the use of surveillance pricing in connection with a consumer transaction. The bill defines "surveillance pricing" as the selling or offering for sale of a good or service at a customized price for a specific consumer or group of consumers that is based, in whole or in part, on personal data that is collected through electronic surveillance technology, regardless of whether the seller collected or purchased the personal data. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Karen Keys-GamarraDemocrat

Surplus real property; prioritization of disposition for affordable and middle-income housing.

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

Debra D. GardnerDemocrat

Real property; effect on rate when assessment results in tax increase, consideration of inflation.

Local taxation of real property; effect on rate when assessment results in tax increase; consideration of inflation. Provides that, in determining a locality's total real property tax levies for purposes of determining the rate of levy that the locality shall impose upon such properties in order to produce no more than 101 percent of the previous year's real property tax levies, such real property assessed value shall be reduced by the greater of (i) the change in the United States Average Consumer Price Index for all items, all urban consumers (CPI-U), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the U.S. Department of Labor, since the fiscal year of the last assessment or (ii) zero.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Absentee voting in person; voter satellite offices, days and hours of operation.

Absentee voting in person; voter satellite offices; days and hours of operation. Authorizes the governing body of any county or city establishing voter satellite offices for absentee voting in person to prescribe, by ordinance, the dates and hours of operation for such offices. The bill requires the governing body to provide notice to the general registrar of the county or city at least two weeks prior to the enactment of any such ordinance.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; duties of landlord, mold remediation, civil penalty.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; duties of landlord; mold remediation; civil penalty. Provides that a tenant, authorized occupant, or guest or invitee of a tenant or authorized occupant may bring a personal injury or wrongful death action for exposure to mold arising from the condition within the interior of a dwelling unit or for any property damage claims arising out of the landlord-tenant relationship to recover (i) compensatory damages, including medical bills, lost wages, and injury to personal property; (ii) punitive damages; and (iii) reasonable attorney fees and costs, if the mold is caused solely by the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the landlord or managing agent. The bill also mandates a landlord to require a tenant to temporarily vacate the dwelling unit in order for the landlord to perform mold remediation in accordance with professional standards if it has been determined by a physician or other qualified medical professional and certified by a written medical statement that the mold condition in the dwelling unit materially affects the health or safety of the tenant or any authorized occupant.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

State agencies; amdnt. of regulations pertaining to maximum temp. at which certain rooms may be kept.

State agencies; amendment of regulations pertaining to the maximum temperature at which certain rooms may be kept. Directs the Department of Social Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Department of Health, and the Department of Corrections to amend their regulations to provide that the maximum temperature at which certain rooms in facilities regulated by such agencies may be kept shall be no more than 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Virginia Information Technologies Agency; powers of the CIO; creation of Cyber Civilian Corps.

Virginia Information Technologies Agency; powers of the CIO; creation of Cyber Civilian Corps. Allows the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) to select persons to serve as Virginia Cyber Civilian Corp (the Corps) volunteers and Corps advisors and deploy such volunteers to provide rapid response assistance under the direction of VITA upon request of a client affected by a cybersecurity incident, defined in the bill. The bill also establishes an advisory board within VITA to review and make recommendations regarding the creation and administration of the Corps. The bill instructs the Chief Information Officer to consult with the advisory board in decisions related to deployment of the Corps during cybersecurity incidents.

Michael B. FeggansDemocrat

Va.-specific postsecondary transition counselor certificate program; development and establishment.

State Council of Higher Education; Virginia-specific postsecondary transition counselor certificate program; development and establishment. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to collaborate with the Council for Exceptional Children and its Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) and each public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth that has an education preparation program to develop and establish a Virginia-specific postsecondary transition counselor certificate program that is equivalent in rigor and quality to the National Certification in Transition Services offered by DCDT in order to facilitate the establishment of postsecondary transition counselor certificate programs at such institutions that would qualify for program approval by DCDT.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

School breakfast; availability at no cost to students.

School breakfast; availability at no cost to students. Requires each school board to require each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to make breakfast available to any student who requests such a meal at no cost to the student, unless the student's parent has provided written permission to the school board to withhold such a meal from the student. The bill clarifies that the provision of a breakfast by a school to a student at no cost to the student shall not be construed as creating a disincentive for the school or local school division to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision program. Additionally, the bill provides that schools shall maximize the number of students who participate in the school breakfast program by implementing one or more suggested service models to increase access to such program. The bill requires the Department of Education to reimburse each public elementary and secondary school for each eligible school breakfast served to a student, with a maximum of one reimbursable breakfast per student per school day, and provides the formula for determining the state reimbursement rate for such meals. Finally, the bill repeals a provision of law relating to the federal School Breakfast Program that is rendered obsolete by the provisions of the bill. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Commission to End Hunger.

Elizabeth B. Bennett-ParkerDemocrat

Emergency custody orders; transportation to treatment center, etc.

Emergency custody orders; transportation to treatment center or to residence of the person subject to emergency custody order. Provides that transportation provided pursuant to an emergency custody order shall include, upon completion of emergency medical evaluation or treatment, transportation to an approved treatment center or to the residence of the person subject to the emergency custody order.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

RS and UT; food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products.

Sales and use tax; food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products. Eliminates the remaining one percent local sales and use tax that is imposed on food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products beginning on July 1, 2026. Under current law, no other sales and use tax is applied to such products. The bill requires an equivalent amount of revenue to be distributed to cities and counties on a monthly basis in compensation for the lost tax revenue.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Posting of building permit; identification of mechanics' lien agent.

Posting of building permit; identification of mechanics' lien agent. Requires a building permit issued pursuant to the Uniform Statewide Building Code to be conspicuously and continuously posted on the property for which the permit is issued until all work is completed on the property. The bill further provides that no person may claim a lien or otherwise perfect and enforce a lien if such person fails to notify any mechanics' lien agent identified on such building permit. The bill requires a person performing labor or furnishing materials on which a building permit is not posted at the time he first performs his labor or first furnishes his material or, if posted, does not state the name of the mechanics' lien agent, to determine whether a permit has been issued, the date on which it is issued, and the name of the mechanics' lien agent, if any, that has been appointed. Under current law, these specifications are limited to one or two-family dwelling units.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Eastern Daylight Time; Commonwealth shall observe year-round upon enactment by Congress, etc.

Time zone; permanent daylight saving time in the Commonwealth. Provides that the Commonwealth shall observe Eastern Daylight Time (Eastern Standard Time, advanced one hour) year-round upon the enactment by Congress of a law allowing states to observe Eastern Daylight Time year-round.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Persons with disabilities; nondiscrimination; integration.

Persons with disabilities; nondiscrimination; integration. Specifies that goods, services, facilities, advantages, and accommodations shall be afforded to a person with a disability in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of the person.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Virginia Clean Energy & Community Flood Preparedness Act; repeal; electric utility customer credit.

Virginia Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act; repeal; electric utility customer credit. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality to suspend the Commonwealth's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The bill requires the Commonwealth to remit all revenue collected pursuant to a market-based trading program consistent with RGGI to each electric utility that has a rate adjustment clause approved or pending approval for recovery of the costs of emissions allowances or that has otherwise increased customer bills to recover such costs. The bill directs each such utility to subsequently distribute such funds as a credit to its customers in the Commonwealth.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Sales and use tax; food for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products, emergency.

Sales and use tax; food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products; emergency. Eliminates the remaining one percent local sales and use tax that is imposed on food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products on and after October 27, 2026. Under current law, no other sales and use tax is applied to such products. The bill requires an equivalent amount of revenue to be distributed to cities and counties on a monthly basis in compensation for the lost tax revenue. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Bill DeStephRepublican

State fuel taxes; suspension until July 1, 2027, emergency.

Suspension of statewide fuel taxes; emergency. Temporarily suspends the statewide motor fuel tax and the tax on alternative fuel from October 27, 2026, through July 1, 2027. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Bill DeStephRepublican

State fuel taxes; suspension until January 31, 2027, emergency.

Suspension of statewide fuel taxes; emergency. Temporarily suspends the statewide motor fuel tax and the tax on alternative fuel from October 27, 2026, through January 31, 2027. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

RGGI., grocery and gas tax; encouraging the Governor to take measures to alleviate financial strain.

Encouraging the Governor to take measures to alleviate financial strain on citizens of the Commonwealth. Encourages the Governor to take measures to alleviate financial strain on citizens of the Commonwealth by eliminating the grocery tax, suspending the gas tax until July 1, 2027, and withdrawing the Commonwealth from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Licensed clinical psychologists; prescriptive authority, report.

Licensed clinical psychologists; prescriptive authority; report. Authorizes licensed clinical psychologists who meet specified requirements and obtain a license from the Board of Psychology to prescribe certain medications pursuant to a collaborative practice agreement with a qualified prescribing provider. The bill establishes education, training, and practice requirements and limits prescribing for certain patient populations. The bill requires the Board to adopt implementing regulations by July 1, 2028, and directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to evaluate the implementation of such prescriptive authority and report its findings.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Pregnant & postpartum inmates; reporting requirements of state, regional, & local correctional fac.

Reporting requirements of state, regional, and local correctional facilities; pregnant and postpartum inmates. Requires additional data on pregnant and postpartum prisoners to be collected and reported, including (i) the method of pregnancy identification for each pregnant prisoner; (ii) the gestational age at the time of pregnancy identification for each pregnant prisoner; (iii) each pregnant prisoner's access to prenatal care and the total number of prenatal care encounters for each pregnant prisoner; (iv) any pregnancy-related complaints and the nature of such complaints; (v) the amount of time elapsed between any pregnancy-related complaint and any clinical evaluation in response to such complaint; (vi) the treatment provided or recommended in response to any pregnancy-related complaint; (vii) any instance in which no clinical action was taken in response to any pregnancy-related complaint; (viii) labor and delivery conditions; (ix) pregnancy outcome and any associated complications; and (x) postpartum care and follow-up during custody for each applicable prisoner. The bill also provides that any such data collected shall not be used for criminal investigations, prosecution, immigration enforcement, or disciplinary action related to pregnancy outcomes. Further, the bill exempts such data from disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Hampton University; recognition and restoration of status as a land-grant university, report.

Educational and cultural institutions; recognition and restoration of status of Hampton University as a land-grant university; requirements; task force established; report. Recognizes and restores the status of Hampton University as an 1862 and 1890 land-grant university of the Commonwealth, in accordance with the provisions of applicable federal law, and enumerates the funding and programs Hampton University shall be eligible for as a land-grant university. The bill also provides for the establishment, upon federal recognition of Hampton University as an institution eligible to receive federal funding and participate in federal and state programs established under applicable law relating to land-grant universities, of an evaluation task force by the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations and the House Committee on for the purpose of evaluating the feasibility of recognizing Hampton University as a land-grant university of the Commonwealth in accordance with the provisions of the bill.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Human trafficking and ongoing domestic violence; issuance of writs of vacatur for victims, sealing.

Issuance of vacatur for victims of human trafficking or ongoing domestic violence; sealing. Expands the current process for the issuance of writs of vacatur for victims of human trafficking to include victims of ongoing domestic violence, defined in the bill, and any charge or arrest related to a qualifying offense as defined in current law. The bill also permits sealing of such writ and the record of the proceedings.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Newport News & Hampton, Cities of; pilot prog. for compensation of private court-appointed counsel.

Pilot program for the compensation of private court-appointed counsel in the Cities of Newport News and Hampton; hourly rate; felony fee caps; report; sunset. Creates a two-year pilot program for the compensation of private court-appointed counsel in the Cities of Newport News and Hampton. The bill provides guidelines for the pilot program and requires the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia to report on the pilot program on or before December 1, 2028. The bill provides that the pilot program sunsets on June 30, 2029.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Income tax, state; establishes a new bracket on income above $1 million.

Individual income tax; rates and distribution. Establishes a new individual income tax bracket on income above $1 million at a rate of 10 percent beginning in taxable year 2027. Under current law, all income in excess of $17,000 is taxed at the rate of 5.75 percent. The bill provides that 40 percent of revenues generated by the new tax bracket will be dedicated to providing additional basic aid funding for public schools, 35 percent to the Child Care Subsidy Program, and 25 percent to the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. This bill also contains technical amendments.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Data centers, large; moratorium, approval requirements, utility independent classifications, report.

Large data centers; moratorium; approval requirements; prevailing wage required; public utility independent classifications; community investment program; report. Places a one-year moratorium on the issuance of permits by the Department of Environmental Quality for large data centers, as defined in the bill. The bill prohibits the Department from issuing approvals for a large data center unless the large data center complies with specified conditions including conducting public hearings and implementing and funding a community investment program. The bill provides that a worker employed in the performance of construction undertaken in connection with a data center project, as defined in the bill, shall receive the prevailing wage rate, as determined by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, for such work. The bill also directs the State Corporation Commission to require each water, gas, or electric utility under its jurisdiction to establish and file an independent classification of service for customers that are large data centers by July 1, 2031. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality to (i) prepare an environmental impact report on data center development in the Commonwealth by January 1, 2029, and (ii) commence a proceeding to establish a community investment program through which large data centers may comply with the bill's provisions. The bill also directs the Department of Energy to determine reasonable energy consumption efficiency goals for the design and operation of large data centers. Finally, the bill prohibits a locality from granting final approval on or after July 1, 2027, of any application for a rezoning, special exception, special use permit, site plan, or plan of development for the siting of a data center, as defined in existing law, until July 1, 2028.

Michael J. JonesDemocrat

Seeking the expulsion of Senator L. Louise Lucas.

Seeking the expulsion of Senator L. Louise Lucas. Seeks the expulsion of Senator L. Louise Lucas in accordance with Article IV, Section 7 of the Constitution of Virginia and the Rules of the Senate and the process prescribed therein. Such process includes referral of the matter to the Committee on Privileges and Elections, hearings conducted by the Committee, and a report of the Committee's determination including recommendations for disciplinary action. The resolution calls for the Committee on Privileges and Elections to, among other things, consider whether violations of the General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act occurred.

Bryce E. ReevesRepublican

Suspension of statewide fuel taxes; emergency.

Suspension of statewide fuel taxes; emergency. Temporarily suspends the statewide motor fuel tax and the tax on alternative fuel from October 27, 2026, through January 31, 2027. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

Data centers; state permitting, local approval, moratorium, sunset.

Data centers; state permitting; local approval; moratorium; sunset. Prohibits a locality from granting final approval on or after July 1, 2027, of any application for a rezoning, special exception, special use permit, site plan, or plan of development for the siting of a data center. The bill also prohibits any agency of the Commonwealth from (i) issuing any permit, certificate, registration, license, or other form of approval in connection with the development or siting of a data center or (ii) authorizing the construction of any facilities designed to provide electric distribution service, interconnection, on-site electric generation, or related services for a data center on or after July 1, 2027. The bill sunsets on July 1, 2030.

Russet PerryDemocrat

High school student athletes; eligibility, enrollment.

High school student athletes; eligibility; enrollment. Requires any nonprofit corporation founded in Virginia in 1913 that currently organizes and governs interscholastic activities among the public high schools to develop, implement, and enforce rules requiring that a student who is a member of a high school athletic team be deemed to satisfy any residency requirements established by such corporation in order to be eligible for participation on such team if the student is duly enrolled in the high school at which he is a member of such team.

Michael J. JonesDemocrat

Local governing bodies; member nondisclosure agreements prohibited.

Members of local governing bodies; nondisclosure agreements prohibited. Prohibits members of local governing bodies from signing or executing a nondisclosure agreement that prohibits them from discussing matters of public concern related to the performance of their official duties. The bill provides that any such agreement is against public policy, void, and unenforceable. The bill exempts any such member from the prohibition if such nondisclosure agreement is necessary to prevent disclosure of (i) factual circumstances relating to the member's performance of official duties that reasonably implicate privacy interests held by the member, if the member elects to restrict such disclosure; (ii) matters required by law to be kept confidential; or (iii) information related to active civil or criminal investigations. Finally, the bill exempts from its provisions any contracts, covenants, or agreements entered into or renewed prior to July 1, 2027.

Michael J. JonesDemocrat

Corrections, Director of the Department of; placement of inmates, Red Onion State Prison.

Director of the Department of Corrections; placement of inmates; Red Onion State Prison. Directs the Director of the Department of Corrections to continue accepting and reviewing applications for the confinement of inmates from a state that is a party to the Interstate Corrections Compact entered into pursuant to relevant law but prohibits any placement of any such inmate at the Red Onion State Prison until such time as the General Assembly reauthorizes such placement by an act of assembly. The bill also requires the Director to allow for any inmate who is (i) a citizen of the Commonwealth and (ii) incarcerated in any state that is a party to the Interstate Corrections Compact to be placed in a Department facility.

Michael J. JonesDemocrat

Data centers; public hearing and notice requirements.

Data centers; public hearing and notice requirements. Provides additional requirements for local land use decisions regarding zoning changes for data center development. The bill requires, in addition to existing requirements for public advertisements, that the published advertisement providing notice for a public hearing regarding any proposed amendment to a zoning ordinance or application for a special exception for a change in use to permit the by-right development of a data center contain (i) the applicant or developer's name; (ii) the anticipated owner or end user of the development, if known; (iii) the street address, tax map parcel numbers of the parcel or parcels, or a description of the boundaries of the area subject to the changes and a link to a map of the subject area; (iv) the approximate acreage subject to the action; and (v) the expected utility infrastructure to be constructed in connection with the development, including electric, sewer, stormwater, and fuel lines, if known. The bill also requires the local governing body, before approving and adopting any zoning ordinance or amendment, and the board of zoning appeals, before authorizing a special exception or variance, to hold at least two public hearings whenever the subject of a land use decision is a data center development. Under current law, the local governing body and the board of zoning appeals are only required to hold one public hearing.

Michael J. JonesDemocrat

Surveillance pricing practices; consumer transactions, civil penalties.

Surveillance pricing practices; civil penalties. Prohibits an entity or a service provider, as those terms are defined in the bill, from using certain surveillance pricing practices, defined in the bill, in connection with a consumer transaction. The bill provides that the Office of the Attorney General shall enforce the provisions of the bill.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Localities; liability insurance, certain waiver of sovereign immunity.

Localities; liability insurance; certain waiver of sovereign immunity. Provides that a locality or political subdivision may provide liability insurance, including self-insurance, to cover damages or other expenses in certain civil actions arising out of an act or omission of certain officers, employees, board or commission members, or volunteers while such person is acting within the scope of his official duties. The bill provides that the provision of such liability insurance or self-insurance shall constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity in an amount not to exceed the combined total of any self-insurance coverage, insurance coverage under a group self-insurance pool, or any coverage pursuant to a policy purchased from an insurance company, including any excess or reserve coverage. The bill also provides that the insurer or self-insured shall not have a duty to defend or indemnify any covered person in cases where the act or omission took place outside the scope of such covered person's employment or official duties, where such act or omission was done maliciously or occurred as a result of gross negligence or willful misconduct, or is otherwise excluded by the terms of the policy.

Scott A. SurovellDemocrat