Bills & Legislation

ATVs and off-road motorcycles; operation in the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority.

All-terrain vehicles and off-road motorcycles; operation in the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority. Expands the authorized operation of all-terrain vehicles to include (i) operation on highways in all localities embraced by the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority, in addition to Buchanan County and Tazewell County, which are already authorized under current law, provided that certain conditions are met, and (ii) operation on public highways or other public property by employees of the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority conducting official business. The bill also authorizes any locality embraced by the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority to provide for the lawful seizure, impounding, and disposition of an unlawfully operated all-terrain vehicle or off-road motorcycle operated on a highway or sidewalk within the boundaries of such locality.

James W. MorefieldRepublican

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

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

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

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

Personal property taxation; establishes classification for major energy consumer equipment upgrades.

Personal property taxation; classifications; major energy consumer equipment upgrades. Establishes a special classification for generating equipment purchased on and after July 1, 2026, for the purpose of upgrading the backup or standby power systems of a major energy consumer (i) from equipment that does not meet Tier 2 emission standards to selective catalytic reduction generators that meet or exceed Tier 4 emission standards or (ii) to meet New Source Performance Standards as enforced by the Department of Environmental Quality, as applicable. The bill provides that such equipment may be taxed at a lower rate than is applied to other tangible personal property.

David A. ReidDemocrat

Student literacy programs and plans; certain adjustments.

Student literacy programs and plans; certain adjustments. Prohibits any Department of Education-approved student literacy screener that is administered to identify deficiencies that warrant reading intervention services for students in grades kindergarten through eight from commencing earlier than the tenth full instructional day of the academic year, and requires the testing window established by the Department to extend no fewer than 15 full instructional days to ensure adequate instructional readiness and equitable access. The bill requires (i) the Department's template for student reading plans to (a) auto-populate all available student data from the results on the literacy screener provided by the Department; (b) minimize duplicative manual data entry; (c) authorize the use of standardized instructional profiles for students presenting substantially similar literacy needs, where appropriate; and (d) permit the batch creation of plans when it is appropriate to the instructional context; (ii) the Department to annually compile, in a de-identified format, themes and trends reported through division-level educator feedback mechanisms related to the implementation of the literacy screeners provided by the Department and the development of reading plans; and (iii) prior to the statewide implementation of any substantial modification to the literacy screeners provided by the Department or associated data systems, the Department to conduct an implementation feasibility analysis that assesses system readiness, teacher workload impact, and anticipated training needs. The bill also establishes several new requirements for divisionwide literacy plans.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Administrative Process Act; appeals of case decisions regarding benefits sought, limitations.

Administrative Process Act; exemptions; limitations; appeals of case decisions regarding benefits sought. Specifies that the Administrative Process Act applies to case decisions regarding the grant or denial, including determinations of eligibility and approved levels of service, of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, general relief, auxiliary grants, or state-local hospitalization. The bill also removes provisions limiting review of case decisions to ascertaining whether there was evidence in the agency record to support the case decision of the agency.

Patrick A. HopeDemocrat

Nondegree workforce training programs; accreditation.

Department of Workforce Development and Advancement; accreditation of nondegree workforce training programs. Directs the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement to establish an accreditation pathway for nondegree workforce training programs in order to align the skills of the Commonwealth's workforce with the needs of industry in the Commonwealth and to provide a workforce entrance pathway for underserved populations in the Commonwealth. The bill includes minimum standards, admissions requirements, and reporting requirements for such programs. Additionally, the bill includes provisions related to the eligibility of accredited programs for state and federal workforce funding, including the federal Workforce Pell Grant.

Jessica L. AndersonDemocrat

Uniform Health Care Decisions Act; civil penalty.

Uniform Health Care Decisions Act; civil penalty. Repeals most provisions of the Health Care Decisions Act and enacts the Uniform Health Care Decisions Act. The bill creates a process for the execution of advance health care directives, as defined in the bill; establishes criteria for determining the capacity of an individual to make health care decisions; provides for the establishment of a default surrogate in the absence of an appointed agent for health care decisions; establishes powers and duties of agents appointed by powers of attorney for health care; and establishes duties of health care professionals.

Patrick A. HopeDemocrat

Zoning; agricultural operations, rental of accessory dwellings.

Zoning; agricultural operations; rental of accessory dwellings. Provides that no locality shall prohibit the rental for 30 days or more of existing accessory residential dwellings located on property with an agricultural operation. The bill does not apply to areas within a town.

John Chilton McAuliffDemocrat

Income tax, state; tax credit for certain small businesses.

Income tax; tax credit for certain small businesses. Establishes a one-time, nonrefundable tax credit for taxable years 2026 through 2030 for eligible small businesses, as defined in the bill, equal to $2,500. The bill limits the total aggregate amount of small business credits claimed to $5 million per taxable year.

John Chilton McAuliffDemocrat

Electric utilities; cost recovery, costs substantially related to serving data center customers.

Electric utilities; cost recovery; costs substantially related to serving data center customers. Prohibits the recovery of costs incurred by an electric utility that (i) are substantially related to the provision of electric service to data center customers and (ii) would not have been incurred but for the demand of such data center customers from being included in any rates or charges approved by the State Corporation Commission under current law, unless such rates and charges are designed to recover, or substantially recover, such costs solely from data center customers. Under the bill, "data center customers" are data centers with a peak demand of 100 megawatts or greater.

John Chilton McAuliffDemocrat

New state park; Dept. of Conservation & Recreation to acquire prop. to establish in Loudoun County.

Department of Conservation and Recreation; acquisition of property to establish a state park; Loudoun County. Allows the Department of Conservation and Recreation to acquire from the Conservation Fund approximately 1,240 acres of real property and any buildings or structures thereon between Little River Turnpike, James Monroe Highway, and Tail Race Road, known as Oak Hill Farm, in Loudoun County for the purpose of establishing and operating a state park on such property. This bill incorporates HB 239.

John Chilton McAuliffDemocrat

School boards; mental health awareness training for full-time school bus drivers.

School boards; mental health awareness training; full-time school bus drivers. Permits any school board to require each school bus driver employed on a full-time basis in the local school division to complete mental health awareness training at least once. The bill requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to consider condensing and abbreviating the existing mental health first aid training program into a two-hour module that any school board may utilize in order to train full-time school bus drivers.

Elizabeth R. GuzmanDemocrat

Absentee voting; ballots received, marked, and cast electronically through the Internet.

Elections; absentee voting; accessibility; ballots received, marked, and cast electronically through the internet. Requires the Department of Elections to make available to all localities a tool to allow a voter with a visual impairment or print disability or a covered voter to receive, mark, and return his absentee ballot electronically through the internet. The bill makes the tool available through the internet in lieu of other currently available assistive technologies.

Patrick A. HopeDemocrat

Norfolk, City of; Marine Resources Commission to convey easement for certain property.

State-owned bottomlands; Marine Resources Commission; conveyance of certain easements to City of Norfolk; Coastal Storm Risk Management Program. Allows the Marine Resources Commission to convey to the City of Norfolk, in locations acceptable to the Commission, permanent easement interests, temporary construction easements, and fee simple interests in subaqueous land that are necessary for the City’s Phase I drawings, defined in the bill, pursuant to quitclaims. The bill also allows the Commission to quitclaim to the City any interest that the Commonwealth may have in and to the property known as Newton Canal, a/k/a Mahone's Canal, a/k/a Brambleton Canal, which property is located within the boundaries of City of Norfolk GPIN 1437339770.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Children's Cabinet; established, report.

Children's Cabinet established; report. Establishes the Children's Cabinet to advise the Governor on matters pertaining to children in the Commonwealth and ways to improve their health, safety, and well-being.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Medicaid waivers; consumer-directed services, employer of record.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; Medicaid waivers; consumer-directed services; employer of record. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to modify the program rules for consumer-directed services available through certain Medicaid waivers to allow an individual receiving services to serve as the employer of record (EOR) for his own service delivery and designate another individual to perform all or a portion of the duties of the EOR on the individual's behalf when the individual receiving services is unable to perform such duties or direct his own care. The bill specifies that when an individual (i) has not yet reached the age of majority, (ii) is ineligible to use his existing employer identification number (EIN) to facilitate the taxation of benefits, or (iii) is otherwise determined to be ineligible by DMAS by administrative rule, the EIN shall be assigned to the individual receiving services and shall not be transferred to another individual. Under the bill, DMAS has the authority to limit such amendments to specify that an individual receiving services may make such designation no more than twice per calendar year.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Housing and Community Development, Department of; powers and duties of director.

Department of Housing and Community Development; powers and duties of director; accessory dwelling unit construction guide. Requires the director of the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop an accessory dwelling unit construction guide that provides (i) an overview of the accessory dwelling unit construction process; (ii) a review of ordinances, permits, fees, programs, and incentives related to accessory dwelling unit development by locality; and (iii) a catalog of model accessory dwelling unit designs suitable for various local restraints. Such guide shall be updated at least every five years.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definitions, meetings, quorum and electronic communication.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definitions; meetings; quorum and electronic communication. Amends the definition of "meeting" for purposes of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act such that any assemblage of a quorum of the constituent membership of a public body constitutes a meeting. Under current law, as many as three members or a quorum, if less than three, of the constituent membership of a public body constitutes a meeting. The bill additionally authorizes members of a public body participating through electronic communication in a meeting in which other members are participating in person to count toward the quorum as if the individual were physically present, should such member's physical absence be due to an approved cause of absence.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Land records; certain financing statements, recording and indexing fees.

Land records; certain financing statements; recording and indexing fees. Sets forth the fees that a clerk of the circuit court shall charge for recording and indexing a multipurpose deed of trust or mortgage, described in the bill as a deed of trust or mortgage, whether or not commercial, that serves multiple purposes and contains two or more components that may serve as independent legal instruments for independent legal purposes. The bill provides that no clerk of a circuit court shall assess separate recording and indexing fees for such multipurpose deed of trust or mortgage unless the person presenting such document or instruments requests that such document or instruments be recorded and indexed in more than a single instance. The bill also provides that no recordation tax shall be required of a quitclaim deed or deed to correct a fraudulently recorded deed, including a deed of trust, between a grantor and grantee when no consideration has passed between the parties.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Local government or board of zoning appeals land use decisions; third-party standing requirements.

Contesting local governing body or board of zoning appeals land use decisions; third-party standing requirements. Creates standing for any person who does not have an ownership interest in the property that is the direct subject of a local governing body or board of zoning appeals action if such person has alleged with particularity and proven by clear and convincing evidence that he (i) has an immediate, pecuniary, and substantial interest in the litigation, and not a remote or indirect interest; (ii) owns or occupies real property within or in close proximity to the property that is the subject of the land use determination; and (iii) has suffered (a) a particularized harm to a personal or property right, legal or equitable, or (b) an imposition of a burden or obligation different from that suffered by the general public. The bill clarifies that such standing requirements do not apply to any person who has an ownership interest in the property that is the direct subject of the decision of the local governing body or the board of zoning appeals.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; reform, increases membership.

Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; reform. Increases from seven to 12 the number of members of the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission (the Commission) by adding two additional attorney members, an additional active judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, and two additional citizen members. The bill provides that such attorney members be chosen by members of the General Assembly from recommendations provided by the Council of the Virginia State Bar, the Board of Directors for the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys, and the Board of Directors for the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and reduces the required years of practice for such lawyer members from 15 to eight. The bill establishes an initial and subsequent annual training requirement for each member and any newly hired counsel for the Commission. Additionally, the bill requires the Commission to adopt and implement a conflict of interest policy. The bill clarifies appointment powers of the Governor in any case where a member of the Commission or staff for the Commission is disqualified from or voluntarily recuses himself from participation in a proceeding. Further, the bill requires the Commission to adopt, the Committees for Courts of Justice to approve, and the Commission to make publicly available a Code of Conduct for all Commission members and Commission staff. The bill provides that the Commission shall make all reasonable efforts to contact any witnesses specified in complaints alleging judicial misconduct to assist the Commission. Further, the bill clarifies that the Commission may investigate any complaints within their purview arising out of matters that are pending or on appeal, and that the Commission shall not dismiss such complaints solely on the basis that the matter from which such complaint arose is pending or on appeal. The bill requires the Commission to make publicly available a publication specifying all possible sanctions, informal disciplinary actions, and supervision agreements the Commission may impose on a judge who is the subject of a complaint and provides an option for requiring the mandatory recusal of such judge in certain instances. The bill prohibits the Attorney General from acting as counsel in any proceeding where the Attorney General was involved in a case, either at trial or on appeal, where a complaint of judicial misconduct arose from such case, and provides that the Conflict of Interest policy the Commission adopts shall govern the Attorney General. The bill removes provisions of confidentiality for a complainant that currently bars a complainant from discussing or sharing privileged information regarding any filed complaint and permits such complainant to discuss publicly the filing of a complaint and any associated events relating to the complaint. The bill clarifies notice requirements to the complainant by the Commission. Finally, the bill permits the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia to provide the annual judicial performance evaluations for all judges subject to evaluation to the Commission, and such evaluations shall remain confidential.

Patrick A. HopeDemocrat

High school graduation requirements; alternative pathway to standard diploma established, report.

High school graduation requirements; alternative pathway to standard diploma established; report. Requires the Board of Education to (i) establish pursuant to regulation an alternative pathway to the standard diploma for any student with a disability whose individualized education program indicates that the student demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve the standard diploma but requires significant instructional, course sequencing, or assessment accommodations or modifications in order to do so and (ii) take all steps necessary to ensure that such pathway and the Applied Studies diploma are, to the maximum extent practicable, treated as a standard diploma for the purpose of eligibility for enrollment at an institution of higher education in the Commonwealth, eligibility for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and federal financial aid programs, consideration for military service enlistment opportunities, and consideration for state employment opportunities that require a standard diploma. The bill requires the Department of Education to report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly on the implementation of such alternative pathway to the standard diploma, including the number of students utilizing such alternative pathway and the postsecondary outcomes of such students.

Destiny LeVere BollingDemocrat

Eminent domain; condemnation of public waterworks systems, determination of lost profits.

Eminent domain; condemnation of public waterworks systems; determination of lost profits. Requires the body determining just compensation in a condemnation proceeding initiated by a locality for the taking of a waterworks system to consider in its determination of lost profits the difference between the rates, fees, and charges for water service provided by (i) the condemning locality or authority and (ii) the owner on the date of valuation. The bill requires, upon the petition of any party or upon the request of the court, that such determination of lost profits be commensurately reduced to the extent that the body determining just compensation and the court find to be just and reasonable.

Nicole ColeDemocrat

Public utilities; reopening rate case in certain instances.

Public utilities; reopening rate case in certain instances. Provides that if an application is filed with the State Corporation Commission for approval of the acquisition or disposition of control involving a public utility and such application is filed within 24 months after the entry of a final order in a rate increase proceeding, the Commission may, on its own initiative or upon petition of any interested person, reopen such rate increase proceeding.

Nicole ColeDemocrat

Approval of land use applications; residential development.

Approval of land use applications; residential development. Requires every locality to take final action to approve, approve with conditions, or deny any land use application for the rezoning or development of property that includes residential development within 12 months from the date of submission of such application to the locality.

Nicole ColeDemocrat

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba); designating as official state fruit.

Official emblems and designations; state fruit; pawpaw. Designates the pawpaw fruit (Asimina triloba) as the official state fruit.

Elizabeth R. GuzmanDemocrat

Workers' compensation; disability of law-enforcement officer, spousal wage replacement, report.

Workers' compensation; disability of law-enforcement officer; spousal wage replacement; report. Requires the employer of a law-enforcement officer who sustains a line of duty injury, as defined in the bill, to pay or cause to be paid to the spouse of such law-enforcement officer 66 percent of such spouse's average weekly wage during the previous three years, up to 80 percent of the average weekly wage of the Commonwealth, provided that certain requirements are met. The bill directs the Workers' Compensation Commission to establish an application review process for claims for spousal wage replacement pursuant to the bill's provisions by January 1, 2027. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

David A. ReidDemocrat

Firefighters Cancer Screening Grant Program and Fund; established.

Firefighters Cancer Screening Grant Program and Fund established. Creates the Firefighters Cancer Screening Grant Program and Fund to award grants to localities for costs incurred in providing certain cancer detection tests to firefighters. The bill provides that in any year that the amount of funds in the Firefighters Cancer Screening Fund reduces to zero and the Fund does not receive a separate appropriation, the Grant Program and Fund shall expire.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

Marine Resources Commission; fisheries climate adaptation plan, report.

Marine Resources Commission; fisheries climate adaptation plan; report. Directs the Marine Resources Commission, in collaboration with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, to develop and maintain a fisheries climate adaptation plan that utilizes the best available science to consider climate-driven impacts to Virginia fisheries and aquaculture and identify adaptive management strategies and research needs necessary to safeguard the economic and environmental health of Virginia fisheries. The Commission is directed to convene a technical advisory committee of relevant stakeholders to aid in the development of such plan, to update the plan at least once every three years, and to submit a report detailing the plan to relevant executive agency personnel and committees of the General Assembly by December 1, 2026, for the initial plan and December 1 in any year in which the plan is updated.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

School board chairmen and vice-chairmen; additional annual salary.

School board chairmen and vice-chairmen; additional annual salary; amount. Permits any school board to pay (i) the chairman of the school board an additional annual salary not exceeding 30 percent of the base annual salary or $3,500, whichever is greater, and (ii) the vice-chairman of the school board an additional annual salary not exceeding 15 percent of the base annual salary or $1,750, whichever is greater. Current law caps school board chairmen's additional annual salary at $2,000 and is silent on additional annual salary amounts for school board vice-chairmen.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Uniform Statewide Building Code; amendments, energy efficiency and conservation.

Uniform Statewide Building Code; amendments; energy efficiency and conservation. Requires the Board of Housing and Community Development to adopt amendments to the Uniform Statewide Building Code within 18 months of publication of a new version of the International Code Council's International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) to incorporate the latest IECC standards related to energy efficiency and conservation. The bill requires the Board to adopt Building Code standards that are at least as stringent as those contained in the new version of the IECC.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Income tax, state; removes sunset from and makes permanent increase in refundable earned tax credit.

Earned income tax credit. Removes the sunset from and makes permanent the increase in Virginia's refundable earned income tax credit from 15 percent to 20 percent of the allowable federal earned income tax credit. Under current law, the Virginia refundable earned income tax credit expires in taxable year 2027, and Virginia's nonrefundable earned income tax credit, which has no expiration date, is equal to 20 percent of the federal credit.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Industrial/commercial use facilities; local authority on requiring water consumption in zoning ordinance.

Local authority on requiring water consumption in zoning ordinance; industrial and commercial facilities. Authorizes a locality to include in its zoning ordinance provisions for (i) requiring proposed industrial and commercial facilities to submit water consumption estimates and (ii) considering water consumption from public resources when making rezoning and special use permit decisions related to such facilities.

David A. ReidDemocrat

American Indians, Virginia and federally recognized tribes; establishes definitions, sovereignty.

Definitions; American Indians; Virginia recognized tribes; federally recognized tribes; sovereignty. Provides that the Commonwealth acknowledges the inherent sovereignty of federally recognized tribes within the present-day external boundaries of the Commonwealth. The bill also establishes definitions for "American Indian," "federally recognized tribe," and "Virginia recognized tribe" and amends various sections throughout the Code for the purpose of uniformity in terminology. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Small claims court; jurisdictional limit.

Small claims court; jurisdictional limit. Allows a plaintiff to file a small claims civil warrant when the amount claimed does not exceed $25,000, exclusive of interest, up to two times in the Commonwealth in a calendar year. Under current law, the small claims court has jurisdiction when the amount claimed does not exceed $5,000, exclusive of interest.

Lindsey DoughertyDemocrat

Public elementary and secondary student textbooks; print as primary curriculum basis.

Public elementary and secondary student textbooks; print as primary curriculum basis. Requires, unless otherwise indicated in a student's individualized education program, print textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials to serve as the primary curriculum basis for a grade-level subject or course but permits digital textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials to serve as the secondary curriculum basis for a grade-level subject or course.

Lindsey DoughertyDemocrat

Private elementary or secondary school; use of public funds for tuition, standards.

Use of public funds for private elementary or secondary school tuition; standards. Establishes several requirements and conditions relating to the use of certain public funds enumerated in the bill to fund student tuition at private elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth, including (i) requiring all students enrolled at schools who receive such funds to take Standards of Learning assessments; (ii) requiring all such schools to receive accountability ratings from the Board of Education; and (iii) prohibiting such schools from discriminating in admissions, enrollment, discipline, retention, or access to educational programs and services on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, special education status, language proficiency, or socioeconomic status.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat

Online portal; Commissioner of Department of Veterans Services to develop and maintain.

Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services; powers and duties; online portal. Requires the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services to develop and maintain an online portal to connect veterans, members of the Virginia National Guard, and Virginia residents in the Armed Forces Reserves who qualify for veteran status, and their immediate family members, to available resources, programs, and services in the Commonwealth and provide a means to submit electronic applications for such resources, programs, and services. The bill requires the online portal to collect, maintain, use, disseminate, and safeguard personal information in compliance with state and federal law.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

Emergency services and disaster preparedness programs; inclusion of federally recognized tribes.

Department of Emergency Management; emergency services and disaster preparedness programs; inclusion of federally recognized tribes. Requires the Department of Emergency Management to administer certain emergency services in coordination with federally recognized tribes that the Department has entered into a contract or memorandum of understanding with for assistance regarding such emergency services. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Employee protections; wage and hour, health and safety, and mining safety provisions.

Employee protections; wage and hour, health and safety, and mining safety provisions; federal rules. Requires that, if a federal wage or hour law, federal occupational health and safety law, or federal mine safety law is repealed, revoked, amended, or reinterpreted in any manner that results in the federal protections becoming less stringent or effective, the Commissioner, the Safety and Health Codes Board, or the Department of Energy, respectively, shall promulgate regulations that incorporate the federal law as it existed prior to being repealed, revoked, amended, or newly interpreted.

Alfonso H. LopezDemocrat

Additional local sales and use tax to support schools; referendum.

Additional local sales and use tax to support schools; referendum. Authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent with the revenue used only for capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools if such levy is approved in a voter referendum. The bill removes the requirement that such a tax must have an expiration date on either (i) the date of the repayment of any bonds or loans used for such capital projects or (ii) a date chosen by the governing body. Under current law, only Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danville are authorized to impose such a tax.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund; established and created.

Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund created. Creates the Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund to assist private developers with non-utility costs associated with the installation of electric vehicle charging stations (i) in certain localities; (ii) on eligible public land, as defined in the bill; or (iii) within one mile of the boundary of eligible public land. The bill provides that a private developer may apply for a grant in an amount equal to 70 percent of the private developer's non-utility costs for the installation of such public electric vehicle charging stations. The awarding of a grant under the Program is conditional upon an agreement with the applicant that any cost of a project not funded by a grant awarded by the Program be funded by non-federal funds. The bill directs the Department of Energy to establish guidelines for the administration of the Program, including guidelines related to the application for and award of grants. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2031.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Uniform Statewide Building Code; homeowners who live off grid.

Board of Housing and Community Development; Uniform Statewide Building Code; homeowners who live off grid. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development to amend the Uniform Statewide Building Code to exempt any homeowner who lives off the electrical grid from complying with provisions of the Building Code regarding electrical systems, so long as his home is otherwise habitable pursuant to Building Code regulations.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican