Bills & Legislation

Head start, etc.; Head Start State Collaboration Office to develop for endorsement a report, etc.

Head Start State Collaboration Office; state of Head Start and Early Head Start in the Commonwealth; report. Requires the Head Start State Collaboration Office at the Department of Education, no later than December 1, 2026, to develop and recommend to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education for endorsement a report summarizing the state of Head Start and Early Head Start in the Commonwealth that is required to address several topics enumerated in the bill.

Debra D. GardnerDemocrat

School meal debt; each school board to annually report.

School meal debt; annual report. Requires each school board to annually report to the Department of Education the amount of school meal debt in the local school division and directs the Department to annually aggregate and submit such reports to the General Assembly, provided that no such report contains any personally identifiable student information. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Commission to End Hunger.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Peer recovery specialists; VDH & DOC to develop guidelines for hiring.

Department of Health; Department of Corrections; peer recovery specialists. Directs the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Corrections to develop agency guidelines for hiring peer recovery specialists with previous criminal convictions for compensated employment. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to SB 608.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Firearm industry members; creates standards of responsible conduct, civil liability.

Firearm industry members; standards of responsible conduct; civil liability. Creates standards of responsible conduct for firearm industry members and requires such members to establish and implement reasonable controls regarding the manufacture, sale, distribution, use, and marketing of the firearm industry member's firearm-related products, as those terms are defined in the bill. Such reasonable controls include reasonable procedures, safeguards, and business practices that are designed to (i) prevent the sale or distribution of a firearm-related product to a straw purchaser, a firearm trafficker, a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law, or a person who the firearm industry member has reasonable cause to believe is at substantial risk of using a firearm-related product to harm themselves or unlawfully harm another or of unlawfully possessing or using a firearm-related product; (ii) prevent the loss of a firearm-related product or theft of a firearm-related product from a firearm industry member; (iii) ensure that the firearm industry member complies with all provisions of state and federal law and does not otherwise promote the unlawful manufacture, sale, possession, marketing, or use of a firearm-related product; (iv) prevent the installation and use of an auto sear on firearm-related products; and (v) ensure that the firearm industry member does not engage in an act or practice in violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill also provides that a firearm industry member may not knowingly create, maintain, or contribute to a public nuisance, as defined in the bill, through the sale, manufacturing, importing, or marketing of a firearm-related product. The bill creates a civil cause of action for the Attorney General or a local county, city, or town attorney to enforce the provisions of the bill or for any person who has been injured as a result of a firearm industry member's violation to seek an injunction and to recover costs and damages. The bill also allows the Attorney General to issue a civil investigative demand if he has reasonable cause to believe that any person has engaged in, is engaging in, or is about to engage in any violation of such standards of responsible conduct.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat

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

College partnership laboratory schools; transparency.

College partnership laboratory schools; transparency. Requires, for college partnership laboratory schools that form a collaborative partnership with one or more school divisions, the parents of any enrolled student to be notified of such collaborative partnership and provided with contact information for an administrator in such partnering division that the parent can contact with questions or concerns about program administration or the student's experience at the college partnership laboratory school. The bill requires each college partnership laboratory to identify in a conspicuous and publicly accessible manner and location on the school's website the members and meeting schedule of the school's governing board; a summary of the operational, budgetary, and contractual decisions of such governing board; and the Board of Education regulations to which such school is subject.

Karen Keys-GamarraDemocrat

School boards; safe storage of prescription drugs and firearms in the household.

School board policies; parental notification; safe storage of prescription drugs and firearms in the household. Requires each school board to develop and implement a policy to require the annual notification of the parent of each student enrolled in the school division, to be sent by email and, if applicable, SMS text message, of (i) the importance of securely storing any prescription drug, as defined in relevant law, present in the household and (ii) the parent's legal responsibility to safely store any firearm present in the household. The bill also requires each parental notification to include information on (a) relevant state laws and regulations relating to safe firearm storage and child access to firearms and (b) firearm-related accidents, injuries, and deaths, including current statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or an equivalent nationally recognized entity or organization on youth firearm fatality rates. Finally, the bill requires each school board to make such parental notification available in multiple languages on its website. This bill is identical to SB 109.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Transit Entities, certain; funding and administration.

Certain transit entities; funding and administration. Changes the purposes and geographic applicability of the Transit Ridership Incentive Program, removes various other requirements related to the program's administration and use of funds, and specifies a November 1 deadline for the annual report on the program. The bill removes the requirement for the Secretary of Transportation to coordinate with certain other entities for the purpose of revising the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Compact of 1966 and implementing other reforms necessary to ensure the near-term and long-term viability of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The bill also extends from July 1, 2027, to July 1, 2028, the sunset on provisions delegating to local building officials the enforcement of the Uniform Statewide Building Code for bus shelters to be constructed for transit agencies receiving state funds from the Commonwealth Mass Transit Fund.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

Minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees, temporary foreign workers.

Minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees. Eliminates the exemption from Virginia's minimum wage requirements for persons employed as farm laborers or farm employees. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027, and is identical to SB 121.

Adele Y. McClureDemocrat

Local government; review of decision by board of zoning appeals, procedures for filing petition.

Local governing body; review of decision by board of zoning appeals; procedures for filing petition. Makes various changes and clarifications to the procedures following the filing of a petition in a circuit court by a party aggrieved by a decision of the board of zoning appeals. Current law provides that a circuit court, upon presentation of the petition, shall allow a writ of certiorari to review such decision and includes certain timing requirements for service upon and response by the board of zoning appeals. The bill clarifies that the petition shall be served upon the secretary or chair of the board of zoning appeals within 30 days after the petition is filed with the clerk of the circuit court and that, within 21 days of being served with the petition, the secretary of the board of zoning appeals shall file the record of the proceedings at issue in the petition. The bill also updates other procedures, such as the time requirements for the filing of responsive pleadings, to be consistent with the various changes and clarifications throughout the bill. This bill is a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

Standards of Learning assessments; through-year growth assessment system eliminated.

Board of Education; through-year growth assessment system eliminated. Eliminates the requirement that the Board of Education establish, in lieu of a one-time end-of-year assessment, a through-year growth assessment system, aligned with the Standards of Learning, for the administration of reading and mathematics assessments in grades three through eight. The bill removes from current law other provisions relating to the administration of such through-year growth assessments.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

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

Programs for at-risk students; permissible uses of funding.

Programs for at-risk students; permissible uses of funding. Includes as covered programs that are eligible for funding under the At-Risk Program initiatives to support both the physical and mental health of students in public schools, including the hiring of licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses. This bill is a recommendation of the School Health Services Committee and is identical to SB 33.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

Parole; exception to limitation on the application of parole statutes.

Parole; exception to limitation on the application of parole statutes. Provides that a person is eligible to be considered for parole if such person (i) was sentenced by a jury after the date of the Supreme Court of Virginia decision in Fishback v. Commonwealth, 260 Va. 104 (2000), in which the Supreme Court held that a jury should be instructed on the fact that parole has been abolished, for a felony committed on or after the abolition of parole going into effect on January 1, 1995; (ii) can prove by the preponderance of the evidence that the jury in his case was not instructed on the fact that parole has been abolished; and (iii) remained incarcerated for the offense on July 1, 2026, and the offense was not one of the following: (a) a Class 1 felony; (b) if the victim was a minor, rape, forcible sodomy, object sexual penetration, or aggravated sexual battery or an attempt to commit any such act; or (c) carnal knowledge. The bill also requires the Parole Board to establish procedures for consideration of parole of persons entitled to it and also provides that any person who is eligible for parole as of July 1, 2026, shall be scheduled for a parole interview no later than July 1, 2027, allowing for extension of time for reasonable cause.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

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

Victims of sex trafficking; immunity for minors to arrest or prosecution for prostitution.

Victims of sex trafficking; minors; immunity to prosecution for prostitution. Provides that no minor shall be subject to arrest or prosecution for a qualifying offense, defined in relevant law, if at the time of the offense leading to such charge, such minor was a victim of sex trafficking, defined in relevant law. The bill also provides that such minor shall be referred to the local department of social services for a human trafficking or other assessment pursuant to relevant law and a law-enforcement officer or the local department of social services may take custody of such minor. Lastly, the bill provides that no law-enforcement officer acting in good faith shall be found liable for false arrest if it is later determined that the minor arrested was immune from prosecution.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Certain student assessment requirements; calculation of final course grade, effective clause.

Certain student assessment requirements; calculation of final course grade; repeal. Repeals a provision of law that requires the score of any student in grades seven through 12 on any Standards of Learning assessment or permissive local alternative assessment to account for at least 10 percent of the student's final grade in the relevant course. The bill contains a reenactment clause.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Firearms; purchase, etc., after assault & battery of family or household member or intimate partner.

Purchase, possession, or transportation of firearm; assault and battery of a family or household member or intimate partner; penalty. Adds to the definition of "family or household member," as such definition relates to juvenile and domestic relations district court, a person's intimate partner, defined in the bill as an individual who, within the previous 12 months, was in a romantic, dating, or sexual relationship with the person as determined by the length, nature, frequency, and type of interaction between the individuals involved in the relationship. The bill also adds to the definition of "family or household member," as such definition relates to a person's purchase, possession, or transportation of a firearm following an assault and battery of a family or household member, any individual who cohabits or who, within the previous 12 months, cohabitated with the person. Finally, the bill provides that any person who knowingly and intentionally purchases, possesses, or transports any firearm following a misdemeanor conviction for an offense that occurred on or after July 1, 2026, for the offense of assault and battery against an intimate partner or an offense substantially similar under the laws of any other state or of the United States is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill is identical to SB 160.

Adele Y. McClureDemocrat

Electronic fund transfers; Office of AG shall convene work group to review fraudulent activity, etc.

Office of the Attorney General; work group; fraudulent activity in electronic fund transfers; report. Directs the Office of the Attorney General to convene a work group to review the Electronic Funds Transfers Act, develop recommendations to aid individuals in the Commonwealth in preventing and mitigating fraudulent activity in electronic fund transfers, and submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2026.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Virginia Beach, City of; amending charter, transition to a city council, voting districts.

Charter; City of Virginia Beach. Amends the charter for the City of Virginia Beach to reflect the City's transition to a city council consisting solely of single-member districts and the mayor. This bill is identical to SB 681 and contains an emergency clause.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Orders closing a proceeding; petitions for review.

Orders closing a proceeding; petitions for review. Provides that when a circuit court acts on or issues an order pertaining to the closure of a proceeding, such order is eligible for immediate appellate review with the Supreme Court of Virginia. The bill further provides that any person aggrieved by such an order may, within 15 days of the entry of such an order, file a petition for review with the Supreme Court of Virginia. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.

Leslie Chambers MehtaDemocrat

All-Payer Claims Database; Virginia Department of Health shall conduct an evaluation, report.

Bureau of Insurance; evaluation of All-Payer Claims Database; report. Directs the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance (the Bureau) to conduct an evaluation of the All-Payer Claims Database and the data submitted thereto in facilitating data-driven, evidence-based improvements in access, quality, and cost of health care in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Bureau to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly no later than December 1, 2026.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat

High school graduation requirements; history and social studies credits.

High school graduation requirements; history and social studies credits; certain substitutions permitted. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing high school graduation requirements, to permit any student to substitute the African American History course or the Advanced Placement African American Studies course for the World History I course or the World Geography course for the purpose of satisfying the history and social studies credit requirements, provided that (i) such a course is available to the student and (ii) the student is required to complete and receive a passing score on an applicable local alternative assessment or an equivalent Board-approved assessment, in order to satisfy history and social studies credit requirements for graduation. The bill directs the Board of Education to amend its regulations in accordance with the provisions of the bill and to ensure that no student who makes such a substitution is required to earn a verified credit for the World History I or World Geography course in order to graduate. This bill is identical to SB 427.

David A. ReidDemocrat

First-time home buyer savings plan; townhouses, principal limits.

First-time home buyer savings plan; townhouses; principal limits. Includes townhouses in the definition of single-family residence for purposes of the First-Time Home Buyer Savings Plan Act. The bill also increases (i) the aggregate amount of principal that can be contributed to a first-time home buyer savings account from $50,000 to $100,000 and (ii) the limit on the amount of principal and interest or other income on the principal that may be retained in such an account from $150,000 to $200,000. The bill defines first-time home buyer, and includes that term in the definition of qualified beneficiary.

David A. ReidDemocrat

Affordable dwelling unit program; adds Roanoke City to list of localities with authority to provide.

Affordable dwelling unit program; City of Roanoke. Adds the City of Roanoke to the list of localities with authority to provide for an affordable dwelling unit program. The bill provides that such change shall not become effective unless reenacted by the 2027 Session of the General Assembly. The bill also requires the Virginia Housing Development Authority to analyze the potential efficacy of the provisions of the bill for the provision of affordable housing in the City of Roanoke and to report the results of such analysis no later than November 1, 2026.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

Employee Child Care Assistance Program; established, reports.

Employee Child Care Assistance Program established. Establishes the Employee Child Care Assistance Program to provide matching funds in order to incentivize employers to contribute to the child care costs of their employees. The Program shall be administered by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. To participate in the Program, an employer shall agree to make child care contributions to the eligible mixed delivery provider on behalf of the employee or to a third-party administrator, as defined by the bill, and shall provide any other information deemed necessary by the Foundation. The bill specifies that, to the extent funds are available, the Foundation shall issue a state match to a third-party administrator. Program funds shall be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis; however, the bill clarifies that the Foundation is encouraged to prioritize awards to proposals involving contributions from small businesses. The bill requires the Foundation to provide an interim report to the General Assembly by September 1, 2028, and a summative report to the General Assembly by September 1, 2030, on the effectiveness and impact of the Program. This bill is identical to SB 3.

Adele Y. McClureDemocrat

Certified student support agencies; DOE to assess impact of developing program for students.

Department of Education; assessment; certified student support agencies; report. Requires the Department of Education (the Department) to assess the impact of developing a program to provide student support programs to students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school through certified student support agencies, as defined in the bill. The bill requires the Department, in conducting such assessment, to consider (i) a framework by which a certified student support agency would enter into a memorandum of understanding with a school board for the purpose of providing student support programs, as defined in the bill, and suggested components of such memorandums of understanding, such as (a) documentation establishing the organization's nonprofit status, (b) a description of each student support program that such organization provides, (c) policies and procedures relating to privacy, background checks, mandated reporting, and the transmission, collection, use, and disposal of student personal information, and (d) consent forms and procedures to be used by such student support programs to obtain the necessary consent from the parent of any student under 18 years of age; (ii) the feasibility of establishing and administering a certification process for certified student support agencies; (iii) potential compliance monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and subsequent penalties for noncompliance to ensure that each certified student support agency complies with such program; (iv) policies and procedures for the secure disposal of a student's personal information upon such student's withdrawal from a student support program, upon the cessation of any such program, or upon such student's graduation or transfer from the school division; and (v) cost estimates, including staffing needs, for the development and implementation of such program. The bill requires the Department to submit a report on its findings to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health and the House Committees on Appropriations and Education no later than November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 190.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Fee for passing bad checks to localities; payment order not paid by recipient.

Fee for passing bad checks to localities. Makes clarifying amendments to existing provisions related to the imposition of a fee by a locality for the passing of a bad check and adds a reference to electronic payment orders to such provisions. The bill also provides that no fee shall be imposed as the result of an electronic payment order that is not honored as the result of the nonexistence of any account matching the account information provided by the taxpayer, provided that the taxpayer has not tendered any other electronic payment order that was not honored during the 12 months preceding the tender of the payment order in question.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Real property; tax exemption, surviving spouses of members of Armed Forces who died in line of duty.

Real property tax exemption; surviving spouses of members of the Armed Forces who died in the line of duty. Authorizes localities by ordinance to provide a total exemption from real property taxes regardless of assessed value beginning in taxable year 2026 for surviving spouses of members of the Armed Forces who died in the line of duty. Under current law, a total exemption is only allowed for such surviving spouses for those dwellings in the locality with assessed values in the most recently ended tax year that are not in excess of the average assessed value for such year of a dwelling situated on property that is zoned as single family residential.

Michael B. FeggansDemocrat

State-facilitated IRA savings program; various changes to the program.

State-facilitated IRA savings program. Makes various changes to the state-facilitated IRA savings program administered by the Commonwealth Savers Plan. For purposes of defining an eligible employer, the bill (i) reduces the minimum number of eligible employees an organization must have in its employ from 25 to five for the period ending December 31 of the preceding calendar year prior to the program's open enrollment period for that calendar year and (ii) clarifies that such term does not include employers offering and sponsoring a qualified retirement plan, including 401(k) plans. The bill also removes the requirement that an eligible employee, for purposes of the program, works at least 30 hours a week and adds the requirement that participating individuals enrolling in the program independent of an employment relationship with an eligible employer be at least 18 years of age. The bill also expands the powers and duties of the governing board of the Commonwealth Savers Plan to include (a) procedures for reenrollment of participating employees and participating individuals; (b) allowing program participants to invest in a lifetime income option; (c) establishing the resources, tools, and incentives to promote greater financial education and literacy; (d) procedures for receiving and crediting federal matching contributions to an IRA or qualified retirement savings account; and (e) exploring and establishing incentives that encourage participation by eligible employers and eligible employees, including initiatives that incentivize compliance or that defray any costs incurred by an eligible employer to facilitate participation.The bill also requires eligible employers that withhold a program contribution from a participating employee's wages to remit such contribution not later than 10 business days following the date upon which such withholding was made and notes that eligible employers who fail to submit contributions to the program may be in violation of law and incur penalties. This bill is identical to SB 149.

Luke E. TorianDemocrat

Va. Residential Landlord & Tenant Act; early termination of rental agreement by military personnel.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant remedies; early termination of rental agreement by military personnel. Removes the requirement that military personnel terminating a rental agreement due to identified permissible circumstances shall provide the landlord with a termination date that is no more than 60 days prior to the date of departure necessary to comply with the official orders or any supplemental instructions for interim training or duty prior to the transfer.

Michael B. FeggansDemocrat

State correctional facilities; visitation policies, annual report.

State correctional facilities; visitation policies; work group. Sets additional visitation standards for visitors to state correctional facilities. The bill requires the Department of Corrections (the Department) to provide extended or additional visitation access for long-distance visitors. The bill provides that each in-person visit shall last a minimum of two hours unless shortened at the request of either the visitor or the incarcerated individual, or in response to an active security event. The bill also provides that visitation privileges may be suspended only for conduct occurring during visitation that presents a direct and substantial threat to the physical safety of participants or the security of the correctional facility. The bill provides a timeline and process for appealing any suspension of visitation rights. Finally, the bill directs the Department to convene a work group to consider and develop practical policy and legislative recommendations regarding visitation. The work group is required to report its findings and specific legislative and policy recommendations to the General Assembly by October 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 276.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Student instruction; Internet safety, policy to include key modern digital safety topics.

Student instruction; internet safety; certain topics. Requires the internet safety component that is integrated into each school division's instructional program as required by its acceptable internet use policy to include instruction on key modern digital safety topics, including online scams, misinformation, and content generated by artificial intelligence.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

Real estate appraisers; ed. requirements for licensure, fair housing and appraisal bias course.

Real estate appraisers; educational requirements for licensure; fair housing and appraisal bias course. Requires, in addition to successfully completing an examination, applicants for licensure as a certified residential real estate appraiser or a certified general real estate appraiser to also successfully complete a fair housing and appraisal bias education course administered or approved by the Real Estate Appraiser Board prior to licensure, the specifics of which are provided in the bill.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

Fines and costs; period of limitations on collection, responsibility for collections.

Fines and costs; period of limitations on collection; deferred payment agreement. Changes the period of limitations for the collection of court fines and costs from within 60 years from the date of the offense or delinquency giving rise to imposition of such penalty if imposed by a circuit court or within 30 years if imposed by a general district court to within 10 years from the date of the judgment whether imposed by a circuit court or general district court. The bill provides that upon the expiration of the period of limitations, no action shall be brought to collect the debt.The bill extends the time period for commencing collection activity from 90 days to 180 days after judgment, but provides that no collection activity shall be commenced while a defendant is incarcerated on an active term of imprisonment and subject to a deferred payment agreement.The bill also provides that for any defendant sentenced to an active term of incarceration and ordered to pay any fine, cost, forfeiture, or penalty related to the charge that such defendant is incarcerated for, or any other charge for which such defendant was sentenced on the same day, the court shall enter such defendant into a deferred payment agreement for such fines, costs, forfeitures, or penalties. The bill requires the due date for such deferred payment agreement to be set no earlier than 180 days after the defendant's scheduled release from incarceration on the charge for which such defendant was sentenced on the same day. This bill is identical to SB 180. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Emergency management; work group to evaluate existing needs in the Commonwealth, report.

Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security; evaluation of emergency management needs in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to establish a work group to evaluate existing emergency management needs, analyze sustainability of current funding of such needs, and review alternative funding models for such needs in other states, and to report the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and General Laws and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and General Laws and Technology on or before October 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 98.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

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

Tax exemptions; Confederacy organizations.

Tax exemptions; Confederacy organizations. Eliminates the exemption from state recordation taxes for the Virginia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and eliminates the tax-exempt designation for real and personal property owned by the Virginia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the General Organization of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society, the Stonewall Jackson Memorial, Incorporated, the Virginia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the J.E.B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust, Inc. The bill contains technical amendments.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

Election of certain governing bodies; conversion to single-member districts.

Election of certain governing bodies; conversion to single-member districts. Requires every locality with a population of 400,000 or greater to elect the members of its governing body by individual single-member districts. The bill provides that a governing body's presiding officer may be elected at large. The bill further provides that any such governing body that does not already meet the requirements of the bill shall establish the required districts and shall reapportion the representation in the governing body in accordance with general law. Finally, the bill provides that for any such governing body that, prior to 2026, adopted an ordinance with a map to elect its members by individual single-member districts, such ordinance shall become effective upon the effective date of this act. This bill is identical to SB 51 and contains an emergency clause.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

Contractors, Board for; examinations available in alternative languages.

Board for Contractors; examinations; alternative languages. Provides that any exam offered by the Board for Contractors that averaged over 50 administrations per year over the preceding four-year period shall be made available in any language that meets the threshold for having election materials printed in that language pursuant to state election law.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

Notarization, filing, & recordation of certain land records; duties of notary or settlement agent.

Notarization, filing, and recordation of certain land records; duties of notary or settlement agent; acknowledgement and satisfactory evidence of identity; requirements for commission or recommission of notary; clerk of circuit court to establish property alert notification system. Removes personal knowledge of identity from the methods by which a notary public, electronic notary public, or other person authorized by law to perform a notarial act may identify an individual for purposes of performing a notarial act such as acknowledgement or affirmation. Under current law, the identity of an individual for such purpose may be established if such individual is personally known to the person performing the notarial act or by a presentation of satisfactory evidence of identity, as defined by law. The bill also adds a requirement that, within the six months immediately preceding the submission of his application, a person applying for commission to be a notary public or electronic notary public, or an existing notary public or electronic notary public applying for recommission, complete a course of instruction developed and approved by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The bill specifies that one hour of such course of instruction shall be on the topic of real estate fraud and financial exploitation of elderly persons and shall include training on current trends on such topics and on recognizing instances of such fraud or financial exploitation. The bill directs the Secretary of the Commonwealth to develop the curricula for such courses of instruction by January 1, 2027, and has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027, for those provisions related to the requirement that applicants for commission and recommission complete and present proof of completion of such courses of instruction. The bill also requires any clerk of a circuit court that has established a network or system of electronic filing of land records to also establish a property alert notification system for owners of real property within the circuit court's jurisdiction. The bill provides that an owner who enrolls his real property into such property alert notification system may do so at no cost and that such system shall send notifications to such owner when documents affecting or purporting to affect the enrolled property are filed with the clerk's office. The provisions related to the establishment of the property alert notification system have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. Finally, the bill requires notaries public to keep a record of all notarial acts occurring on or after July 1, 2026, and to include in such record the form of satisfactory evidence of identification used to verify the identity of the principal and credible witnesses. Similarly, the bill requires settlement agents responsible for recording deeds, deeds of trust, or other documents relating to land records to obtain satisfactory evidence of identity of a seller of real property prior to settlement. This bill is identical to SB 316.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Housing for local employees; grants for homeownership.

Housing for local employees; grants for homeownership and workforce housing alternatives. Eliminates the maximum amount a locality may provide (i) to employees of the locality, employees of the school board, and employees of constitutional officers for homeownership grants to purchase primary residences in the locality and (ii) to school division personnel for residential housing assistance grants to provide affordable workforce housing alternatives. The bill also eliminates the requirement that such grants adhere to the Virginia Housing and Development Authority regional sales price and household income limitation guidelines. Current law imposes a maximum grant amount of $25,000 for individual grants per employee, as well as a maximum lifetime cumulative amount of $25,000 per employee. This bill is identical to SB 328.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

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

Community service work in lieu of payment of fines and costs; work performed while incarcerated.

Community service work in lieu of payment of fines and costs; work performed while incarcerated. Requires a court to establish a program and allow any person upon whom a fine and costs have been imposed to discharge all or part of the fine or costs by earning credits for the performance of (i) community service work performed before or after imprisonment or (ii) work performed while incarcerated, defined in the bill as any work done on or after July 1, 2023, by a person confined in any local, regional, or state correctional facility who is paid a wage that is less than the Virginia minimum wage.The bill requires such program to be available during such person's imprisonment in a local, regional, or state correctional facility. The bill provides that a person who is performing work while incarcerated shall be credited at the same rate as the community service work rate less any wages received. Under current law, a court is required to establish a program for providing an option for community service work in lieu of payment of fines and costs but offering such option is not mandatory. The bill also requires the local, regional, or state correctional facility to provide confirmation of the hours worked and the credits earned for such work upon request of any person who has performed work while incarcerated or his representative.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing Grant Fund; created.

Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing Grant Fund. Establishes the Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing Grant Fund to provide grant installment awards between July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2046, in an amount not to exceed $6 million per fiscal year and in an aggregate amount not to exceed $97,723,000 to a qualified company that (i) engages in the manufacture of solid rocket motors, (ii) executes a memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth, and (iii) is expected to make a capital investment of at least $537,570,000 and create and maintain at least 1,546 new full-time jobs. This bill is identical to SB 835.

Luke E. TorianDemocrat

Va. Freedom of Information Act; proceedings for enforcement, petition for mandamus or injunction.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; proceedings for enforcement; petition for mandamus or injunction. Specifies that service of process or a summons for a hearing shall not be required when a petition for mandamus or injunction to enforce rights granted under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act has been filed.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Electronic death reg. system; requiring certain applicants for licensure to complete training.

Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing; licensure renewal; electronic death registration system; death certificates. Requires the Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing to amend their applications for licensure and licensure renewal to require doctors of medicine and osteopathic medicine, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants to indicate if they expect their scope of practice to include signing death certificates and, if so, to indicate that they have completed the online tutorial for the Electronic Death Registration System on the Department of Health website. This bill is identical to SB 194.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat