Bills & Legislation

Judges; increases maximum number in general district court in the Thirty-first Judicial District.

Maximum number of judges in each judicial district. Increases from five to six the maximum number of authorized general district court judges in the Thirty-first Judicial District. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts.

Luke E. TorianDemocrat

Military and emergency laws; acquisition of land adjacent to a military base.

Military and emergency laws; acquisition of land adjacent to a military base. Provides that no person shall purchase, acquire, lease, or hold any interest in land adjacent to a military base in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2026, unless such purchase, acquisition, lease, or holding of interest complies with the provisions of 50 U.S.C. § 4565.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Consumer-directed services employees; removal of limitation on hours worked per day.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; consumer-directed services employees; removal of limitation on hours worked per day. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to amend regulations related to community waiver services for individuals with developmental disabilities to remove the limitation that consumer-directed services employees shall work no more than 16 hours per day. The bill directs the Department to seek all necessary federal approval to effectuate such change.

David R. SuetterleinRepublican

Disaster Assistance Fund; established.

Disaster Assistance Fund; established. Establishes the Disaster Assistance Fund for the purpose of addressing life, safety, and housing costs related to a disaster that are not covered by any form of federal assistance, private donations, or insurance. Expenditures and disbursements from the Fund require authorization by the General Assembly. In addition to all other appropriations to the Fund, the bill also directs proceeds generated from the Commonwealth's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative auction that occurred in December 2023 and deposited into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Fund with the Department of Environmental Quality and all interest accrued to such fund.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

School of Dentistry of Virginia Commonwealth University; efficacy of expanding facilities, report.

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; School of Dentistry of Virginia Commonwealth University; efficacy of expanding facilities; study; report. Directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to, in consultation with the entities set forth in the bill, study and submit to the Governor, the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations, and the House Committees on Education and Appropriations by November 1, 2025, a report on the efficacy of expanding the School of Dentistry of Virginia Commonwealth University's facilities into a building owned by the Commonwealth located in Southern Virginia.

William M. Stanley, Jr.Republican

Department of Labor and Industry; work group to evaluate workplace violence.

Department of Labor and Industry; work group to evaluate workplace violence. Directs the Department of Labor and Industry to convene a work group for the purpose of evaluating the prevalence of workplace violence in the Commonwealth, including its effects on the workplace and measures to address workplace violence. The bill requires the work group to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Labor and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor no later than December 1, 2026.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Virginia Workforce Housing Assistance Program; established, report.

Virginia Workforce Housing Assistance Program; report. Establishes the Virginia Workforce Housing Assistance Program to provide grants to eligible employers, defined in the bill, that set up housing down payment assistance programs for employees in amounts equal to the lesser of 15 percent of housing down payment assistance expenses incurred by an eligible employer during the fiscal year or $50,000. The bill specifies that an eligible employer may only receive grants in the aggregate of up to $150,000 across all fiscal years or $250,000 for housing down payment assistance expenses incurred for employees in certain fiscally stressed localities. The bill provides that the Program be administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development in coordination with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority.

Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.Republican

Virginia Housing Trust Fund; creation and management.

Virginia Housing Trust Fund; creation and management. Provides that the Department of Housing and Community Development (the Department) shall use at least 65 percent of the moneys from the Virginia Housing Trust Fund (the Fund) to provide flexible financing for low-interest loans through eligible organizations and up to 35 percent of the moneys from the Fund to provide grants through eligible organizations for targeted efforts to reduce homelessness. Under current law, the Department is required to use at least 80 percent of the moneys from the Fund to provide flexible financing for low-interest loans and up to 20 percent of the moneys from the Fund to provide grants for targeted efforts to reduce homelessness.

Emily M. JordanRepublican

Elementary/secondary schools; Va. Com. on youth to study policies to support student mental health.

Study; Virginia Commission on Youth; policies to support student mental health in Virginia's elementary and secondary schools; report. Directs the Virginia Commission on Youth to undertake a study on policies to support student mental health in Virginia's elementary and secondary schools, with a focus on improving funding and other resources, training and professional development, partnerships with health services, curriculum development, research and evaluation, and public awareness campaigns. The Behavioral Health Commission, along with the staffs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, are directed to provide assistance to the Commission during the course of the two-year study.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Consumer Data Protection Act; protections for children.

Consumer Data Protection Act; protections for children. Requires a controller or processor to obtain verifiable parental consent, defined in the bill, prior to registering any child with the controller's or processor's product or service or before collecting, using, or disclosing such child's personal data. The bill also amends the definition of child for purposes of the Consumer Data Protection Act to include any natural person younger than 18 years of age.

David R. SuetterleinRepublican

Single family homes; prohibited acquisition, civil penalty.

Prohibited acquisition of single family homes; affidavit; civil penalty. Restricts any partnership, corporation, or real estate investment trust that manages funds pooled from investors; is a fiduciary to such investors; has net value or assets under management on any day during a taxable year; and holds an interest in more than fifty single-family homes from acquiring any interest in any other single-family home, as defined in the bill to include manufactured home parks and single family-residential duplexes, on or after July 1, 2025. The bill also requires an offering purchaser of a manufactured home park to provide a notarized affidavit certifying that the purchaser is not prohibited from acquiring such an interest. Any false statements on such affidavit shall be subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per occurrence for deposit into the Revolving Loan Fund for the Purchase of Manufactured Home Parks pursuant to the appropriation act.

Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.Republican

Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council; disclosure of digital assets.

Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council; disclosure of digital assets. Directs the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council to require the disclosure of digital assets on the Statement of Economic Interests form. The bill defines "digital assets" to mean any digital representation of value recorded on a cryptographically secured distributed ledger or similar technology.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Virginia Fire Personnel and Equipment Grant Program; established, report.

Virginia Fire Personnel and Equipment Grant Program established. Establishes the Virginia Fire Personnel and Equipment Grant Program for the purpose of providing grants to localities to hire additional firefighters and to improve their firefighting and emergency medical services. The bill specifies that the Department of Fire Programs shall administer the Program and two types of grants shall be made from the Program. The first shall provide grants to localities to increase the number of firefighters. Such grants shall be made for up to three years and shall be used by localities for programs to (i) hire new, additional full-time firefighters; (ii) convert part-time or volunteer firefighters to full-time firefighters; or (iii) recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. The second shall provide grants to localities for improving firefighting and emergency medical services, including by acquiring firefighting and emergency medical services vehicles and equipment and modifying facilities. For both grants, the bill provides that funds shall not be used to supplant any funds currently provided by the Commonwealth or by the locality and shall be used to increase the total amount of funds available for the provision of firefighting or emergency medical services. The bill requires the Department to report annually, beginning November 1, 2026, to the Governor and the General Assembly information regarding a list of grants, the amount of each approved grant, information on the performance assessment system that the bill directs the Department to create, an evaluation of each grant based on such system, and any other criteria deemed relevant by the Department.

Tammy Brankley MulchiRepublican

Migration of individuals age 60 & older; JLARC to study causation and resulting impact.

Study; JLARC; causation and resulting impact of the migration of individuals age 60 and older out of the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to identify causes of the migration of individuals age 60 and older out of the Commonwealth of Virginia, determine the impact of the migration of such individuals to the Commonwealth, and provide recommendations to address such causes. The resolution directs JLARC to report its findings by the first day of the 2026 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Rozia A. Henson, Jr.Democrat

Assisted living facility administrators; Joint Commission on Health Care to study licensure.

Joint Commission on Health Care; licensure of assisted living facility administrators; study; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to conduct a study on licensure of assisted living facility administrators. The bill requires the Commission to submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2025.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Local & Regional jails, St. Bd.; standards/regulations for pregnant/postpartum incarcerated person

State Board of Local and Regional Jails; work group to review standards and regulations for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated persons in local and regional correctional facilities; report. Directs the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to convene a work group to conduct a review of existing standards for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated persons in local and regional correctional facilities and to develop recommendations for new standards and recommendations for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated persons by considering certain best practices. The bill requires the work group to report such findings and recommendations to the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and to the Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees for Courts of Justice, the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, and the House Committee on Public Safety by July 1, 2026, and to adopt regulations consistent with such findings and recommendations by December 1, 2027.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

Conflict of Interests Act, State and Local Government, etc.; annual filing of disclosure statements.

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act and the General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; deadline for annual filing of disclosure statements; deadline for public disclosure. Changes the filing deadline for statements of economic interests and financial disclosure statements from February 1 to December 15. The bill requires the forms to be made public within 30 days of the filing deadline; currently, this is required within six weeks of the filing deadline.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Transportation network companies; establishes minimum compensation.

Transportation network companies; minimum compensation. Establishes minimum compensation rates for TNC partners. The bill also prohibits gratuities from passengers from being included in TNC partner compensation calculations, authorizes TNC partners to collect gratuity in cash or electronically, and prohibits transportation network companies from limiting the amount that can be paid as gratuity through such companies' digital platforms.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Gas pipeline safety; regulations.

Gas pipeline safety; regulations. Requires that for pipeline facilities used in the interstate transport of gas, as defined in federal regulations, any gas transported in transmission lines in the Commonwealth shall be adequately odorized, with an exception for certain pipelines in operation before May 5, 1975. The bill directs the State Corporation Commission to promulgate regulations related to the provisions of the bill.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

Waterworks; mandatory reporting of anomalies, negligence.

Department of Health; waterworks; mandatory reporting of anomalies; negligence. Requires owners of waterworks to report any operational anomaly that could affect water quality, public health, or service continuity to the Virginia Department of Health's Office of Drinking Water (the Office) within 24 hours of discovery. The bill requires any critical equipment failure, including a pump failure or any other malfunction that poses an immediate risk to public health or disrupts water service to be reported to the Office within six hours of discovery. Under the bill, failure to comply with the reporting requirements constitutes negligence and failure to comply with the critical equipment failure reporting requirements constitutes gross negligence.

Phillip A. ScottRepublican

Students with individualized education programs or Section 504 Plans; emergency protocol and guide.

Students with individualized education programs or Section 504 Plans; emergency protocol and guide. Requires each individualized education program implemented for a public school student with a disability in accordance with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and each Section 504 Plan implemented for a public school student in accordance with § 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to contain an addendum that has been reviewed and signed by the student's parent and that includes a protocol for individualized accommodations and supports for the student during emergency situations at school and a step-by-step guide on how to execute such protocol. The bill requires such addendum to be provided to all of such student's teachers for implementation.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Higher educational institutions, public; certain transfer credit policy prohibited.

Public institutions of higher education; certain transfer credit policy prohibited. Prohibits any public institution of higher education from adopting or implementing any policy that denies credit to transfer students based solely on the sending institution's accreditor, as long as such accreditor is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Direct experience recruitment policy; DHRM to develop a statewide policy.

Department of Human Resource Management; direct experience recruitment policy. Requires the Department of Human Resource Management to develop a statewide direct experience recruitment policy designed to provide guidance to state agencies on how to remove postsecondary degree requirements from hiring considerations, defined in the bill. The bill prohibits state agencies from rejecting applicants for job positions solely on the basis of the applicant lacking a postsecondary degree unless the agency substantiates in the job posting and to the Department the necessity of including a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement, defined in the bill. Finally, the bill requires each state agency to provide a detailed quarterly report to the Department regarding the baseline requirements of its job postings.

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

New Americans Advisory Board, Office of; increase in membership.

Office of New Americans Advisory Board; increase in membership. Increases from 18 to 21 the number of nonlegislative citizen members of the Office of New Americans Advisory Board and adds the Secretaries of Commerce and Trade, Education, Health and Human Resources, Labor, Public Safety and Homeland Security, and Transportation as ex officio members with nonvoting privileges. This bill was incorporated into HB 2279.

David OwenRepublican

High electric demand facility; locality may include in its zoning ordinance water use estimate.

Zoning; data centers; water use. Authorizes a locality to include in its zoning ordinance provisions for (i) requiring proposed data center developments to submit water use estimates and (ii) considering water use when making rezoning and special use permit decisions related to data center development.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Certified registered nurse anesthetists; supervision, report.

Supervision of certified registered nurse anesthetists; work group; report. Clarifies that supervision of a certified registered nurse anesthetist requires that a licensed doctor of medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, or dentistry is present during an operation or procedure or is immediately available to respond and provide patient care as needed. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, in collaboration with the Board of Medicine, Board of Nursing, and Department of Health Professions, to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to evaluate and make recommendations to increase the anesthesia provider workforce in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the work group to report its recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health and Human Services by November 1, 2025.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Hospitals, freestanding emergency depts., etc.; standardized protocols for obstetric emergencies.

Hospitals, freestanding emergency departments, and birthing centers; standardized protocols for obstetric emergencies. Requires all hospitals with an emergency department for labor and delivery, freestanding emergency departments, and birthing centers to implement standardized protocols for identifying and responding to obstetric emergencies, including obstetric hemorrhage, preeclampsia, and eclampsia. The bill requires the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative to work collaboratively with these hospitals, departments, and centers to provide training related to obstetrical services, recognizing urgent maternal warning signs, and establishing protocols for transfer of any pregnant or recently delivered women who present for care and for such hospitals, departments, and centers to participate in and submit data with no protected health information or identifiers to the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Patient Safety Bundle.

Kim A. TaylorRepublican

Teachers; employment and licensure, locally awarded subject matter expert teaching credentials.

Teachers; employment and licensure; locally awarded subject matter expert teaching credentials. Establishes, enumerates criteria for, and permits a division superintendent or a comprehensive community college to issue a locally awarded subject matter expert teaching credential, valid for a period not to exceed three years, to any individual who demonstrates expertise in content or subject matter area in order for such individual to provide instruction or coursework in a corresponding non-core subject or course, as that term is defined in the bill, in grades six through 12 at any public school in the Commonwealth or at a comprehensive community college in the Commonwealth, including dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment courses. The bill delineates the criteria for issuance of such locally awarded subject matter expert teaching credential. The bill also contains several provisions relating to the employment of individuals under a locally awarded subject matter expert teaching credential, including (i) permitting any school division or institution of higher education to hire any such individual on a full-time or part-time basis to teach a non-core subject or course; (ii) requiring any such individual to be subject to a background clearance check and the fingerprinting and criminal history records check requirements required as a condition of employment of any applicant who is offered or accepts employment at a school division pursuant to applicable law; (iii) requiring each employing school board to assign an individual employed by such school board as a mentor to supervise any individual issued a subject matter expert teaching credential; and (iv) permitting any division superintendent to renew an individual's locally awarded subject matter expert teaching credential for a period not to exceed three additional years, provided that such individual receives satisfactory performance evaluations for each year of the original three-year locally awarded subject matter teaching credential. Finally, the bill requires each school division to annually report to the Department of Education the number of locally awarded subject matter expert teaching credentials issued for part-time and full-time teaching positions.

Christie New CraigRepublican

Public utilities; rate increases during certain months prohibited.

Public utilities; rate increases during certain months prohibited. Prohibits the regulated operating revenues of certain public utilities from being increased in the months of November, December, January, or February. The bill's limitation does not apply to certain increases, which are the same exceptions as allowed for the existing prohibition on multiple rate increases during a 12-month period. This bill was incorporated into HB 2621.

Wren M. WilliamsRepublican

Public elementary and secondary schools; compulsory attendance requirements, religious exemption.

Public elementary and secondary schools; compulsory attendance requirements; religious exemption; requirements. Amends the provisions permitting any child and his parents to receive an exemption from school attendance by reason of bona fide religious training or belief, as defined in relevant law, to require the parent of any such child, in order to receive such exemption, to provide (i) evidence of the parent's ability to provide an adequate education for his child; (ii) notice to the division superintendent by August 15 of each year, or as soon as practicable in the event that such child and his parents move into the school division or seek to receive an exemption after the start of the school year, of such child and his parents' intention to receive such an exemption and certification that the child will receive an alternative form of instruction, including a description of the curriculum to be studied in the coming year; and (iii) evidence of the child's progress in accordance with the provisions of the bill.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Photo speed monitoring devices; private vendors compensated for calibration, civil penalty.

Photo speed monitoring devices; private vendors; calibration; civil penalty. Requires any private vendor that has entered into an agreement with a law-enforcement agency to provide a photo speed monitoring device and is also compensated for the calibration of such device to calibrate such device in the same manner and to the same specifications as all other devices determining speed, to the extent that such devices utilize the same method of speed detection as such photo speed monitoring device, used by such law-enforcement agency. The bill also (i) requires such a private vendor to provide, within 10 days of a request by a person receiving a summons by mail for a vehicle speed violation recorded by a photo speed monitoring device provided by such private vendor, for proof of calibration for such photo speed monitoring device; (ii) requires such a summons to provide notice of such right to request such proof of calibration; and (iii) imposes a civil penalty on any private vendor who fails to provide such proof of calibration within such time.

Chris S. RunionRepublican

Common interest communities; termination of certain management contracts.

Common interest communities; termination of certain management contracts; transfer of association books and records. Provides that within a reasonable time after termination of a management contract and without additional cost to the association, a common interest community manager shall transfer and release all funds and close bank accounts maintained on behalf of an association.

Carrie E. CoynerRepublican

Virginia Consumer Protection Act; professional mold remediators, mold remediation certification.

Virginia Consumer Protection Act; professional mold remediators; study and report; emergency. Requires a professional mold remediator selling or offering for sale services to be performed upon any residential dwelling to hold a mold remediation certification from a nationally or internationally recognized certifying body for mold remediation. Under current law, such professional mold remediator is required to hold such certification from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. The provisions of the bill requiring such certification from a nationally or internationally recognized certifying body contain an emergency clause.The bill also directs the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to study the current state of the mold inspection and mold remediation workforce in the Commonwealth to determine whether there is sufficient proof that justifies the licensure or certification of mold inspectors and mold remediators and, if so, recommend educational, experiential, or examination requirements for such licensure or certification. The bill directs the Department to submit a report on the state of the mold inspection and mold remediation workforce in the Commonwealth to the House Committee on General Laws, the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology, and the Joint Commission on Administrative Rules by November 1, 2025. This bill was incorporated into HB 2195.

Tony O. WiltRepublican

Mental health first aid training program; Department of Education, et al., to develop.

Department of Education; mental health first aid training program. Directs the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, to develop a mental health first aid training program consisting of an adult component and an adolescent and youth component. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Virtual or online learning; development of guidelines and information, public health emergencies.

Department of Education; development of guidelines and information relating to virtual or online learning; public health emergencies. Provides for the Department of Education to develop and post on its official website guidelines and information relating to virtual or online learning. Such guidelines and information shall include (i) statewide policies relating to virtual learning, (ii) the availability of online or virtual learning options and pertinent information on such options, and (iii) guidelines for educators and schools relating to online or virtual learning policies and best practices. In addition, the bill requires each K-12 school in the Commonwealth to include as a component of its annual safety audit a review of the school's plan for school closures due to public health emergencies. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

School boards; method of selection, election required.

School boards; method of selection; election required. Requires election as the method of selecting the members of each school board in the Commonwealth and makes several changes to eliminate provisions relating to appointed school boards. Current law requires such members to be appointed but permits their election under certain circumstances.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Maternal Health Monitoring Pilot Program; pregnancy mobile application, report.

Department of Health; Maternal Health Monitoring Pilot Program; pregnancy mobile application; report. Directs the Department of Health to contract with a mobile application developer to create a membership-based mobile application to deliver education, resources, and support to prenatal, pregnant, and postpartum individuals who are eligible for Medicaid. The bill also creates the Maternal Health Monitoring Pilot Program to offer remote patient monitoring for maternal hypertension and maternal diabetes. The Department shall select a managed care organization and technology vendor to administer the Pilot Program to no less than 300 eligible participants. The bill requires the Department to submit requests for proposals within 180 days of the bill's effective date.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Single license plate; fee to display.

Display of single license plate; fee. Authorizes any owner of a passenger car that is otherwise required to display two license plates to display, upon payment of an additional annual fee of $100 at the time of vehicle registration or renewal of vehicle registration and upon receipt of proof of the payment of such fee from the Department of Motor Vehicles, a single license plate on the rear of such vehicle instead of two. The bill authorizes any law-enforcement officer to require the owner to furnish such proof of the payment of such fee. The bill directs the funds from such fees to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund.

William M. Stanley, Jr.Republican

Public schools; student support services, student personal information and data security, report.

Public schools; student support services; student personal information and data security; registration; requirements; grants; report. Requires any student support agency, as defined by the bill, to register with the Department of Education (the Department) in order to provide any student support programs, as defined by the bill, to students enrolled in any public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth. The bill establishes several requirements for the registration of any student support agency relating to the protection of any student personal information collected by the student support agency, including (i) requiring such agencies to adopt certain policies, procedures, and protocols designed to ensure the continued security, integrity, and confidentiality of student personal information; (ii) requiring the Department to ensure any student support agency obtains informed consent from the parent of any student or, if such student is 18 years of age or older, the student prior to collecting or using any student personal information; (iii) requiring the Department to develop a standard memorandum of understanding and each student support agency and school board to execute a memorandum of understanding establishing authorizations and limitations relating to the transmission, collection, and use of student personal information; (iv) requiring the Department to establish and administer a grant program for the purpose of awarding grants to certain student support agencies for data security upgrades, training for staff, and third-party audits; (v) prohibiting any student support agency from using or sharing student personal information for certain purposes set forth in the bill, including sharing any such student personal information for use in targeted advertising; (vi) requiring the Department to establish certain programs and provide certain resources to support certain registered student support agencies and school boards in effectively and efficiently providing student support programs in compliance with the provisions of the bill; and (vii) requiring the Department to conduct an annual audit of a certain percentage of registered student support agencies to ensure compliance with the provisions of the bill and establishing provisions relating to consequences for failure of the audit or otherwise being found in violation of the provisions of the bill.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Health Care Regulatory Sandbox Program established.

Health Care Regulatory Sandbox Program established. Requires the Department of Health to establish the Health Care Regulatory Sandbox Program to enable a person to obtain limited access to the market in the Commonwealth to temporarily test an innovative health care product or service on a limited basis without otherwise being licensed or authorized to act under the laws of the Commonwealth. Under the Program, an applicant requests the waiver of certain laws, regulations, or other requirements for a 24-month testing period, with an option to request an additional six-month testing period. The bill provides application requirements, consumer protections, procedures for exiting the Program or requesting an extension, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements. The bill requires the Department of Health to provide an annual report to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health that provides information regarding each Program participant and recommendations regarding the effectiveness of the Program. The bill directs the Board of Health to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and has an expiration date of July 1, 2030.

Wren M. WilliamsRepublican

Electric utilities; customer energy choice, customer return to service, subscription cap and queue.

Electric utilities; customer energy choice; customer return to service; subscription cap and queue. Removes certain restrictions on the ability of individual retail customers of electric energy within the Commonwealth, regardless of customer class, to purchase electric energy matched 100 percent by renewable energy certificates from any supplier of electric energy licensed to sell retail electric energy within the Commonwealth. The bill requires a licensed supplier to match a percentage of each retail electric customer's annual load with renewable energy certificates from within the PJM transmission region. The bill decreases from five years to six months the required written notice period for certain electric energy customers to return to service by an incumbent electric utility after purchasing electric energy from other suppliers. The bill also directs the Commission, by October 1, 2026, to establish a subscription cap allowance for certain utility customers seeking to participate in purchasing electric energy from a licensed supplier. The Commission is required to review the subscription cap allowance every two years starting on January 1, 2028, and electric utilities are required to file their subscription queues with the Commission by January 15, 2027, and annually thereafter. The bill contains an exception to the subscription cap allowance for customers seeking to expand usage at an existing or new facility. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026, unless the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated pursuant to the bill specify a commencement date.

Alfonso H. LopezDemocrat

Higher educational institutions, public; material aid or support to terrorist activities, etc.

Public institutions of higher education; presence of or material aid or support to terrorist activities, organizations, and states prohibited. Prohibits from accessing, occupying, or otherwise having a physical presence on any campus of a public institution of higher education any (i) terrorist organization, state or non-state sponsor of terrorism, or representative of a terrorist organization, as those terms are defined by the bill, or (ii) individual who, knowingly and with the intent set forth in the bill, solicits or attempts to solicit any individual to engage in terrorist activity, become a member of a terrorist organization, or provide funds or other material support or resources, as that term is defined by the bill, to support, facilitate, or aid or abet terrorist activity or a terrorist organization. The bill prohibits any public institution of higher education from (a) granting access to campus, (b) providing or facilitating the provision of funds or other material supports or resources, (c) making or facilitating the donation of material support or resources, or (d) entering into any contract providing for the exchange of services or material support or resources to any of the individuals or organizations described in clauses (i) and (ii). Finally, the bill sets forth certain exceptions for individuals that lack the requisite intent and knowledge, as set forth in the bill, to be subject to the prohibitions.

William M. Stanley, Jr.Republican

Commending Captain Thomas Theodore Scambos, USN, Ret.

Commending Captain Thomas Theodore Scambos, USN, Ret.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Wildlife corridors or crossings; action plan and programs.

Wildlife corridors or crossings; action plan and programs; Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan; Wildlife Corridor Action Plan; wildlife carcass removal tracking; report. Requires the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan created by the Department of Wildlife Resources to address the financial needs of the Plan and implement certain additional initiatives. The bill directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to include in the Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan a directive to encourage opportunities to incorporate wildlife-friendly design in flood resilience infrastructure where flood risk priorities align with priorities of the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to (i) establish and administer a program for the implementation of wildlife crossings of highways in the Commonwealth, (ii) incorporate the recommendations of the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan established by the Department of Wildlife Resources pursuant to existing law in the policies and procedures of the Department, and (iii) submit a report to the General Assembly in each even-numbered year regarding such program. The bill requires the Department of Transportation and the Commonwealth Transportation Board to include in all highway maintenance contracts a requirement for such contractor to identify certain data related to wildlife carcass removal and provides that such requirement may be accomplished by using the Department of Transportation's Wildlife Carcass Removal Tracking application.

Debra D. GardnerDemocrat

Drinking water; maximum contaminant levels, water treatment or filtration systems.

Drinking water; maximum contaminant levels; water treatment or filtration systems; Residential Well Water Testing and Treatment Program and Program Fund established. Directs the State Board of Health to adopt regulations to utilize point-of-use or point-of-entry drinking water treatment or filtration systems to remove or significantly reduce concentrations of contaminants of concern that meet or exceed any maximum contaminant level or health advisory for the same contaminant adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The bill also establishes the Residential Well Water Testing and Treatment Program and Program Fund to allow the Department of Health's Office of Drinking Water to test and treat contaminated drinking water through grants for the use of eligible treatment or filtration systems in private residential wells.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

Commending the Xi Alpha Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Commending the Xi Alpha Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Corporate income tax; 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 in taxable year 2026.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Regional emergency medical services councils; funds distributed to VDH from motor vehicle reg. fees.

Regional emergency medical services councils. Provides that 55 percent of certain funds distributed to the Department of Health from motor vehicle registration fees shall be distributed to the designated regional emergency medical services councils for their operational support. The bill also specifies that there shall be 11 designated regional emergency medical services councils. Under current law, there is no specified number.

N. Baxter EnnisRepublican