Bills & Legislation

Emergency Vehicles & Housing for Emergency Services Volunteers Grant Programs; established, reports.

Emergency Vehicles and Housing for Emergency Services Volunteers Grant Programs established; reports. Establishes the Emergency Vehicles Grant Program (the EV Program) and the Housing for Emergency Services Volunteers Grant Program (the ESV Program). The EV Program authorizes the Department of Fire Programs to provide grants to assist eligible localities in acquiring emergency vehicles to be used in the performance of volunteer emergency services, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly in amounts of up to $10,000 per eligible locality, on a first-come, first-served basis. The ESV Program authorizes the Department to provide grants to assist eligible localities in providing emergency services volunteers who are currently enrolled in an eligible educational institution with living quarters at no charge to such volunteers, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly. Grant recipients of the EV Program and the ESV Program are required to submit a report to the Department no later than October 1 of any year in which the recipient receives available funds. The Department is directed to submit a summarized report of the information received from grant recipients to the House Committee on General Laws, the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology, the House Committee on Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations.

Chris S. RunionRepublican

Emerging Technologies, Cybersecurity, and Data Privacy, Division of; established.

Department of Law; Division of Emerging Technologies, Cybersecurity, and Data Privacy established. Establishes within the Department of Law a Division of Emerging Technologies, Cybersecurity, and Data Privacy to oversee and enforce laws governing cybersecurity, data privacy, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies. The bill requires the Division to submit an annual report to the Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS) by November 1 of each year detailing (i) trends in enforcement, audit findings, and compliance rates under cybersecurity, data privacy, and AI-related laws and (ii) legislative recommendations for addressing emerging challenges and technological advancements. The bill also requires JCOTS to (a) collaborate with the Division to hold public hearings to gather community input on the impact of emerging technologies and issue legislative recommendations to address gaps in existing laws or emerging risks related to cybersecurity, data privacy, and AI and (b) monitor the implementation and enforcement of laws governing cybersecurity, data privacy, and AI.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Human trafficking; issuance of writ of vacatur for victims.

Issuance of writ of vacatur for victims of human trafficking. Amends the procedure that allows victims of human trafficking, defined in the bill, to file a petition of vacatur in circuit court to have certain convictions vacated and the police and court records for such convictions expunged. This bill was incorporated into HB 2393.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

Commonwealth Savers Plan; Access Fund established, report.

Commonwealth Savers Plan; Access Fund established; report. Establishes the Access Fund as a portion of the Fund of the Commonwealth Savers Plan (the Plan), to be managed by the governing board of the Plan (the board) as a part of the Fund but to be accounted for separately from the Fund, into which certain Fund moneys shall be allocated for the purpose of supporting the Plan's goal of enhancing the accessibility, attainability, and affordability of higher education for all citizens of the Commonwealth. The bill directs the board to (i) establish or identify and fund certain programs and partnerships to further the goal of enhancing the accessibility, attainability, and affordability of higher education for all citizens of the Commonwealth, including programs and partnerships that provide scholarships, grants, or mentoring and coaching services to certain identified populations of students; (ii) use certain distributions from the Access Fund, in accordance with the investment objectives and total return spending policy described in the bill and the standard of care set forth in applicable law, to support such programs and partnerships; (iii) appoint an Access Advisory Committee for the purpose of assisting the board by making recommendations relating to any such programs and partnerships for which distributions from the Access Fund could be used; and (iv) submit to relevant committees of the General Assembly and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission by December 1 of each year a report on the Plan's activities relating to the Access Fund for the preceding year. Finally, the bill directs the Audit and Actuarial Committee to, in addition to its other duties set forth in applicable law, assess and make recommendations to the board regarding the availability of Fund moneys for allocation to the Access Fund.

Rae CousinsDemocrat

Sex offenses prohibiting proximity to children; state parks, penalty.

Sex offenses prohibiting proximity to children; state parks; penalty. Provides that every adult who is convicted of an offense prohibiting proximity to children, when the offense occurred on or after July 1, 2025, shall as part of his sentence be forever prohibited from going, for the purpose of having any contact whatsoever with children who are not in his custody, within 100 feet of the premises of any area of a state park that he knows or has reason to know is a playground, athletic field or facility, or gymnasium. A violation is a Class 6 felony.

Kim A. TaylorRepublican

Public education; changes relating to graduation from a public high school, etc.

Public education; concurrent enrollment; high school graduation. Makes several changes relating to graduation from a public high school in the Commonwealth, including (i) eliminating the requirement for a student to complete one virtual course in order to graduate from high school and (ii) specifying that various career and technical education credentials earned for the purpose of satisfying high school graduation requirements are required to be high-demand career and technical education credentials. The bill also defines and thereby distinguishes the concepts of dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment in the context of high school students' participation in college-level coursework and requires the agreements for postsecondary attainment between school boards and comprehensive community colleges and certain other educational institutions to specify the credit available for dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment courses. The provisions of the bill amending the requirements for such agreements and for certain parental notification plans have a delayed effective date of August 1, 2026.

Amanda E. BattenRepublican

Retail Sales and Use Tax; exemption for data centers, definitions.

Sales and use tax exemption; data centers. Requires data center operators to meet certain wage rate standards in order to be eligible for the sales and use tax exemption for data center purchases. Under the bill, a data center operator shall be eligible for the exemption only if such operator ensures that every building service employee, as defined by the bill, employed at the data center is compensated at a rate that is no less than the standard building service employee rate, as defined by the bill. The bill requires the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to audit any qualifying person claiming this exemption to determine whether such person is in compliance with the wage requirements. Upon three violations of the wage requirement, the Department of Taxation shall revoke any such exemption received by a data center operator or tenant and require repayment.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Asphalt recycling equipment; tax credit for purchase of reprocessing existing asphalt materials.

Tax credit; purchase of asphalt recycling equipment for reprocessing existing asphalt materials from pavements and roadways; report. Creates a nonrefundable tax credit for taxable years 2025 and 2026 in an amount equal to 20 percent of the purchase price, as defined in the bill, paid during the taxable year for asphalt recycling equipment. The bill defines asphalt recycling equipment as machinery and equipment that is used to reclaim, recycle, or reprocess existing asphalt materials from pavements and roadways in the Commonwealth and that has been certified by the Department of Environmental Quality as being integral to the recycling process. The bill provides a $3 million aggregate annual cap on the number of credits to be distributed, as administered by the Department of Taxation, and an annual cap of 40 percent of the taxpayer's liability for taxes for any taxable year. Any credit not used for the taxable year in which the purchase price for recycling machinery was paid may be carried over for the next 10 years until the total credit amount is used. Finally, the bill requires the Department of Taxation, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Transportation, to submit a report to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Finance and Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than December 1, 2025, on the number of claims for such credit and any impact to environmental quality and pavement performance resulting from the use of asphalt recycling equipment.

Alfonso H. LopezDemocrat

Time zone; permanent standard time in Virginia.

Time zone; permanent standard time in Virginia. Exempts Virginia from observing daylight saving time, thereby making Eastern Standard Time the standard time in Virginia year-round.

Nicholas J. FreitasRepublican

Real property tax; 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 tax years beginning on and after January 1, 2025, for surviving spouses of members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. Under law effective January 1, 2025, 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.

Anne Ferrell TataRepublican

Comprehensive plan; subdivision ordinance, local approvals, report.

Comprehensive plan; subdivision ordinance; local approvals; work group. Provides that a locality's comprehensive plan shall not constitute the basis, in whole or in part, whether directly or through incorporation into any zoning ordinance, subdivision ordinance, or other ordinance or manual, for the disapproval of a site plan, subdivision plat, or other administrative approval that is otherwise in conformity with duly adopted standards, ordinances, and statutes. The bill also shortens the timeframes for various local government approvals of subdivision plats and site plans. Additionally, the bill calls on the Virginia Code Commission to convene a work group consisting of various stakeholders to review existing provisions related to the submission, review, and approval of subdivision plats and site plans. The work group shall develop recommendations to (i) organize procedural steps in a clear, logical, and sequential order to enhance ease of reference; (ii) clarify the processes, requirements, and timelines applicable to each type of plat or plan; (iii) standardize terminology to ensure consistency, reduce ambiguity, and minimize misinterpretation; and (iv) identify and eliminate redundant or duplicative provisions to streamline the Code and improve its usability and shall submit a report by November 1, 2025.

David OwenRepublican

Virginia Gaming Commission; established, penalties, report.

Virginia Gaming Commission; established. Establishes the Virginia Gaming Commission as an independent agency of the Commonwealth, exclusive of the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of government, to oversee and regulate all forms of legal gambling in the Commonwealth except for the state lottery. The bill sets eligibility requirements for the appointment of a Commissioner and Virginia Gaming Commission Board members, provides powers and duties of such Commissioner and Board members, and provides for the transfer of current employees of relevant state agencies to the Commission. The bill contains numerous technical amendments.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Electric vehicle battery suppliers; certification, penalty.

Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; electric vehicle battery suppliers; certification; penalty. Requires each supplier of electric vehicle batteries operating in the Commonwealth to certify under penalty of perjury to the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that no electric vehicle batteries sold in consumer transactions, as defined in the bill, are manufactured in or sourced from African cobalt mines and that the manufacture or sourcing of such electric vehicle batteries involves no child or slave labor. The bill specifies that such certification is required by suppliers by July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter. Under the bill, it is unlawful for an electric vehicle battery supplier to sell, lease, or license any electric vehicle battery without first obtaining a certificate of compliance from the Commissioner, and a violation of this requirement constitutes a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

A.C. CordozaRepublican

Fox Hill Boat Ramp in City of Hampton; use of a safety monitoring device.

Department of Wildlife Resources; use of a safety monitoring device; Fox Hill Boat Ramp. Allows the Department of Wildlife Resources to place and operate a safety monitoring device, as defined in the bill, at the Fox Hill Boat Ramp in the City of Hampton for the purpose of safety monitoring on state-owned property.

A.C. CordozaRepublican

Damage or trespass to public services or utilities; penalty.

Damage or trespass to public services or utilities; penalty. Provides that any person who intentionally destroys or damages any facility, fixtures, equipment, or information technology system used to provide, process, transmit, furnish, or maintain public services, utilities, or other critical infrastructure is guilty of a Class 3 felony. Under current law, any person convicted of intentionally destroying or damaging public services or utilities is guilty of a Class 4 felony. If the destruction or damage to such public services, utilities, or other critical infrastructure can be repaired for less than $1,000, such act is a Class 1 misdemeanor. Current law provides that repairable damage is a Class 3 misdemeanor. The bill also makes it a Class 3 felony if such destruction or damage might threaten the release of increased radioactive materials or ionizing radiation. If exposure to such increased release of radioactive materials or ionizing radiation causes injury to another person, the person causing the damage or destruction is guilty of a Class 2 felony; however, it is a Class 1 felony if such damage or destruction causes the death of another person.

Terry G. KilgoreRepublican

Trespass towing fees; State Corporation Commission to establish, etc.

Trespass towing fees; State Corporation Commission to establish; report. Repeals the authority for localities to establish trespass towing fees, with exceptions, and requires the State Corporation Commission to establish such fees and adjust such fees annually based on the Transportation Consumer Price Index. The bill permits localities to, by ordinance, allow for and establish reasonable limits on storage fees, administration fees, and additional fees for towing vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds. The bill requires the Commission, beginning November 30, 2030, and every five years thereafter, to submit a report to the General Assembly reviewing the process for adjusting towing rates, provided that funds are appropriated for such review.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

Juveniles; commitment of serious offenders.

Commitment of serious juvenile offenders. Allows a juvenile and domestic relations district court to qualify a transferred juvenile as a serious offender and commit him to the Department of Juvenile Justice regardless of whether he meets existing criteria regarding criminal background if, upon the court's review of the juvenile's entire criminal history, such qualification is otherwise justified. Under current law, only a circuit court is allowed to make such qualification and commitment. The bill requires the committing juvenile and domestic relations district court or circuit court to document its reasoning for such commitment in writing.

Chris ObenshainRepublican

Termination of parental rights; abused, etc., children or children without parental care, appeals.

Termination of parental rights; abused, neglected, or abandoned children or children without parental care; appeals. Provides that final orders involving (i) the abuse, neglect, or abandonment of children or children who are without parental care; (ii) the termination of parental rights; or (iii) the approval of permanency plans with the goal of adoption entered by the juvenile and domestic relations district court shall be appealed directly to the Court of Appeals and specifies that any such appeal shall take precedence on the docket of the Court of Appeals. The bill further establishes that the juvenile court functions as a court of record in such cases.

Chris S. RunionRepublican

Short-term rentals; registration; civil penalty.

Short-term rentals; registration; civil penalty. Directs the Department of Taxation to establish a registry of short-term rental properties and require accommodations providers and intermediaries to register. Under the bill, an accommodations provider shall provide to the Department its name and the address of each property it offers for short-term rental. The bill states that the Department shall issue each such accommodations provider a unique numerical identifier for each such property. An accommodations intermediary shall provide the Department its name and the contact information for the individual responsible for liaising with state and local officials regarding noncompliant short-term rental listings. The bill states that as a condition of listing a short-term rental on its platform, an accommodations intermediary shall require each accommodations provider to provide such provider's name and the unique numerical identifier and specific address for each short term-rental offered. Under the bill, such information, as well as information regarding receipts and taxes paid, shall be provided to the Department by the accommodations intermediary on a quarterly basis. However, an accommodations intermediary shall not be required to provide such information to the Department if the intermediary provides monthly reports of property addresses and gross receipts for all accommodations facilitated by the accommodations intermediary to each locality in which an accommodation is located. Such monthly reports are a compliance requirement imposed by law for the payment of transient occupancy taxes. The bill states that the Department shall provide the commissioner of the revenue for each locality with access to the registry and information contained therein. The commissioner of the revenue shall notify an accommodations intermediary of any short-term rental on its platform that is not lawfully authorized to be offered on its platform, and the accommodations intermediary shall remove any such listing from its platform. Under the bill, any accommodations intermediary who does not remove such a listing from its platform shall be subject to a civil penalty of $1,000, to be paid into the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. Finally, the bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

R. Lee WareRepublican

Authority of Attorney General; criminal cases; criminal sexual assault and commercial sex trafficking committed against children.

Authority of Attorney General; criminal cases; criminal sexual assault and commercial sex trafficking committed against children. Authorizes the Attorney General to institute or conduct criminal prosecutions in cases involving a violation of criminal sexual assault or commercial sex trafficking when such crimes are committed against children.

Wren M. WilliamsRepublican

Funding for deputy sheriffs.

Funding for deputy sheriffs. Provides that the minimum number of deputies funded by the Compensation Board shall be one deputy per 1,500 persons or one deputy for every 25 square miles, whichever is greater. Under current law, the funding is fixed at one deputy per 1,500 persons only. The provisions of the bill apply to counties and cities without a police force.

Wren M. WilliamsRepublican

State Police Officers' Retirement System; membership for Department of Wildlife Resources conservation police officers.

State Police Officers' Retirement System; membership for Department of Wildlife Resources conservation police officers. Provides membership in the State Police Officers' Retirement System (SPORS) to conservation police officers in the Department of Wildlife Resources for service earned on or after July 1, 2026. The bill directs the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) to assess the administrative and financial impacts of the bill and provide recommendations for implementing the bill to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2025. Except for the assessment and recommendations to be made by VRS, the provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Hillary Pugh KentRepublican

Certain end-of-course Standards of Learning assessments; elimination and replacement.

Certain end-of-course Standards of Learning assessments; elimination and replacement. Requires the Department of Education to eliminate the end-of-course Standards of Learning assessments for Chemistry and World History II. The bill requires the Board of Education to establish and make available to each local school board guidelines for the administration of a local alternative end-of-course assessment in each such course and each local school board to ensure that each student enrolled in either such course completes the relevant local alternative assessment. The bill clarifies that none of the foregoing provisions shall be construed to alter any high school graduation requirement established in relevant law or regulations.

Joshua G. ColeDemocrat

Photo speed monitoring devices; location.

Photo speed monitoring devices; location. Allows a locality to provide by ordinance for the placement and operation of a photo speed monitoring device by the law-enforcement agency of such locality for the purposes of recording vehicle speed violations on any highway in such locality (i) that is located in a high-injury network as designated by the Department of Transportation or (ii) where such placement is supported by Department of Transportation speed or vehicle incident data as determined by such governing body. The bill requires the placement of at least two conspicuous signs within 1,000 feet of any location other than a school crossing zone, highway work zone, or high-risk intersection segment at which a photo speed monitoring device is used, indicating the use of the device. Under current law, one conspicuous sign within 1,000 feet is required at a school crossing zone, highway work zone, or high-risk intersection segment at which such device is used.

Michael J. JonesDemocrat

Possession, sale, transfer, or breeding of nonhuman primates prohibited; penalties.

Possession, sale, transfer, or breeding of nonhuman primates prohibited; penalties. Prohibits the possession, sale, transfer, or breeding of nonhuman primates and controls the ownership of such primates already in the Commonwealth. The bill exempts from the prohibition certain institutions, qualified transporters passing through the Commonwealth, those in possession of a state or federal exhibitor's license, and those in lawful possession of a nonhuman primate prior to July 1, 2026, subject to certain conditions. The bill also provides a procedure for the seizure of a primate in certain circumstances. Any violation of the provisions of the bill is a Class 1 misdemeanor or, for a willful act or omission in the care, control, or containment of a nonhuman primate, a Class 6 felony.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Motor vehicle sales and use tax; definition of sale price.

Motor vehicle sales and use tax; definition of sale price. Excludes from the sale price for determining motor vehicle sales and use tax the amount of any credit given by the seller for any motor vehicle taken as a trade-in.

Thomas C. Wright, Jr.Republican

Commending Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia.

Commending Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

State of emergency; spending authority during budgetary lapse.

State of emergency; spending authority during budgetary lapse. Authorizes the Governor to declare a state of emergency in the event of a budgetary lapse, defined as a state of affairs in which the general appropriation act has expired and no lawful appropriation authority is in effect. Upon such a declaration of a state of emergency, the Governor shall have authority to continue disbursement of funds for essential public services, defined in the bill, at levels equivalent to those that were in effect prior to expiration of the general appropriation act. Such spending authority shall begin upon declaration of a state of emergency during a budgetary lapse and shall continue until enactment of a general appropriation act. The Governor, upon declaring a state of emergency, shall have 30 days to provide a report to the General Assembly that details his plan to continue the functioning of essential public services during the budgetary lapse and to submit a budget bill to the General Assembly that, if enacted, would end the emergency. The bill contains an enactment clause providing that, unless reenacted, it shall expire two years and six months after the end of the session of the General Assembly in which it is enacted.

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

Commending Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates.

Commending Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Commending Karen Evans Schwartzkopf.

Commending Karen Schwartzkopf.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Commending Peace Camp at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington.

Commending Peace Camp at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

County services; provision of services within towns.

Provision of county services within towns. Requires counties to provide their standard county services to towns located within county boundaries at the same level such services are provided in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Autism Advisory Council; name change, membership, repeals sunset date.

Autism Advisory Council; name change; membership; staffing; powers and duties. Provides for the Autism Advisory Council to be reconstituted as a permanent, independently staffed agency in the legislative branch of state government. Currently, the Autism Advisory Council is set to expire on July 1, 2027. The bill repeals that expiration date and renames the agency as the Autism Commission. The bill also modifies the membership of the Commission to more closely align with the membership makeup of other independently staffed legislative agencies and directs the Commission to appoint and employ an executive director and other staff to assist in carrying out the duties of the Commission.

Patrick A. HopeDemocrat

Commending PathForward.

Commending PathForward.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exclusions; apprenticeship programs; minors.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exclusions; apprenticeship programs; minors. Excludes from the mandatory disclosure requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act any personal information in a public record regarding the participation of a minor in a program run by a state public body, such as an internship, externship, or apprenticeship, except as otherwise prescribed by law.

Hillary Pugh KentRepublican

Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund; Tobacco Region Revolving Fund; eligible localities; Planning District 4.

Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund; Tobacco Region Revolving Fund; eligible localities; Planning District 4. Adds Planning District 4 (New River Valley Region) to a group of localities that is eligible to receive funds from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund and the Virginia Tobacco Region Revolving Fund.

Jason S. BallardRepublican

Governor; appointment of chief of staff and Governor's Secretaries.

Governor; chief of staff and Governor's Secretaries. Provides that no chief of staff appointed by the Governor and no Secretary appointed by the Governor shall be members of each other's immediate family when each is serving in his appointed capacity at the same time.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers.

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to full-time salaried 911 dispatchers. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher on or after July 1, 2026, but allows an employer, as that term is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher before July 1, 2026, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

Tax credit; veterinary care for retired police canines.

Tax credit; veterinary care for retired police canines. Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for costs directly incurred for the veterinary care, defined in the bill, of a retired police canine, also defined in the bill, during such taxable year up to $1,500. The bill requires the Tax Commissioner to establish guidelines for claiming the credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forward by the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable year for which the credit was issued.

Hillary Pugh KentRepublican

Fair Voice Purchasing Act; established, penalties.

Fair Voice Purchasing Act established; penalties. Prohibits a virtual assistant licensee or virtual assistant licensor, as such terms are defined in the bill, from providing voice purchasing on a smart speaker device or smart display device unless such licensee or licensor obtains consent from the user of such device.

Holly M. SeiboldDemocrat

Emergency Response Exposure Grant Fund and Program; created.

Emergency Response Exposure Grant Fund and Program. Creates the Emergency Response Exposure Grant Fund and Program to award grants to localities to support certain emergency responders who were exposed to a qualifying emergency, defined in the bill. The bill requires funding to be used for annual cancer screenings and health care expenses incurred by eligible emergency responders, defined in the bill, in the event such emergency responders are diagnosed with cancer from toxic material exposure. The bill permits funding to be used for out-of-pocket medical expenses not otherwise covered by insurance, workers' compensation, or other available funding. The Department of Fire Programs shall administer the Fund and Program.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

Flavored nitrous oxide; manufacturing, selling, distributing, or possessing, penalties.

Manufacturing, selling, distributing, or possessing flavored nitrous oxide; penalties. Provides that any person who knowingly manufactures, sells, distributes, or possesses with the intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute flavored nitrous oxide, when intended for human consumption, is guilty of a Class 5 felony. Under the bill, any person who knowingly possesses flavored nitrous oxide, when intended for human consumption, is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The bill specifies that such prohibition does not apply to nitrous oxide that has been denatured or otherwise rendered unfit for human consumption or to (i) any person or establishment that is licensed to sell, serve, or offer for sale food or drink for human consumption; (ii) any person engaged in the business of selling or distributing catering supplies only or food processing equipment only, or of selling or distributing compressed gases for industrial or medical use that sells or otherwise distributes nitrous oxide in the course of that business; or (iii) any health care professional while engaged in the performance of his official duties.

Geary HigginsRepublican

Assault and battery; serious bodily injury, penalty.

Assault and battery; serious bodily injury; penalty. Creates a Class 6 felony for any person who commits an assault and battery that results in serious bodily injury, as defined in relevant law, and adds such new offense to the list of violent felony offenses for the purposes of the discretionary sentencing guidelines. The bill contains technical amendments.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Small business set-asides; Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to study.

Study; Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity; small business set-asides; report. Directs the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to study small business set-asides and their effectiveness in promoting the growth and economic development of small businesses through participation in government contracting. For purposes of the study, \"small business\" includes women-owned and minority-owned businesses.

Rozia A. Henson, Jr.Democrat

Local tax authority; nicotine vapor products.

Local tax authority; nicotine vapor products. Authorizes localities by ordinance to impose a sales and use tax on nicotine vapor products and includes directives for the administration and enforcement of any such ordinance. The bill also directs the Department of Taxation to consult with localities, the Virginia Association of Counties, and the Virginia Municipal League in implementing and administering such local taxation of nicotine vapor products.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Unlawful dissemination of intimate images of another; creates a tiered system of penalties.

Unlawful dissemination of intimate images of another; penalties.

Wren M. WilliamsRepublican

Best interests of the child; orders to return a minor child.

Best interests of the child; custody; orders to return a minor child; violations of orders regarding motions to relocate. Provides that in any case in which a party to a custody case (i) was subject to an order to return a minor child or (ii) violated a stay on or denial of a motion to relocate within the previous 10 years of such custody case, there shall be a presumption that it is in the best interests of the child for such child to be placed in the primary custody of the party not subject to or in violation of any such order.

Eric R. ZehrRepublican

Higher educational institutions, public; information for pregnant and parenting students.

Public institutions of higher education; information for pregnant and parenting students. Requires each public institution of higher education to post in a publicly accessible manner on its website and include in orientation materials that are distributed to each new student information for pregnant and parenting students, including resources available to such students, the rights of and protections afforded to such students, and a description of the process for such students to file a grievance or complaint pursuant to Title IX.

Ian T. LovejoyRepublican