Bills & Legislation

Highway rights-of-way; invasive species.

Highway rights-of-way; invasive species. Requires the Commonwealth Transportation Board to establish and implement a policy for identifying, digging up, and destroying any invasive plant on the list of invasive plants created by the Department of Conservation and Recreation on any state highway right-of-way.

Geary HigginsRepublican

Virginia Community College System; certain dual enrollment instructors.

Virginia Community College System; certain dual enrollment instructors; certain flexibility in qualifications. Permits the requirement for an individual to have completed 18 credit hours of course work in the relevant career and technical education (CTE) content area in order to qualify as an instructor of CTE dual enrollment courses that are transferrable to a baccalaureate public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to be waived in any case in which the employing comprehensive community college determines that such individual has sufficient and specific occupational experience in such content area. The bill requires each comprehensive community college in the Virginia Community College System to work with its institutional accreditor to remove any barriers to the full implementation of the aforementioned flexibility.

Phillip A. ScottRepublican

Involuntary admission for treatment.

Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court to update the petition for involuntary admission for treatment; penalty of perjury. Directs the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court to update the petition for involuntary admission for treatment, Form DC-4001, to include the following statement under the petitioner's signature: "I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct."

Ian T. LovejoyRepublican

Child Care Subsidy Program; income-based eligibility for assistance.

Early childhood care and education; Child Care Subsidy Program; income-based eligibility for assistance; development and implementation of phased reduction model. Requires the Department of Education (the Department) to develop and implement a phased reduction model for the Child Care Subsidy Program (the Program) that provides for an assistance phase-out period during which the assistance for which a given family is eligible is incrementally reduced in proportion to the increase in such family's income for the purpose of ensuring that no family receiving child care assistance under the Program experiences a sudden loss in eligibility for assistance as a result of an increase in family income. The bill requires the phased reduction model developed and implemented by the Department to consist of incremental income tiers, with each increase in income tier corresponding to a proportional reduction in the percentage of assistance for which a given family is eligible under the Program. The bill directs the Board of Education to (i) promulgate regulations for the development and implementation of the phased reduction model in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (ii) submit to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services any amendments to the current Child Care and Development Fund Plan for Virginia as are necessary to implement the provisions of the bill.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Research university collaborative; reassigning coastal resource management duties.

Research university collaborative; Virginia Institute of Marine Science; reassigning coastal resource management duties. Makes the Commonwealth's research university collaborative the scientific advisor to the Commonwealth on matters of coastal resilience. The bill shifts the duties of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science relating to coastal resource management, including the duty of developing comprehensive coastal resource management guidance for local governments, to the collaborative. The bill requires certain localities to incorporate such guidance developed by the collaborative into the next scheduled review of its comprehensive plan beginning in 2026.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

Real property tax; special assessment for land preservation.

Real property tax; special assessment for land preservation. Allows a locality to provide for the use value assessment and taxation of qualifying leased real estate. Qualifying leased real estate is defined in the bill as real estate devoted to open-space use that is subject to an active lease with a lessor who is using the property for agricultural purposes. The taxpayer seeking to qualify for the different assessment of any such qualifying leased real estate must apply to the commissioner of the revenue and provide any documentation necessary to determine eligibility.

Michael J. WebertRepublican

Attorney General; distribution of 599 funding to distressed localities w/ high crime & poverty rate.

Attorney General; distribution of 599 funding to distressed localities with high crime and poverty rates; advisory work group. Directs the Attorney General to convene a work group for the purpose of advising on the distribution of 599 funding to distressed localities with high crime and poverty rates. The work group shall include legislators and local elected officials who represent distressed localities and other persons with relevant experience and expertise.

Kim A. TaylorRepublican

Campaign finance; campaign required tax-exempt organization disclosure, report, civil penalties.

Campaign finance; campaign required tax-exempt organization disclosure; work group; report; civil penalties. Establishes campaign finance reporting requirements for tax-exempt organizations making contributions or independent expenditures for the purpose of advocating for the election or defeat of a clearly identified Virginia candidate. Committees are prohibited from accepting contributions from tax-exempt organizations that do not file required campaign finance disclosure reports. Civil penalties for violations of the limits established by the bill may equal up to four times the excess contribution amounts. The bill also requires electronically filed independent expenditure reports to be made publicly available within 48 hours of being filed and to be entered into a publicly available campaign finance database accessible through the Internet. Finally, the bill requires that the Chair of the House Privileges and Elections Committee and the Chair of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee convene a work group to evaluate campaign finance contribution limits and disclosure requirements among the various states and at the federal level and to report their findings by November 30, 2025. This bill incorporates HB 2173 and HB 2484.

Mark D. SicklesDemocrat

Public schools; student enrollment, recruitment prohibited.

Public schools; student enrollment; recruitment prohibited. Prohibits any school board, school board member, or school board employee from recruiting or otherwise incentivizing a student who resides outside of the local school division to enroll in a public school in such local school division.

Israel D. O'QuinnRepublican

Federal park operations; temporary funding.

Temporary funding of federal park operations. Authorizes the Governor to provide funding and execute necessary agreements to allow the temporary operation of any Virginia property controlled by the National Park Service in the event of a federal government shutdown. Such authority shall be contingent on the U.S. Department of the Interior executing an agreement which authorizes the Commonwealth to operate such property. The bill states that the funds may come from the State Park Conservation Resources Fund, voluntary donations, funds allocated to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, or other sources. However, the bill clarifies that no funds originally allocated from the general fund shall be used to operate a federal park for more than 21 days without the approval of the General Assembly.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Commending the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Commending the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Sales and use tax, additional local; school capital projects in Gloucester County.

Additional local sales and use tax to support schools; use of funds. Authorizes Gloucester County to utilize the revenues from its additional one percent local sales and use tax for school capital projects for repayment of existing indebtedness incurred from school projects that were begun or completed prior to the imposition of the tax. The bill allows use of funds for prior indebtedness regardless of whether such use of funds was described in the referendum authorizing such tax. Such use of funds would require approval via ordinance passed by the county board of supervisors.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Vehicle safety inspections; extends period for new motor vehicles.

Vehicle safety inspections; new motor vehicles. Extends from 12 months to 24 months the period for which a vehicle safety inspection is valid for new motor vehicles. The bill requires the fee for a 24-month inspection approval sticker to be double the price of a 12-month inspection approval sticker. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Amanda E. BattenRepublican

Retail Sales and Use Tax; dealer discount.

Sales and use tax; dealer discount.

Eric PhillipsRepublican

Income tax, state; establishes a new bracket beginning on and after January 1, 2025.

Imposition of income tax. Establishes a new income tax bracket beginning on and after January 1, 2025, that taxes income in excess of $1 million at a rate of 10 percent. Currently, all income in excess of $17,000 is taxed at the rate of 5.75 percent. The bill provides that, from the additional revenue generated from such increased tax rate upon income in excess of $1 million, 50 percent will be dedicated to providing additional basic aid funding for public schools, 30 percent will be dedicated to the Child Care Subsidy Program, and 20 percent will be dedicated to the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. The bill contains technical amendments.

Phil M. HernandezDemocrat

Dinwiddie Airport and Industrial Authority; residency requirements.

Dinwiddie Airport and Industrial Authority; residency requirements. Requires all members of the Dinwiddie Airport and Industrial Authority to be residents of Dinwiddie County and requires the removal by the governing body of the County of any such appointee who ceases to reside within the County. Currently, four of the seven members of the Authority are required to be residents of the County and removal of an appointee for ceasing to reside within the County is at the discretion of the governing body of the County.

H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.Republican

Criminal sexual assault against a minor; capital murder, death penalty, etc.

Capital murder; death penalty; certain offenses of criminal sexual assault against a minor punishable by death. Authorizes punishment by death for (i) capital murder and (ii) rape, forcible sodomy, and object sexual penetration when the victim is a child younger than the age of 13 and the offender (a) was 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense and (b) is not determined to be a person with intellectual disability pursuant to relevant law. The bill also provides that the Supreme Court of Virginia shall give priority to the review of cases in which the sentence of death has been imposed over other cases pending in the Court.

Timothy P. GriffinRepublican

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

Direct the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to study the efficacy of expanding the School of Dentistry of Virginia Commonwealth University; report.

Eric PhillipsRepublican

Venison donation tax credit.

Venison donation tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for expenses incurred by a taxpayer to butcher and process an antlerless deer for human consumption. A taxpayer may claim this credit provided that (i) the hunting and harvesting of the deer complies with the Commonwealth's hunting laws and regulations and (ii) the taxpayer donates the processed deer meat to a venison donation program administered by a nonprofit organization. The amount of the credit that may be claimed in any single taxable year cannot exceed (a) $200, if the taxpayer did not harvest each deer for which the credits are claimed in accordance with a deer management permit, or (b) the taxpayer's liability in that taxable year, if the taxpayer harvested each deer for which the credits are claimed in accordance with a deer management permit. Finally, the bill provides for an exemption from civil liability arising from injury or death resulting from the nature, age, condition, or packaging of the donated food.

David A. ReidDemocrat

Health insurance; coverage for at-home blood pressure monitors, report.

Health insurance; coverage for at-home blood pressure monitors. Requires health insurers, health maintenance organizations, and corporations providing health care coverage subscription contracts to provide coverage for at-home blood pressure monitors to individuals who (i) have a diagnosis of hypertension, (ii) are at risk of developing hypertension, or (iii) have been recommended for at-home blood pressure monitoring by a licensed health care provider. The coverage provided under the bill shall not be subject to any copayment or fees for an at-home blood pressure monitor. The bill directs the Bureau of Insurance, in consultation with the Department of Health, to establish guidelines for implementing the coverage required by the bill, to monitor compliance of such requirements by health care providers, and to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1, 2026.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

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, (ii) state or non-state sponsor of terrorism, (iii) representative of a terrorist organization, as those terms are defined by the bill, or (iv) 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 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) through (iv). 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.

Terry G. KilgoreRepublican

School officials; reports of certain incidents, subsequent reports to law enforcement.

Reports of certain incidents to school officials; recipients; subsequent reports to law enforcement. Requires reports of eight enumerated types of school-related incidents, including incidents involving alcohol, marijuana, a controlled substance, an imitation controlled substance, or an anabolic steroid on a school bus, on school property, or at a school-sponsored activity, including the theft or attempted theft of student prescription medications, to be made to the members of the school board in addition to the requirement in current law to report such incidents to the division superintendent and the principal or his designee. The bill also requires the school principal to subsequently report some such incidents that may involve a criminal offense to the local law-enforcement agency as soon as practicable but no later than 24 hours after receiving the report of the incident. Current law requires such reports to be made immediately but does not establish a reporting deadline of any specific length.

Chris S. RunionRepublican

Hemp product; clarifies definition.

Definition of hemp product; Revitalize Hemp Act.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Grandparent; petition for visitation.

Grandparent; petition for visitation. Provides that in any case or proceeding in which a grandparent has petitioned the court for visitation with a minor grandchild, the court may consider whether (i) the marriage of the parents of such child has been dissolved, (ii) a parent of the child has abandoned such child, (iii) the child was born while the parents were not married, or (iv) a parent of the child has prevented the grandparent from visitation at any hearing in such a case or proceeding held to determine the best interest of the child.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

Virginia Antiterrorism Act established; civil penalties.

Virginia Antiterrorism Act established; civil penalties. Establishes the Virginia Antiterrorism Act. The bill creates a cause of action against an individual or entity that commits, conspires, aides, or abets an act of terrorism, defined in the bill, or provides direct or indirect material support, defined in the bill, for the commission of an act of terrorism if such conduct results in an injury or death to any person. The bill authorizes the Attorney General to (i) issue a civil investigative demand when he has reasonable cause to believe that any person has engaged in, is engaging in, or is about to engage in such commission of an act of terrorism or provision of material support for an act of terrorism and (ii) on behalf of the Commonwealth, enforce and recover civil penalties for conduct that would give rise to such cause of action.

Jason S. BallardRepublican

Virginia Public Procurement Act; prohibition on boycotting Israel.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; prohibition on boycotting Israel.

Terry G. KilgoreRepublican

Income tax, state; subtractions of military benefits.

Taxable income; subtractions; military benefits. Removes the current cap of $40,000 of military benefits that may be subtracted from Virginia taxable income for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2026, such that the total amount of military benefits may be subtracted from such income.

Chris ObenshainRepublican

Income tax, state; toll charges for disabled veterans tax credit.

Income tax; toll charges for disabled veterans tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for expenses incurred during the taxable year by a disabled veteran, defined in the bill, for documented toll charges, also defined in the bill. The amount of the credit shall be equal to the lesser of the documented toll charges or $100. 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.

Chris S. RunionRepublican

Line of Duty Act; payments to beneficiaries.

Line of Duty Act; payments to beneficiaries. Provides that if a deceased person, as that term is defined in the Line of Duty Act, died as a result of certain cancers within 10 years from his date of retirement, his beneficiary shall be entitled to the payment of certain benefits. Under current law, such beneficiary shall be entitled to such payment if the deceased person's death (i) arose out of and in the course of his employment or (ii) was within five years from his date of retirement.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

Historic landmarks; designating or nominating, notice requirements.

Designating or nominating historic landmarks; notice requirements. Removes the requirements for the Department of Historic Resources to provide written notice to an owner or his agent of property abutting or immediately across the street or road of property proposed to be designated or nominated as a historic landmark. The bill directs the Department to schedule a public hearing at the seat of government of the locality in which the property proposed to be designated or nominated as a historic landmark is located at a time and place that will allow for the attendance of the affected general public. Current law applies such time and place requirements only for affected property owners. Finally, the bill changes the time in which the Department must specify the time and place of the public notice published in the newspaper having general circulation in the locality from not less than six days nor more than 21 days after the second publication of the notice to not more than 30 days and not less than seven days before the public hearing.

JJ SinghDemocrat

Juvenile detention specialists; enhanced retirement benefits.

Pensions; enhanced retirement benefits for juvenile detention specialists. Permits political subdivisions participating in the Virginia Retirement System to provide retirement benefits comparable to the benefits provided to state police officers to juvenile detention specialists. The bill applies only to service earned as a juvenile detention specialist 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 juvenile detention specialist 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.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

Vehicle noise-monitoring devices; VSP to study feasibility and impact of implementing devices.

Study; Department of State Police; vehicle noise-monitoring devices; report. Requests the Department of State Police to study the feasibility and impact of implementing vehicle noise-monitoring devices in the Commonwealth.

Briana D. SewellDemocrat

Juvenile/adult adjudicated delinquent/convicted of violent juvenile felony; immigration status.

Department of Juvenile Justice; inquiry and report of immigration status; juvenile or adult adjudicated delinquent or convicted of violent juvenile felony. Requires the Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice or other person in charge of a secure facility where a juvenile or adult has been committed upon an adjudication of delinquency or a finding of guilt for a violent juvenile felony to ascertain whether such juvenile or adult is in the United States illegally and, if such juvenile or adult is found to be in the United States illegally, to communicate such information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under current law, such immigration inquiries are required of jail officers or correctional officers in charge of state, local, or regional correctional facilities.

Wren M. WilliamsRepublican

Commissioner of Health; work group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water; report.

Commissioner of Health; work group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water; report. Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene a work group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water and develop recommendations for the reduction of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water. The bill requires the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Health and Human Services and the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and Education and Health by December 1, 2025.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Protection of memorials for war veterans.

Protection of memorials for war veterans. Provides that it is unlawful for localities or individuals to disturb or interfere with certain monuments, markers, and memorials for war veterans or to prevent citizens from taking proper measures and exercising proper means for the protection, preservation, and care of the monuments, markers, or memorials. The bill describes \"disturb or interfere with\" to include removing, damaging, or defacing monuments, markers, or memorials or, in the case of the Civil War, placing Union markings or monuments on previously designated Confederate memorials or placing Confederate markings or monuments on previously designated Union memorials. The bill also deletes current provisions that allow localities to remove, relocate, contextualize, or cover such monuments or memorials. The bill changes an existing advisory referendum provision by limiting its applicability to those monuments, markers, and memorials that were erected at least 40 years ago and by requiring a two-thirds majority vote, both by voters and by the governing body, before any monument can be removed, relocated, or covered. The bill also establishes a process whereby any person with an interest can initiate an action against a person or locality that damages or defaces a publicly owned monument if a locality or its officers have failed to take such action within 60 days of the damage or defacement.

Wren M. WilliamsRepublican

Commending Colonel James B. Cogbill, USA, Ret.

Commending Colonel James B. Cogbill, USA, Ret.

Bryce E. ReevesRepublican

General Assembly Military and Veterans Commission established.

General Assembly Military and Veterans Commission established. Establishes the General Assembly Military and Veterans Commission as a standing commission for the purpose of reviewing legislation related to veterans, military service members, and their families and advising on how such legislation aligns with the 2024 Veterans Strategic Plan. The Commission shall consist of 16 legislators, eight from each house of the General Assembly, all of whom must either (i) be a veteran or military service member or the spouse of a veteran or military service member or (ii) represent a district with a significant military or veteran population relative to the rest of the Commonwealth. The Commission is directed to meet weekly during any regular session of the General Assembly and quarterly in the interim, to review and analyze proposed legislation and budget amendments to ensure alignment with the priorities outlined in the 2024 Veterans Strategic Plan, to revise and update the goals and priorities outlined in the 2024 Veterans Strategic Plan, and to host an annual Military Appreciation Night.

David A. ReidDemocrat

Transportation district commissions; contracts or agreements.

Transportation district commissions; contracts or agreements. Expands the localities and entities with which transportation district commissions may enter into contracts or agreements to provide transit facilities and services and other modes of transportation.

Ian T. LovejoyRepublican

Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas; acceptance of signed & sealed plan in lieu of local plan review.

Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas; acceptance of signed and sealed plan in lieu of local plan review. Authorizes a locality subject to the provisions of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act to accept a set of plans and supporting calculations prepared by a licensed professional, as described in the bill, for any land-disturbing activity that disturbs 2,500 square feet or more but less than one acre in an area of a locality designated as a Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area. The bill provides that such plans and supporting calculations shall satisfy the requirement that the locality retain a certified plan reviewer or conduct a plan review.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

Persons with mental illness; Va. State Crime Commission, et al., to study petty crimes committed.

Virginia State Crime Commission; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; persons with mental illness; petty crimes; study; report. Directs the Virginia State Crime Commission, in collaboration with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, to conduct a study on the petty crimes that are most frequently committed by persons with mental illness. The bill requires the Commission to submit a report on its findings to the Chairs of the House Committees for Courts of Justice and on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committees for Courts of Justice and on Education and Health by November 1, 2025.

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

Va. Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers, delayed effective date.

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.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Board of Education; Child Care Subsidy Program; maximum reimbursement rate; vendors providing care outside of normal business hours.

Board of Education; Child Care Subsidy Program; maximum reimbursement rate; vendors providing care outside of normal business hours. Directs the Board of Education to amend its regulations relating to the Child Care Subsidy Program to permit payment over the maximum reimbursable rate for any vendor that provides child care outside of normal business hours, provided that such rate may not exceed twice the maximum reimbursable rate for child care provided within normal business hours.

Phil M. HernandezDemocrat

Sales and use tax; accommodations for transients.

Sales and use tax; accommodations for transients. Provides that the term "retail sale" shall include the sale of accommodations to transients for less than 30 days. Under current law, "retail sale" includes such sales to transients for less than 90 days.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Department of Education; school boards; student online activity; data collection, monitoring, and restrictions.

Department of Education; school boards; student online activity; data collection, monitoring, and restrictions. Requires the Department of Education (the Department) to establish reporting expectations for school divisions that collect student online activity data and provides that if no school within a school division does so, the school board, upon submission of written documentation to the Department stating that no school within the school division collects student online activity data, shall be deemed to have satisfied such reporting expectations. The reporting expectations include: (i) making certain disclosures to parents, including what online activity is being tracked, monitored, and collected when using school devices on school property and what types of student online activity or online activity data would create an alert; (ii) including in the school division's acceptable use policy for the Internet that student online activity is being tracked and data collected; (iii) providing, to the extent available for the school division, parents the ability to access any collected student online activity data; (iv) notifying the parent of a student for whom an alert is created or an action taken on such student's online activity or associated data before the student is notified, except as provided in the bill; and (v) prohibiting the inclusion of student online activity data in a student's permanent record except in the most severe cases, as defined, set forth, and made publicly available by the Department. The bill requires the Department to create and distribute to each school board (a) a template for making the required parental disclosures and (b) best practices for deleting student online activity data.

Delores OatesRepublican

Admission of evidence; evidentiary hearing, excluded persons.

Admission of evidence; evidentiary hearing; excluded persons. Exempts one person whose presence, in the judgment of the court, would be supportive of the complaining witness and would not impair the conduct of a fair hearing or pose a substantial risk of influencing or affecting the content of the testimony from being excluded from evidentiary hearings for certain prosecutions. The bill provides that if such support person is exempted, the judge shall admonish such support person to not prompt, communicate with, or influence the complaining witness in any way. Lastly, the bill provides that a court may exercise its discretion to remove the support person from the courtroom if it believes such support person is prompting, communicating with, or influencing the complaining witness.

Delores OatesRepublican

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.

Vivian E. WattsDemocrat

Classification of land and improvements for tax purposes; localities.

Classification of land and improvements for tax purposes; localities. Reclassifies improvements to real property as a separate class of real property and authorizes any locality to impose a real property tax on improvements to real property at a tax rate that is different than the rate applied to the land on which such improvements are located. Such rate may exceed, equal, or be less than the tax imposed upon the land on which the improvements are located.Under current law, such classification is allowed only for the Cities of Fairfax, Poquoson, Richmond, and Roanoke. For the Cities of Fairfax, Richmond, and Roanoke, the rate applied is required to be less than the rate applied to land under current law. The City of Poquoson is currently the only locality authorized to impose a rate in excess of the rate applied to land. The bill applies only to taxable years beginning on and after July 1, 2025.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Income tax deduction; tips.

Income tax deduction; tips. Provides, for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2026, an income tax deduction for the amount of cash tips received during the taxable year that are included on statements furnished to the employer for federal tax purposes.

W. Chad GreenRepublican