Bills & Legislation

Tangible personal property; computer equipment and peripherals used in data centers.

Classification of tangible personal property; computer equipment and peripherals used in data centers; facilities housing systems used to engage in digital asset mining business activities. Provides that, for purposes of the separate tax classification of tangible personal property for computer equipment and peripherals used in a data center, a data center includes facilities housing systems used to engage in digital mining business activities, defined in the bill.

Michael J. WebertRepublican

Corrections, Dept. of; designated employees with same power as sheriff or law-enforcement officer.

Department of Corrections; designated employees with same power as sheriff or law-enforcement officer. Allows the Department of Corrections to designate employees to have the same power as a sheriff or a law-enforcement officer for the purpose of enforcing the criminal laws of the Commonwealth. Under current law, the Department can designate such employees with internal investigations authority to have such law-enforcement powers in the investigation of allegations of criminal behavior affecting the operations of the Department. Accordingly, the bill makes technical changes to additional sections that reference such designated employees, including in the definition of a law-enforcement officer used in various places throughout the Code and for the purposes of the Line of Duty Act, assault and battery of a law-enforcement officer, retired law-enforcement officers being able to carry a concealed handgun, and certain retired law-enforcement officers being able to purchase their service handgun or other weapon.

Tony O. WiltRepublican

Natural gas utilities; retail supply choice, report.

Natural gas utilities; retail supply choice; work group; report. Allows every person access to distribution service or retail natural gas from a natural gas utility authorized to provide natural gas service to the area where the service will be received. The bill prohibits a public entity from adopting an ordinance, resolution, or any other requirement that limits or prohibits customers from acquiring natural gas service and supply from both utility and non-utility gas companies. The bill prohibits public entities from denying building permits solely based on a proposed utility provider and directs public entities to ensure that all applicable permits and fees are reasonable, as compared to other utility providers, and do not restrict an applicant's ability to use the services of an authorized utility provider. The bill also directs the Department of Energy to convene a work group for the purposes of evaluating the impact of critical infrastructure sectors on natural gas service or natural gas supply choice and the impact of any public entity restricting a critical infrastructure sector from acquiring fuel and to submit a report of its findings and recommendations by November 1, 2025.

Israel D. O'QuinnRepublican

Electric utilities; rate caps, Commission on Electric Utility Regulation, utility rate reviews.

Electric utilities; rate caps; Commission on Electric Utility Regulation; utility rate reviews. Requires the State Corporation Commission to establish capped rates for Appalachian Power. The bill requires the capped rates to be the rates in effect for each Phase I electric utility as of July 1, 2025. The bill authorizes the Commission to adjust such capped rates in connection with the electric utility's recovery of fuel and purchased power costs. The bill's capped rates expire on July 1, 2027. The bill requires the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation (the Commission) to review and make recommendations regarding certain petitions filed by Appalachian Power with the State Corporation Commission. For each such review, the bill requires the Commission to convene a subcommittee that includes one nonlegislative citizen member from each planning district commission within the Phase I Utility's service territory, each of whom is appointed by the relevant planning district commission. The Commission shall submit its recommendation to the State Corporation Commission no later than 90 days following the date such petition is filed. The bill prohibits the Commission from adopting any recommendation if a majority of the members of the subcommittee vote against the recommendation. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to consider the recommendations of the Commission.

James W. MorefieldRepublican

Uniform Statewide Building Code; installation of natural gas leak detectors in residential bldgs.

Uniform Statewide Building Code; amendments; natural gas leak detectors. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development to consider adopting amendments to the Uniform Statewide Building Code to require the installation of natural gas leak detectors in residential buildings with natural gas piping installed.

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

Persons with disabilities; JLARC to study transportation options in rural areas.

Study; JLARC; transportation options in rural areas for persons with disabilities. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study transportation options in rural areas for persons with disabilities and identify ways to expand or enhance such transportation services. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Disability Commission.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Standards of Quality; SOL assessments in languages other than English, development & administration.

Standards of Quality; Standards of Learning assessments in languages other than English; development and administration. Requires (i) the Board of Education to develop Standards of Learning assessments in native languages other than English that are most commonly spoken in the Commonwealth; (ii) each school board to make available any such native language assessment to any English language learner student who speaks any such language natively and is identified as having limited English proficiency; (iii) the English language learner faculty at any such student's school to make the final determination as to whether administration of any such native language assessment is appropriate; and (iv) the provisions of the bill to be implemented by the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Education to submit to the U.S. Department of Education by August 1, 2025 any amendments to its consolidated plan under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act, that are necessary to implement its provisions.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Lobbyist registration; definition of "lobbyist".

Lobbyist registration; definition of "lobbyist"; representatives of public institutions of higher education. Amends the definition of "lobbyist" to include individuals who represent public institutions of higher education for the purpose of lobbying.

William M. Stanley, Jr.Republican

Elections; electoral board appointments, up to five party recommendations.

Elections; administration; electoral board appointments; up to five party recommendations. Allows the political party entitled to the appointment of an electoral board member to make recommendations of up to five qualified voters for each appointment. Under current law, the political party entitled to the appointment of an electoral board member must make recommendations of at least three qualified voters for each appointment.

Eric PhillipsRepublican

Electric utilities; renewable energy definition and facilities.

Electric utilities; renewable energy definition and facilities. Amends the definition of "renewable energy" for the purposes of electric utility regulation to include fuel cells. The bill also adds any renewable energy generation facility located in the coalfield region of the Commonwealth to the list of projects for which a utility may seek a rate adjustment clause.

Terry G. KilgoreRepublican

Public education; early childhood care and education, funding formula calculations, etc.

Public education; early childhood care and education; funding formula calculations; Early Childhood Care and Education Fund established; report. Requires the Department of Education to (i) establish and maintain a funding formula for the provision of early childhood care and education services that establishes the minimum funding and number of slots per biennium for such providers based on a cost of quality rate per child, actual data from the prior year, unserved waitlists, and a multiplier based on enrollment and parent demand growth in prior biennia; (ii) make disbursements from the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund (the Fund), established in the bill, to support the provision of early childhood care and education services in accordance with the funding formula set forth in the bill; (iii) make certain funding calculations, in consultation with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, to be included in the funding formula, for the purpose of determining the number of slots to be added to support local or regional economic development efforts; and (iv) submit to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education a report on the status of the Fund, including the data used to calculate the minimum funding and number of slots per biennium established pursuant to the funding formula. The bill requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to submit to the Generally Assembly by November 1 of each year a report on Fund revenues, distributions, and balances.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Health insurance; coverage for breast examinations for high-risk individuals.

Health insurance; coverage for breast examinations for high-risk individuals. Requires health insurance carriers to cover diagnostic breast examinations and supplemental breast examinations, as those terms are defined in the bill, based on sound medical practices for any high-risk individual, as defined in the bill, without cost sharing under certain insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2026. The bill provides that such examinations include examinations using a health care provider's choice of diagnostic mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, or breast ultrasound. This bill was incorporated in HB 1828.

Karen Keys-GamarraDemocrat

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.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

Athlete agents; deregulation.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; deregulation of athlete agents. Repeals certain provisions of the Code related to the regulation of athlete agents and makes it a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to accept compensation for representing a student athlete without a properly executed agency contract.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

Income tax, state; deductions and earned income tax credit, removes sunset.

Income tax; deductions and earned income tax credit; sunset. Removes the current January 1, 2026 expiration date for the standard deduction in the amount of $8,500 for single individuals and $17,000 for married individuals. Current law provides that on and after January 1, 2026, the standard deduction shall revert back to the amounts that existed before taxable year 2019, which was $3,000 for individuals and $6,000 for married individuals.The bill also removes the current January 1, 2026 expiration date from the partially refundable credit that an individual or married individuals may claim against their Virginia income tax liability in an amount equal to 15 percent of the federal earned income tax credit claimed by an individual or married individuals for federal earned income tax purposes. This bill incorporates SB 845 and SB 951.

David R. SuetterleinRepublican

Uniform Statewide Building Code; unsafe structures.

Uniform Statewide Building Code; unsafe structures. Provides that for any structure deemed unsafe under the Uniform Statewide Building Code, and therefore eligible for demolition upon the unsafe notice process being completed, the owner or his agent may temporarily overcome the unsafe structure designation by vacating and securing the structure by board up of all access points. The bill further provides that after six months have elapsed from the time the board up was first learned of and internally recorded by the locality, if the structure would still otherwise be considered an unsafe structure, the locality may issue and send a written notice to the owner that if the other conditions specified in the notice are not adequately improved, or an appeal not received, within two months, the unsafe designation will once again come into effect.

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

Illegal drugs; venue for certain distribution offenses.

Illegal drugs; venue for certain distribution offenses. Provides that a prosecution for an offense related to distribution of a Schedule I or II drug, where an overdose death occurred from such distribution, may be had in any county or city in which (i) any act in furtherance of the crime was committed or (ii) the deceased person was located.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

Income tax, state; eligible low-income taxpayers to claim a refundable income tax credit.

Earned income tax credit. Allows eligible low-income taxpayers to claim a refundable income tax credit equal to 20 percent of the federal earned income tax credit claimed that year by the taxpayer for the same taxable year. The bill also states that individuals who would have been entitled to the federal equivalent of this credit but for the fact that the individual, the individual's spouse, or one or more of the individual's children does not have a valid social security number are eligible to claim this credit. Under current law, taxpayers may choose to claim either a nonrefundable tax credit equal to 20 percent of the federal earned income tax credit claimed that year or a refundable tax credit equal to 15 percent of the federal earned income tax credit claimed that year.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Consumer data privacy; automakers, civil penalty.

Consumer data privacy; automakers; civil penalty. Prohibits automakers operating in the Commonwealth from collecting or processing the personal data of a consumer without such consumer's express consent and from engaging in the sale of personal data. The bill contains requirements for an automaker that has received express consent from a consumer for the collecting or processing of personal data, and includes personal data rights that such consenting customer may invoke at any time. Under the bill, the Attorney General is authorized to investigate violations and enforce the provisions of the bill by initiating an action, seeking an injunction, and seeking civil penalties of up to $7,500 for each violation.

Tara A. DurantRepublican

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.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Voter registration; list of registered voters and persons voting at elections.

Voter registration; list of registered voters and persons voting at elections. Requires the Department of Elections to provide digital lists of all registered voters and of persons who voted at any primary, special, or general election held in the four preceding years at no cost and manually prepared paper lists of such voters and persons at actual cost to certain persons. Under current law such lists are provided at a reasonable price and no format is specified.

Timothy P. GriffinRepublican

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

Retail sales and use tax; exemption for data centers; reports. Requires a data center operator, in order to be eligible for the existing data center sales and use tax exemption to (i) beginning July 1, 2030, purchase a certain percentage of the data center's annual electric load from clean energy resources, (ii) beginning July 1, 2030, demonstrate sufficient investment in energy efficiency measures to provide system-wide benefits, and (iii) beginning July 1, 2027, use only backup generators that meet certain emissions standards. The bill requires the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation to examine the cost and feasibility of data centers using onsite backup and primary generation that is not diesel-fired and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2025. The bill requires the Department of Energy to (a) identify opportunities for beneficial use of waste heat from data centers; (b) create and publish on its website an interactive map of existing and proposed data centers and potential public and private heat users; (c) develop a strategic plan to accelerate data center heat reuse in the Commonwealth; (d) designate an employee within the Department to lead the Commonwealth's efforts to reuse data center heat; and (e) convene a stakeholder work group to provide expertise and feedback on the Department's efforts to accelerate the use of waste heat from data centers. The Department is required to report its findings to the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2025. Finally, the bill requires investor-owned electric utilities to file with the State Corporation Commission for approval of a voluntary tariff to facilitate large customer procurement of clean energy.

Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr.Democrat

Charitable gaming; use of proceeds, charitable gaming adjusted gross receipts, effective date.

Charitable gaming; use of proceeds; charitable gaming adjusted gross receipts. Amends charitable gaming law to allow certain organizations, as a condition of receiving a charitable gaming permit or authorization to conduct electronic gaming, to use (i) with respect to charitable gaming, other than electronic gaming, a predetermined percentage of its charitable gaming adjusted gross receipts, not to exceed 25 percent, and (ii) with respect to electronic gaming, a predetermined percentage of its electronic gaming adjusted gross receipts, not to exceed 25 percent; however, at no time shall such predetermined percentage be calculated at an amount equal to less than 10 percent of its gross receipts derived from electronic gaming less the amount of prize money paid out to players. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Tony O. WiltRepublican

Statewide Fire Prevention Code; consumer fireworks, penalties.

Statewide Fire Prevention Code; State Fire Marshal; consumer fireworks; penalties. Authorizes the use of consumer fireworks in the Commonwealth and distinguishes by definition consumer fireworks from display fireworks and permissible fireworks. The bill provides that the storage and transportation of consumer fireworks are to be considered the same hazard class as the storage and transportation of 1.4G explosives under the Statewide Fire Prevention Code (SFPC) and Uniform Statewide Building Code. The bill requires any locality authorizing the sale of consumer fireworks to require annual permits for any business offering consumer fireworks for retail sale and provides that the State Fire Marshal or other issuing authority may charge a fee for the retail sale of fireworks on a permanent basis or on a temporary basis in localities that do not employ a local fire marshal. The bill excludes from the provisions of the SFPC, unless prohibited by a local ordinance, (i) the sale of consumer or permissible fireworks; (ii) any person using, igniting, or exploding consumer or permissible fireworks on private property with the consent of the owner of such property; or (iii) such consumer or permissible fireworks when they are being transported from a locality where they were legally obtained to a locality where they are legally permitted. Current law only excludes the sale of permissible fireworks or the use of such fireworks on private property. The bill also directs 13 percent of the sales and use tax revenue generated by the local sales and use tax on the sale of consumer or permissible fireworks to be allocated to a special fund and specifies that, of such 13 percent, 10 percent will be used for providing funding for first responders, as defined in the bill, and three percent will be allocated to the local fire marshal or, for localities that do not appoint a fire marshal, to the State Fire Marshal to be used solely on behalf of the locality that transferred such funds. The bill contains technical amendments and has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Thomas A. Garrett, Jr.Republican

Estimated tax; failure by individual, trust, or estate to pay.

Estimated tax; failure by individual, trust, or estate to pay. Increases from $150 to $1,000 the maximum underpayment of estimated tax for which no addition to tax shall be added.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Emergency Response Exposure Grant Fund and Program.

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.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

State Corporation Commission; time frame for completion of certain transmission lines proceedings.

State Corporation Commission; time frame for completion of certain transmission lines proceedings. Requires the State Corporation Commission to complete proceedings regarding the approval of certain transmission lines of 138 kilovolts or more that are located in Planning District 1, 2, or 3 within nine months.

Jason S. BallardRepublican

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; algorithmic pricing devices, report.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; algorithmic pricing devices; study; report. Prohibits a landlord from, for the purpose of advising the landlord of the amount of rent to charge a prospective tenant for the occupancy of a dwelling unit, using, incorporating, or training an algorithmic pricing device, defined in the bill, to restrain the rental housing market in ways that constitute an unfair method of competition. The bill grants a tenant with a reasonable belief that his landlord has violated the prohibition an opportunity to file a written complaint with the Office of the Algorithmic Rent Pricing Ombudsman, created in the bill, or to bring an action against his landlord. The bill requires a landlord who uses an algorithmic pricing device to advise him of the amount of rent to charge a prospective tenant for the occupancy of a dwelling unit to disclose the same to a tenant. The bill also directs the Virginia Housing Commission to study the deployment of algorithmic pricing devices and similar predictive technologies for the sale of housing in the Commonwealth to determine whether such devices perpetuate systemic biases prevalent in the housing market. The Commission shall report its findings and any recommendations for legislation to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology by November 1, 2026.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Campaign finance; campaign contribution limits, civil penalty.

Campaign finance; campaign contribution limits; civil penalty. Prohibits persons from making any single contribution, or any combination of contributions, that exceeds $20,000 to any one candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, or the Senate of Virginia or $10,000 to any one candidate for the House of Delegates in any one election cycle. The bill does not place any limits on in-kind contributions to such candidates from political party committees. The bill establishes thresholds for any candidates making contributions to their own campaign in excess of $400,000 in a race for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, or the Senate of Virginia or $200,000 in a race for House of Delegates. The bill also prohibits persons from making any single contribution, or any combination of contributions, that exceeds $10,000 to any one political committee in any calendar year. Civil penalties for violations of the limits established by the bill may equal up to two times the excess contribution amounts.

David L. BulovaDemocrat

Conflict of Interests Act, State & Local Gov't.; contracts, nonexclusive towing service programs.

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act; contracts; nonexclusive towing service programs. Provides that a contract, for purposes of the State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act, does not include a contract for nonexclusive towing service programs regulated pursuant to an ordinance adopted by the governing body of a locality to regulate towing services rendered pursuant to police towing requests by any business engaged in the towing or storage of unattended, abandoned, or immobile vehicles.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

Income tax, state; pass-through entities, sunset.

Income tax; pass-through entities; sunset. Removes the sunset for the elective entity level tax on pass-through entities that is currently set to expire after taxable year 2025.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Firearm/explosive material; carrying into a bldg. owned or leased by the Commonwealth, exceptions.

Carrying a firearm or explosive material into a building owned or leased by the Commonwealth; exceptions for highway rest areas and government stores. Provides that the prohibition on carrying a firearm or explosive material in any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth shall not apply to any highway rest area or government store, as those terms are defined in relevant law.

Timothy P. GriffinRepublican

Concealed handgun permit; demonstrated competence.

Concealed handgun permit; demonstrated competence. Removes the requirement that an applicant for a concealed handgun permit demonstrate competence with a handgun in person. The bill adds the option for such applicant to participate in certain firearms safety or training courses or classes via a live class conducted using a two-way electronic video and audio communication system.

Delores OatesRepublican

Sewage disposal; alternative onsite sewage systems, elimination of report filing fee.

Sewage disposal; alternative onsite sewage systems; elimination of report filing fee. Eliminates the $1 filing fee required for the filing of site visit reports by licensed operators of alternative onsite sewage systems.

Robert D. Orrock, Sr.Republican

Concealed handgun permit; demonstrated competence.

Concealed handgun permit; demonstrated competence. Adds a firearms safety or training course conducted by U.S. LawShield or any firearms safety or training course or class available to the general public offered by a nationally recognized firearms safety training organization to the list of qualifications that satisfy the demonstration of competence requirement for the issuance of a Virginia resident or nonresident concealed handgun permit. The bill also directs the Department of State Police to publish on its public website a list of organizations conducting such trainings that the Department deems adequate.

Chris ObenshainRepublican

School breakfasts; availability at no cost to students.

School breakfasts; availability at no cost to students. Requires each school board to require each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to make breakfast available to any student who requests such a meal at no cost to the student, unless the student's parent has provided written permission to the school board to withhold such a meal from the student. The bill requires the Department of Education to reimburse each public elementary and secondary school for each school breakfast served to a student, with a maximum of one breakfast per student per school day and provides the formula for determining the state reimbursement rate for such meals. Finally, the bill repeals a provision of law relating to the federal School Breakfast Program that is rendered obsolete by the provisions of the bill.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Law-enforcement agencies; use of certain technologies and interrogation practices.

Law-enforcement agencies; use of certain technologies and interrogation practices; forensic laboratory accreditation. Directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish a comprehensive framework for the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning systems, audiovisual surveillance technologies, and custodial and noncustodial interrogations of adults and juveniles by law-enforcement agencies, which shall include (i) developing policies and procedures and publishing model policies for the use of generative AI, machine learning systems, and audiovisual surveillance technologies and interrogation practices and (ii) establishing compulsory minimum training standards for basic training and recertification of law-enforcement officers on the use of generative AI, machine learning systems, audiovisual surveillance technologies, and conducting interrogations. The bill provides that the Department shall establish and publish such model policies by January 1, 2026, and that all law-enforcement agencies shall adopt policies consistent with such model policies by July 1, 2026. The bill requires any person employed as a law-enforcement officer prior to July 1, 2025, to complete the training required by the bill by January 1, 2029. The bill also provides that no local law-enforcement agency or campus police department shall operate a forensic laboratory, defined in the bill, unless such forensic laboratory is accredited by an accrediting body that requires conformance to forensic-specific requirements and that is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement with a scope of accreditation that covers the testing being performed. The bill also prohibits local law-enforcement agencies and campus police departments from purchasing any equipment or instrument that is intended to be used in forensic laboratory analysis or any breath test device, presumptive chemical test, or presumptive mobile instrument unless such equipment, instrument, device, or test has been approved by the Department of Forensic Science or the Forensic Science Board. Such provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2029.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Voter identification; identification containing a photograph required.

Elections; voter identification; identification containing a photograph required. Requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote. The bill repeals the provisions of law permitting a voter who does not have one of the required forms of identification to vote after signing a statement, subject to felony penalties for false statements, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Instead, the bill provides that such voter is entitled to cast a provisional ballot.

Timothy P. GriffinRepublican

Electric utilities; retail customer return to service.

Electric utilities; retail customer return to service. Changes from five years' advance written notice to one year's advance written notice the requirement for a retail customer of electric energy to return to service by an incumbent electric utility. The bill requires that electric energy sold by a licensed supplier be generated by renewable portfolio standard eligible sources.

Michael J. WebertRepublican

Health benefit programs; discrimination, cause of action.

Health benefit programs; discrimination; cause of action. Adds licensed outpatient facilities to the types of preferred providers that an insurer is required to establish terms and conditions for and is prohibited from discriminating against with regard to the insurer's health benefit program. The bill removes provisions stating that certain price differences are not considered discrimination. The bill provides for a cause of action for any health care provider that suffers loss as a result of an insurer's violation of provisions related to the health benefit program or an insurer's breach of any provider contract provision. Under the bill, if the court finds that the violation or breach resulted from an insurer's gross negligence or willful conduct, the court may increase damages to an amount not exceeding three times the actual damages sustained, and in addition to any damages awarded, the health care provider may be awarded equitable and injunctive relief and reasonable attorney fees and court costs.

N. Baxter EnnisRepublican

Utility Facilities Act; definition of public utility.

Utility Facilities Act; definition of public utility. Provides that for the purpose of the Utility Facilities Act, "public utility" does not include a company that provides electric service from a generation facility located on the same tract of land as a customer with an actual or anticipated load greater than one megawatt that has been notified by its incumbent electric utility that such utility is unable to provide adequate electric service within six months of the customer's request, provided that (i) the company utilizes an electricity generation process that has an emissions rate at least 30 percent lower than the average annual marginal grid emissions rate in the PJM transmission region at the time of installation and (ii) all costs associated with such generator are borne by the customer and not by other ratepayers.

Michael J. WebertRepublican

Elections; prohibited area within 10 feet of the curbside voting area.

Elections; general provisions; prohibited area; within 10 feet of the curbside voting area. Adds the 10 feet beyond any area designated for voting outside the polling place to the prohibited area where campaigning and certain other activities are unlawful during elections.

H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.Republican

Virginia Electric Utility Regulation Act; definitions.

Electric Utility Regulation.

Israel D. O'QuinnRepublican

Electric utilities; municipal and state power aggregation.

Electric utilities; municipal and state power aggregation; State Corporation Commission. Permits municipalities to aggregate the electric energy load of residential, commercial, and industrial retail customers within its boundaries on an opt-in or opt-out basis if the retail electric customers are not already being served by a licensed supplier. The bill also requires the State Corporation Commission to promulgate rules as necessary to ensure that the provisions of the bill do not create an unreasonable shifting of costs to nonparticipating customers and to ensure that in all integrated resource plans and cost recovery proceedings no incumbent electric utility is improperly incorporating the loads of retail electric customers into its forecasts or load projections.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Financial institutions; discrimination prohibited, penalty.

Financial institutions; discrimination prohibited; penalty. Prohibits a financial institution from denying or cancelling its services to or otherwise discriminating against a person in making available services on the basis of factors including the person's political opinions, speech, or affiliations and other factors enumerated in the bill. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Thomas A. Garrett, Jr.Republican

Public utilities; certificate of convenience and necessity.

Public utilities; certificate of convenience and necessity. Provides that, if a public utility has already received a certificate of convenience and necessity to furnish service within its territory, such utility may construct, enlarge, contract with, or acquire and operate facilities for the generation and distribution of electric energy solely to a specific customer or customers located on the same tract of land as existing facilities without obtaining another certificate of convenience and necessity, provided that all costs associated with the new facilities shall be borne by the specific customer or customers.

Michael J. WebertRepublican

Portable benefit accounts; Va. resident who has worked as an independent contractor to establish.

Portable benefit accounts. Authorizes a Virginia resident who has worked as an independent contractor to establish a portable benefit account. Under the bill, a portable benefit account may be offered through and administered by a bank, investment management firm, technology provider, or program manager that offers services through a bank or investment management firm. Distributions from the account may be used for the payment of various health-related costs and other benefits including income replacement insurance, life insurance, or retirement benefits. Under the bill, contributions may be made using the funds of a hiring party or a percentage of funds withheld from the compensation owed to a sole proprietor or independent contractor. The bill provides that contributions using withheld funds can only be made if (i) withheld compensation is expressly agreed to in writing; (ii) such agreement is clear, unambiguous, and prominently displayed in the work contract or a separate notice; (iii) such withholdings are voluntary and require a sole proprietor or independent contractor to opt in; and (iv) a sole proprietor or independent contractor may elect to opt out of such withholdings at any time.

Phillip A. ScottRepublican

Veterans' Services Protection Act; created, prohibited practices, penalty.

Veterans' Services Protection Act; prohibited practices; penalty. Creates the Veterans' Services Protection Act to prohibit any person from receiving compensation for preparing, presenting, prosecuting, advising, consulting, or assisting any individual regarding any veterans' benefits matter, as defined in the bill, except as permitted under federal law. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Briana D. SewellDemocrat