Bills & Legislation

International licensure and certification; regulations.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; international licensure and certification; regulations. Directs the regulatory boards within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to promulgate regulations allowing the issuance of a license or certification to any applicant who holds a comparable international license or certification issued by another country. This bill was incorporated into HB 1940.

Michelle Lopes MaldonadoDemocrat

Extreme Weather Relief Act; established.

Extreme Weather Relief Act established. Establishes the Extreme Weather Relief Program, administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, for the purpose of holding parties responsible for covered greenhouse gas emissions between the covered period of January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2024, for the parties' share of the Commonwealth's costs due to climate change. The bill defines responsible parties as fossil fuel extractors or crude oil refiners causing emissions of one billion metric tons or more of covered greenhouse gases during the covered period. Under the bill, responsible parties are strictly liable for cost recovery payments to the Commonwealth. The bill requires the State Treasurer to conduct an assessment of the costs to the Commonwealth and its residents of the emissions of covered greenhouse gases during the covered period. The bill establishes the Extreme Weather Relief Fund into which the cost recovery payments from responsible entities are deposited and used to pay for extreme weather relief projects, as defined in the bill.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Elections; prohibited area, within 40 feet of the curbside voting area.

Elections; general provisions; prohibited area; within 40 feet of the curbside voting area. Adds the 40 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.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Behavioral health services; correctional facilities, exchange of medical/mental health information.

Behavioral health services; exchange of medical and mental health information and records; correctional facilities.

Wren M. WilliamsRepublican

Children's Services Act; changes to state pool of funds.

Children's Services Act; state pool of funds. Makes a number of changes to the Children's Services Act state pool of funds for the provision of public or private nonresidential or residential services for troubled youth and families, including (i) removing the requirement that the Office of Children's Services consult with private special education services providers in developing the standard reporting template for tuition rates; (ii) removing from the purpose of the state pool of funds the consolidation of categorical agency funding and the institution of community responsibility for the provision of services; (iii) removing language specifying that references to funding sources and current placement authority for the target population served by the state pool of funds are for the purpose of accounting for the funds and should not be intended to categorize children and youth into funding streams in order to access services; (iv) modifying the target population served by the state pool of funds by (a) removing references to the Department of Education's private tuition assistance and the Interagency Assistance Fund for Noneducational Placement for Handicapped Children and (b) adding children and youth who are determined to be a child in need of services, as such term is defined in relevant law; (v) removing the requirement that the financial and legal responsibility for certain special education services remains with the placing jurisdiction, unless the placing jurisdiction has transitioned all appropriate services; (vi) requiring that the uniform assessment instrument used to determine eligibility for funding through the state pool of funds be approved by the State Executive Council for Children's Services; and (vii) modifying the eligibility criteria for funding through the state pool of funds by adding language that (a) specifies that the child or youth's emotional or behavioral problems have resulted in the child or youth, or place the child or youth at imminent risk of, entering purchased residential care and (b) includes the determination by a court that the child or youth is a child in need of services, as such term is defined in relevant law. The bill also includes technical changes. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Commission on Youth.

Carrie E. CoynerRepublican

Campaign advertisements; independent expenditures, electioneering communications.

Campaign advertisements; independent expenditures; electioneering communications; disclaimer requirements. Broadens the scope of disclaimer requirements for campaign advertisements to include electioneering communications, as defined in the bill, and messages advocating for the passage or defeat of a referendum. The bill also requires an advertisement that is an independent expenditure to contain a disclaimer providing the names of the advertisement sponsor's three largest contributors. The bill also requires independent expenditure reports to be filed electronically. Current law allows such reports to be filed either electronically or in writing. The bill increases the reporting and disclosure thresholds for independent expenditures from $1,000 or more for a statewide election or $200 or more for any other election to $5,000 or more for a statewide election or $1,000 or more for any other election and exempts the sponsor of an independent expenditure from disclosing its top three contributors if its independent expenditures aggregate to less than $20,000 in an election cycle. Finally, the bill includes in the definition of "political action committee" any organization holding tax-exempt status that expressly advocates for or against candidates, solicits donations for such purpose, and makes contributions or independent expenditures in excess of $20,000 for such purpose.

William M. Stanley, Jr.Republican

Behavioral health services; correctional facilities, exchange of medical/mental health information.

Behavioral health services; exchange of medical and mental health information and records; correctional facilities. Permits the Department of Medical Assistance Services, the Department of Social Services, and any local department of social services to access medical and mental health information and records for persons committed to any correctional facility for the purposes of providing pre-release services, reentry planning, and post-incarceration placement and services. The bill also authorizes the Department of Medical Assistance Services to access a juvenile's social, medical, psychiatric, and psychological reports and records during pre-release and up to 30 days following such juvenile's release from commitment for the purposes of providing pre-release services, reentry planning, and post-incarceration placement and services.

Carrie E. CoynerRepublican

Behavioral health services; correctional facilities, exchange of medical/mental health information.

Behavioral health services; exchange of medical and mental health information and records; correctional facilities.

Debra D. GardnerDemocrat

Commending Ronald G. Montgomery.

Commending Ronald G. Montgomery.

J.D. "Danny" DiggsRepublican

Horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering; percentage retained by racetrack and locality.

Horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering; satellite facilities; percentage retained by racetrack and locality. Reapportions the distribution of the retainage for pari-mutuel pools by increasing the percentage paid to the localities in which the satellite facilities are located and decreasing the percentage paid to the locality in which the racetrack is located.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Income tax, state; establishes car tax credit.

Income tax; car tax credit. Establishes a refundable income tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2027 for a taxpayer whose federal adjusted gross income does not exceed $50,000 if filing as an individual or $100,000 if married and filing jointly in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) the amount actually paid for tangible personal property tax to Virginia localities on qualifying vehicles, defined in the bill, or (ii) $150 for an individual or $300 for married individuals filing jointly. The bill provides that such credit shall not be allowed for such taxes paid to any locality that has, during the tax year for which such credit is claimed, imposed a tangible personal property tax rate upon qualifying vehicles at a rate that exceeds the rate imposed upon such vehicles by such locality during the 2024 tax year. Finally, the bill provides that if any provision of the bill is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of a court of competent jurisdiction, such provision shall not be deemed severable.

Tara A. DurantRepublican

Workforce Development and Advancement, Department of; powers and duties.

Department of Workforce Development and Advancement; powers and duties. Requires the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement to ensure that all workforce development programs and workforce education and training programs (i) address an industry need identified on a high-demand occupation or field list created by the Department and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development and Advancement and (ii) include a job placement component in their implementation and operating plans. Publicly funded workforce development and workforce education and training programs may apply for an exemption from such requirements, and the Commissioner shall approve or disapprove such application within 45 days of receipt.

T. Travis HackworthRepublican

Child tax credit; Virginia adjusted gross income.

Child tax credit; Virginia adjusted gross income. Creates a one-time individual income tax credit in taxable years 2025 through 2029 for taxpayers whose households include dependents younger than 13 years of age and whose family Virginia adjusted gross income, defined in the bill, does not exceed $100,000. Such credit shall be in an amount equal to $300 for each such dependent and only one credit may be claimed for each such dependent. The bill provides that if the taxpayer is a resident of the Commonwealth for the full taxable year, the credit is refundable. Otherwise, the credit is nonrefundable.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Taxation; rate of interest.

Taxation; rate of interest. Provides that (i) the rate of interest on omitted taxes and assessments is equal to the Underpayment Rate established by the Internal Revenue Code and (ii) the rate of interest on refunds is equal to the Overpayment Rate for noncorporate taxpayers established by the Internal Revenue Code beginning in the third quarter of calendar year 2025 and thereafter. Current law provides that (a) the rate of interest on omitted taxes and assessments is equal to the Underpayment Rate plus two percent and (b) the rate of interest on refunds is equal to the Overpayment Rate for noncorporate taxpayers plus two percent.

T. Travis HackworthRepublican

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.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

War veterans; protection for memorials.

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.

Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.Republican

Public school funding; composite index of local ability-to-pay.

Public school funding; composite index of local ability-to-pay; use value of real estate devoted to certain uses. Requires, for the purpose of determining the state and local shares of basic aid funding, that the composite index of local ability-to-pay utilize the use value of all applicable real estate (i) devoted to agricultural use, horticultural use, forest use, and open-space use in each locality that has adopted an ordinance by which it provides for the use valuation and taxation of such real estate and (ii) used in agricultural and forestal production within an agricultural district, forestal district, agricultural and forestal district, or agricultural and forestal district of local significance in each locality that provides for the use valuation and taxation of such real estate, regardless of whether it has adopted a local land-use plan or local ordinance for such valuation and taxation.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

Mobile machinery and equipment; tax credit for purchase.

Tax credit for purchase of mobile machinery and equipment used by road contractors for processing recyclable asphalt materials on pavements and roadways. Creates a nonrefundable tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 in an amount equal to 20 percent of the purchase price paid, as defined in the bill, during the taxable year for machinery and equipment used to reclaim, recycle, or reprocess existing asphalt materials from pavements and roadways. The bill requires a taxpayer to submit invoices with an income tax return verifying the amount of purchase price paid for such machinery and equipment. The bill provides a $3 million aggregate annual cap on the number of credits to be distributed, as administered by the Department of Taxation. Any credit not used for the taxable year in which the purchasing price for recycling machinery was paid may be carried over for the next 10 years until the total credit amount is used.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Commending the Rotary Club of Woodstock.

Commending the Rotary Club of Woodstock.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

Commending So Lim.

Commending So Lim.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Commending D. Thomas Ross.

Commending D. Thomas Ross.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

State pharmacy benefits manager; DMAS to select & contract with a third-party administrator to serve

Department of Medical Assistance Services; state pharmacy benefits manager. Requires the Department of Medical Assistance Services by December 31, 2025, to select and contract with a third-party administrator to serve as the state pharmacy benefits manager to administer all pharmacy benefits for Medicaid recipients, including recipients enrolled in a managed care organization. The bill enumerates requirements for the Department's contract with the state pharmacy benefits manager and prevents the state pharmacy benefits manager from having a business conflict of interest with any Medicaid provider or vendor. This bill was incorporated into HB 2610.

Terry G. KilgoreRepublican

Commending Jeffrey C. Greenfield.

Commending Jeffrey C. Greenfield.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Veterans; provision of copies of vital records.

Department of Veterans Services; provision of copies of veteran vital records. Requires the Board of Health to provide a copy of a veteran's vital records to the Department of Veterans Services upon the Department's request when a veteran or his surviving spouse requires a certified copy of a vital record to obtain service-connected benefits. This bill was incorporated into HB 2748.

Chris ObenshainRepublican

Commending Kate G. Doyle Feingold.

Commending Kate G. Doyle Feingold.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Commending Children's Home Society of Virginia.

Commending Children's Home Society of Virginia.

Emily M. JordanRepublican

Income tax, state; creates family caregiver tax credit.

Income tax; family caregiver tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable family caregiver tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for expenses incurred by an individual in caring for an eligible family member, defined in the bill, who requires assistance with one or more activities of daily living, also defined in the bill. The credit equals 50 percent of eligible expenditures incurred by the caregiver up to $1,000. To qualify for the credit, the family caregiver must (i) not receive any compensation or reimbursement for the eligible expenditures and (ii) have federal adjusted gross income that is no greater than $100,000 or, if such family caregiver is married and filing jointly, shall have federal adjusted gross income of no greater than $200,000. 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.

Luther Cifers, IIIRepublican

Commending M'lissa Dunn.

Commending M'lissa Dunn.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Commending Ross A. Mugler.

Commending Ross A. Mugler.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Commending Leo C. Bowers, M.D.

Commending Leo C. Bowers, M.D.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Commonwealth Aviation Fund; changes allocation amounts.

Commonwealth Aviation Fund; allocations. Changes (i) the allocation amounts from the Commonwealth Aviation Fund, (ii) the entity to which certain funds from such Fund are allocated from air carrier airports to commercial service airport sponsors, and (iii) the classification of airports from air carrier airport and reliever airport to commercial service airport and regional business airport, respectively.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Commending Jon R. Stehle, Jr.

Commending Jon R. Stehle, Jr.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Voter registration; systematic citizenship verification program.

Voter registration; systematic citizenship verification program. Provides that the Department of Elections is required to implement policies and procedures necessary to ensure that processes are in place to validate voter registrations and prevent noncitizens from registering to vote. Such processes must include (i) cooperation with state agencies to ensure that noncitizen registrations are not included in the registrations forwarded to the Department; (ii) effective utilization of all data available for identifying noncitizens, including data provided by state and federal agencies; (iii) a monthly systematic review of the voter registration system to identify noncitizens; and (iv) display of messages communicating the citizenship requirements for registration and penalties for violation. The bill also requires jury commissioners to collect information obtained from those persons not qualified to serve on a jury as a result of a condition that would also make them unqualified to register to vote. The sheriff, clerk of court, or other official responsible for maintaining such information provided by the commissioners is required to regularly transmit such information to the general registrar for the locality or localities served by such official. The bill requires general registrars to utilize such information to identify voters who are no longer qualified to vote and to initiate list maintenance procedures.

Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.Republican

Income tax, corporate; sourcing of sales other than sales of tangible personal property.

Corporate income tax; sourcing of sales other than sales of tangible personal property. Implements market-based corporate income tax sourcing for attributing sales, other than sales of tangible personal property, to Virginia beginning in taxable year 2026.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Commending Shrine Mont.

Commending Shrine Mont.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

Stormwater management regulations; localities outside Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Stormwater management regulations; localities outside Chesapeake Bay watershed. Requires the State Water Control Board and the Department of Environmental Quality to apply in a locality that is located outside of the Chesapeake Bay watershed the regulations establishing minimum design criteria for measures that were in effect prior to July 1, 2014, to control (i) nonpoint source pollution and (ii) localized flooding and stream channel erosion.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

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.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Protective orders; military protective orders.

Protective orders; military protective orders. Permits a court to find good cause to issue a preliminary protective order when a petitioner has a Military Protective Order. The bill directs a law-enforcement officer to notify the agency that entered the Military Protective Order into the National Crime Information Center Systems that the law-enforcement officer has probable cause to believe the person violated the Military Protective Order if such person violated provisions of a state-issued protective order.

J.D. "Danny" DiggsRepublican

Students; statewide anonymous reporting mobile application.

Department of Education; statewide anonymous student reporting mobile application. Requires the Department of Education, with such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose pursuant to the general appropriation act or provided from any other source, and alone or in partnership with another state agency or a nonprofit organization, or a combination thereof, to (i) develop or procure a multiplatform compatible mobile application that permits any public elementary and secondary school student to submit anonymous reports relating to the health or safety of self or others, including threats of violence that are made on social media; (ii) train or contract for the training of individuals to respond to each such anonymous report in a timely and effective manner, including responding to the student and notifying the appropriate school official, local law-enforcement agency, or public safety answering point (PSAP), as that term is defined in relevant law; (iii) train students, parents, PSAP responders, law-enforcement officials, and school officials throughout the Commonwealth on the proper use of such mobile application; and (iv) provide permissible users with access to such mobile application at no cost.

Chris ObenshainRepublican

School Performance and Support Framework; certain excused student absences excluded, etc.

Board of Education; School Performance and Support Framework; readiness indicator; chronic absenteeism calculation; certain excused student absences excluded. Provides that in any case in which a student experiences an unexpected excused absence of any length based on extenuating circumstances, any such period of excused absence shall be excluded from the calculation of chronic absenteeism for the purpose of the readiness indicator in the Board of Education's school accountability system known as the School Performance and Support Framework or any successor school accountability system. This bill was incorporated into HB 1769.

Robert D. Orrock, Sr.Republican

Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund; performance agreement.

Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund; performance agreement. Removes the authority to make commitments related to accelerated permitting, property tax classifications, and other such issues in an agreement between a qualified company and a locality for purposes of the Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Coastal storm risk management; Off. of Commonwealth Resilience to study cost of feasibility study.

Coastal storm risk management; Office of Commonwealth Resilience to study costs of feasibility studies; report. Directs the Office of Commonwealth Resilience to conduct a study to (i) examine the methodologies and criteria, if any, that other states in the United States use to apportion responsibility between the state and the participating localities for that portion of the cost of coastal storm risk management (CSRM) feasibility studies and plan implementation for which the nonfederal sponsor is responsible and (ii) develop a recommended methodology and associated criteria for apportioning responsibility of the same for CSRM feasibility studies and plan implementation in Virginia. The bill directs the Office of Commonwealth Resilience to complete its work no later than November 30, 2026, and the Chief Resilience Officer of the Commonwealth to submit a report of the findings and recommendations of the study to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than December 31, 2026.

Phil M. HernandezDemocrat

Short-term rental properties; human trafficking awareness training.

Short-term rental properties; human trafficking awareness training. Mandates every accommodations intermediary to require its accommodations providers to complete certain training on recognizing and reporting instances of suspected human trafficking. Current law limits this requirement to every hotel proprietor and its employees and excludes short-term rentals. The bill prohibits an accommodations intermediary from listing a short-term rental property prior to receipt of an up-to-date written certification signed by the accommodations provider of such property that such accommodations provider has complied with the relevant training requirements.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Public schools; textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials.

Public schools; textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials. Makes several changes relating to the textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials that are utilized as the curriculum basis for public elementary and secondary school student instruction, including (i) defining such term for the purpose of various laws and regulations relating to approval, procurement, and no-cost provision of such materials; (ii) requiring each local school board to adopt and implement textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials in English language arts for grades six through 12 and mathematics, science, and history and social studies for grades kindergarten through 12 and requiring the Department of Education to support such local adoption and implementation in several ways, including by consolidating and simplifying the applications for all state and federal programs that provide funding to local school boards into a single application; and (iii) requiring each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education or alternative certification program that provides training for any student seeking initial licensure by the Board of Education with an endorsement in early/primary education preschool through grade three, elementary education preschool through grade six, middle education grades six through eight, and secondary education grades six through 12 to include a program of coursework and clinical experience and require all such students to demonstrate mastery in identifying and implementing textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials.

Carrie E. CoynerRepublican

Guidelines and policies on school-connected overdose; response and parental notification.

Guidelines and policies on school-connected overdose; response and parental notification. Adjusts the contents of the guidelines that the Board of Education is required to establish for school-connected overdose response and parental notification policies by requiring such guidelines to include guidance and model language for the development and implementation of a policy requiring each school board to provide within 24 hours of any school-connected overdose notification to the parent of each student within the local school division and criteria for ensuring sensitivity to the privacy interests of affected individuals in issuing such notification. The bill also requires each school board to notify the parent of each student in the local school division of any school-connected overdose within 24 hours of the overdose occurring in accordance with the guidance and criteria provided by the Board of Education.

Carrie E. CoynerRepublican

Public schools; textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials.

Public schools; textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Judges; increases maximum number in general district court in Ninth Judicial District.

Maximum number of judges in each judicial district. Increases from three to four the maximum number of authorized general district court judges in the Ninth Judicial District. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Commending the Fredericksburg City Public Schools Youth Mental Health Taskforce.

Commending the Fredericksburg City Public Schools Youth Mental Health Taskforce.

Tara A. DurantRepublican