Bills & Legislation

Teacher, other instructional personnel, etc., exits; data collection, disaggregation by race.

Teacher, other instructional personnel, and support staff position exits; data collection; disaggregation by race; reason for exit. Requires each school board to report to the Department of Education annually the number and type of teacher, other instructional personnel, and support staff position exits in the school division, disaggregated by the race of the individual who exited the position. The bill also provides that for each such exit occurring during the reporting year, the reason for the exit, including whether the exit was voluntary or involuntary, shall be collected and reported. This bill is identical to HB 1437.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Alcoholic beverage control; payment of excise tax on beer, wine coolers, and wine, penalties.

Alcoholic beverage control; payment of excise tax on beer, wine coolers, and wine; penalties. Specifies that the civil penalty imposed on a manufacturer, bottler, or wholesaler who fails to make any return, pay the full amount of certain taxes imposed on wine and beer, and submit certain reports is not to exceed five percent of the proper tax due if the failure is for not more than 30 days, with an additional five percent for each additional 30 days, or fraction thereof, during which the failure continues. The bill also specifies that certain taxes collected by wholesale wine licensees at the time of or prior to sale to retail licensees and reports required to be submitted along with such taxes shall be postmarked or submitted electronically no later than the fifteenth of the month.The bill also provides a 60-day period for any such manufacturer, bottler, wholesaler, or retailer to make such return, pay the full amount of the excise tax, and submit such reports prior to the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority suspending or revoking a license. The bill further provides that (i) absent willful intent to defraud the Commonwealth, a violation is deemed cured and no further action may be taken against the licensee if the manufacturer, bottler, wholesaler, or retailer files the required return, pays the full excise tax, submits all reports, and pays any civil penalties within the 60-day period and (ii) except in cases involving a false or fraudulent return with willful intent to defraud, the specified penalties are the sole penalties the Board may impose, notwithstanding any other law or regulation. The bill also requires the Authority to implement an online electronic system for wholesale wine licensees to (a) report to the Authority the purchases and sales made during the preceding month and the amount of state wine tax collected from retailers and (b) provide payment for the amount of taxes collected, less any refunds, replacements, or adjustments by January 1, 2027.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Health insurance; mandated benefits, coverage for treatment of menopause and perimenopause.

Health insurance; mandated benefits; treatment of menopause and perimenopause. Requires each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services to provide coverage for medically necessary treatment and care for menopause and perimenopause, as described in the bill.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

"Carry Me Back to Old Virginny;" removes designation as official state song emeritus.

Official emblems and designations; song emeritus; repeal. Repeals the designation of "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," by James A. Bland, as set out in House Joint Resolution 10, adopted by the General Assembly of Virginia during the Session of 1940, as the official state song emeritus.

Adam P. EbbinDemocrat

Clean energy and community flood preparedness; market-based trading program.

Clean energy and community flood preparedness; market-based trading program. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality and the State Air Pollution Control Board to establish and maintain a market-based trading program consistent with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative program, as defined in existing law, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generating units in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to HB 397.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Norfolk, City of; amending charter, conformity with zoning ordinance.

Charter; City of Norfolk. Amends the charter for the City of Norfolk to require, on any property where there is a substantial negative impact on public health, safety, and welfare, conformity with the city's zoning ordinance within a reasonable time, to be specified by ordinance, but never less than two years. This bill is identical to HB 1477.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Vulnerable road user safety zones; VDOT to develop criteria & recommendations for designation.

Department of Transportation; criteria and recommendations for the potential designation of vulnerable road user safety zones; report. Requires the Department of Transportation to develop criteria and recommendations for the potential designation of vulnerable road user safety zones in the Commonwealth in areas that have experienced elevated rates of crashes, injuries, or fatalities involving pedestrians or cyclists. The bill requires the Department to submit a report with its criteria and any recommendations to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Transportation and the House Committees on Appropriations and Transportation no later than November 1, 2026.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Rest area signage; adds human trafficking information.

Rest area signage; human trafficking information. Adds information about human trafficking and how to self-identify the signs of human trafficking to the notice required to be posted by the Department of Transportation at all rest areas along any interstate highway. Current law requires the Department to post notice of the existence of a human trafficking hotline.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Foreign-trained chiropractors; licensure by endorsement.

Foreign-trained chiropractors; licensure by endorsement. Permits the Board of Medicine to issue a license to practice chiropractic to a foreign-trained chiropractor who meets certain requirements.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

Chatham, Town of; amending charter, updating or removing outdated provisions.

Charter; Town of Chatham. Amends the charter for the Town of Chatham in Pittsylvania County by updating or removing outdated provisions. This bill is identical to SB 127.

Eric PhillipsRepublican

Opioid antagonist; distribution program, reports.

Department of Health; opioid antagonist distribution program; reports. Directs the Department of Health to maintain a list of agencies and organizations that submit requests for and receive opioid antagonists through its distribution program and requires the Department to submit a quarterly report to the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the chair of the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority on its distribution of opioid antagonists. The bill requires the Department to submit an annual report to the Joint Commission on Health Care and the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations by December 1 of each year estimating the costs of the opioid antagonist distribution program for the following fiscal year using a methodology developed by the Department pursuant to parameters set out in the bill. As introduced, the bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

Regional emergency communications authorities; creation and powers.

Regional emergency communications authorities; creation and powers. Authorizes localities to create a regional authority to operate and manage emergency communication services including public safety answering points. The bill authorizes such authorities to employ or contract for personnel, acquire and manage property, enter into agreements, and receive and expend funds, and requires compliance with the standards of the 9-1-1 Services Board.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

High school students; completion of certain applications for student financial aid required.

School boards; high school students; establishment of certain goals for completion of certain applications for student financial aid required; provision of data and guidance relating to student financial aid applications. Requires each school board to (i) annually provide to each high school student and the parent of each high school student guidance and other informational materials on student financial aid applications, as defined by the bill, for the purpose of promoting awareness of federal and state financial aid programs, resources, eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and other processes and requirements; (ii) utilize federally available data to establish a five-year goal for encouraging and increasing the completion of student financial aid applications by high school students during the students' final school year before graduation; and (iii) annually post in a publicly accessible location on its website federally available data relating to student financial aid applications and submit to the Department of Education a report on the progress toward achieving the five-year goal established pursuant to clause (ii). The bill clarifies that nothing in the bill shall be construed to require any school board to establish a goal of universal completion of a student financial aid application prior to graduation by each high school student in the school division. The bill also prohibits any school board or employee thereof from disclosing any personally identifiable information relating to the requirements set forth in the bill to any individual or entity outside of the school division. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Education, in collaboration with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, to provide to each school board (a) by the beginning of each school year, the website containing federally available data on the rates of completion of student financial aid applications; (b) guidance or other informational materials on student financial aid applications; and (c) guidance and other informational resources designed to support school boards in making progress toward the five-year goals established pursuant to the bill. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2031.

JJ SinghDemocrat

Medetomidine; manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing, penalties.

Manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing medetomidine; penalties. Provides that any person who knowingly manufactures, sells, gives, distributes, or possesses with the intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute the substance medetomidine, when intended for human consumption, is guilty of a Class 5 felony. Under the bill, any person who knowingly possesses medetomidine, when intended for human consumption, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Under the bill, it is not an offense to (i) manufacture medetomidine for legitimate veterinary use; (ii) distribute or sell medetomidine for authorized veterinary use; (iii) possess, administer, prescribe, or dispense medetomidine in good faith for use by animals within the course of legitimate veterinary practice; or (iv) possess or administer medetomidine pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed veterinarian.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

Nonemergency medical transportation providers; fee disclosure.

Nonemergency medical transportation providers; fee disclosure. Requires a nonemergency medical transportation provider or the medical care facility prearranging transport through such a provider, prior to providing such transportation services to a patient, to provide the patient or the patient's representative with a standardized disclosure form of all associated fees or other charges for which the patient will be responsible for such transportation services. The bill also requires that nonemergency medical transportation providers provide the medical care facility with the required form. Such provisions have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. Finally, effective July 1, 2026, the bill directs the Department of Health to develop and publish a standardized disclosure form on its website by October 1, 2026.

May NivarDemocrat

Electric power-assisted bicycles, etc.; improving safety for operators and general public, report.

Department of Motor Vehicles; improving the safety of electric power-assisted bicycles, motorized skateboards and scooters, electric personal assistive mobility devices, and mopeds for operators and the general public; report. Directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to examine and make recommendations for options and measures for improving the safety of electric power-assisted bicycles, motorized skateboards and scooters, electric personal assistive mobility devices, and mopeds for operators and the general public and submit a report of its findings to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees on Transportation no later than November 1, 2026.

JJ SinghDemocrat

Autonomous vehicles; work group to conduct an assessment of workforce impacts, etc.

Autonomous driving systems; work group convened by the Secretary of Transportation; certain assessments and stakeholders. Directs the existing work group convened by the Secretary of Transportation regarding autonomous driving systems to (i) conduct an assessment of the workforce impacts created by autonomous vehicles, including an overview of job losses and gains; (ii) identify and include stakeholders and representatives from the auto manufacturing industry and labor representatives from the passenger and product carrier business; and (iii) conduct an assessment of labor impacts created by autonomous vehicles no later than November 1, 2026.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Medicine, Board of; membership, removal of residence requirements.

Board of Medicine; membership; removal of residence requirements. Removes the requirement that the Board of Medicine have one physician from each congressional district and instead requires that 11 physicians be on the Board. The bill removes references to change of residence provisions for physician Board members.

Mark C. DowneyDemocrat

Electric utilities; duty to furnish adequate service, high-demand customers.

Electric utilities; delay in provision of service permitted. Provides that a distributor of electric energy may delay the provision of service if such delay is necessary to maintain electric grid reliability, to avoid exceeding available generation or transmission capacity constraints, or to ensure compliance with load interconnection policies or rules issued by the State Corporation Commission or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 423.

Rodney T. WillettDemocrat

Charitable gaming; denial, suspension, or revocation of permit.

Charitable gaming; denial, suspension, or revocation of permit. Removes duplicative provisions of charitable gaming law regarding the denial, suspension, or revocation of a charitable gaming permit or authorization to conduct electronic gaming.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

School board employee grievance procedure; timing of dispute resolution.

School board employee grievance procedure; timing of dispute resolution. Requires the grievance procedure for certain school board employees to afford a timely and fair method of the resolution of disputes arising between the school board and such employees before dismissal or other disciplinary actions, excluding suspensions. Current law requires such procedure to afford a timely and fair method of the resolution of disputes arising between the school board and such employees regarding dismissal or other disciplinary actions, excluding suspensions, but is silent on the timing of such dispute resolution. This bill is identical to SB 824.

Jeion A. WardDemocrat

Authorized septic system inspectors; scope of services and requirements for performance, etc.

Authorized septic system inspectors; scope of services and requirements. Provides that system components are not considered readily accessible if access requires removal of surface material exceeding 30 inches in depth to uncover septic tank access lids, distribution devices, or other inspection ports. The bill specifies that an authorized septic system inspector shall submit a written report to the client within 10 business days from the start of the inspection, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the parties, which shall also indicate whether the system is operating as intended. The bill removes the requirement that authorized septic system inspectors report the advertised bedroom count or design capacity as listed in the multiple listing service or written statement by the property owner. This bill is identical to SB 401.

Kimberly Pope AdamsDemocrat

Artificial intelligence; use of systems for student instruction.

Department of Education; artificial intelligence system use in instructional settings; development of AIS safety guidance required; AIS Innovation in Education Pilot Program established; report. Requires the Department of Education, in consultation with school divisions and other relevant stakeholders, to compile information on current uses of artificial intelligence systems (AIS) for student instruction in public schools in the Commonwealth and to establish and post in a publicly accessible location on its website guidance for the safe, ethical, and equitable use of AIS in instructional settings in public elementary and secondary schools. The bill requires each school board to establish, implement, and enforce policies consistent with the guidance developed by the Department in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill also directs the Department to establish and oversee the AIS Innovation in Education Pilot Program for the purpose of funding, evaluating, and scaling innovative uses of AIS in public elementary and secondary schools by providing support to school divisions in piloting AIS applications for instruction, tutoring, student engagement, operational efficiency, and teacher support and to submit an annual report to the Chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by December 1. The Pilot Program has an expiration date of July 1, 2030. This bill is identical to SB 394.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

Virginia Boys and Men Advisory Commission; established, report, sunset provision.

Virginia Boys and Men Advisory Commission established; report; emergency. Establishes the Virginia Boys and Men Advisory Commission as an advisory commission in the legislative branch of state government for the purpose of advising the General Assembly on issues of concern, including education inequity, economic opportunities, disparity in health outcomes, and the impact of social media use, as such issues relate to boys and men in the Commonwealth. The bill contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to SB 447.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

State of preparedness; feasibility & impact of program to prioritize prevention/mitigation, etc.

Department of Emergency Management; state of preparedness; report. Directs the Department of Emergency Management to assess the feasibility and impact of developing a program to prioritize the prevention and mitigation of damage, loss, hardship, or suffering due to the anticipated impacts of an imminent emergency necessitating a gubernatorial declaration of a state of preparedness or an emergency that does not warrant a gubernatorial declaration of a state of emergency. The Department of Emergency Management shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and General Laws and Technology and the House Committee on Appropriations by November 1, 2026.

Israel D. O'QuinnRepublican

Zoning; small lot residential districts required.

Small lot residential zoning districts. Requires any locality with a population of 50,000 or more to adopt, maintain, and apply to land within its boundaries at least one zoning district classification that permits a single-family dwelling on a lot with a minimum lot area not exceeding 3,000 square feet. The bill provides that such zoning district classifications shall not impose minimum lot widths exceeding 30 feet or setback, lot coverage, or density requirements that would preclude construction of eligible dwellings on conforming lots. The bill's provisions do not apply to areas within a historic district.

Briana D. SewellDemocrat

Motor Vehicles, Department of; release of data to certain institutions of higher education, fee.

Department of Motor Vehicles data; certain institutions of higher education; fees. Authorizes the release of certain privileged Department of Motor Vehicles data to those institutions of higher education that have entered into an agreement with the Department to offer special license plates bearing the seal, symbol, emblem, or logotype of that institution of higher education. The bill authorizes the Department to charge a one-time fee of $10,000 from each participating institution to cover the cost of implementing the provisions of this bill. The bill limits the use of such data to surveys, marketing, and solicitations related to such institution of higher education and such purposes as are otherwise authorized in writing by the subject of the information and requires the consent of the subject of the information prior to disclosure of the information. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 445.

Briana D. SewellDemocrat

Electric utilities, certain; purchased power cost risk mitigation practices.

State Corporation Commission; electric utilities; fuel and purchased power cost risk mitigation practices. Directs the State Corporation Commission, in certain cost recovery proceedings and other annual filings as determined by the Commission, to examine the efficacy and sufficiency of fuel and purchased power cost risk mitigation practices by Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power. Under the bill, the Commission is required to include legislative recommendations related to effectively regulating fuel and purchased power cost risk in an existing report. This bill is identical to SB 505.

Irene ShinDemocrat

Local, regional, and community correctional facilities; access to counsel for inmates.

Local, regional, and community correctional facilities; access to counsel for inmates. Requires the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to establish additional standards no later than January 1, 2027, to ensure access to legal counsel for inmates held in any local, regional, or community correctional facility and enumerates the standards that the Board shall include in such additional standards.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

School bd. policies; communication & language accessibility for limited English proficient parents.

School boards; language access plan for limited English proficient parents. Requires each school board to develop, implement, and post in a publicly accessible location on its website a language access plan consisting of policies and procedures designed to ensure meaningful communication with and informational accessibility for limited English proficient (LEP) parents, as that term is defined in the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 685.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Ancillary traffic infractions; certification.

Certification of ancillary traffic infractions. Allows the court to certify any ancillary traffic infraction to the clerk of the circuit court upon certification of any felony offense, provided that the attorney for the Commonwealth and the accused consent to such certification. Current law only allows ancillary misdemeanor offenses to be certified. As introduced, the bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Criminal Justice Conference.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Licensed substance abuse treatment practitioners; licensure by endorsement, etc.

Licensed substance abuse treatment practitioners; licensure by endorsement; licensure without examination. Directs the Board of Counseling to establish a pathway to licensure by endorsement as a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner for applicants who have held certification as a certified substance abuse counselor for at least 10 years without a history of disciplinary action, have completed at least five years of documented supervised experience, hold at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of counseling, and hold a Master Addiction Counselor credential issued by NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. The bill provides that such pathway to licensure by endorsement does not require examination.

Joshua G. ColeDemocrat

Veterinarians; amending applications of licensure, etc.

Board of Veterinary Medicine; applications for licensure or renewal; indication of interest to serve as a veterinarian for a public or private animal shelter. Directs the Board of Veterinary Medicine to amend its applications for licensure and renewal of licensure to allow applicants to indicate interest in serving as a veterinarian for public or private animal shelters and to provide disclosure that, if the applicant indicates such interest, the Board shall provide the applicant's name and contact information to the State Veterinarian for inclusion on a list distributed to animal shelters quarterly.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Human trafficking; issuance of vacatur for victims, definitions.

Issuance of vacatur for victims of human trafficking. Expands the current process for the issuance of writs of vacatur for victims of human trafficking to include ancillary matters, defined in the bill, and any charge or arrest related to a qualifying offense as defined in current law. The bill also expands the list of qualifying offenses eligible for such writ. This bill is identical to SB 748.

Karrie K. DelaneyDemocrat

Regulatory boards; powers and duties, disciplinary action, dismissal.

Professions and occupations; powers and duties of regulatory boards; disciplinary action; dismissal. Permits regulatory boards to take a disciplinary case against a licensee under advisement, defer a finding in such case, and dismiss such action upon terms and conditions set by the Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation. The bill additionally clarifies that regulatory boards may take such actions as well as other disciplinary actions and monetary penalties by including a reference to such disciplinary actions and monetary penalties among the listed powers of certain regulatory boards.

May NivarDemocrat

Employees of state government; personal interest in certain contracts prohibited.

Employees of state government; personal interest in certain contracts prohibited; certain exception for certain employees of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind. Excludes from the prohibition against any officer or employee of any governmental agency of state government having a personal interest in a contract with the governmental agency of which he is an officer or employee, other than his own contract of employment, the personal interest of an employee of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind in a contract between the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind and a publisher or wholesaler of textbooks or other educational materials for students that accrues to him solely because he has authored or otherwise created such textbooks or materials. This bill is identical to SB 816.

Phil M. HernandezDemocrat

Workers' compensation; law-enforcement officers and firefighters, post-traumatic stress disorder.

Workers' compensation. Provides that, for the purposes of workers' compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder incurred by a law-enforcement officer or firefighter, an incident or exposure without any accompanying physical injury occurring in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2027, is a qualifying event, as defined in the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Unemployment benefits; increase weekly benefit amount.

Unemployment benefits; increase weekly benefit amount. Provides that, for unemployment compensation claims effective on or after July 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly benefit amount shall be $48 higher than the current weekly benefit amount, as denoted in the table in the printed bill. This bill is identical to SB 759.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Sheriff Javier J. Smith Memorial Bridge; designates bridge on St. Route 106 in Charles City County.

Sheriff Javier J. Smith Memorial Bridge. Designates the bridge on Roxbury Road/State Route 106 at the border of Charles City County and New Kent County in Charles City County the "Sheriff Javier J. Smith Memorial Bridge."

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

State Health Services Plan Task Force; designated areas of state in need of additional project.

Certificate of public need; expedited review of certain projects; duties of the State Health Services Plan Task Force. Directs the State Health Services Plan Task Force to develop recommendations for designating areas of the state with an identifiable need for additional projects, taking into account numerous barriers of access to health care. The bill also directs the Board of Health to promulgate updated regulations for expedited application and review processes for certain projects. This bill is identical to SB 239.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Alcoholic beverage control; banquet license, municipality or nonprofit organization.

Alcoholic beverage control; banquet license; municipality or nonprofit organization. Allows a manufacturer, bottler, broker, importer, or wholesaler to sponsor or provide support, including equipment, staff, financial, and other support, for a special event for which a municipality or nonprofit organization has been issued a banquet license when such special event is to be held on the grounds of a museum or a government-registered national, state, or local historic site at which the municipality or nonprofit organization is licensed to operate a gift shop, provided that any retail license issued to the premises has been deactivated by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority for the duration of such special event. The bill limits such municipalities or nonprofit organizations to no more than eight banquet licenses for such special events per year. This bill is identical to SB 532.

Gretchen M. BulovaDemocrat

Statewide maternal health safety initiative; Commissioner of Health, et al., to evaluate, report.

Commissioner of Health; feasibility of a statewide maternal health safety initiative; work group; reports. Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders, described in the bill, to evaluate the feasibility of a statewide maternal health safety initiative. The bill directs the Commissioner to submit an interim report of the work group by November 1, 2026, and a final report with the work group's recommendations no later than July 1, 2027, to the House Committee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Commission on Women's Health.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Nursing facilities; comprehensive study of quality of care, etc., and operational practices.

Joint Commission on Health Care; comprehensive assessment of the quality of care, resident safety, and operational practices of nursing facilities in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the quality of care, resident safety, and operational practices of nursing facilities in the Commonwealth and report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health by December 1, 2027.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

Bioslurry; prohibiting injection in wells in a groundwater management area.

Groundwater management areas; bioslurry injections in wells prohibited. Prohibits any person from conducting any bioslurry injection, as defined in the bill, in any well that has been drilled through any portion of a groundwater management area declared by regulation prior to January 1, 2020. This bill is identical SB 784.

Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.Republican

Constitutional amendment; gen. approp. act, reapportionment, redistricting congressional districts.

Constitutional amendment; April 21, 2026 special election; voter referendum; appropriations.

Luke E. TorianDemocrat

Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network; established.

Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network established. Directs the State Health Commissioner, in coordination with the Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems Authority, to establish and maintain the Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network to provide health care providers in the Commonwealth with real-time consultation and support from sickle cell specialists. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 813.

C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr.Democrat

Eminent domain; certificate of take, description of property.

Eminent domain; certificate of take; description of property. Clarifies that a certificate of take in any eminent domain matter may include a combination of one or more plats, drawings, or plans to provide the description of the property being taken as required by law.

Margaret A. FranklinDemocrat

Severe Maternal Mortality Surveillance and Review Program; established.

Severe Maternal Morbidity Surveillance and Review Program established; duties; report. Creates the Severe Maternal Morbidity Surveillance and Review Program (SMM Program) to identify, analyze, and review instances of severe maternal morbidity. The bill directs the Department of Health to develop a reporting system for hospitals and freestanding birthing centers to report findings and recommendations, as well as a model protocol for conducting reviews of severe maternal morbidity. The bill requires all hospitals and freestanding birthing centers to participate in the SMM Program and report their findings and recommendations to the Department of Health on an annual basis. The bill has a delayed effective date of September 1, 2026.

Margaret A. FranklinDemocrat