Bills & Legislation

Gift certificate theft; penalty.

Gift certificate theft; penalty. Includes gift certificates, defined in relevant law, to the crime of credit card theft, which is punishable as grand larceny in existing law.

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

Income tax, state; creates alternative schooling and public school tax credits.

Income tax; alternative schooling and public school tax credits. Creates an alternative schooling tax credit as a refundable income tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029, for up to $5,000 in qualifying expenses, defined in the bill, incurred by the parent or legal guardian of an eligible student in home education or attending a private school. If the taxpayer's family Virginia adjusted gross income does not exceed 300 percent of federal poverty guidelines, the taxpayer may claim an additional $2,500 refundable tax credit. The bill also creates a public school tax credit as a refundable individual tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029, for up to $1,500 in qualifying expenses, defined in the bill, incurred by the parent or legal guardian of a student in public school. If the taxpayer's family Virginia adjusted gross income does not exceed 300 percent of federal poverty guidelines, the taxpayer may claim an additional $2,500 refundable tax credit. The bill allows the taxpayer one credit per eligible student per year and requires the taxpayer to submit purchase receipts to verify qualifying expenses for each credit. The aggregate amount of credits allowable for each credit is limited to $25 million per taxable year and will be allocated by the Department of Taxation on a first-come, first-served basis. In the event that the aggregate amount of credits claimed in a single taxable year is greater than 90 percent of such amount, then such aggregate credit cap amount shall be increased in the immediately succeeding taxable year by 10 percent.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

Companion animals; notification by individuals who find animals, civil penalty.

Notification by individuals finding companion animals; civil penalty. Increases from $50 to $500 the civil penalty for violating provisions requiring an individual who finds a companion animal and (i) provides care or safekeeping or (ii) retains the companion animal in such a manner as to control its activities to notify the owner of such companion animal and a public animal shelter that serves the locality where such companion animal was found and provide adequate care of such companion animal.

Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr.Republican

Local officers; removal of officer appointed for a certain term, etc.

Local officers; removal of officer appointed for a term certain; officers compensated by the appointing authority. Allows any officer appointed to an office for a term established by law and who receives compensation for his services by the appointing authority to be removed from office if the officer fails to perform his duties as outlined in the description of his position or the rules of the public body to which he has been appointed. The bill specifies that, prior to removal, the officer must be issued a warning from the appointing authority that includes a description of the violation committed and that if an additional violation occurs after the warning, the officer may be removed by a majority vote of the appointing authority upon the motion of the supervisor or council member representing the district for which the officer serves.

Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr.Republican

Public schools; delayed implementation and review of revised public school accountability system.

Department of Education; public school accountability; delayed implementation and review of revised public school accountability system; report; emergency. Directs the Department of Education to delay for a period of one year the implementation of the revised public school accountability system adopted pursuant to applicable Board of Education regulations in order to conduct a review of and establish a stakeholder advisory committee to solicit input on such revised public school accountability system for the purpose of ensuring that such accountability system is designed to achieve fair, transparent, and actionable results aimed at improving student growth and learning outcomes across the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Department to, by April 1, 2026, (i) publish a report on the process and findings of the review conducted in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (ii) submit to the Governor, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the House Committee on Education a plan for modifying and implementing the revised public school accountability system that incorporates the findings of the review conducted and the input from the stakeholder advisory committee established in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Building permit and certificate of occupancy processes; work group to identify certain changes.

Board of Housing and Community Development; work group to identify certain changes related to the building permit and certificate of occupancy processes. Requires the Board of Housing and Community Development to establish a work group to identify changes to the Uniform Statewide Building Code to streamline the processes for reviewing and issuing building permits and certificates of occupancy and to develop recommendations for maximum timelines for review of applications and revised applications.

Paul V. MildeRepublican

Road impact fees; lowers one of local government population requirements.

Road impact fees. Lowers one of the local government population requirements for eligibility to adopt a road impact fee ordinance from a population of at least 20,000 and a population growth rate of at least five percent to a population of at least 15,000 with no growth rate requirement.

Delores OatesRepublican

Retail Sales and Use Tax; commercial & industrial exemptions for data centers in Northern Virginia.

Retail sales and use tax; commercial and industrial exemptions; data centers. Provides that, between July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2030, the retail sales and use tax exemption for computer equipment or enabling software purchased or leased for use in a data center shall not apply for such equipment if it is purchased or leased for use in a data center that is constructed after July 1, 2025, in Planning District 8.

Ian T. LovejoyRepublican

Legal notice; locality to publish on website.

Publication of legal notices; website. Allows a locality to publish legal notices on the locality's website instead of, or in addition to, publishing such notices in a newspaper having general circulation in the locality.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Real property tax; amends definition of permanently and totally disabled.

Real property tax; permanent and total disability; definition. Amends the definition of "permanently and totally disabled" for the purposes of real property tax exemptions to include those individuals who are blind or have uncorrectable vision loss that interferes with daily activities.

A.C. CordozaRepublican

Unmanned aircraft systems; use by law-enforcement officers, search warrants.

Use of unmanned aircraft systems by law-enforcement officers; search warrants. Expedites the issuance of a search warrant for unmanned aircraft systems by law-enforcement officers in critical situations. The bill permits the use of unmanned aircraft systems without a search warrant when law enforcement is surveying the scene of a crime, to locate a person when such person has fled the offense location, or to provide real-time aerial observation to rapidly assess incident scenes, deliver essential supplies, and enhance the response to emergency calls. The bill also authorizes the use of unmanned aircraft systems by law enforcement during large public gatherings, demonstrations, disturbances, or other similar events.

Briana D. SewellDemocrat

Income tax, state; subtractions of military benefits.

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

Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr.Republican

Fees to hunt, fish, and trap; free or partially discounted, reimbursement.

Department of Wildlife Resources; free or partially discounted fees to hunt, fish, and trap; reimbursement. Requires the Department of Wildlife Resources to maintain an annual accounting of revenue that would have been received by the Department from license exemptions or free or partially discounted fees to hunt, fish, or trap that are established by the General Assembly on or after July 1, 2025, and to submit such accounting to the Department of Accounts by August 1 of each year. The bill requires the Department of Accounts to pay the actual amount of such revenue within 30 days into the Game Protection Fund and also allows the accounting required by the bill and any other records relating to such accounting to be subject to audit by the State Comptroller.

Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr.Republican

Virginia Institute of Marine Science & Marine Resources Commission; oyster stock assessment, report.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Marine Resources Commission; oyster stock assessment; report. Directs the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in collaboration with the Marine Resources Commission to conduct a stock assessment of the oyster population in the waters of the Commonwealth. The bill requires VIMS to provide a report on its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources no later than April 1, 2026.

Alfonso H. LopezDemocrat

Income tax, state; deductions for in vitro fertilization.

Income tax deductions; in vitro fertilization. Allows an income tax deduction for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for an individual or married couple filing jointly for expenses incurred for in vitro fertilization, as defined in the bill.

Kim A. TaylorRepublican

Income tax, state; tax credit for eligible small business advertising in local newspapers and media.

Income tax credit; advertising in local newspapers and media. Creates, for taxable years 2025 through 2029, a nonrefundable income tax credit for eligible small businesses with fewer than 50 employees for certain expenses incurred for local media advertising in a local newspaper or in a broadcast of a local radio or television station. The credit is equal to (i) for the first taxable year in which the credit is claimed, the lesser of 80 percent of the actual amounts paid or incurred for qualified local media advertising expenses or $4,000 and (ii) in subsequent taxable years, the lesser of 50 percent of the actual amounts paid or incurred for qualified local media advertising expenses during such taxable year or $2,000. The credit includes an aggregate cap of $10 million per taxable year.

Alfonso H. LopezDemocrat

Johnsongrass; DCR, et al., to convene work group to examine use.

Department of Conservation and Recreation; Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; work group to examine use of Johnsongrass in the Commonwealth. Directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation (the Department), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to convene a work group to examine measures to reduce, mitigate, and eliminate the continued sale and use of Johnsongrass in the Commonwealth. The bill requires such work group to (i) conduct a risk assessment on the use of such plant to evaluate its effect on crops, livestock, public health, and the environment; (ii) identify measures to support education and outreach to reduce the use of such plant and promote the use of noninvasive or native species as a substitute; and (iii) make recommendations regarding potential statutory and regulatory changes relating to the use of such plant, including the creation of guidance documents from relevant agencies. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and any recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by December 1, 2026.

Kim A. TaylorRepublican

Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program; established.

Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program established; incorporation into National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund. Establishes the Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program and incorporates such program into the existing National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program. The bill also renames the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program Fund as the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program Fund (the Fund) and expands the purpose for which disbursements may be made from the Fund to include the award of incentive grants to school psychologists obtaining national certification from the National Association of School Psychologists consisting of an initial state-funded award of $5,000 and a subsequent award of $2,500 each year for the life of the certificate.

Kim A. TaylorRepublican

Income tax, state; energy-efficient homes tax credits.

Income tax; energy-efficient homes tax credits. Authorizes an eligible contractor, defined in the bill, or an eligible purchaser, also defined in the bill, to claim a nonrefundable income tax credit, during taxable years 2025 through 2029, in an amount equal to $2,000 per construction or purchase of a qualified new energy-efficient home and $4,000 per construction or purchase of a zero energy ready home, as those terms are defined in the bill. The bill clarifies that either an eligible contractor or an eligible purchaser, but not both, shall be able to claim the credit for any single qualified new energy-efficient or zero energy ready home, as applicable, and establishes a maximum credit amount that an eligible contractor may claim per taxable year of $500,000.

Chris S. RunionRepublican

School bathroom safety checks; Bd. of Education to develop, etc., to each school board model policy.

Celeste's Law; Board of Education; model policy; school bathroom safety checks. Requires the Board of Education to develop, adopt, and distribute to each local school board a model policy regarding bathroom safety checks in public elementary and secondary schools during normal school hours that includes consideration of appropriate staffing, the frequency of such checks, and any other topics that the Board of Education deems relevant.

A.C. CordozaRepublican

Land preservation tax credit; maximum amount increase.

Land preservation tax credit; maximum amount increase. Increases from $75 million to $100 million, beginning in 2025, the maximum amount of land preservation tax credits that may be issued in a calendar year and adjusts such amount each year for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The bill also requires the Governor to submit a recommended appropriation each year in the Budget Bill, or as amendments to the general appropriations act, from the General Fund in an amount equal to the difference between the inflation adjusted annual credit cap and $100 million, but not more than $25 million, for purposes described in the bill.

Geary HigginsRepublican

National Board Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund; eligibility.

National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund; eligibility; incentive grant awards. Renames the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund as the National Board Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund, expands eligibility for incentive grant awards from such Fund pursuant to such Program from solely teachers who have obtained national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to (i) all public school staff who are candidates for initial national certification or maintenance of national certification to cover certain costs of obtaining or maintaining such certification and (ii) all public school staff who have successfully obtained or maintained such certification. The bill also declares as eligible for an annual incentive grant award in the amount of $7,500 all public school staff who have obtained or maintained such certification and an additional $2,500 in any year during the life of certificate in which the public school staff member is employed in a Title 1 school. Current law declares as eligible for an annual incentive grant award of $5,000 in the first year and $2,500 in each subsequent year all teachers who have obtained or maintained such certification.

Michelle Lopes MaldonadoDemocrat

School boards; employment of counsel.

School boards; employment of counsel. Clarifies that any school board, whether elected or appointed, may employ the attorney for the Commonwealth or other counsel to advise it concerning any legal matter or to represent it, any member thereof, or any school official in any legal proceeding to which the school board, member, or official may be a party when such proceeding is instituted by or against the school board or against the member or official by virtue of his actions in connection with his duties as such member or official.

A.C. CordozaRepublican

Comprehensive plan; data centers, water usage.

Comprehensive plan; data centers; water usage. Requires every locality to incorporate into its comprehensive plan provisions that prioritize and evaluate alternative methods of cooling, such as air cooling, geothermal cooling, or other innovative technologies that minimize water usage, particularly in the context of approving or siting data centers or similar land uses. The bill provides that the comprehensive plan shall include methods of assessing the environmental impact of water-based cooling methods and requires that alternative methods to minimize water usage are thoroughly considered before local approval of data centers or similar land uses that are reliant on significant water resources for cooling purposes.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

Minors; parental access to health records.

Parental access to minor's health records. Requires health care entities that provide access to health records of minors through a secure website to make such health records available to the minor's parent or guardian through the same secure website.

Phillip A. ScottRepublican

Toll relief; maximum charges.

Toll relief; maximum charges. Limits to $200 per month the tolls charged to residents of the Commonwealth via electronic toll collection devices for the use of toll bridges, toll ferries, toll tunnels, or toll roads in the Commonwealth. The bill prohibits misusing, sharing, or transferring an electronic toll collection device for the purpose of (i) generating tolls to reach the toll charges limit or (ii) obtaining toll-free use of toll facilities in the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes the free use of all toll bridges, toll roads, and other toll facilities in the Commonwealth for drivers who are recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.

Candi Mundon KingDemocrat

Public Safety & Homeland Security & HHR, Secretaries of; combat sale of illicit cannabis products.

Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and Secretary of Health and Human Resources; combat the sale of illicit cannabis products; work group; report. Directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a work group to analyze the current efforts in the Commonwealth to combat the sale of illicit cannabis products and develop recommendations to enhance such enforcement efforts with a focus on protecting consumers and children from harmful, untested, and unregulated products. The bill requires the work group to complete its work and submit a report regarding its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations, on General Laws, and for Courts of Justice and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations, on General Laws and Technology, on Rehabilitation and Social Services, and for Courts of Justice by October 1, 2025.

Carrie E. CoynerRepublican

Advanced Emergency Training and First Aid Equipment Grant Fund and Program; established.

Advanced Emergency Training and First Aid Equipment Grant Fund and Program established. Establishes the Advanced Emergency Training and First Aid Equipment Grant Fund and Program for the purpose of awarding grants from the Fund on a merit-based, competitive basis to school divisions to cover the cost of advanced emergency training of school board employees whose positions involve regular interaction with students and to purchase emergency first aid equipment for schools in the school division.

Tony O. WiltRepublican

Unclaimed property; application to delinquent taxes.

Unclaimed property; application to delinquent taxes. Directs the administrator of unclaimed property to transmit information to the Department of Taxation regarding the value of the property and the identity of the taxpayer. The bill also directs the Department to subtract the value of any unclaimed cash property, as defined in the bill, from the amount of any state taxes owed and specifies that the unclaimed cash property shall be paid to the Department.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

VRS; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers, animal control officers, etc.

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers, animal control officers, and municipal park rangers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to (i) full-time salaried 911 dispatchers, (ii) full-time animal control officers, and (iii) sworn municipal park rangers qualifying as conservators of the peace. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned in such positions 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 in such positions 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.

A.C. CordozaRepublican

Income tax, state; disability income.

Virginia income tax subtractions; disability income. Allows an individual who claims an income tax subtraction for disability income to also claim an income tax deduction for taxpayers age 65 and older.

A.C. CordozaRepublican

VRS; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers, animal control officers, etc.

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers, animal control officers, and municipal park rangers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to (i) full-time salaried 911 dispatchers, (ii) full-time animal control officers, and (iii) sworn municipal park rangers qualifying as conservators of the peace. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned in such positions 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 in such positions 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.

A.C. CordozaRepublican

Geriatric prisoners; conditional release.

Conditional release of geriatric prisoners. Expands the list of offenses that prohibit a person from petitioning the Parole Board for conditional release as a geriatric prisoner.

Eric PhillipsRepublican

Income tax, state; subtraction for retirement income of certain federal employees.

Income tax; subtraction; retirement income of certain federal employees. Establishes, beginning in taxable year 2025, an individual income tax subtraction for 20 percent of the retirement income of retirees covered under the federal Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

Juvenile and domestic relations district court; juvenile intake, school notification.

Juvenile and domestic relations district court; juvenile intake; school notification. Expands the offenses for which a juvenile and domestic relations district court intake officer, upon the filing of a petition alleging an offense was committed, is required to notify the superintendent of the school division in which the child who is the subject of the petition is enrolled or was enrolled at the time of the offense. The bill adds carjacking and sexual extortion to the list of offenses.

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

Prohibited applications and websites; private civil action.

Prohibited applications and websites; private civil action. Prohibits TikTok, Inc. and ByteDance Ltd. from providing access to TikTok to any child within the Commonwealth and allows a child or the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian to bring an action against TikTok, Inc. or ByteDance Ltd. for providing such access. The bill provides that if a plaintiff prevails in such action, he may recover (i) damages of $75,000 for each discrete violation, (ii) other damages, and (iii) reasonable costs and attorney fees. The bill also allows a plaintiff to recover punitive damages if the defendant knowingly provided the child access. The bill provides that it shall be an affirmative defense that TikTok, Inc. or ByteDance Ltd. did not reasonably know or have reason to know of the provision of such access of TikTok to a child in the Commonwealth. The bill also specifies that such civil action shall not be brought by the Commonwealth, its agencies, its political subdivisions, an attorney for the Commonwealth, a city or county attorney, nor any officer or employee of the Commonwealth, its agencies, or its political subdivisions acting in his official capacity.

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

Income tax, state; subtraction for military benefits received by members of uniformed services.

Department of Taxation; evaluation of income tax subtraction for military benefits received by members of the uniformed services; report. Directs the Department of Taxation (the Department) to evaluate the effects of extending the income tax subtraction for military benefits to military retirement income paid to a veteran or the surviving spouse of a veteran for such veteran's service in the uniformed services, defined in federal law as the armed forces, the commissioned corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, and the commissioned corps of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Current law restricts such income tax subtraction to certain military benefits received for service in the armed forces. The bill directs the Department to submit a report of its findings and any recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than November 30, 2025.

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

Commonwealth, Secretary of the; review of wage garnishment process, report.

Secretary of the Commonwealth; wage garnishment process; work group; report. Directs the Secretary of the Commonwealth to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to review the current wage garnishment process and assess whether the garnishment of wages, salaries, commissions, or other earnings should be an enforcement mechanism utilized only for the collection of specific types of debts owed by a judgment debtor. The bill directs the work group to report its findings to the Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice by November 1, 2025.

James A. "Jay" LeftwichRepublican

Homeland Security, Bureau of; established, powers and duties, report.

Virginia State Police; Bureau of Homeland Security established; powers and duties; work group; report. Establishes the Bureau of Homeland Security within the Virginia State Police to coordinate efforts in the ongoing assessment of the Commonwealth's vulnerability to and ability to detect, prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism or potential threats to the security of the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secure and Resilient Commonwealth Panel, the Department of Emergency Management, and the Department of State Police, to convene a work group to study the proper allocation of responsibilities for the detection of, prevention of, preparedness for, response to, and recovery from threats to the security of the Commonwealth and to report the findings of the work group to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Public Safety and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology by November 1, 2025.

Amanda E. BattenRepublican

Assisted conception; certain medical treatments, written contract required.

Assisted conception; certain medical treatments; written contract required. Provides that the laws governing abortion shall not be construed to prohibit or limit the access to and use of (i) in vitro fertilization or any other method of assisted conception or (ii) any other medical treatment or intervention used to assist in the conception of a pregnancy or to maintain such a pregnancy. The bill further provides that, beginning the in vitro fertilization process, the genetic parents, if known to each other, shall enter into a written contract stipulating to the disposition of any embryo created for the intended use in such process. The bill specifies that such contract shall include provisions regarding the cryopreservation, disposal, and control of any such embryo in the event of the death or incarceration of one or more of the genetic parents or the divorce of the genetic parents, if applicable.

Kim A. TaylorRepublican

Abortion; treatment of a nonviable pregnancy.

Abortion; treatment of a nonviable pregnancy; emergency. Provides that the criminal penalties applicable to the performance of an abortion do not apply to the treatment of a nonviable pregnancy, as defined in the bill, provided that, pursuant to reasonable standards of care, failure to treat such nonviable pregnancy by terminating the pregnancy or attempting to terminate the pregnancy by performing an abortion or inducing a miscarriage is likely to result in the death of the woman or would substantially and irremediably impair the physical health of the woman. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Kim A. TaylorRepublican

Artificial Intelligence Transparency Act; established.

Artificial Intelligence Transparency Act established. Requires developers of generative artificial intelligence systems made available in the Commonwealth to ensure that any generative artificial intelligence system that produces audio, images, text, or video content includes on such AI-generated content a clear and conspicuous disclosure that meets certain requirements specified in the bill. The bill also requires developers of generative artificial intelligence systems to implement reasonable procedures to prevent downstream use of such system without the required disclosures and requires any third-party licensee of a generative artificial intelligence system to also implement such procedures. The bill provides that a violation of the disclosure requirements constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill allows the Attorney General to offer developers a right to cure noncompliance that is noticed by the Attorney General and provides that a person or entity claiming to be injured due to a violation of the disclosure requirements shall be entitled to initiate an action for monetary damages or equitable relief.

Rozia A. Henson, Jr.Democrat

Home instruction; removes certain criteria for parents.

Home instruction; parents; criteria. Removes the four enumerated criteria—holding a high school diploma, being a teacher of qualifications prescribed by the Board of Education, providing the child with a program of study or curriculum that may be delivered through a correspondence course or distance learning program or in any other manner, or providing evidence of the ability to provide an adequate education for the child—by which a parent is permitted to provide home instruction for his school-age child. The bill does not affect the requirement for such a parent to annually provide a description of the home instruction curriculum before the school year begins and evidence of the child's academic progress after the school year ends.

Geary HigginsRepublican

Public schools; student support services, student personal information and data security, report.

Public schools; student support services; student personal information and data security; registration; requirements; grants; report. Requires any student support agency, as defined by the bill, to register with the Department of Education (the Department) in order to provide any student support programs, as defined by the bill, to students enrolled in any public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth. The bill establishes several requirements for the registration of any student support agency relating to the protection of any student personal information collected by the student support agency, including (i) requiring such agencies to adopt certain policies, procedures, and protocols designed to ensure the continued security, integrity, and confidentiality of student personal information; (ii) requiring the Department to ensure any student support agency obtains informed consent from the parent of any student or, if such student is 18 years of age or older, the student prior to collecting or using any student personal information; (iii) requiring the Department to develop a standard memorandum of understanding and each student support agency and school board to execute a memorandum of understanding establishing authorizations and limitations relating to the transmission, collection, and use of student personal information; (iv) requiring the Department to establish and administer a grant program for the purpose of awarding grants to certain student support agencies for data security upgrades, training for staff, and third-party audits; (v) prohibiting any student support agency from using or sharing student personal information for certain purposes set forth in the bill, including sharing any such student personal information for use in targeted advertising; (vi) requiring the Department to establish certain programs and provide certain resources to support certain registered student support agencies and school boards in effectively and efficiently providing student support programs in compliance with the provisions of the bill; and (vii) requiring the Department to conduct an annual audit of a certain percentage of registered student support agencies to ensure compliance with the provisions of the bill and establishing provisions relating to consequences for failure of the audit or otherwise being found in violation of the provisions of the bill.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Children; admissibility of statements in certain cases.

Admissibility of statements by children in certain cases. Increases from younger than 13 years of age to younger than 15 years of age at the time of trial or hearing the child age range for the hearsay exemption for an out-of-court statement made by a child who is the alleged victim of an offense against children describing any act directed against the child relating to such alleged offense.

Chris ObenshainRepublican

Career and technical education courses, pathways, and credentials; biennial review, report.

Board of Education; career and technical education courses, pathways, and credentials; biennial review; report. Requires the Board of Education and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, with the assistance of the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement and the Virginia Office of Education Economics, the Department of Education, the Virginia Community College System, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, to conduct, beginning with the fiscal year starting July 1, 2025, and each odd-numbered year thereafter, a biennial review of all career and technical education course, pathway, and credential offerings available to public school students across the Commonwealth for the purpose of ensuring that all such career and technical education course, pathway, and credential offerings are (i) aligned with current and emerging industry and workforce needs, demands, and standards and (ii) designed to effectively prepare students for postsecondary success through gainful employment in a high-demand industry or field, enrollment in postsecondary education, or enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. The bill requires the Board of Education and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to develop and submit to the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, and the chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by October 1 of each odd-numbered year, beginning with October 1, 2025, a report on each such biennial review.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

Retail Sales and Use Tax; sales through vending machines.

Sales and use tax; sales through vending machines. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, only a one percent local sales and use tax shall be applied to sales through vending machines of food purchased for human consumption or essential personal hygiene products. Under current law, the rate applicable to such sales is 5.3 percent or 6.0 percent, as applicable depending on the locality, plus the one percent local sales and use tax.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican