Bills & Legislation

SOL assessments & related student assessment methods; assessment development, etc., reform.

Board of Education; Standards of Learning assessments and related student assessment methods; assessment development, implementation, and administration reform. Modifies provisions relating to assessment methods for determining the level of achievement of the Standards of Learning objectives by all students, including (i) requirements relating to assessment administration aimed at maximizing instructional time and optimizing time used for assessment administration; (ii) criteria and guidelines for the structure and content of Standards of Learning assessments and alternative assessments developed by local school boards, including criteria for the types of assessment items that shall be included; (iii) provisions relating to eligibility and timelines for students to retake assessments; and (iv) the scoring of Standards of Learning assessments and related assessments, including a requirement that all such assessments be scored on a 100-point scale. The bill requires the Board of Education to provide any teacher who participates in the scoring of Standards of Learning assessments professional development points toward renewal of his license for the time spent scoring such assessments. The bill also requires the Board of Education to develop and make available to each school board certain templates and guidelines relating to assessment content and structure and assessment scoring.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Practice of medicine; advertising of prescription drugs or devices.

Professions and occupations; practice of medicine; advertising of prescription drugs or devices. Excludes prescription drugs or devices, as such terms are defined in relevant law, from the definition of "commercial appliances or remedies," as such term relates to the practice of medicine and other healing arts, and provides that the sale of such prescription drugs or devices shall not be prevented or prohibited. Current law provides that the advertising or sale of commercial appliances or remedies shall not be prevented or prohibited.

Paul V. MildeRepublican

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.

Bryce E. ReevesRepublican

Voter registration; time period for closing registration records before elections;

Voter registration; time period for closing registration records before elections; five days. Provides that registration records be closed during the five days before any election. Under current law registration records are close during the 21 days before a primary or general election and, if the registration records have not been closed previously for a primary or general election, during the six days before a special election called by the Governor, Speaker of the House of Delegates, or President pro tempore of the Senate, or pursuant to rule or resolution of either house of the General Assembly and during the 13 days before any other special election.

Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.Republican

Elections; form of ballot, party identification, option for candidates for local offices.

Elections; form of ballot; party identification; option for candidates for local offices. Provides that, for local offices only, each candidate who has been nominated by a political party or in a primary election may be identified by the name of his political party at the discretion of the candidate.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

Real property tax; exemption surviving spouses of members of armed forces who died in line of duty.

Real property tax exemption; surviving spouses of members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. Authorizes localities by ordinance to provide a total exemption from real property taxes regardless of assessed value beginning in taxable year 2025. Under current law, a total exemption is only allowed for those dwellings in the locality with assessed values in the most recently ended tax year that are not in excess of the average assessed value for such year of a dwelling situated on property that is zoned as single family residential.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund; establishing a reserve fund within Fund, etc.

Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund; Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund. Directs the Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish a reserve fund within the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund (the Fund) to be used when annual general fund revenue collections do not exceed the official revenue estimates contained in the general appropriation act and requires 15 percent of any amounts appropriated to the Fund due to annual general fund revenue collections in excess of the official estimates contained in the general appropriation act to be withheld from appropriation and held in the reserve fund unless otherwise specified. The bill also changes the formula for allocating moneys in the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund and provides that, in any fiscal year, any funds distributed to the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program for the purpose of matching grants for agricultural best management practices on lands in the Commonwealth that cannot be obligated or are not used due to a cancelled contract by a grant recipient during such fiscal year, regardless of whether such lands are within or outside of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, may be reappropriated by the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board to any soil and water conservation district with pending documented requests.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Workers' compensation; presumption of certain cancers, sheriffs and deputy sheriffs.

Workers' compensation; presumption for certain cancers; sheriffs and deputy sheriffs. Expands the workers' compensation presumption of compensability for certain cancers causing the death or disability of certain employees who have completed five years of service in their position to include sheriffs or deputy sheriffs.

Jonathan "Jed" ArnoldRepublican

Income tax, state; creates second-chance employment tax credit.

Income tax; second-chance employment tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable second-chance employment tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for five percent of the amount of wages paid to a qualified employee during the taxable year. The bill defines a qualified employee as an individual who was convicted of a felony or a Class 1 or Class 2 misdemeanor. The annual amount of the credit that may be claimed by the employer shall not exceed $1,250 per qualified employee or $2,250 in the case of a qualified employee who is on probation or parole. The credit may be claimed in the first year in which the qualified employer employs a qualified employee and in each subsequent year in which such employer continues to employ such qualified employee. The bill requires that such qualified employer adopt and implement a second-chance hiring policy that meets or exceeds standards set in guidance by the Department of Human Resource Management. The aggregate amount of tax credits available in any fiscal year shall not exceed the amount appropriated for such year as provided in the general appropriation act.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Standards of Quality; certain calculations, support services.

Public schools; Standards of Quality; certain calculations; support services. Requires the Department of Education (the Department) (i) in calculating nonpersonal costs in the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include the costs associated with work-related employee travel and leased facilities; (ii) in calculating the deduction of federal funds in the Standards of Quality funding formula, to examine actual school division spending on support costs as a percentage of actual school division spending on all public education costs, with certain exceptions such as food service; (iii) in calculating the costs in the Standards of Quality funding formula beginning with fiscal year 2029, to include all employee benefit costs incurred by a majority of school divisions; (iv) in calculating the cost of salaries under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include facilities staff and transportation staff salaries in the calculation of any cost of competing adjustment to salaries for instructional and support positions; and (v) in estimating the cost of any compensation supplement for instruction and support positions under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include and estimate the cost of such a compensation supplement for facilities staff. The bill also prohibits the Department from applying any cap on inflation rate adjustments to non-personal cost categories during the biennial process of re-benchmarking the aid to the public education budget. The bill (a) requires a per-pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on to be provided for each special education student; (b) requires support services positions to be funded based on a calculation of prevailing costs and prohibits such positions from being subject to any method of funding calculation that caps the number of funded support services positions based on a ratio of such positions to students enrolled in the school division, with the exception of certain support services positions enumerated in the bill; and (c) establishes the At-Risk Program for the purpose of supporting programs and services for students who are educationally at-risk, including programs and services of prevention, intervention, or remediation.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Mathematics Improvement, Office of; established, mathematics improvement/advancement policies, etc.

Public elementary and secondary education; Office of Mathematics Improvement established; mathematics improvement and advancement policies and programs. Establishes several new programs and policies for the purpose of improving mathematics instruction and student learning outcomes in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth, including (i) directing the Department of Education (the Department) to establish the Office of Mathematics Improvement (the Office) as an office within the Department; (ii) directing the Director of the Office, in collaboration with the Department, to establish an Elementary School Mathematics Advisory Task Force, a Middle School Mathematics Advisory Task Force, and a High School Mathematics Advisory Task Force; (iii) creating several grant programs aimed at incentivizing, encouraging, and expanding opportunities for improving mathematics instruction for educators and mathematics learning outcomes for students, including the Summer Mathematics Intervention Grant Program, the Advance Placement Mathematics Exam Fee Elimination Fund and Program, the Mathematics Improvement and School Support Grant Program, and the Advanced Mathematics Teacher Incentive and Support Grant Program; (iv) making several changes to staffing requirements relating to teachers providing mathematics instruction, including creating a mathematics specialist microcredential program and establishing staffing ratios for mathematics specialists in public schools and permitting schools to use state funding appropriated to support meeting such staffing ratios to support teachers in completing the professional development or training necessary to receive the requisite licensure or endorsements; and (v) requiring the Department to expand the advanced mathematics courses offered through Virtual Virginia, as established pursuant to applicable law, for the purpose of ensuring that students attending public schools across the Commonwealth have access to a full range of advanced mathematics courses. The bill also (a) directs the Board of Education (the Board) to modify its regulations to increase the flexibility of receiving an Algebra I add-on endorsement for teachers; (b) directs the Board, in collaboration with the Office, to develop and approve a Geometry add-on endorsement for teachers; (c) requires the development and dissemination of various guidance documents for school boards and school counselors and online training programs and modules for educators relating to expanding and encouraging mathematics instruction and education, particularly advanced mathematics instruction and education; and (d) requires the Department to compile and post in a publicly accessible location on its website by August 1 of each year a report detailing the impact of the provisions of the bill on expanding mathematics offerings and improving mathematics learning outcomes in public schools across the Commonwealth. The bill provides timelines for modifying regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Certified community health workers; state plan amendment to provide reimbursement for services.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; work group; state plan amendment; reimbursement for services by certified community health workers. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to convene a work group to (i) design a state plan amendment to provide reimbursement for services provided by certified community health workers, (ii) identify opportunities to expand the use of community health workers by Medicaid managed care organizations, and (iii) determine the feasibility of developing flexible training and certification standards that allow community health workers to use their education and experience to satisfy some of the requirements for qualification as a doula or registered peer recovery specialist. The bill requires the Department to report the work group findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by October 1, 2025. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Mattress Stewardship Program; established, report, civil penalties.

Mattress Stewardship Program established; report; civil penalties. Establishes the Mattress Stewardship Program that allows certain industry associations to administer the Program as a mattress recycling organization with approval and certification from the Department of Environmental Quality. The bill requires certain producers, retailers, and renovators of mattresses to register with a certified mattress recycling organization and requires a producer to identify each mattress brand it sells or offers for sale in the Commonwealth on or before June 1, 2027. Prior to the Program going into effect, the bill requires a mattress recycling organization to submit a plan with certain criteria relating to the collection and recycling of mattresses and the implementation of the Program. The bill establishes annual reporting requirements for the mattress recycling organization and establishes a Mattress Stewardship Program Advisory Board to provide advice on the proper implementation and sustainability of the Program. Finally, the bill establishes the powers and duties of the Department as they relate to the bill and civil penalties for violations of the Program by the producers, the retailers, or the mattress recycling organization.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

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.

Russet PerryDemocrat

Safety First Comprehensive Drug Education Pilot Program; established, report, sunset.

Board of Education; programs of instruction; Safety First Comprehensive Drug Education Pilot Program established. Establishes the Safety First Comprehensive Drug Education Pilot Program, to be administered by the Department of Education, for the purpose of providing public school students scientifically accurate, interactive, and compassionate instruction relating to drugs by providing for the implementation of the Safety First: Comprehensive Drug Education and Intervention Curriculum developed by the Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford Medicine in each public secondary school located in Superintendent's Region 7. The bill requires the Department of Education to (i) coordinate with each school board that governs a school division located in Superintendent's Region 7 to implement such curriculum; (ii) develop guidelines to assist school boards, school administrators, and instructional personnel with the implementation of such curriculum in public secondary schools located in Superintendent's Region 7; and (iii) make available to each such school board any instructional materials, curriculum guidelines, or other resources developed by the Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab for the purpose of implementing and providing instruction based on such curriculum. Finally, the bill requires the Board of Education to amend its regulation relating to the provision of health education program instruction in drugs and drug abuse to require public schools to emphasize drug prevention, intervention, and harm reduction. The Program has a sunset date of July 1, 2027.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Employment health and safety standards; heat illness prevention.

Employment health and safety standards; heat illness prevention. Requires the Safety and Health Codes Board to adopt regulations establishing reasonable standards designed to protect employees from heat illness and establish a list of high-hazard industries, as defined in the bill. The bill authorizes a person aggrieved by a violation of its provisions or the regulations promulgated thereunder to seek to obtain injunctive relief, to recover statutory damages of $1000, or both, in an action commenced within one year of the cause of action. The bill requires the Safety and Health Codes Board, in consultation with the Department of Labor and Industry, to develop a list of high-hazard industries by January 1, 2026, and to develop and adopt regulations requiring employers in high-hazard industries to implement standards for heat illness prevention by May 1, 2026. This bill was incorporated into SB 917.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Medical Assistance Services, Dept. of; creating an income exemption for personal care assistants.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; income exemption for personal care assistants. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to seek the appropriate approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to create an income exemption for licensed providers of personal care assistance.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

Income tax, corporate and state; tax credit for braille labeling program.

Income tax credit; braille labeling program. Creates a nonrefundable individual and corporate income tax credit, as applicable, for up to $50,000 of expenditures incurred in the development and implementation of a braille labeling program on products, items, or packages sold in or shipped to the Commonwealth in taxable years 2025 through 2029. The aggregate amount of credits allowed for all taxpayers in a taxable year is $1,000,000.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

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.

Jennifer B. BoyskoDemocrat

Electric utilities; regulation, development of renewable energy facilities.

Regulation of electric utilities; development of renewable energy facilities; powers of State Air Pollution Control Board; powers of State Corporation Commission. Repeals provisions (i) requiring the State Air Pollution Control Board to adopt regulations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from any electricity generating unit in the Commonwealth and authorizing the Board to establish an auction program for energy allowances; (ii) prohibiting the State Corporation Commission from approving any new utility-owned generation facilities that emit carbon dioxide as a by-product of energy generation, in certain circumstances; (iii) declaring that statutory allowances for energy derived from sunlight, onshore wind, offshore wind, and storage facilities are in the public interest; and (iv) relating to the development of solar and wind generation and energy storage capacity, development of offshore wind capacity, and generation of electricity from renewable and zero-carbon sources. The bill provides that planning and development activities for new nuclear generation facilities are in the public interest.

Nicholas J. FreitasRepublican

Virginia Residential Development Infrastructure Program and Fund; established.

Virginia Residential Development Infrastructure Program and Fund. Establishes the Virginia Residential Development Infrastructure Program and Fund to provide financial assistance to localities for expanding or improving public infrastructure needed to support new residential development through the construction or installation of an eligible project, as defined by the bill. The bill provides that the Department of Housing and Community Development will administer the Program, in consultation with the Virginia Resources Authority.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Retail Sales and Use Tax; exemption data centers.

Sales and use tax exemption; data centers. Requires data center operators to meet certain energy efficiency standards in order to be eligible for the sales and use tax exemption for data center purchases. Under the bill, a data center operator shall be eligible for the exemption only if such operator demonstrates that (i) its facilities either have a power usage effectiveness score of no greater than 1.2 or, for data centers co-located in buildings with other commercial uses, achieve an energy efficiency level of no less than the most efficient 15 percent of similar buildings constructed in the previous five years and (ii) by January 1, 2028, it will procure carbon-free renewable energy and associated renewable energy certificates equal to 90 percent of its electricity requirements or its electricity will be otherwise derived from non-carbon-emitting, renewable sources.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Criminal records; technical amendments to court procedures relating to sealing of records.

Sealing of criminal records. Makes several technical amendments to court procedures relating to the sealing of criminal records. This bill is a recommendation of the Judicial Council of Virginia and the Committee on District Courts.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

Enhanced earned sentence credits; exemptions; firearm-related offense; felony conviction while a prisoner.

Enhanced earned sentence credits; exemptions; firearm-related offense; felony conviction while a prisoner. Removes any person convicted of a felony offense involving a firearm from eligibility for enhanced earned sentence credits and restricts any person convicted of a felony for an offense that occurred while a prisoner in a local, state, or community correctional facility from receiving any further earned sentence credits.

Scott A. WyattRepublican

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy; autopsy protocol, information published.

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy; autopsy protocol; information; training. Requires the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to take certain actions upon the finding that an individual died from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), defined in the bill. The bill directs the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to publish information on SUDEP and a SUDEP death investigation form on its website. Additionally, the bill requires the Chief Medical Examiner and local medical examiners to complete training in the investigation of SUDEP on a triennial basis. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Health insurance; coverage for non-opioid prescription drugs.

Health insurance; coverage for non-opioid prescription drugs. Prohibits a health insurance carrier from imposing any cost-sharing, prior authorization, step therapy, or other limitation on coverage of a covered non-opioid drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment or management of pain that is more restrictive or less favorable to the enrollee relative to a covered opioid drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment or management of pain.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Historical horse racing; pari-mutuel wagering, certain localities.

Historical horse racing; pari-mutuel wagering; certain localities. Prescribes the distribution of the breakage retained by any licensee in a locality that has not passed a referendum allowing pari-mutuel wagering on or after July 1, 2018, and in which no terminals were authorized by the Commission on or before January 1, 2024.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

State Police Officers' Retirement System; membership for DWR conservation police officers.

State Police Officers' Retirement System; membership for Department of Wildlife Resources conservation police officers. Provides membership in the State Police Officers' Retirement System (SPORS) to conservation police officers in the Department of Wildlife Resources for service earned on or after July 1, 2026. The bill directs the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) to assess the administrative and financial impacts of the bill and provide recommendations for implementing the bill to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2025. Except for the assessment and recommendations to be made by VRS, the provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Commending the Rotary Club of Lake Ridge.

Commending the Rotary Club of Lake Ridge.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Harold Alvin Goodman, Sr.

Celebrating the life of Harold Alvin Goodman, Sr.

L. Louise LucasDemocrat

Commending the Virginia Opera Association, Inc.

Commending the Virginia Opera Association, Inc.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Commending Dr. Jessica M. Jones.

Commending Dr. Jessica M. Jones.

Tammy Brankley MulchiRepublican

Solar photovoltaic projects; siting, decisions of localities, etc.

Virginia Energy Facility Review Board established; localities; comprehensive plan and local ordinances related to siting of critical interconnection projects; planning district commissions; regional energy plans; Virginia Clean Energy Technical Assistance Center established. Establishes the Virginia Energy Facility Review Board as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth for the purposes of conducting critical interconnection reviews, conduct analysis and study policy options, review regional energy plans, local comprehensive plans, and local solar and storage ordinances and to facilitate the responsible siting of critical interconnection projects in the Commonwealth.The bill also establishes the Virginia Clean Energy Technical Assistance Center, consisting of public institutions of higher education, to serve as an interdisciplinary study, research, and information resource and to provide technical assistance to state agencies, planning district commissions, localities, the Review Board, other public bodies, and private entities in matters related to critical interconnection projects. The bill requires the Center to collaborate with the Review Board to issue the regional energy report and to establish the model local ordinance.The bill requires the Review Board to issue a regional energy report that models each planning district's meaningful annual contribution to clean energy generation, energy efficiency measures, and energy storage. Each planning district commission is required to adopt a regional energy plan to address energy generation, storage, and use that demonstrates a meaningful contribution to the Commonwealth's energy goals as determined by the regional energy report issued by the Review Board and to submit the plan to the Review Board. The Review Board is required to determine if a regional energy plan is in compliance with certain provisions within 60 days of receipt of such plan. If the Review Board determines that the regional energy plan is not in compliance, the relevant planning district commission has 60 days to adopt a compliant regional energy plan. If the relevant planning district commission fails to adopt a compliant energy plan within the 60 days, the Review Board, within 90 days of such failure, is required to issue an alternative regional energy plan that is in effect for such region.The bill requires the Review Board to establish a model local ordinance for siting, permitting, and zoning of critical interconnection projects and all other ground-mounted front-of-meter solar energy and energy storage projects. The bill requires each locality to adopt an ordinance for the permitting of solar energy facilities and energy storage facilities that is consistent with the Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy and the model ordinance and submit it to the Review Board. Under the bill, the Review Board is required to determine if the local ordinance is compliant with certain requirements. If the Review Board determines that the local ordinance is not in compliance, the locality has 60 days to adopt a compliant local ordinance. If the locality fails to adopt a compliant local ordinance within the 60 days, the bill provides that the model local ordinance established is in effect for such locality. The bill provides a procedure for a planning district commission or a locality to appeal a Review Board determination regarding a regional energy plan or a local ordinance.Under the bill, any developer planning to construct a critical interconnection project is required to submit an application to the Review Board. The Review Board is required to determine if the critical interconnection project (i) qualifies as a project of statewide significance, defined in the bill, and (ii) complies with the ordinance in each locality in which the proposed critical interconnection project would be located. In making its determination, the Review Board is required to consider the Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy, certain regulations adopted by the State Air Pollution Control Board, certain renewable portfolio requirements, and any other information it deems relevant. The bill provides that the Review Board has the discretion to disregard any unreasonable restriction, defined in the bill, in the local ordinance on the installation of the critical interconnection projects or the building of structures that facilitate the installation of critical interconnection projects. In addition, the Review Board may consider any regional energy plan developed by the relevant planning district commission. The Review Board is required to issue its opinion on the critical interconnection project within 90 days of receiving an application.The bill requires a locality to issue its final decision regarding any zoning change, variance, or the issuance of a special exemption, special use permit, or conditional use permit related to a critical interconnection project no later than 180 days after receiving a critical interconnection opinion issued by the Review Board. If the locality's final decision diverges from the Review Board's opinion, the locality is required to include a written determination setting forth all facts and conclusions reached by the locality that support its final decision. Under the bill, a locality's failure to make a final decision within the 180-day period constitutes a granting of the zoning change, variance, special exemption, special use permit, or conditional use permit related to a critical interconnection project.The bill requires that any appeal of a locality's decision related to a critical interconnection project will be filed in the circuit court of such locality. The bill provides that such appeal can be brought only by the aggrieved applicant or the owner of the property subject to a special exception and no other person has standing to file such appeal or seek judicial review. Under the bill, in any such appeal, there is a rebuttable presumption that the opinion of the Review Board is correct. Such presumption may be overcome by a preponderance of the evidence that the locality's decision to grant or deny a project or to include the challenged conditions was consistent with provisions in the locality's ordinance that are not unreasonable restrictions. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Paulina Yager Campbell.

Celebrating the life of Paulina Yager Campbell.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Celebrating the life of Nikki Giovanni.

Celebrating the life of Nikki Giovanni.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Commending Juli M. Porto.

Commending Juli M. Porto.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Commending General Lewis B. Chesty Puller Post 1503 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Commending General Lewis B. Chesty Puller Post 1503 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Jennifer D. Carroll FoyDemocrat

Campaign finance; campaign contribution limits, civil penalty.

Campaign finance; campaign contribution limits; civil penalty. Prohibits persons from making any single contribution, or any combination of contributions, that exceeds $5,000 to any one candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, or the Senate of Virginia or $3,000 to any one candidate for the House of Delegates in any one election cycle. The bill does not place any limits on in-kind contributions to such candidates from political party committees. The bill establishes thresholds for any candidates making contributions to their own campaign in excess of $400,000 in a race for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, or the Senate of Virginia or $200,000 in a race for House of Delegates. The bill also prohibits persons from making any single contribution, or any combination of contributions, that exceeds $10,000 to any one political committee in any calendar year. Civil penalties for violations of the limits established by the bill may equal up to two times the excess contribution amounts. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Campaign finance; contributions from corporations prohibited, civil penalty.

Campaign finance; contributions from corporations prohibited; civil penalty. Prohibits any corporation from making any contribution to any committee organized under the provisions of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006 and prohibits any such committee from soliciting or accepting any contribution from any corporation. Any committee that knowingly accepts, or any person who knowingly makes to such committee, contributions in violation of the prohibition is subject to a civil penalty of up to two times the amount of the contribution, as assessed by the State Board of Elections.

Danica A. RoemDemocrat

Celebrating the life of the Honorable Frank Miller Ruff, Jr.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable Frank Miller Ruff, Jr.

Tammy Brankley MulchiRepublican

Confirming Governor's appointments; January 10.

Confirming Governor's appointments; January 10. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly January 10, 2025.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Confirming Governors appointments; December 1.

Confirming Governor's appointments; December 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly December 1, 2024.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Local and Regional Jails, State Board of; oversight of local and regional jails, powers and duties.

State Board of Local and Regional Jails; oversight of local and regional jails; powers and duties. Increases from 11 to 19 the membership of the State Board of Local and Regional Jails (the Board) by requiring the appointment of (i) two members of the Senate and two members of the House of Delegates and (ii) four additional nonlegislative citizen members, including (a) one representative of a nonprofit organization that provides training or rehabilitation programs for incarcerated inmates; (b) one male citizen and one female citizen who were formerly incarcerated within the Commonwealth; and (c) one person who is a grandparent, parent, child, sibling, or spouse or domestic partner of a person currently incarcerated within the Commonwealth.The bill also adds numerous additional duties for the Board, including to (1) provide information, as appropriate, to inmates, family members, representatives of inmates, and local, regional, and community correctional facility employees and contractors and others regarding the rights of inmates; (2) establish policies for a statewide uniform reporting system to collect and analyze data related to complaints received in or about local, regional, and community correctional facilities; (3) monitor, document, review, and report on the operation of stores and commissaries in local correctional facilities and systems for providing electronic visitation and messaging and telephone calls; and (4) review, monitor, and report and make recommendations on policies related to (A) attorney access to clients for calls and visitation; (B) access to voting for incarcerated individuals who are eligible to vote; and (C) the collection of data on suicides, suicide attempts, and self-harm in custody. The bill also specifies additional information to be included in the Board's currently required annual report to the General Assembly and the Governor and requires such report to be made available to the public online.The bill enumerates certain items for assessment that may be included in the Board's annual inspection of each local correctional facility, as required by current law, and also specifies the Board's authority and right to access such facilities, interview persons, and access certain information and documents. Upon completion of an inspection, the bill requires the Board to produce a report, including information enumerated in the bill, to be made available to the public online and to be delivered to the Governor, the Attorney General, the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, the House Committee on Public Safety, and the sheriff in charge of the local correctional facility or superintendent of the regional correctional facility.Finally, the bill allows the Board to initiate and attempt to resolve an investigation upon its own initiative, or upon receipt of a complaint from an inmate, a family member or representative of an inmate, or a local, regional, or community correctional facility employee or contractor, or others, regarding various concerns as enumerated in the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Rozia A. Henson, Jr.Democrat

Commending Jack Einstein.

Commending Jack Einstein.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

Confirming Governor's appointments; October 1.

Confirming Governor's appointments; October 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly October 1, 2024.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Confirming Governor's appointments; August 1.

Confirming Governor's appointments; August 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly August 1, 2024.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Public secondary schools; interscholastic athletics; certain recruitment policies and practices prohibited.

Public secondary schools; interscholastic athletics; certain recruitment policies and practices prohibited. Prohibits any school board employee, including any interscholastic athletics coach or director, from implementing any policy or engaging in any practice whereby the employee (i) designates any secondary school student-athlete as homeless pursuant to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended, solely for the purpose of recruiting such student-athlete to transfer to the local school division to participate in interscholastic athletics or (ii) receives money or other things of value from any individual or entity, including any institution of higher education or any intercollegiate athletics program at such an institution, solely for the purpose of recruiting a secondary school student-athlete to participate in intercollegiate athletics.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat

Local fiscal distress; apptmnt. of an emergency fiscal manager for certain localities in PD 19.

Local fiscal distress; Planning District 19. Narrows the potential application of certain provisions related to appointment of an emergency fiscal manager for certain fiscally distressed localities in Planning District 19 (Crater Planning District) by limiting the provisions to cities with a population greater than 20,000.

H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.Republican