Bills & Legislation

Film industry community zones; local designation.

Film industry community zones; local designation. Allows localities to establish, by ordinance, one or more zones in a film industry community, defined in the bill as a community that has a film industry presence or the potential of a film industry presence within the designated area and where such presence drives, or has the potential to drive, significant economic activity. The bill provides that a locality, or another political subdivision acting on behalf of the locality, may offer unique benefits to film industry businesses, along with related businesses that serve the needs of the film industry, looking to locate within a film industry community zone, including the reduction of certain fees and taxes. In addition, the bill provides that local governing bodies are authorized to enter into agreements for the payment of economic development incentive grants to such businesses. The bill also allows a governing body to provide for certain regulatory flexibility and incentives and provides that the establishment of a film industry community zone does not preclude a filmmaker from participating in the Governor's Motion Picture Opportunity Fund and the motion picture production tax credit.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty.

Firearm in unattended motor vehicle; civil penalty. Provides that no person shall leave, place, or store a handgun in an unattended motor vehicle, as defined in the bill, when such handgun is visible to any person who is outside such unattended motor vehicle. The bill provides that any person violating such prohibition is subject to a civil penalty of no more than $500 and that such unattended motor vehicle may be subject to removal for safekeeping.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Peter John Kemp, MD.

Celebrating the life of Peter John Kemp, MD.

Christie New CraigRepublican

Celebrating the life of William M. McCarty.

Celebrating the life of William M. McCarty.

Emily M. JordanRepublican

Celebrating the life of Marquise Sterling Hunt.

Celebrating the life of Marquise Sterling Hunt.

L. Louise LucasDemocrat

Elections, State Board of; appointment of Commissioner of Elections.

State Board of Elections; appointment of Commissioner of Elections. Changes the appointing authority of the Commissioner of Elections from the Governor to the State Board of Elections, with an affirmative vote of four of the five State Board members required for the appointment or removal of the Commissioner, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The bill also changes the start of the four-year term of the Commissioner from July 1 of the year following a gubernatorial election to the second year following such election. The bill exempts the Department of Elections from provisions allowing the Governor to appoint a chief deputy and a confidential assistant for policy or administration. In the event that a vacancy occurs in the office of the Commissioner, the bill provides that the Director of Operations of the Department will perform the duties of the Commissioner until such vacancy is filled by the State Board. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Israel D. O'QuinnRepublican

Collective bargaining; individual home care providers.

Collective bargaining; individual home care providers. Establishes within the Department of Medical Assistance Services the Virginia Home Care Authority to ensure the effectiveness and quality of the services of home care programs in the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes individual providers, as defined in the bill, to select an exclusive bargaining representative and to collectively bargain with the Virginia Home Care Authority regarding matters including wages, benefits, and all terms and conditions of employment that are within the Authority's control. The bill's provisions do not become effective until July 1, 2026, and unless legislation is enacted in the Commonwealth authorizing public employees to engage in collective bargaining.

Irene ShinDemocrat

Commending the Alexandria Little League Intermediate Division baseball team.

Commending the Alexandria Little League Intermediate Division baseball team.

Adam P. EbbinDemocrat

Commending Elizabeth Carlson Hilscher.

Commending Elizabeth Carlson Hilscher.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Commending Vidya Ambati.

Commending Vidya Ambati.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Ellis Whedon James.

Celebrating the life of Ellis Whedon James.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Benjamin "Rod" Rodriguez.

Celebrating the life of Benjamin "Rod" Rodriguez.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Celebrating the life of the Reverend Dr. Milton Roy Blount.

Celebrating the life of the Reverend Dr. Milton Roy Blount.

L. Louise LucasDemocrat

Virginia Housing Trust Fund; geographic equity impact assessment.

Virginia Housing Trust Fund; geographic equity impact assessment. Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to conduct an annual geographic equity assessment (GEIA) to identify distressed localities that have historically received less investment for housing and economic development. The bill provides that, of the 80 percent of moneys from the Virginia Housing Trust used to provide flexible financing for low-interest loans, no more than 20 percent shall be allocated to a single locality unless such locality has been identified as underserved in the most recent GEIA.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Commending veteran residents of Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay.

Commending veteran residents of Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Commending the Minnie H. Peyton Community Center at Bailey's.

Commending the Minnie H. Peyton Community Center at Bailey's.

Adam P. EbbinDemocrat

Commending Stephen King.

Commending Stephen King.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Commending Colette Sheehy.

Commending Colette Sheehy.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Cigars; TAX to collect data on number sold with sales price equal or greater than $1.50, report.

Department of Taxation; tobacco products tax; cigars; report. Directs the Department of Taxation to update its form TT-8, Virginia Tobacco Products Tax Return (OTP), to begin collecting data on the number of cigars sold in the Commonwealth at a sales price equal to or greater than $1.50 as a distinct category from all other cigars. The bill directs the Department to update such form or devise another appropriate method for data collection as soon as practicable and provide a report of the data so collected and estimated fiscal impacts of adopting a cap of 30 cents ($0.30) per cigar or another rate on the tobacco products tax imposed on this category of cigars to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than January 15, 2026.

R. Lee WareRepublican

Person not free on bail; court appearance.

Court appearance of a person not free on bail. Makes various changes to provisions regarding bail hearings, including (i) the appointment of counsel for the accused, (ii) the information provided to counsel for the accused, (iii) a requirement that counsel for the accused, when practicable, be provided with adequate time to confer with the accused prior to any bail hearing, and (iv) the compensation of counsel for the accused. Effective in due course, the bill provides that the chief judge in each circuit shall create a plan to be completed by November 1, 2025, that establishes the means by which the jurisdiction will meet these requirements. The remainder of the bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Charitable gaming; conduct of athletic event drawings.

Charitable gaming; conduct of athletic event drawings. Authorizes affiliated nonprofit organizations to conduct athletic event drawings in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The bill places limits on when and where an athletic event drawing may be held and requires the prize amount of any such drawing to be 50 percent of the total amount collected from the sale of the tickets. The bill requires the organization to donate a certain percentage of the remaining funds in accordance with Department regulations.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Voter registration; cancellation of registration, notice of cancellation, new address if available.

Voter registration; cancellation of registration; notice of cancellation; new address if available. Requires general registrars to cancel the registration of any person for whom a notice has been submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles in accordance with the Driver License Compact and forwarded to the general registrar that the voter has moved from the Commonwealth, provided that the registrar mail notice of such cancellation to the person at his new address, as reported to the DMV, if available, and the address at which the person most recently had been registered in Virginia. Under current law, such cancellation is permissive and there is no provision for availability regarding the notice of cancellation required to be mailed to the person's new address.

Phillip A. ScottRepublican

Tax preferences; codifies certain provisions in effect pursuant to the appropriation act.

Codification of tax preferences in effect pursuant to the appropriation act. Codifies certain tax and fee provisions that are in effect under current law pursuant to provisions of the appropriation act. The provisions are (i) an annual vehicle registration fee increase of $2 that is used for emergency medical services, (ii) a clarification of the amount of sales tax revenue pledged to public facility projects, (iii) a sales and use tax exemption for tangible personal property purchased by a federally funded research and development center, (iv) an additional $20 recordation fee that is used for conservation purposes, and (v) a clarification that aviation fuel is not subject to the regional gas tax.

Vivian E. WattsDemocrat

Net operating losses; TAX, et al., to analyze treatment in Va. when compared to other states.

Department of Taxation; corporate tax returns involving net operating losses; work group; report. Directs the Department of Taxation to convene a work group composed of tax practitioners experienced in the preparation of corporate tax returns involving net operating losses to study the treatment of net operating losses in Virginia when compared to other states and to make recommendations to simplify such treatment in Virginia. The bill directs the work group to complete its meetings by October 1, 2025, and the Department to submit a report of the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the House Committee on Finance, and the House Committee on Appropriations by November 1, 2025.

Jason S. BallardRepublican

Commending the Elizabeth River Republican Women's Club.

Commending the Elizabeth River Republican Women's Club.

Christie New CraigRepublican

Commending Belinda Black.

Commending Belinda Black.

Angelia Williams GravesDemocrat

Commending Billy Wagner.

Commending Billy Wagner.

T. Travis HackworthRepublican

Urban Public-Private Partnership Redevelopment Fund; funding requirements, report.

Urban Public-Private Partnership Redevelopment Fund; funding requirements; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop criteria and guidelines for the use of funds from the Urban Public-Private Partnership Redevelopment Fund, including prioritizing grants to localities experiencing an above average or high level of fiscal stress as designated by the Commission on Local Government and localities experiencing a significant decrease in commercial real estate assessments. Under current law, the Board of Housing and Community Development is directed to develop guidelines for administration of the Fund. The bill expands the qualifying private entities available for partnership with a local government for the redevelopment of a local site, removes the existing $500,000 grant cap for such local government, and eliminates the requirement that each grant be conditioned upon a 100 percent match of funds by the local government. In addition, the bill requires the Department, on or before December 1 of each year, to submit a report to the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, the Governor, and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, including the number of projects funded and the costs of the Fund. Further, the bill repeals the Housing Revitalization Zone Act.As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Housing Commission.

David L. BulovaDemocrat

Candidates for office; persons entitled to have name printed on ballot; required campaign finance reports.

Candidates for office; persons entitled to have name printed on ballot; required campaign finance reports. Provides that a person who fails to file at least one of the campaign finance reports required by law to be filed in an election year by July 20 is not entitled to have his name printed on the ballot at the general election for the office sought.

Vivian E. WattsDemocrat

Commending the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS®.

Commending the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS®.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Collection of state taxes; period of limitations on collection.

Department of Taxation; collection of state taxes; period of limitations on collection. Removes provisions requiring that the period of limitations on tax collection by the Department of Taxation be suspended during the effective period of an installment agreement between a taxpayer and the Tax Commissioner for the payment of income taxes.

Karen Keys-GamarraDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Thomas S. Whipple.

Celebrating the life of Thomas S. Whipple.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Self Storage Association; commemorating its 50th anniversary.

Commending the Self Storage Association.

Adam P. EbbinDemocrat

Celebrating the life of Michele Irene Chapman.

Celebrating the life of Michele Irene Chapman.

Adam P. EbbinDemocrat

Income tax; housing opportunity tax credit; sunset extended.

Income tax; housing opportunity tax credit; sunset extended. Extends the housing opportunity tax credit sunset date from taxable year 2025 to taxable year 2030. The bill also increases the aggregate credit cap across all calendar years from $255 million to $595 billion and imposes an annual aggregate credit cap of $68 million in each calendar year between 2026 and 2030. The bill also provides that of the $68 million in credits authorized per calendar year from 2026 through 2030, 33 percent shall be reserved for qualified projects located in a geographic area within the Balance of State Pool, defined in the bill. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Housing Commission.

David L. BulovaDemocrat

Public facilities, certain; entitlement to sales tax revenues, extends sunset.

Entitlement to sales tax revenues from certain public facilities; sunset. Extends from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2028, the period of time during which authorized localities may issue bonds on or after January 1, 2013, for the construction of public facilities and retain sales and use tax revenue generated within such facilities to pay off such bonds.

Rae CousinsDemocrat

Celebrating the life of the Reverend Roy Alphonso Carter, Sr.

Celebrating the life of the Reverend Roy Alphonso Carter, Sr.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Military leaves of absence for employees of the Commonwealth or political subdivisions; law-enforcement officers.

Military leaves of absence for employees of the Commonwealth or political subdivisions; law-enforcement officers. Provides that any person who is employed by the Commonwealth or a political subdivision of the Commonwealth as a law-enforcement officer shall receive paid leaves of absence for up to 388 work hours for which a leave of absence is required, during which such person is engaged in federally funded military duty, to include training duty, or is called forth by the Governor for military duty.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

Future in Focus Program; established.

Future in Focus Program. Establishes the Future in Focus Program to provide services and support to individuals 21, 22, and 23 years of age who participated in the Fostering Futures program immediately prior to attaining 21 years of age. Such services and support shall be designed to assist participants in transitioning to adulthood, becoming self-sufficient, and creating permanent, positive relationships. The bill directs the State Board of Social Services to promulgate regulations to implement the bill's provisions.

Anne Ferrell TataRepublican

Income tax, state; creation of currently not collectible status.

Individual income taxes; creation of currently not collectible status. Directs the Department of Taxation to create a form through which taxpayers may file for currently not collectible status and specifies that corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies shall be ineligible for such status. The bill provides that the Department shall place an applicant into such status upon a finding that the collection of income taxes from such applicant would create or exacerbate an undue hardship for such applicant. Such applicant shall reapply for such status annually. This bill incorporates HB 2667 and has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Elections; prohibited area within five feet of any area designated for voting outside polling place.

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

David A. ReidDemocrat

First-time Homebuyer Grant Program; established.

First-time Homebuyer Grant Program. Establishes a First-time Homebuyer Grant Program for the purpose of assisting first-time homebuyers with first-time homebuyer expenses, as those terms are defined in the bill. The bill provides that the Department of Housing and Community Development shall award eligible first-time homebuyers a grant in an amount equal to five percent of such expenses incurred during a calendar year, not to exceed $10,000. Any grant awarded pursuant to the Program shall be repaid to the Commonwealth if the property for which expenses were incurred is sold within three years from the purchase date, unless the sale is made following a natural disaster or other act of God.

Joshua G. ColeDemocrat

Virginia Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act; administrator to exercise due diligence to locate owner.

Virginia Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act; administrator to exercise due diligence to locate owner. Requires the State Treasurer or his designee to exercise due diligence to locate the owner of unclaimed funds or abandoned property previously paid or delivered to the State Treasurer or his designee. Such exercise of due diligence shall include, if necessary, that the State Treasurer or his designee coordinate with the Tax Commissioner to provide the Department of the Treasury with relevant tax information for the purposes of locating such owner.

C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr.Democrat

Public school funding and staffing; special education students, support services positions.

Equity in public school funding and staffing; special education students; at-risk students; English language learner students; report. Requires state-funded add-ons to be provided to support special education students that are calculated by multiplying weights set forth in the general appropriation act by the relevant basic aid per-pupil amount for each such student. The bill establishes the At-Risk Program for the purpose of supporting programs and services for students who are educationally at risk, including prevention, intervention, or remediation activities required pursuant to relevant law, teacher recruitment programs and initiatives, programs for English language learners, the hiring of additional school counselors and other support staff, and other programs relating to increasing the success of disadvantaged students in completing a high school degree and providing opportunities to encourage further education and training. The bill also contains provisions relating to certain funding requirements for the At-Risk Program. The bill requires the Department of Education to develop and implement a data collection process related to English language learner expenditures and student English proficiency levels and identify other options to support English language learners and provide a status report to the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding on its implementation and data collection efforts by September 1, 2025. Finally, the bill requires the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or any other relevant stakeholders with expertise in special education as the Department of Education deems appropriate, to develop a plan for revised special education staffing requirements that addresses the staffing needs of each special education program in each school division as determined by the specific educational and behavioral support needs of students who receive special education and aims to improve special education teacher recruitment and retention and to report its findings to the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding by November 1, 2025. The bill is a recommendation of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. This bill incorporates HB 1831.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

Wage garnishment; recovery of certain improper payment, etc., state tax debt.

Wage garnishment; state or local tax debt. Provides that the maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings of an individual for any workweek that is subject to garnishment to collect delinquent taxes and charges owed to the state or any local government shall not exceed 25 percent of such individual's disposable earnings for that week. The bill contains technical amendments and applies only to garnishments issued on and after January 1, 2026.

Phil M. HernandezDemocrat

Voter registration; lists of registered voters and persons voting, publication of costs.

Voter registration; lists of registered voters and persons voting; publication of costs. Requires the Department of Elections to publish on its website the cost of purchasing lists of registered voters and lists of persons voting at elections.

H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.Republican

Pari-mutuel wagering; historical horse racing, percentage retained for distribution.

Pari-mutuel wagering; historical horse racing; percentage retained for distribution. Provides that with respect to all authorized historical horse racing terminals, of the amount that a horse racing licensee retains from wagering on historical horse racing pools and in addition to the current distribution required under law, 0.0125 percent each shall be distributed to the Shenandoah County Agricultural Foundation and the Great Meadow Foundation to support the promotion, education, maintenance, and safety of horse racing at such facilities. The bill also increases the distribution percentage provided from the amount that a horse racing licensee retains from wagering on historical horse racing pools to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund from 0.01 percent to 0.025 percent.

David A. ReidDemocrat

Commonwealth Aviation Fund; changes allocation amounts.

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

Karrie K. DelaneyDemocrat