Bills & Legislation

Lynching Sites Memorialization, Virginia Commission on; established, report, sunset.

Virginia Commission on Lynching Sites Memorialization established; report. Establishes the Virginia Commission on Lynching Sites Memorialization as an advisory commission in the executive branch of state government. The purpose of the 15-member Commission is to acknowledge the history of racial violence in Virginia through the placement of historical markers at the sites of lynchings. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2028.

David A. ReidDemocrat

School Safety Firearm Detection Software Pilot Program; established.

Public School Security Equipment Grant Act of 2013; eligible security equipment; School Safety Firearm Detection Software Pilot Program established. Establishes the School Safety Firearm Detection Software Pilot Program (the Pilot Program), to be administered as a part of the Public School Security Equipment Grant Act of 2013, for the purpose of enhancing security and firearm violence prevention measures in public schools in the Commonwealth by awarding grants to eligible school divisions for the purchase, installation or integration, maintenance, and operation of firearm detection software into security cameras in two Title 1 schools in each congressional district in the Commonwealth. The bill defines "firearm detection software" as any technology software or system provided by a vendor that (i) is headquartered in the Commonwealth, has at least 10 years of experience in providing school safety technology to educational institutions, and is a small business consisting of fewer than 100 employees and (ii) uses artificial intelligence to analyze video streams from surveillance cameras in real time for the detection of firearms and, upon detecting a firearm, immediately notifies local law enforcement, school security personnel, the school administration, and other appropriate public safety authorities. The bill amends provisions of the Public School Security Equipment Grant Act of 2013 as necessary for the integration of the Pilot Program, including by (a) expanding the definition of "security equipment" to include firearm detection software; (b) exempting from the match requirement, in addition to the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind as set forth in current law, any school division receiving a grant pursuant to the Pilot Program; (c) requiring the Department to give priority to eligible school divisions applying on behalf of Title 1 schools for grants under the Pilot Program such that grants are first awarded to school divisions and in an amount sufficient to support the purchase, installation or integration, maintenance, and operation of firearm detection software in two Title 1 schools in each congressional district; and (d) modifying and expanding application requirements, reporting requirements, and requirements relating to the development of certain guidelines, policies, and procedures to include the Pilot Program. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2028.

David A. ReidDemocrat

Consumer Data Protection Act; social media, parental consent.

Consumer Data Protection Act; social media; parental consent. Requires any social media platform, defined in the bill, that is subject to the provisions of the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act to obtain verifiable parental consent prior to permitting any minor to create an account with such social media platform and, with such account, use such social media platform. The bill requires such social media platform to give the parent or legal guardian of such minor the option to consent to the collection and use of the minor's personal data without consenting to the disclosure of such minor's personal data to third parties.

Scott A. WyattRepublican

Commercial entity offering social media accounts; restricted hours for minors, civil liability.

Commercial entity offering social media accounts; restricted hours for minors; civil liability. Provides that no commercial entity that offers social media accounts, as defined in the bill, shall knowingly or intentionally allow a minor to access his social media account during the hours of 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. unless the minor's parent, guardian, or legal custodian has provided permission for the minor to use such social media account during these hours. The bill provides that any commercial entity that violates these provisions shall be subject to civil liability for damages resulting from the interference with a minor's sleep cycle or mental health by allowing such minor to access to his social media account during the hours of 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. and reasonable attorney fees and costs.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

Animal Cruelty Conviction List; established.

Animal Cruelty Conviction List established. Requires the Superintendent of State Police to establish no later than January 1, 2028, and to maintain an Animal Cruelty Conviction List (List) and to make the List publicly available on the Department of State Police's website. The bill specifies that the List include the names of persons convicted of certain felony animal cruelty offenses on or after July 1, 2025. The bill requires persons convicted of any such offense to pay a fee of $50 per conviction to fund the maintenance of the List. The bill also requires the Department to remove a person's name and information from the List 15 years after its listing if he has no additional felony conviction for any such offense.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

Wildlife Resources, Board of; trout-fishing access-site registry, income tax credit.

Board of Wildlife Resources; trout-fishing access-site registry; income tax credit. Requires the Board of Wildlife Resources to establish and manage a trout-fishing access-site registry through which eligible landowners may register real property to allow valid fishing-license holders access to such property for the sole purpose of fishing trout. The bill authorizes such registrants to claim a nonrefundable income tax credit in the amount of $2,000 for each full tax year that such person had real property registered as a trout-fishing access site with the Board.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for animal control officers.

Virginia retirement system; enhanced retirement benefits; animal control officers. Adds full-time animal control officers to the list of local employees eligible to receive enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service for service earned in such positions on or after July 1, 2026. Under current law, localities may provide such benefits to first responders, including firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and certain other hazardous duty positions. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

K-12 schools and higher educational institutions; student participation in women's sports, etc.

K-12 schools and institutions of higher education; student participation in women's sports; civil cause of action. Requires each interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic team or sport sponsored by a public school, or any other school that is a member of the Virginia High School League, or by a public institution of higher education to be expressly designated as one of the following based on the biological sex of the students who participate on the team or in the sport: (i) males, men, or boys; (ii) females, women, or girls; or (iii) coed or mixed if participation on such team or sport is open to both males and females. The bill requires that the biological sex of any student seeking to participate on such an expressly designated team be affirmed by a signed physician's statement. The bill prohibits any such team or sport that is expressly designated for females from being open to students whose biological sex is male. The bill prohibits any government entity, licensing or accrediting organization, or athletic association or organization from entertaining a complaint, opening an investigation, or taking any other adverse action against any such school or institution of higher education based on a violation of the provisions of the bill and creates a cause of action for any school or institution of higher education that suffers harm as a result of a violation of the bill. Finally, the bill creates a civil cause of action for any student who suffers harm as a result of a knowing violation of a provision of the bill by a school or institution or as a result of the student's reporting a violation of a provision of the bill by a school, institution, athletic association, or organization.

Delores OatesRepublican

Early Childhood Care and Education, Commission on; kindergarten readiness funding proposal, report.

Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education; kindergarten readiness funding proposal; report. Requires the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education to develop a proposal to increase funding for kindergarten readiness programs with a focus on programs that are already under contract with local school divisions. The bill requires the Commission, in developing such proposal, to consider how such programs can receive Virginia Preschool Initiative grants. The bill requires the Commission to report its proposal and any associated findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than October 1, 2025.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Kindergarten Readiness Fund; established, report.

Virginia Preschool Initiative; Kindergarten Readiness Fund established. Establishes the Kindergarten Readiness Fund and provides that all balances of state general funds intended for the provision of services to families through the Virginia Preschool Initiative that are unspent at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall be paid into the state treasury and credited to the Kindergarten Readiness Fund and thereafter used in the discretion of the Department of Education solely for the purpose of providing grants on a competitive basis to school divisions to utilize for other currently operated early childhood education programs.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

School crossing zones; increases maximum boundaries of a zone from limits of school property.

School crossing zones. Increases the maximum boundaries of a school crossing zone from 750 feet to 1,500 feet from the limits of school property.

Laura Jane CohenDemocrat

Zoning ordinances; residential district classifications may include affordable housing.

Zoning ordinances; residential district classifications; affordable housing. Authorizes a locality, within the residential district classifications of its zoning ordinance, to include districts specifically designated for affordable housing.

Robert D. Orrock, Sr.Republican

Procurement; cancellation of bids.

Procurement; cancellation of bids. Provides that a public body may include a statement in an Invitation to Bid, a Request for Proposal, or any other solicitation of an intention to cancel any such invitation, request, or solicitation if, in the estimation of the public body, all responsive bids exceed by at least 50 percent the current price for such goods or services as offered to the private sector.

Robert D. Orrock, Sr.Republican

Child day centers operated by religious institutions; exemption from licensure, conditions.

Child day centers operated by religious institutions; exemption from licensure; conditions. Changes from mandatory to permissive the filing of certain statements and documentary evidence and the establishment and implementation of certain procedures by child day centers operated by religious institutions that are exempt from licensure but permits the Superintendent of Public Instruction to perform on-site inspections of any such center to investigate complaints and at the conclusion of such investigation to require any such center to provide such statements and documentary evidence or establish and implement such procedures.

Robert D. Orrock, Sr.Republican

Child day centers, certain; exemption from licensure by Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Certain child day centers operated by religious institutions; exemption from licensure by Superintendent of Public Instruction. Exempts fully from the statutory requirement to be licensed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction any child day center that (i) exclusively serves children over the age of two, (ii) is operated or conducted under the auspices of a religious institution, and (iii) (a) has tax exempt status as a nonprofit religious institution in accordance with § 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or (b) owns and exclusively occupies real property that is exempt from local taxation. Under current law, such child day centers are exempt from licensure but are still subject to several enumerated requirements. The bill, however, preserves the requirement for such child day centers to conduct background checks for employees and volunteers and prohibits the employment or service at such child day centers of any such individual who has been convicted of any barrier crime as defined in relevant law or who is the subject of a founded complaint of child abuse or neglect.

Robert D. Orrock, Sr.Republican

Expired vehicle registration; establishes a tiered fine system.

Expired vehicle registration; fines. Establishes a tiered fine system for expired vehicle registrations. The bill establishes a fine of $25 if the registration has been expired for less than one year on the date the citation is issued and a fine of no less than $25 but no more than $250 if such registration has been expired for at least one year on the date the citation is issued. The bill provides that an expired registration does not constitute a traffic infraction if the registration sticker was valid within the last 60 days.

Robert D. Orrock, Sr.Republican

Virtual Virginia; availability to every public middle school in the Commonwealth.

Virtual Virginia; availability to every public middle school in the Commonwealth. Requires Virtual Virginia to be made available to every public middle school in the Commonwealth. Under current law, Virtual Virginia is only required to be made available to every public high school in the Commonwealth.

Geary HigginsRepublican

Environmental Justice Task Force; established, report.

Environmental Justice Task Force; report. Establishes the Environmental Justice Task Force, for the purpose of furthering environmental justice in the Commonwealth, consisting of appointees from the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Department of Emergency Management, Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Community Development, Department of Health, Department of Transportation, State Corporation Commission, and Virginia Economic Development Partnership. The bill requires the Task Force to advise the Governor and state agencies of the Commonwealth and establish certain policies to be used by such state agencies on environmental justice issues, particularly issues related to historically economically disadvantaged communities. The bill directs the Task Force to report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and General Assembly by November 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, regarding its activities.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Gift certificates; amends definition, international transactions, fraud reports.

Gift certificates; international transactions; fraud reports. Amends the definition of "gift certificate" and prohibits merchants from selling a gift certificate as part of an international transaction without first implementing a 24-hour hold on the activation of such gift certificate. The bill also requires local law enforcement to communicate reports of gift certificate fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Eric R. ZehrRepublican

Disclosures in land use proceedings; statewide application.

Disclosures in land use proceedings; statewide application. Alters certain land use disclosure requirements applicable to officials in any county with the urban county executive form of government (Fairfax County) by replacing "relationship of employee-employer, agent-principal, or attorney-client" with the broader phrase of "business or financial relationship." The bill makes the same change to existing provisions that currently apply only to Loudoun County and applies the change statewide.

Ian T. LovejoyRepublican

Virginia Retirement System; return to work for law-enforcement officers, effective date.

Virginia Retirement System; return to work for law-enforcement officers. Allows a retired law-enforcement officer to return to work full time as a law-enforcement officer and continue to receive his pension under the Virginia Retirement System. Such person shall be required to have a break in service of at least six calendar months before reemployment. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Ian T. LovejoyRepublican

Sales and use tax on services and digital personal property.

Sales and use tax on services and digital personal property. Levies the retail sales and use tax on the following services: admissions; charges for recreation, fitness, or sports facilities; nonmedical personal services or counseling; dry cleaning and laundry services; companion animal care; residential home repair or maintenance, landscaping, or cleaning services when paid for directly by a resident or homeowner; vehicle and engine repair; repairs or alterations to tangible personal property; storage of tangible personal property; delivery or shipping services; travel, event, and aesthetic planning services; and digital services. Digital services are defined in the bill as the following: software application services, computer-related services, website hosting and design, data storage, and digital subscription services. The services taxed under the bill include any transaction for digital services where the purchaser or consumer of the service is a business but do not include any service otherwise exempt under law.The bill also imposes the retail sales and use tax on digital personal property, defined in the bill as a digital product delivered electronically that the purchaser owns or has the ability to continually access without having to pay an additional subscription or usage fee to the seller after paying the initial purchase price.Revenues generated by the taxes levied on services and digital personal property shall be allocated in the same manner as other sales and use taxes; however, revenues from the state portion of the sales and use tax that would be allocated to the general fund shall instead be allocated to school divisions as follows: (i) 60 percent shall be distributed to localities on the basis of school-age population and (ii) 40 percent shall be distributed to localities on the basis of the high-need student population in the locality. The bill clarifies that a high-need student population includes students who are (a) automatically certified for free school meals because of participation in social services programs, (b) participants in a program of special education, or (c) English language learners.The bill provides certain exemptions to the sales and use tax on services, including health care services that must be performed by a person licensed or certified by the Department of Health Professions, veterinary services, professional services, Internet access services, and services provided by a person who does not receive more than $2,500 per year in gross receipts for performance of such services. The bill exempts services purchased by a nonprofit organization and services purchased by a homeowners' association or by a landlord for the benefit of his tenant. The bill also repeals the service exemptions currently provided for the sale of custom programs and modification of prewritten programs.Finally, the bill exempts food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products from all state, local, and regional sales taxes on and after July 1, 2025. Under current law, food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products are subject only to the one percent local option sales tax.

Vivian E. WattsDemocrat

Income tax; imposition of tax and standard deduction.

Income tax; imposition of tax and standard deduction. Adds, beginning in taxable year 2026, a new top income tax bracket such that a seven percent tax shall be imposed on Virginia taxable income in excess of $600,000. Current law imposes a top tax bracket of five and three-quarters percent on income in excess of $17,000. Additionally, the bill increases the standard deduction to $12,000 for single individuals and $24,000 for married individuals beginning in taxable year 2025 and indexes such deduction amount for inflation annually beginning in taxable year 2026.

Vivian E. WattsDemocrat

Institutions of higher education; financial assistance; tuition grants; Virginia National Guard.

Institutions of higher education; financial assistance; tuition grants; Virginia National Guard. Increases from $50,000 to $250,000 the amount of grant funding that the Department of Military Affairs may use each year to recruit qualified applicants for service in the Virginia National Guard.

N. Baxter EnnisRepublican

Department of Transportation; maintenance on components of the Interstate System.

Department of Transportation; maintenance on components of the Interstate System. Authorizes the Department of Transportation to perform nonemergency work on the Interstate System with its own employees or agents. Current law requires nonemergency maintenance on components of the Interstate System to be carried out by contractors unless the Commissioner of Highways provides good and sufficient reasons for not doing so.

N. Baxter EnnisRepublican

Wrongful death action; who may bring.

Wrongful death action; who may bring. Allows an immediate family member of a deceased person, as defined in the bill, to bring a wrongful death action on behalf of the deceased. Under current law, such action may only be brought by the deceased person's personal representative.

N. Baxter EnnisRepublican

Motor vehicle safety inspection approval sticker; increases member of armed services grace period.

Motor vehicle safety inspection approval sticker; armed services grace period. Increases the grace period for motor vehicle safety inspection from 14 calendar days to 30 calendar days for members of the armed services following their return to Virginia from active duty.

N. Baxter EnnisRepublican

Conflict of Interests Act, State and Local Government, etc.; personal interest in a transaction.

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act and General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; definition of "personal interest in a transaction." Provides that a personal interest in a transaction exists, for purposes of the State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act and the General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act, when a subject of a transaction is the spouse of the officer, employee, or legislator, regardless of whether a financial benefit or liability is accrued by the spouse as the result of such transaction.

Vivian E. WattsDemocrat

Elections; general provisions; loudspeakers prohibited at polls and certain other locations; penalty.

Elections; general provisions; loudspeakers prohibited at polls and certain other locations; penalty. Extends the prohibition on loudspeakers at the polls on election day to the office of the general registrar, a central absentee voter precinct, or a voter satellite office on election day and during hours when such facilities are open for the purpose of casting absentee ballots.

N. Baxter EnnisRepublican

Department of Health; regulations; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' final rule; Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities.

Department of Health; regulations; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' final rule; Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities. Directs the Department of Health to develop regulations to implement the requirements of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' final rule for Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting. The bill also repeals Chapters 482 and 483 the Acts of Assembly of 2023, which are made obsolete by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' final rule.

Vivian E. WattsDemocrat

Firearms-related offenses; mandatory minimum sentence, penalty.

Firearms-related offenses; mandatory minimum sentence; penalty. Increases from five to 10 years for a second or subsequent offense the mandatory minimum sentence for use or display of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies.

Chris ObenshainRepublican

Mass Violence Care Fund; established.

Mass Violence Care Fund established.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Constitutional amendment; right to work (first reference).

Constitutional amendment (first reference); right to work. Provides that it is unlawful for any person, corporation, association, or the Commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions to deny or attempt to deny employment to any person because of such person's membership in, affiliation with, resignation from, or refusal to join or affiliate with any labor union or employee organization.

Israel D. O'QuinnRepublican

Constitutional amendment; Literary 5 Fund, exemption for certain asset forfeiture (first reference).

Constitutional amendment (first reference); Literary Fund; exemption for certain asset forfeiture.

A.C. CordozaRepublican

Massage therapists; increases hours of minimum training for licensure.

Massage therapists; licensure; qualifications; minimum training. Increases from 500 hours to 625 hours the minimum requirement for training in a massage therapy educational program for applicants for licensure as a massage therapist.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

Health insurance; coverage for cancer follow-up testing, report.

Health insurance; coverage for cancer follow-up testing; report. Requires health insurers and other carriers to provide coverage for cancer follow-up testing, as defined in the bill, and prohibits the imposition of deductibles, coinsurance, or any other cost-sharing requirements specifically on cancer follow-up testing. The bill directs the Bureau of Insurance to annually report to the General Assembly on (i) the number of individuals benefiting from the removal of copayments for cancer follow-up testing, (ii) the financial impact on health insurance premiums as a result of the provisions of the bill, and (iii) recommendations for further policy adjustments.

Holly M. SeiboldDemocrat

Voter registration; list of unqualified persons transmitted to general registrars.

Voter registration; jury commissioners; list of unqualified persons transmitted to general registrars; list maintenance. Requires jury commissioners to collect information obtained from those persons not qualified to serve as a result of a condition that would also make them unqualified to register to vote. The sheriff, clerk of court, or other official responsible for maintaining such information provided by the commissioners is required to regularly transmit such information to the general registrar for the locality or localities served by such official. The bill requires general registrars to utilize such information to identify voters who are no longer qualified to vote and to initiate list maintenance procedures. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Tony O. WiltRepublican

Public utilities; classification of customers.

Public utilities; classification of customers. Requires that a public electric utility or a public utility authorized to furnish water or water and sewer service include a separate classification for data centers, as defined in the bill, when satisfying the existing requirement that any rate, toll, charge, or schedule of a public utility is only considered to be just and reasonable by the State Corporation Commission if the public utility has demonstrated that such rates, tolls, charges, or schedules contain reasonable classifications of customers.

Michael J. WebertRepublican

Transfer of certain incarcerated persons to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Transfer of certain incarcerated persons to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Requires the Director of the Department of Corrections, sheriff, or other official in charge of the facility in which an alien is incarcerated to, upon receipt of a detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (i) provide U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with prerelease notification of such alien's release and (ii) upon request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, transfer custody of the alien to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon such alien's release, which shall occur no more than five days prior to the date on which he would otherwise be released from custody. Current law states that the Director, sheriff, or other official in charge of the facility may transfer such incarcerated person upon receipt of a detainer.

Jason S. BallardRepublican

Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act; flood-related disclosures.

Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act; flood-related disclosures. Requires the owner of residential real property located in the Commonwealth who has actual knowledge that the dwelling unit is located within certain flood hazard areas or floodplains to disclose such fact to the purchaser. The bill also removes from the disclosure statement provided by the Real Estate Board that is furnished to the purchaser of residential real property that the owner makes no representation with respect to whether the property is located in one or more special flood hazard areas.

Phil M. HernandezDemocrat

Alcoholic beverage control; confectionery mixed beverage retail license.

Alcoholic beverage control; confectionery mixed beverage retail license. Creates a confectionery mixed beverage retail license that authorizes the licensee to prepare and sell on the licensed premises for on-and-off premises consumption confectionery that contains five percent or less alcohol by volume. The bill provides that any alcohol contained in such confectionery shall not be in liquid form at the time of sale, unless such confectionery is a frozen dessert, as defined in the bill. The bill also sets the state and local license fee for such confectionery license and repeals the provisions of alcoholic beverage control law that created an off-premises wine and beer confectionery license.

Amanda E. BattenRepublican

Alcoholic beverage control; illegal advertising, exceptions, charitable sales promotion.

Alcoholic beverage control; illegal advertising; exceptions; charitable sales promotion. Allows a licensed distillery, winery, or brewery to advertise in or send any advertising matter into the Commonwealth about or concerning alcoholic beverages for the purposes of a charitable sales promotion to benefit (i) a charitable or civic organization, (ii) an organization exempt from taxation under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or (iii) any public or private elementary or secondary school or institution of higher education, regardless of whether such charitable sales promotion advertises that a percentage of each sale or per product sold will benefit such organization, school, or institution.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat

Licensed child placing agencies; foster and adoptive provider training, etc.

Department of Social Services; licensed child placing agencies; foster and adoptive provider training; reciprocity among local departments of social services and licensed child placing agencies; regulations. Directs the Department of Social Services to amend its regulations related to preservice trainings and annual in-service trainings for foster and adoptive providers to ensure that reciprocity for such trainings is established among all local departments of social services and all licensed child placing agencies in the Commonwealth.

Amanda E. BattenRepublican

Virginia Social Media Regulation Act; established, penalties.

Virginia Social Media Regulation Act established; penalties. Establishes the Virginia Social Media Regulation Act for the purpose of prohibiting minors in Virginia from possessing an account on any social media platform, defined in the bill, without the express consent of a parent or guardian. The bill requires a social media company to provide a minor's parent or guardian with access to the minor's account and all posts and information on such account. The bill also places prohibitions on the type of data and personal information a social media platform may collect from a minor account holder and prohibits the use of any practice, design, or feature on a social media company's platform that the company knows, or should reasonably know, could cause a minor account holder to have an addiction to the social media platform. Lastly, the bill provides that any violation of the Virginia Social Media Regulation Act shall constitute a prohibited practice and be subject to the enforcement provisions of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Mark L. Earley, Jr.Republican

Maternal Health Coordinator Program; created, report.

Maternal Health Coordinator Program; purpose. Creates the Maternal Health Coordinator Program to serve preconception, pregnant, postpartum, and interconception women and their families within clinical, community, virtual, and home settings. Under the bill, the Department shall appoint a maternal health coordinator in each of the 35 health districts to conduct (i) case finding and outreach, (ii) assessment of risk factors, (iii) case management, (iv) home visitation, (v) childbirth and parenting education, and (vi) father engagement activities. The bill directs the Department to also appoint a regional coordinator in each of the five health regions of the Commonwealth to provide consultation and assistance to the district maternal health coordinators and collect data on the Program for each local health district and compile a report to be submitted to the Department no later than December 1, 2026, and annually thereafter.

Emily M. JordanRepublican

High-energy facilities; water and energy usage info. reports statewide clearinghouse established.

High-energy facilities; water and energy usage information reports; statewide clearinghouse established. Requires any owner or operator of a high-energy facility, as defined in the bill, to submit to the Department of Environmental Quality no later than May 1, 2026, and on a quarterly basis thereafter, a report that contains certain information relating to water and energy usage for each such facility. The bill requires the Department, no later than July 1, 2026, to design, implement, and maintain a publicly accessible website to serve as a statewide clearinghouse for information relating to water and energy usage of all high-energy facilities operating in the Commonwealth. The bill provides that, in order to fully cover the costs of designing, implementing, and maintaining the statewide clearinghouse, the Department shall assess an initial fee on each owner or operator of a high-energy facility and may assess an annual fee thereafter for each year that such high-energy facility is in active use. The bill requires any owner or operator of a high-energy facility to notify the Department of any substantial change in operations or technologies that would require an update to the information required by the bill at least 60 days prior to making such change. The bill also requires the Department to convene a work group of stakeholders for the purpose of identifying additional information required to be published to the statewide clearinghouse. Such work group is required to convene at least three times by July 1, 2026, in a manner that is open to the public, and each such meeting is required to include a public comment period of no less than 60 days following such meeting.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Medicaid billing navigator positions; established.

Department of Education; Medicaid billing navigator positions; report. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish within the Department of Education two Medicaid billing navigator positions for the purpose of providing school divisions with guidance and assistance to effectively navigate the laws, policies, rules, regulations, and guidelines governing Medicaid billing for reimbursable services rendered at school sites and ensuring that all school divisions are able to fully leverage Medicaid funding opportunities to enhance student health services. The bill establishes the qualifications for and duties of such navigators and requires such navigators to annually report certain data to the Secretary of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund; established, wildlife carcass removal tracking, reports.

Wildlife corridors; action plan, fund, and programs; Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan; wildlife carcass removal tracking; reports. Establishes the Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund to provide grants for projects that preserve or enhance wildlife corridors prioritized by the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan and associated wildlife crossing infrastructure projects and establishes a grant program for the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Department of Forestry, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Wildlife Resources to collaborate on disbursing moneys from the Fund. The bill directs such Departments to submit a report to the General Assembly by November 1 of each odd-numbered year concerning the Fund. The bill requires the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan created by the Department of Wildlife Resources to address the financial needs of the Plan and implement certain additional initiatives. The bill also directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to include in the Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan a directive to encourage opportunities to incorporate wildlife-friendly design in flood resilience infrastructure where flood risk priorities align with priorities of the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to (i) establish and administer a program for the implementation of wildlife crossings of highways in the Commonwealth, (ii) incorporate the recommendations of the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan established by the Department of Wildlife Resources pursuant to existing law in the policies and procedures of the Department, and (iii) submit a report to the General Assembly in each even-numbered year. The bill requires the Department of Transportation and the Commonwealth Transportation Board to include in all highway maintenance contracts a requirement for such contractor to identify certain data related to wildlife carcass removal and provides that such requirement may be accomplished by using the Department's Wildlife Carcass Removal Tracking application.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat