Bills & Legislation

Emergency vehicles; exempt from certain traffic regulations.

Emergency vehicles; exempt from certain traffic regulations. Authorizes a law-enforcement vehicle, defined in current law, operated by or under the direction of a state or local law-enforcement officer to disregard parking and stopping provisions. The bill expands the situations in which such vehicles may disregard speed limits to include when establishing evidence of other violations of law and when responding to an emergency in which emergency lights and siren may pose a safety risk and removes such authorization for disregarding speed limits in certain situations provided under existing law for law-enforcement vehicles operated by or under the direction of a federal law-enforcement officer.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program and Fund; award guidelines.

Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program and Fund; award guidelines. Provides that the Governor shall prioritize awarding grants pursuant to the Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program to projects that receive federal matching funds. The bill also updates the definition of "military community" to be one where more than five percent of the economy is derived from (i) military funding and (ii) supporting partner entities who aid in the planning, design, construction, or completion of infrastructure projects that enhance military readiness, installation resiliency, or quality of life for such locality's community, rather than only from military funding under current law.

Anne Ferrell TataRepublican

Consultation with federally recognized tribes; permits and reviews, etc.

Consultation with federally recognized tribes; permits and reviews with potential impacts on environmental, cultural, and historic resources. Adds to the duties of the Ombudsman for Tribal Consultation requirements to (i) facilitate communication between federally recognized tribes and relevant state agencies and local governments to ensure an opportunity for meaningful and timely consultation on environmental, cultural, and historical permits and reviews; (ii) assist the Department of Transportation in developing consultation policies; (iii) make recommendations to the Governor on the basis of communications with federally recognized tribes about (a) circumstances under which tribal consent should be required for issuance of certain permits and (b) additional agencies that should develop policies and procedures to ensure meaningful, timely, and appropriate consultation with federally recognized tribes; (iv) provide training at least once a year to certain state agency personnel on issues of concern to the federally recognized tribes to support effective communication, collaboration, and positive government-to-government relations between the Commonwealth and the federally recognized tribes; and (v) submit an annual report to the Secretary of the Commonwealth on the activities undertaken to implement such provisions and the issues that have arisen in that pursuit. The bill also requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Historic Resources, Department of Transportation, and Marine Resources Commission to engage in consultation with federally recognized tribes on certain issues. During such consultation, the burden is on the agency to show that it has made a good faith effort to elicit meaningful and timely feedback, including formal communication between agency employees and the federally recognized tribe. When a burial permit will result in the disturbance of a burial site of an individual that has a cultural affiliation with a particular federally recognized tribe, the bill requires the Department of Historic Resources to acquire the consent of such federally recognized tribe before issuing a permit for the archaeological excavation of human remains. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

SUDEP; Office of Chief Medical Examiner to publish information on its website.

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy; 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.

Holly M. SeiboldDemocrat

Net investment income tax; imposes a tax on individuals, trusts, and estates.

Net investment income tax. Imposes a net investment income tax on individuals, trusts, and estates beginning in taxable year 2027. The tax is generally equal to 3.8 percent of the lesser of (i) net investment income, defined in the bill, for the taxable year or (ii) federal modified adjusted gross income, defined in the bill, for such taxable year reduced by $500,000.

Elizabeth B. Bennett-ParkerDemocrat

Alcoholic beverage control; advertising materials, purchase and display of barrels.

Alcoholic beverage control; advertising materials; purchase and display of barrels. Allows a retail licensee to elect to receive the physical barrel or lid in addition to purchasing the bottled contents of a distilled spirits barrel from a manufacturer through a barrel purchase agreement supplied to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. The bill provides that such physical barrel or lid shall not be considered a gift and may be displayed on the retail licensee's premises.

Elizabeth B. Bennett-ParkerDemocrat

Chesapeake Bay Pay for Outcomes Fund; established.

Chesapeake Bay Pay for Outcomes Fund established. Establishes the Chesapeake Bay Pay for Outcomes Fund to provide outcome-based payments for verified reductions in nutrient and sediment pollution from nonpoint sources within the Chesapeake Bay watershed of the Commonwealth. The Department of Environmental Quality is directed to administer the Fund and to establish a competitive solicitation process for awarding payments from the Fund.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Occoquan Reservoir; low-flow protections for drinking water safe yield.

Occoquan Reservoir; low-flow protections for drinking water safe yield. Requires any Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit issued after July 1, 2026, authorizing the diversion of sewage or reclaimed water from a publicly owned treatment works for reuse that would otherwise discharge into the Occoquan Reservoir, the Occoquan River, Bull Run, or any of their tributaries above the Occoquan Reservoir to incorporate certain low-flow protection requirements for drinking water safe yield if the total diversion amount allowed by the permit exceeds 500,000 gallons per day. The bill also prohibits the issuance of any Virginia Water Protection Permit after July 1, 2026, authorizing the withdrawal of water for consumptive uses from the Occoquan Reservoir, the Occoquan River, Bull Run, or any of their tributaries above the Occoquan Reservoir for any purpose other than agricultural or irrigation purposes or for continued operation, expansion, or relocation of existing public water supply withdrawals.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Fire Programs Fund; increases assessment.

Fire Programs Fund; assessment. Increases the fire insurance assessment from one percent of total direct gross premium income for such insurance to (i) 1.5 percent on and after July 1, 2026, but before July 1, 2027, and (ii) two percent on and after July 1, 2027.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

Artificial Intelligence Workforce Impact Act; established, report.

Artificial Intelligence Workforce Impact Act established; report. Establishes reporting requirements for each state agency in the Commonwealth relating to the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce. The bill requires each agency to submit quarterly reports to the Department of Human Resource Management detailing workforce impacts as a result of the use of one or more artificial intelligence systems during the preceding quarter. If an agency reports 10 or more workforce impacts as a result of the use of one or more artificial intelligence systems within a fiscal year, the bill requires such agency to submit an Artificial Intelligence Workforce Transition Plan to the Department within 120 days of such quarterly report in which the threshold was reached. The bill provides that a state employee whose job is eliminated, materially changed, or restructured due to the use of one or more artificial intelligence systems shall be eligible for (i) retraining or upskilling programs coordinated through the Department and the Virginia Community College System; (ii) priority consideration for vacancies for which such employee is qualified within any state agency; (iii) career transition services offered through the Virginia Employment Commission; and (iv) any additional support measures offered by the Department. The bill requires the Department to review the information received by agencies under the bill and submit annual reports to the Governor, the Secretary of Administration, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, and the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations by November 1 of each year.

Michael B. FeggansDemocrat

Photo speed monitoring devices; summons by mail, certain information to be included.

Photo speed monitoring devices; summons by mail; certain information to be included. Requires a mailed summons for a vehicle speed violation captured by a photo speed monitoring device to include (i) an explanation indicating the section of Code authorizing the placement and operation of photo speed monitoring devices and that such violation for which the summons was mailed will not be (a) deemed a conviction as an operator, (b) made part of the liable person's operating record, or (c) used for insurance purposes; (ii) an explanation of the process by which a person may contest such violation; and (iii) an explanation of the penalties for failure to pay the imposed civil penalty.

H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.Republican

Virginia FOIA; public records to be open to inspection, non-citizen property owners.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; public records to be open to inspection; non-citizen property owners. Includes non-citizens owning property within the Commonwealth among the list of persons to whom all public records shall be open under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.Republican

Removal of clutter; cutting of grass; agricultural use exemption; Planning District 19.

Removal of clutter; cutting of grass; agricultural use exemption; Planning District 19. Exempts localities located in Planning District 19 from provisions that exclude agricultural land from requirements relating to the removal of clutter and cutting of grass when such land is one acre or less and located in an area that is used for a residential purpose.

H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr.Republican

Agricultural Workforce Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Program; established, report.

Agricultural Workforce Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Program established; report. Requires the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (the Department) to establish and administer the Agricultural Workforce Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Program (the Program) to support the mental health and well-being of the agricultural workforce, as defined in the bill, in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Program to (i) increase public awareness of mental health and suicide prevention, (ii) provide access to culturally and contextually appropriate mental health services, and (iii) address mental health challenges arising from certain stressors affecting agricultural communities in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Department to submit a report on the Program's progress, including data collected and any recommendations, to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources by September 1, 2027, and biennially thereafter.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Independent Pharmacy Access and Resilience Pilot Program; established, report, sunset.

Independent Pharmacy Access and Resilience Pilot Program; report; sunset. Establishes the Independent Pharmacy Access and Resilience Pilot Program in the Department of Health to strengthen and stabilize access to pharmacy services in medically underserved communities and communities at heightened risk of pharmacy closure. The Program is established as a pilot program with an expiration date of July 1, 2030, and participation is limited to 12 independent pharmacies meeting certain criteria outlined in the bill. The bill directs the Department to submit to the Governor and General Assembly an interim report with evaluations of participating pharmacies no later than November 1, 2028, and a final comprehensive evaluation no later than November 1, 2029, in order for the General Assembly to determine whether to continue, modify, expand, or terminate the Program.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team; established, penalty, report.

Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team established; penalty; report. Establishes the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team to develop and implement procedures to ensure that fetal and infant deaths occurring in the Commonwealth are analyzed in a systematic way. The bill requires the Team to compile triennial statistical data regarding fetal and infant deaths and to make such data available to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Department of Health. The bill provides that information and records obtained or created by the Team and portions of meetings of the Team at which individual fetal and infant deaths are discussed shall be confidential.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Community health workers; DMAS to evaluate, etc., to integrate into Medicaid managed care, report.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; community health workers in Medicaid managed care; report. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to evaluate and develop recommendations for a statewide strategy to integrate community health workers into Medicaid managed care and related health and human services programs. The bill instructs DMAS to consult with the Department of Health, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, the Virginia Community Health Worker Association, Medicaid managed care organizations, local departments of social services, community-based providers, and other relevant stakeholders. The bill requires DMAS to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Joint Commission on Health Care and the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations by December 1, 2026.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Property under common ownership; creation of easements.

Property under common ownership; creation of easements. Provides that a private appurtenant easement may be created for any purposes by the owner of the dominant and servient estate by the recordation of an instrument that grants or reserves such easement. The bill further provides that the rule of property law known as the doctrine of merger shall not prevent such grant or reservation.

Marty MartinezDemocrat

Real property tax; partial exemption for certain commercial and industrial structures.

Real property tax; partial exemption for certain commercial and industrial structures. Prohibits the application of a partial real property tax exemption to the demolition or replacement of an existing structure when such structure is a registered Virginia landmark or is determined by the Department of Historic Resources to contribute to the significance of a registered historic district. Current law prohibits the application of an exemption to the demolition or replacement of an existing structure when such structure is a registered Virginia landmark or is determined to contribute to the significance of a registered historic landmark.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

Residential Well Water Testing and Treatment Program and Fund; established.

Residential Well Water Testing and Treatment Program and Fund. Directs the State Board of Health to adopt regulations to utilize point-of-use or point-of-entry drinking water treatment or filtration systems to remove or significantly reduce concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonate, and other established and emerging contaminants of concern that meet or exceed maximum contaminant levels or health advisory levels for the same contaminant adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or, in the in the absence of an EPA health advisory for such contaminant, a contaminant level determined by the Department of Health's Office of Drinking Water. The bill also establishes the Residential Well Water Testing and Treatment Program and Program Fund to allow the Department to test and treat contaminated drinking water through grants for the use of eligible treatment or filtration systems in private residential wells. This bill is a recommendation of the State Water Commission.

Ellen H. McLaughlinRepublican

Child Care Subsidy Program; income-based eligibility for assistance.

Early childhood care and education; Child Care Subsidy Program; income-based eligibility for assistance; development and implementation of phased reduction model. Requires the Department of Education (the Department) to develop and implement a phased reduction model for the Child Care Subsidy Program (the Program) that provides for an assistance phase-out period during which the assistance for which a given family is eligible is incrementally reduced in proportion to the increase in such family's income for the purpose of ensuring that no family receiving child care assistance under the Program experiences a sudden loss in eligibility for assistance as a result of an increase in family income. The bill requires the phased reduction model developed and implemented by the Department to consist of incremental income tiers, with each increase in income tier corresponding to a proportional reduction in the percentage of assistance for which a given family is eligible under the Program. The bill directs the Board of Education to (i) promulgate regulations for the development and implementation of the phased reduction model in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (ii) submit to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services any amendments to the current Child Care and Development Fund Plan for Virginia as are necessary to implement the provisions of the bill.

Jackie H. GlassDemocrat

Home-Based Child Care Provider Start-Up Grants Pilot Program; established, sunset.

Early childhood care and education; Home-Based Child Care Provider Start-Up Grants Pilot Program established; requirements. Establishes the Home-Based Child Care Provider Start-Up Grants Pilot Program, whereby funds are provided to Child Care Aware of Virginia to work in conjunction with the public and private partners enumerated in the bill in order to expand the supply of licensed home-based child care providers in the Commonwealth, promote the safety of licensed home-based child care providers, and support access to child care for working parents in the Commonwealth, through providing for the award of grants to licensed and unlicensed home-based child care providers in the Commonwealth in accordance with the requirements of the bill. The bill requires Child Care Aware of Virginia to annually collect and make publicly available data on the number of home-based child care providers supported under the Program. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2029.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

Real property; tax classification of land and improvements in City of Newport News.

Real property tax; classification of land and improvements; City of Newport News. Authorizes the City of Newport News to levy a tax on the improvements to real property at a different rate than the tax imposed upon the land on which it is located. The rate levied on the improvements to real property shall not be zero and shall not exceed the rate of tax on the land on which it is located. This bill was incorporated into HB 282.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

Minimum parking requirements; prohibition on mandates by localities.

Minimum parking requirements; prohibition on mandates by localities. Provides that no locality shall adopt, enforce, or maintain any ordinance, policy, or requirement that mandates a minimum number of parking spaces for any new or existing building, structure, or other use. The bill has a delayed effective date of September 1, 2026. This bill was incorporated into HB 888.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

School Construction and Modernization, Commission on; extends sunset date.

Commission on School Construction and Modernization; sunset date. Extends from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2029, the sunset date for the Commission on School Construction and Modernization.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

Students, certain; grants at public institutions of higher education, qualifications.

Grants for certain students at public institutions of higher education; qualifications. Removes the requirement for each public institution of higher education to provide a grant for the payment of tuition, certain mandatory education and general fees, and, at baccalaureate institutions, room and board, for any Virginia student who was considered a special needs adoption at any time after he turned 14. The bill also clarifies that only a Virginia student who has received a high school diploma or has passed a high school equivalency examination approved by the Board of Education and who was in foster care in the Commonwealth after he turned 14 or who was in foster care in the Commonwealth when he turned 18 and subsequently received a high school diploma or passed a high school equivalency examination approved by the Board of Education is eligible for such a grant. Current law that governs such grant eligibility is silent on the location of such foster care placement.

Anne Ferrell TataRepublican

Child abuse and neglect; creates centralized intake and validity determination.

Department of Social Services; centralized intake and validity determination for child abuse and neglect. Creates a centralized system for intake for reports and complaints of child abuse or neglect. The bill directs the Department of Social Services to be the agency responsible for the intake of reports and complaints of child abuse or neglect and specifies that the Department shall determine the validity of such reports and complaints. Under current law, local departments of social services are the agency responsible for the intake of reports and complaints of child abuse and it determines the validity of such reports and complaints. The bill eliminates the requirement that local departments must be capable of receiving and responding to reports and complaints of abuse or neglect and instead requires that any complaint of child abuse or neglect received by a local department shall be immediately forwarded to the Department's child abuse and neglect intake system.

Anne Ferrell TataRepublican

Workers with disabilities; earned income disregard, cost-of-living adjustment.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; earned income disregard; cost-of-living adjustment. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to seek the necessary federal approvals to increase, as necessary based upon Social Security Administration cost-of-living adjustments, the earned income disregard for workers with disabilities.

Anne Ferrell TataRepublican

State parks; access for veterans; free entry and discounted services.

State parks; access for veterans; free entry and discounted services. Requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish a Veteran's Passport that entitles the bearer to (i) enter state parks in the Commonwealth without the payment of a parking or admission fee and (ii) receive a 50 percent discount on camping and swimming fees, picnic shelter rentals, and other Department-provided equipment rentals. Current law provides that such free entry and discounted services are available only to veterans who have a service-connected disability rating of 100 percent and have been issued a Disabled Veteran's Passport by the Department.

Thomas C. Wright, Jr.Republican

Film industry community zones; local designation.

Local film industry community zones. Allows localities to establish, by ordinance, one or more zones in a film industry community, defined in the bill as a zone designated by a locality to promote a significant film industry presence 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

Children; seizure, etc., of property used in connection with exploitation and solicitation.

Seizure, forfeiture, and destruction of property used in connection with the exploitation and solicitation of children. Requires the court to order the destruction of all audio and visual equipment, electronic equipment, devices, and other personal property used in connection with the possession, production, distribution, publication, sale, possession with intent to distribute, or making of child pornography, or in connection with the solicitation of a person less than 18 years of age, in violation of current law. The bill also (i) requires certain information to be provided by the law-enforcement agency responsible for the destruction, (ii) prohibits destruction of such items to be used in a criminal prosecution until all rights of appeal have been exhausted, and (iii) requires the law-enforcement agency to provide notice, by first-class mail, to the accused or other interested party, if known, and his attorney at least seven days prior to the destruction of the time and place the destruction will occur.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

Teachers; timeline and process for increasing salaries to at least national average.

Average teacher salary in the Commonwealth; national average. Requires the Governor's introduced budget bills for the 2027 and 2028 Regular Sessions of the General Assembly to propose funding for, and state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act enacted during any regular or special session of the General Assembly during 2027 or 2028 to fund, the Commonwealth's share of compensation supplement incentives for Standards of Quality-funded instructional and support positions sufficient to increase the average teacher salary in the Commonwealth to at least the national average teacher salary by the end of fiscal year 2029 and establishes a detailed timeline and process for satisfying such requirement.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Comprehensive children's health care coverage program; DMAS Services to establish.

Comprehensive children's health care coverage program. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (the Department) to establish a program to provide state-funded comprehensive health care coverage for individuals in the Commonwealth who are (i) under 19 years of age and (ii) not covered under a group health plan or health insurance coverage, or otherwise eligible for medical assistance services through the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance services established pursuant to Title XIX or XXI of the Social Security Act. The bill also requires the Department to ensure that all program information is made available in a manner that is accessible to individuals with limited English proficiency and individuals with disabilities through the provision of language access services, including oral interpretation and written translation, free of charge and to ensure that information obtained by the program remains confidential and is not disclosed for any purpose not related to the administration of the program or any purpose related to civil immigration enforcement unless the subject of the information consents to such disclosure or the requesting agency presents a valid judicial order, subpoena, or warrant. The bill requires the Department to seek all federal waivers and other approvals necessary to maximize federal financial participation in the cost of carrying out the program established by the bill.

Nadarius E. ClarkDemocrat

Higher ed. institution; eligibility for in-state tuition for citizens of fed. recognized Va. tribes.

Institutions of higher education; eligibility for in-state tuition for citizens of federally recognized Virginia tribes. Makes any non-Virginia student who is a member or citizen of a federally recognized tribe and who is enrolled in an undergraduate degree program eligible for in-state tuition. The bill also allows the governing board of any public institution of higher education to charge in-state tuition to such students enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program. This is a recommendation of the Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

Electric utilities; small portable solar generation devices.

Electric utilities; small portable solar generation devices. Permits any electric utility customer to own and operate a small portable solar generation device, defined in the bill as a nationally certified, plug-in solar photovoltaic device with a maximum power output of no more than 1,200 watts at a single premise that is not designed to be interconnected with the electric grid and is intended primarily to offset part of the customer's electricity consumption. The bill prohibits an investor-owned utility, municipal utility, or electric cooperative from imposing interconnection requirements, charging any fee related to the device, or requiring that the customer obtain the utility's approval before installing or using the device. Under the bill, no electric utility or electric cooperative shall be liable for damage or injury caused by a small portable solar generation device.

Jessica L. AndersonDemocrat

Corporations; limited liability decentralized autonomous orgs. (LLDs), delayed effective date.

Corporations; limited liability decentralized autonomous organizations (LLDs). Creates the Limited Liability Decentralized Autonomous Organization (LLD) Act, which establishes requirements for an LLD, defined as a distinct legal entity that operates through decentralized governance using blockchain technology and smart contracts that execute decentralized decision-making mechanisms. The bill permits the formation of an LLD by filing articles of organization with the State Corporation Commission (the Commission), and, if certain requirements are met, the Commission may issue a certificate of organization. The bill includes requirements for amending an LLD's articles of organization and also includes requirements for LLD bylaws, operating agreements, underlying smart contracts, and participant interests and management of the LLD. Under the bill, an LLD and its participants have limited liability for debts, obligations, and liabilities of the LLD. The bill also includes provisions related to recordkeeping, transferring interests, withdrawal of participants, and dissolution of the LLD. The provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2028.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat

Aggravated murder; adds correctional officers to definition, punishment.

Aggravated murder defined; correctional officers; punishment. Adds to the definition of aggravated murder, which is a Class 1 felony, the willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing of a correctional officer, defined in relevant law, when such killing is for the purpose of interfering with the performance of his official duties. The bill also provides that where the offender was 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense, the punishment shall be no less than a mandatory minimum term of confinement for life.

Mitchell CornettRepublican

Single-family-homes; prohibited acquisition, civil penalty.

Prohibited acquisition of single-family homes; affidavit; civil penalty. Restricts any partnership, corporation, or real estate investment trust that manages funds pooled from investors, is a fiduciary to such investors, has net value or assets under management on any day during a taxable year, and holds an interest in more than 50 single-family homes from acquiring any interest in any other single-family home, as defined in the bill to include manufactured home parks and residential single-family homes split into multiple dwellings, on or after July 1, 2026. The bill also requires an offering purchaser of a manufactured home park to provide a notarized affidavit certifying that the purchaser is not prohibited from acquiring such an interest. Any false statements on such affidavit is subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per occurrence.

Timothy P. GriffinRepublican

Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; extends membership to emergency dispatchers.

Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; emergency dispatchers. Extends membership in the Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System (VaLORS) to emergency dispatchers who are employed by the Department of State Police, Capitol Police, and agencies whose law-enforcement officers are eligible for membership in VaLORS. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027, and provides that such membership applies only to service earned on or after July 1, 2027.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

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, 2027, 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, 2027, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

Retail Sales and Use Tax; imposes firearm suppressor tax.

Retail sales and use tax; firearm suppressor tax. Imposes a firearm suppressor tax equal to $500 per retail sale of any firearm suppressor by a dealer in firearms. The bill provides that the revenue from such tax shall be deposited in the general fund.

Karen Keys-GamarraDemocrat

Anti-harassment orders; creates a procedure for issuing an order.

Anti-harassment orders. Creates a procedure for issuing an anti-harassment order, defined in the bill. The bill also provides that (i) an anti-harassment order does not constitute a restraining order to disqualify a person from obtaining a concealed handgun permit and (ii) a violation of an anti-harassment order is punishable as contempt of court.

Wren M. WilliamsRepublican

Election offenses; intimidation and threats toward election officials, penalty.

Elections; election offenses; intimidation and threats toward election officials; penalty. Removes the requirement that a person willfully hinder or prevent an election official from administering elections in order to be found guilty of intimidation and threats toward such official, which is a Class 5 felony under current law.

Debra D. GardnerDemocrat

Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act; restrictions on ballot eligibility.

Elections; Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act; restrictions on ballot eligibility; repeal. Repeals provisions of the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act that require the application of an overseas voter who has given up his place of abode in Virginia to show that the applicant is employed overseas or the spouse or dependent of a person employed overseas in order to vote in state and local elections. Such repeal obviates the need for an official paper ballot for voting only in federal elections.

Michael B. FeggansDemocrat

Home Flood Protection Assistance Program; enables a locality to establish by ordinance.

Localities; Home Flood Protection Assistance Program. Enables a locality to establish by ordinance a Home Flood Protection Assistance Program to provide financial assistance to households to install temporary home flood exclusion tools at vulnerable entry points. Such financial assistance is limited to $3,000 per household and shall only be granted after a household has (i) completed a stormwater extension program, as defined in the bill, or local floodplain review, including an on-site assessment by the locality; (ii) completed all required or recommended passive or structural flood mitigation measures; and (iii) received verification from the locality that no further feasible passive or structural flood mitigation measures remain. The bill provides that a locality may utilize funds from the Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund in administering a Program and directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish and maintain uniform product performance verification standards for home flood exclusion tools that will be the only such tools eligible for funds from a Program. The bill also provides that a locality establishing a Program may partner with locality-authorized nonprofit resilience organizations to assist in identifying households eligible for such Program, installing temporary home flood exclusion tools, training households on the proper deployment of such tools, and tracking the performance and effectiveness of such tools.

Michael B. FeggansDemocrat

Health insurance; coverage for prosthetic and custom orthotic devices and components, reports.

Health insurance; State Plan for Medical Assistance; coverage for prosthetic and custom orthotic devices and components; reports. Amends provisions related to health insurance coverage for prosthetic devices and components to include custom orthotic devices and components. Under the bill, such coverage does not include repair and replacement due to theft or loss and may include more than one prosthetic or custom orthotic device when medically necessary, as determined by an enrollee's provider. The bill prohibits an insurer from denying coverage for a prosthetic or custom orthotic device for an individual with limb loss, limb absence, or limb impairment that would otherwise be covered for a nondisabled individual seeking medical or surgical intervention. The bill requires health plans that provide such coverage to include language describing an enrollee's rights related to coverage for prosthetic and custom orthotic devices and provide a written explanation of any claim denials. The bill also directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to seek the necessary permissions from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide payment of medical assistance for prosthetic and custom orthotic devices, subject to the same requirements as insurers. Such payment is conditional on the Department obtaining all necessary approvals and federal financial participation. The bill sunsets on July 1, 2027, if such approval and federal financial participation is not obtained. The bill directs the health insurance carriers, the Department of Medical Assistance Services, and any managed care plan administering Medicaid benefits in the Commonwealth to submit reports to the Health Insurance Reform Commission regarding implementation of the provisions of the bill during plan years 2027 and 2028.

Dan I. HelmerDemocrat

Line of Duty Act; transitional coverage.

Line of Duty Act; transitional coverage. Requires the Department of Human Resource Management to acquire and provide temporary transitional health insurance coverage to disabled persons, eligible spouses, and eligible dependents during the period of transition into the LODA (Line of Duty Act) Health Benefits Plans. Current law authorizes but does not require the Department to acquire and provide such temporary transitional health insurance coverage to disabled persons, eligible spouses, and eligible dependents during such period.

Mitchell CornettRepublican

Accountancy, Board of; licensing requirements, inactive and emeritus status.

Board of Accountancy; licensing requirements; inactive and emeritus status. Directs the Board of Accountancy to establish "Inactive" and "Emeritus" CPA license statuses for licensees who no longer provide services to the public or services to or on behalf of an employer. The bill requires the Board to develop guidelines to provide active and inactive licensees additional clarity governing the manner in which such licensees should reference autobiographical and biographical information with respect to their CPA licensure to remain historically accurate and compliant with the law and relevant regulations. The bill directs the Board of Accountancy to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican