Bills & Legislation

Public school teacher licensure requirement; comprehensive review of alt. licensure pathway, report.

Department of Education; public school teacher licensure requirements; comprehensive review of alternative licensure pathways; stakeholder work group; report. Directs the Department of Education (the Department) to convene a stakeholder work group to conduct a comprehensive review of the alternative licensure pathways, as that term is defined in the bill, available to public school teachers in the Commonwealth and make recommendations on improving the quality, efficacy, and outcomes of such alternative licensure pathways. The bill directs the Department to submit to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health (i) by October 1, 2026, an interim report on the preliminary findings and initial recommendations of the work group and (ii) by October 1, 2027, a final report on the findings and recommendations of the work group.

Lamont BagbyDemocrat

Liquefied petroleum gas fitters; service disconnection requirements, civil penalties.

Virginia Consumer Protection Act; liquefied petroleum gas fitters; service disconnection requirements; civil penalties. Requires a liquefied petroleum gas fitter, within 14 days after receiving a customer's request to discontinue liquefied petroleum gas delivery service, to offer in writing to remove any remaining liquefied petroleum gas from such customer's storage tank and reimburse the customer for the cost of the removed liquefied petroleum gas at the prevailing rate, as defined in the bill. Under the bill, if a customer accepts such offer, the liquefied petroleum gas fitter shall carry out such removal and reimbursement within 30 days after such acceptance. A violation of the bill's provisions constitutes a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Louisa, Town of; new charter, previous charter repealed.

Charter; Town of Louisa. Establishes a new charter for the Town of Louisa in Louisa County and repeals the current charter, which was created in 1972. The new charter sets out the organization of the town's government and contains powers typically granted to towns. This bill is identical to HB 657.

Luther Cifers, IIIRepublican

Impersonation of law-enforcement officer while committing additional act; penalties.

Impersonation of law-enforcement officer while committing additional act; penalties. Provides that any person who impersonates a law-enforcement officer (i) while committing or attempting to commit aggravated murder, first or second degree murder, abduction, rape, forcible sodomy, object sexual penetration, aggravated sexual battery, or sexual battery or (ii) while circumventing, bypassing, or attempting to circumvent or bypass any security measure of any business, commercial building, residence, building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof, or building owned or leased by a locality or any agency thereof is guilty of a Class 6 felony. A second or subsequent offense is punishable as a Class 5 felony.

Christie New CraigRepublican

Virginia Stock Corporation Act; changes to Act.

Virginia Stock Corporation Act. Makes various changes to the Virginia Stock Corporation Act, many of which conform the Act to recent changes to the Model Business Corporation Act produced by the Corporate Laws Committee of the American Bar Association's Business Law Section. Among other things, the bill (i) addresses the authority of a board of directors to delegate authority with respect to the issuance of shares to a committee of the board and one or more of the corporation's officers, (ii) removes the requirement for the cessation of shareholder agreements when a corporation becomes a public corporation, (iii) requires a corporation to maintain in its records certain shareholder agreements, (iv) removes the requirement for a corporation to maintain its financial statements for the three most recent fiscal years, and (v) authorizes a corporation to submit a matter to a vote of its shareholders even if, after approving the matter, the board of directors determines it no longer recommends such matter. This bill is identical to HB 316.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies; noncompliance with rental agreement; mandatory waiting period. Increases the mandatory waiting period for a landlord to pursue remedies for termination of the rental agreement from five days to 14 days. The waiting period begins after a landlord serves written notice on a tenant notifying the tenant of his nonpayment of rent and of the landlord's intention to terminate the rental agreement if rent is not paid. This bill is identical to HB 15.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Electric cooperatives; authorized to establish and implement a virtual power plant program.

Electric utilities; virtual power plant program; electric cooperatives. Authorizes electric cooperatives to establish and implement a virtual power plant program. The bill defines a virtual power plant as an aggregation of distributed energy resources, enrolled either directly with an electric cooperative or indirectly through an aggregator, that are operated in coordination to provide one or more grid services. Under the bill, an electric cooperative may offer incentives to residential customers to purchase battery storage devices and is required to evaluate various methods to optimize demand. This bill is identical to HB 562.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Public schools; right to free public elementary and secondary education, discrimination, etc.

Public schools; right to free public elementary and secondary education; discrimination based on immigration status prohibited; civil cause of action. Prohibits any child in the Commonwealth from being denied a free public education through secondary school on the basis of the actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status of the child or the child's parents, in accordance with the Constitution of Virginia and consistent with the requirements of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The bill also, among other things, prohibits any school board, public elementary or secondary school, school resource officer employed by a local law-enforcement agency in any public elementary or secondary school, or any individual who is an employee, contractor, or agent of a school board from engaging in certain enumerated actions and practices that involve or result in the denial of a free public education, or denial of the benefits or exclusion from participation in any program or activity thereof, of a child on the basis of the actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status of the child or the child's parents. The bill establishes a civil cause of action for violations of the foregoing prohibitions. The bill requires the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General, to develop and make available to each school board by August 1, 2026, guidance and resources on developing policies and procedures to implement the requirements set forth in the bill and requires each school board to develop and implement by December 31, 2026, such policies and procedures and to require each public elementary and secondary school principal and administrator in the school division to complete training on compliance with the provisions of the bill as soon as is practicable but not later than the beginning of the 2027–2028 school year, consistent with the guidance and resources developed and made available by the Department of Education. This bill is identical to HB 836.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Consumer protection; automatic renewal or continuous service offers, disclosure and cancellation.

Consumer protection; automatic renewal or continuous service offers; disclosure and cancellation. Amends certain definitions related to automatic renewal or continuous service offers, including the definition of "clear and conspicuous" as it relates to seller disclosures and requirements to provide a simple cancellation mechanism. The bill replaces the term "supplier" in current provisions with "seller" and provides a definition for such term. The bill requires sellers to provide a cancellation mechanism that is at least as easy to use as the mechanism used to initiate the automatic renewal or continuous service offer, and includes additional requirements for providing such cancellation mechanism. Under the bill, certain businesses are no longer exempt from disclosure and cancellation requirements for automatic renewal or continuous service offers, and a violation of the provision constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. This bill is identical to HB 1022.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

School Construction and Modernization, Commission on; revisions, elimination of sunset.

Commission on School Construction and Modernization; revisions; elimination of sunset. Eliminates the expiration date of the Commission on School Construction and Modernization, which, pursuant to current law, is set to expire on July 1, 2026. The bill also directs the Commission to (i) meet at least four times each year and post notice of the date, time, and location of each meeting on the central, publicly available electronic calendar maintained by the Commonwealth in accordance with applicable law; (ii) update annually the statewide needs estimate for construction and modernization of school facilities; (iii) develop and deliver by November 1, 2026, a 10-year capital roadmap; and (iv) collaborate with early childhood care and education Ready Regions and comprehensive community colleges in the Commonwealth to collect and evaluate data relating to Ready Region and comprehensive community college facility usage, availability, and needs. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Education, in order to assist the Commission with its work, to update and make available to the Commission an inventory of all public school facilities in the Commonwealth by September 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 544.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Vehicle equipment; clear film on windshields.

Vehicle equipment; films on windshields. Authorizes the application of clear film to the windshield of a vehicle, so long as it is maintained in a condition consistent with federal requirements.

Luther Cifers, IIIRepublican

Electric utilities; comprehensive assessments, surplus interconnection service.

Electric utilities; surplus interconnection service sites. Directs Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia to undertake a comprehensive assessment of available interconnection capacity at each such utility's existing and planned intermittent electric generation facilities located in the Commonwealth. The bill directs such utilities to establish pilot programs for energy storage resources and solar generation facilities that utilize surplus interconnection service, as defined in the bill, including a request for proposals. The bill requires such utilities to submit the results of such requests for proposals as part of their 2027 plans and petitions for approval for the development of new solar and onshore wind generation capacity, which plans are required under existing law. This bill is identical to HB 1065.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Comprehensive mental health, substance abuse, & developmt. disability crisis services; written plan.

Comprehensive crisis system; Marcus alert system; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; comprehensive mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disability crisis services; written plan. Allows the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, in collaboration with the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to amend the written plan created pursuant to relevant law after the publication of such written plan, provided that (i) the stakeholders listed in relevant law are consulted during the development of any new language to be added to such written plan and (ii) a public comment period of no less than 30 days is held prior to the finalization of such written plan. The bill also provides that the written plan shall serve as the operational framework for relevant components of the comprehensive crisis system and the Marcus alert system and that state agencies and local implementing partners shall align their policies, procedures, and operations on an ongoing basis with the requirements and guidance set forth in the written plan, as amended. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Behavioral Health Commission. This bill is identical to HB 453.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Electric Utility Regulation, Commission on; scope and name changes to Energy Commission of Virginia.

Commission on Electric Utility Regulation; name change. Renames the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation as the Energy Commission of Virginia. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Electric utilities; disconnection reports, State Corporation Commission database, annual summary.

Electric utilities; disconnection reports; State Corporation Commission database; annual summary. Requires each investor-owned utility and electric cooperative operating in the Commonwealth to provide a monthly report on residential account disconnections to the State Corporation Commission. The monthly report is required to include specific information outlined in the bill, including the number of residential accounts involuntarily disconnected due to nonpayment, the amount of time in which such accounts were reconnected to service, the amounts of arrearages attributable to such disconnected accounts and other residential accounts, and information related to how many of the disconnected accounts participate in a payment assistance program or have a serious medical condition certification form on file with the electric utility. The bill requires the Commission to publish the information from such monthly reports in a comprehensive and easily accessible online database. The bill also requires the Commission to submit an annual executive summary to the Governor and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation on trends in electric utility disconnections based on the reports submitted by electric utilities, the first of which is due by September 1, 2027. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. This bill is identical to HB 828.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Conflict of Interests Act, State/Local Gov't.; electronic discl. by local govt officers & employees.

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act; electronic disclosure by local government officers and employees. Requires local government officers and employees to file annual disclosure statements electronically with the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council in accordance with approved standards. Such officers and employees shall be able to file the annual disclosure statement electronically beginning January 1, 2027, but such electronic filing shall be required (i) for localities with populations in excess of 250,000, beginning January 1, 2028; (ii) for localities with populations in excess of 100,000 but not more than 250,000, beginning January 1, 2029; and (iii) for localities with populations not exceeding 100,000, beginning January 1, 2030. The bill provides that the Department of Elections shall be responsible for coordinating the electronic filing by candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, the Senate, or the House of Delegates, and the general registrars shall be responsible for coordinating the electronic filing by candidates for constitutional offices, local governing bodies, and elected school boards.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units, delayed effective date.

Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units. Requires a locality to include in its zoning ordinances for single-family residential zoning districts accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as defined in the bill, as a permitted accessory use. The bill requires a person to seek a permit for an ADU from the locality, requires the locality to issue such permit if the person meets certain requirements enumerated in the bill, and restricts the fee for such permit to $500 or less. The bill prohibits the locality from requiring (i) setbacks for the ADU that are greater than the setback required for the primary dwelling or the setback required for accessory structures on the residential lot, whichever is less; (ii) conditions for ADUs that are more restrictive than those for single-family dwellings within the same zoning area with regard to height, rear, or side setbacks, lot size or coverage, or building frontage; or (iii) consanguinity or affinity between the occupants of the ADU and the primary dwelling. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Alcoholic beverage control; banquet license, municipality or nonprofit organization.

Alcoholic beverage control; banquet license; municipality or nonprofit organization. Allows a manufacturer, bottler, broker, importer, or wholesaler to sponsor or provide support, including equipment, staff, financial, and other support, for a special event for which a municipality or nonprofit organization has been issued a banquet license when such special event is to be held on the grounds of a museum or a government-registered national, state, or local historic site at which the municipality or nonprofit organization is licensed to operate a gift shop, provided that any retail license issued to the premises has been deactivated by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority for the duration of such special event. The bill limits such municipalities or nonprofit organizations to no more than eight banquet licenses for such special events per year. This bill is identical to HB 1343.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Nursing homes and certified nursing facilities; required liability insurance coverage.

Nursing homes and certified nursing facilities; required liability insurance coverage. Provides that the regulations of the Board of Health shall require purchasers of licensed nursing homes or certified nursing facilities with claims-made policies of liability insurance coverage to purchase an extended reporting endorsement of two years after the date of sale or to purchase liability insurance coverage with dates that begin two years prior to the date the existing owner's policies end.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Undue influence; presumptions in actions contesting validity of a trust or trust instrument.

Undue influence; presumption in actions contesting validity of certain trust or instrument. Provides that, in an action contesting the validity of a trust or trust instrument, where a presumption of undue influence arises, the fact finder shall presume that the undue influence was exerted over the decedent unless evidence leads the fact finder to determine that the decedent did intend for the real or personal property to be conveyed or transferred as indicated. Current law applies this presumption of undue influence only to actions contesting the validity of a will.

Mark D. ObenshainRepublican

Certain data from water users; water use consumption for domestic, etc., purposes, data centers.

Certain data from water users; water use consumption for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes and from data centers. Requires any water user required to register water withdrawal and use data to the State Water Control Board that provides water to another person offsite to include in its report, submitted on its regular reporting schedule, the total volume of potable water and, reported separately, the total volume of reclaimed water, as defined in the bill, provided during each month for each of the following categories: (i) a data center with an air permit issued by the Department of Environmental Quality and (ii) to the extent available without utility billing system modifications, (a) domestic purposes, (b) commercial and industrial purposes, separately or combined as available, and (c) all other non-categorized purposes. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 496.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund; claim limits, license threshold amounts.

Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund; claim limits; license threshold amounts. Expands the scope of Chapters 127 and 133 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025, which increased certain claim limits and license threshold amounts, to apply to any claimant who filed a verified claim with the Director of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation on or after June 6, 2024, for recovery from the Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund and whose claim was thereafter approved by the Board for Contractors.

Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.Republican

Voter registration; requiring membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

Voter registration; list maintenance; data sharing; requiring membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Requires the Commissioner of Elections to apply for, enter into, and maintain membership for the Commonwealth in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Auctioneers Board; citizen members.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; Auctioneers Board; citizen members. Clarifies that no citizen member appointed to the Auctioneers Board shall (i) have training or experience as an auctioneer; (ii) be the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of an auctioneer; or (iii) have any direct or indirect financial interest, except as a consumer, in auctioneering. The bill further prohibits appointing any citizen member of the Board currently licensed in, employed by, or financially affiliated with any profession or occupation that provides similar services to auctioneers, including a real estate broker or salesperson.

Bryce E. ReevesRepublican

Elections; deadline for receipt of absentee ballots and certain other information, etc.

Elections; deadline for receipt of absentee ballots and certain other information; 5:00 p.m. on the third day after the election. Moves the deadline for receipt of an absentee ballot, information required to cure an absentee ballot, or proof of identification to accompany a provisional ballot provided for lack of identification from noon to 5:00 p.m. on the third day after the election. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 82.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Trees; conservation and replacement during development process in certain localities, report.

Conservation and replacement of trees during development process; work group; report. Expands certain existing local government authority to plant or replace trees during the development process by expanding such authority statewide. The bill allows localities to establish higher tree canopy replacement percentages based on density per acre. The bill also alters the current process for granting exceptions to a local ordinance by modifying a provision that requires the granting of an exception when the strict application of the ordinance would result in unnecessary or unreasonable hardship to the developer, and replacing it with a requirement that the locality concur with such a determination. The bill permits localities to monitor and assess the condition and coverage of tree canopies at development sites during a period of up to 20 years after the trees are planted. The bill also allows any town within Planning District 8 belonging to an eight-hour nonattainment area for air quality standards to require, by ordinance, that a subdivision or development provide for the preservation or replacement of trees on the development site such that the minimum tree canopy or cover 10 years after development is projected to meet specified coverage criteria. Under current law, the criteria apply to tree canopy coverage 20 years after development. Finally, the bill directs the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience to convene a work group to conduct a comprehensive review of the tree canopy laws and regulations and report the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns and Senate Committee on Local Government by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 549.

Saddam Azlan SalimDemocrat

Photo speed monitoring devices; photo-monitoring systems for traffic signals, proof of violation.

Photo speed monitoring devices; photo-monitoring systems for traffic signals; school bus video-monitoring systems; proof of violation; certain persons swearing to or affirming certificates; training. Authorizes retired sworn law-enforcement officers, registered special conservators of the peace, and technicians employed by a locality to swear to or to affirm certificates for the purposes of enforcement of violations recorded by traffic light signal violation monitoring systems, traffic control device violation monitoring systems, photo speed monitoring devices, or school bus video-monitoring systems upon completion of a training course developed and approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. The bill also requires law-enforcement officers swearing to or affirming such certificates to complete such training course. These provisions of the bill have an effective date of July 1, 2027. The bill also requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to develop, approve, and make available such training course no later than January 1, 2027. This bill incorporates SB 81 and is identical to HB 684.

J.D. "Danny" DiggsRepublican

Electric utilities; renewable portfolio standard program, zero-carbon electricity, etc.

Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard; zero-carbon electricity; accelerated clean energy buyers. Revises the conditions under which accelerated clean energy buyers, defined in existing law as accelerated renewable energy buyers, may contract with Appalachian Power or Dominion Energy Virginia to obtain renewable energy certificates (RECs). The bill exempts an accelerated clean energy buyer obtaining capacity, energy, or RECs from qualifying resources or facilities from the assignment of non-bypassable costs associated with compliance with the renewable portfolio standard program based on the amount and type of renewable energy certificates obtained in proportion to such accelerated clean energy buyer's total electric energy consumption. This bill incorporates SB 470. This bill is identical to HB 369.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Real estate salesperson; DPOR to conduct review of current process for obtaining licensure.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; review of real estate salesperson licensure process; report. Directs the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to conduct a comprehensive review of the Commonwealth's current process for obtaining licensure as a real estate salesperson and to submit, on or before January 1, 2027, a report of its findings to the Chairs of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology.

Todd E. PillionRepublican

Juveniles; commitment to DJJ, petition to extend duration of indeterminate commitment.

Department of Juvenile Justice; commitment of juveniles to Department; petition to extend duration of indeterminate commitment. Creates a process by which the Department of Juvenile Justice, upon determining that a juvenile currently committed to the Department should continue such commitment beyond the high end of the length of stay guidelines established by the State Board of Juvenile Justice, may petition the court that ordered a juvenile's indeterminate commitment to the Department to extend such juvenile's commitment. The bill requires the Department to file such petition at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the high end of the length of stay range, along with a report on the juvenile's progress. If the Department determines fewer than 60 days before expiration that an extension is necessary, it shall file a petition for review that includes a statement explaining the specific circumstances causing the late filing. The bill provides that the court shall schedule a hearing on the petition at which the court shall consider such progress report and may consider additional evidence as described in the bill. The bill provides that, at the conclusion of the hearing, the court shall order either that the juvenile be released or that the juvenile's period of commitment be extended for a period not to exceed six months, provided that such extension does not exceed the limitations for an indeterminate commitment provided by current law. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Commission on Youth.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

SCC's Bureau of Insurance; customer satisfaction info. from property & casualty insurance providers.

Bureau of Insurance; report on data collected from property and casualty insurance providers; report. Requires that, as part of its existing requirements to submit annual findings and reports on companies issuing property and casualty insurance policies in the Commonwealth, the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance shall submit an additional annual report summarizing relevant information from property and casualty insurance customer satisfaction surveys.

Kannan SrinivasanDemocrat

Back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration; work group to study implementation.

Secretary of Administration; work group on automatic voter registration. Directs the Department of Elections to convene a work group for the purpose of studying the implementation of back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration (AVR) in the Commonwealth. The work group shall include representatives of the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, and the Office of the Attorney General, in addition to members of the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections, general registrars, and organizations advocating for or working on voting rights and data privacy. The work group is tasked with considering the effectiveness, efficiency, and security of back-end, opt-out AVR as compared to Virginia's current front-end, opt-out process and identifying the costs and benefits of moving to such a system. The Secretary of Administration is required to submit a report of the work group's findings to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 319.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Pharmacy benefits managers; requirements, application of law, report, delayed effective date.

Pharmacy benefits managers; requirements; scope; report. Requires all health insurance carriers to use the pass-through pricing model and may limit a pharmacy benefits manager from deriving income from pharmacy benefits management services provided to a carrier except for income derived from a pharmacy benefits management fee. The bill prohibits a pharmacy benefits manager from (i) reversing and or resubmitting the claim of a pharmacist or pharmacy without meeting certain requirements, (ii) reducing any payment to a pharmacist or pharmacy to an effective rate of reimbursement, or (iii) retroactively denying or reducing a claim or aggregate of claims except under certain circumstances. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) to examine the practice of carriers or pharmacy benefits managers requiring or inducing covered individuals to utilize pharmacy services at an affiliated pharmacy. The Commission is required to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2027. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill incorporates SB 410 and SB 413 and is identical to HB 830.

Aaron R. RouseDemocrat

Regulatory boards; adjustment of fees, recovery of disciplinary and monitoring costs, report.

Professions and occupations; adjustment of fees by regulatory boards; recovery of disciplinary and monitoring costs. Repeals the provision of law that requires, following the close of any biennium, when the account for any regulatory board within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) shows revenue to be a certain percentage greater than expenses, such regulatory board to distribute excess revenue to current regulants and reduce its licensure or certification fees so that fees are sufficient but not excessive to cover expenses. The bill also repeals the provision with respect to the Department of Health Professions (DHP) that requires, following the close of any biennium, when the account for any regulatory board shows expenses allocated to it for the past biennium to be a certain percentage greater than moneys collected by the board, the board to revise its fees so that such fees are sufficient but not excessive to cover expenses. The bill makes it permissive for the regulatory boards within DPOR and DHP to annually revise the fees levied by it for certification, licensure, registration, or permit and renewal so that the fees are sufficient but not excessive to cover expenses. The bill specifies that each regulatory board must report such revisions to DPOR or DHP and requires each agency to report such revisions to the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations by November 1, 2026, and annually thereafter. Regulatory boards are also permitted to recover reasonable administrative costs associated with investigation, disciplinary proceedings, monitoring, and confirming compliance with any terms and conditions imposed from any person who is (i) licensed, registered, certified, or issued a multistate or compact licensure privilege by any regulatory or health regulatory board and (ii) issued a finding of a violation of law or regulation from such regulatory or health regulatory board. Such administrative costs shall not exceed $500 for regulatory boards within DPOR and $1,500 for health regulatory boards within DHP.

Christopher T. HeadRepublican

Holding a handheld personal communications device while driving; driver improvement clinic.

Holding a handheld personal communications device while driving; driver improvement clinic. Clarifies that a court may order, for a first violation of texting and driving, the satisfactory completion of a driver improvement clinic in lieu of a conviction.

David R. SuetterleinRepublican

Virginia Lottery; disclosure of identity of winners.

Virginia Lottery; disclosure of identity of winners. Prohibits the Virginia Lottery (the Department) from disclosing information about any individual winner and exempts such information from disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act unless the winner consents to such disclosure. Under current law, the Department is prohibited from disclosing information about any individual winner whose prize exceeds $1 million unless the winner consents to such disclosure.

Adam P. EbbinDemocrat

Dogs; devocalization, prohibited, exception, penalty.

Devocalization of dogs prohibited. Makes it unlawful for any person engaged in the practice of veterinary medicine to perform a surgical devocalization procedure on a dog, except when such procedure is necessary to treat or relieve any injury, disease, or congenital defect that is causing or may cause the dog physical pain or harm.

J.D. "Danny" DiggsRepublican

Sheriffs; courthouse and courtroom security, concurrent jurisdiction of certain officers, etc.

Sheriffs; courthouse and courtroom security; physical location of courthouse or courtroom. Clarifies that, where a courtroom of a locality is located within the courthouse of a different county, city, or town, the sheriff, any deputy sheriff, or any law-enforcement officer of such locality shall have (i) the same police powers within and on the surrounding property of the courthouse as in his own jurisdiction and (ii) concurrent jurisdiction while present within or on the surrounding property of such courthouse, or while traveling to and returning from such courthouse, and engaged in the performance of his official duties to enforce certain laws of the Commonwealth.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Local pretrial services officers; duties and responsibilities, defendant interviews, assessments.

Duties and responsibilities of local pretrial services officers; assessments. Requires a local pretrial services officer to conduct a risk assessment of defendants arrested on state and local warrants and who are detained in jails located in jurisdictions served by the local pretrial services agency while awaiting a hearing before any court that is considering or reconsidering bail, at initial appearance, advisement or arraignment, or at other subsequent hearings. Current law requires a local pretrial services officer to interview such defendants. The bill also provides that each local pretrial services officer may conduct defendant interviews as appropriate and when available resources permit.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Driver training schools; instructor identification license.

Driver training schools; instructor identification license. Requires any instructor employed by a driver training school, when conducting behind-the-wheel training or any other training in which a student of a driver training school is driving or operating a motor vehicle, to display, or cause to be displayed, in the motor vehicle in a location that is clearly visible to the student his license authorizing him to act as a driving instructor.

David W. MarsdenDemocrat

High school graduation requirements and diploma pathways; implementation.

High school graduation requirements; application. Provides that, in the event that the Board of Education establishes or modifies any graduation requirements or diploma pathways, the Board shall only apply such new or modified graduation requirements or diploma pathways to students who enter ninth grade at the beginning of or after the first school year of implementation of such new or modified graduation requirements or diploma pathways. The bill is applicable beginning with students who enter the ninth grade on or after the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year. This bill is identical to HB 1283.

Christopher T. HeadRepublican

Financial institutions; officers and directors.

Financial institutions; officers and directors. Provides that the State Corporation Commission may permit, upon petition, an individual to serve as an officer or on the boards of directors of more than one financial institution if the Commission finds that the financial institutions are not in competition with each other or that one or both of the institutions might otherwise be denied capable management or direction from an individual residing in or employed in the locality served by an institution.

T. Travis HackworthRepublican

Emergency and temporary detention transportation; alternative transportation providers, etc.

Emergency and temporary detention transportation. Clarifies that the term "law-enforcement officer" as used in relevant law relating to emergency and involuntary civil transportation includes retired law-enforcement officers, defined in the bill, for the purposes of laws related to emergency custody and involuntary temporary detention. The bill also permits an alternative transportation provider to provide transportation of a person in the temporary detention process in a safe manner if the alternative transportation provider is (i) an employee of, or the person providing services pursuant to a contract with, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or (ii) an employee of a private or state hospital within the confines of the Commonwealth. The bill provides that, for purposes of transporting a minor during the temporary detention process, an alternative transportation provider is deemed available if it states it is available to take custody from law enforcement within six hours of issuance of the temporary detention order or an order changing the transportation provider. The bill also provides the alternative transportation provider shall maintain custody from the time custody is transferred by the primary law-enforcement agency until custody is transferred to the temporary detention facility, including while awaiting transport and during transport. The bill also specifies when a law-enforcement agency or alternative transportation provider providing transportation of a minor in the temporary detention process may transfer custody of such minor to a facility or location where the minor is awaiting transport. When a bed becomes available at the temporary detention facility, the bill provides that facility or location shall notify the law-enforcement agency or alternative transportation provider specified on the order, which shall then return to transport the minor to the facility of temporary detention.This bill incorporates SB 395. The provisions of this bill are identical to both HB 681 and HB 976.

L. Louise LucasDemocrat

Repairs or maintenance of property; entering adjoining property, petition for entry.

Repairs or maintenance of property; entering adjoining property; petition for entry. Allows an owner of real property who seeks to repair or maintain the exterior of his property to petition the circuit court for a right of entry to an adjoining property for the purpose of performing the repairs or maintenance when the property is so situated that it is impossible to perform the repairs or maintenance without entering such adjoining property and permission to enter such adjoining property has been denied. The bill requires the petition and affidavits to contain specific information including the nature of the repairs and what efforts were made by the owner to obtain permission. The bill also provides that the petitioner shall be required to return the adjoining property to its previous condition and shall be liable to the adjoining owner or his lessee for actual damages occurring as a result of the entry. This bill is identical to HB 803.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Probationer; requiring fines, costs, restitution for damages, etc., failure to pay.

Requiring fines, costs, restitution for damages, support, or community services from probationer; failure to pay. Provides that a failure of the defendant to pay any fines or costs imposed on him at the time of being placed on probation as a condition of his probation shall not, by itself, be deemed a breach of such probation unless the court finds, after notice to the defendant and his counsel and a hearing, that the defendant has willfully refused to pay. The bill provides that in assessing such failure to pay, the court shall presume that a defendant who is indigent pursuant to relevant law, or who has been deemed indigent during the pendency of a criminal or traffic case, is unable to pay such fines and costs. The bill requires the court to order such defendant relief from any alleged breach of probation, absent any specific finding to the contrary.

Tammy Brankley MulchiRepublican

Bioslurry; prohibiting injection in wells in a groundwater management area.

Groundwater management areas; bioslurry injections in wells prohibited. Prohibits any person from conducting any bioslurry injection, as defined in the bill, in any well that has been drilled through any portion of a groundwater management area declared by regulation prior to January 1, 2020. This bill is identical to HB 1381.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Winchester Parking Authority Act; amends Act to grant Authority power to sell, etc.

Winchester Parking Authority Act. Amends the Winchester Parking Authority Act to grant the Authority the power to sell, lease as lessor, transfer, or dispose of any property or interest acquired by it.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; submission of annual report.

Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; submission of annual report. Provides that the decision of whether to rescind or redact any portion of the annual report submitted by the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission shall be made by consensus of a majority of the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice and the ranking members of the minority party serving on such Committees. The bill provides that if no such action to rescind or redact any portion of the annual report is taken, the report shall be published within 30 days of submission. The bill provides that such 30-day time period shall begin the day the Commission submits the annual report to the General Assembly, and if the 30-day period expires on a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday, or day on which the General Assembly is lawfully closed, such period shall be extended to the next day that is not one of those days. The bill contains technical amendments.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network; established.

Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network established. Directs the State Health Commissioner, in coordination with the Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems Authority, to establish and maintain the Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network to provide health care providers in the Commonwealth with real-time consultation and support from sickle cell specialists. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 1391.

L. Louise LucasDemocrat