Bills & Legislation

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

Medicaid waivers; consumer-directed services, employer of record.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; Medicaid waivers; consumer-directed services; employer of record. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to modify the program rules for consumer-directed services available through certain Medicaid waivers to allow an individual receiving services to serve as the employer of record (EOR) for his own service delivery and designate another individual to perform all or a portion of the duties of the EOR on the individual's behalf when the individual receiving services is unable to perform such duties or direct his own care. The bill specifies that when an individual (i) has not yet reached the age of majority, (ii) is ineligible to use his existing employer identification number (EIN) to facilitate the taxation of benefits, or (iii) is otherwise determined to be ineligible by DMAS by administrative rule, the EIN shall be assigned to the individual receiving services and shall not be transferred to another individual. Under the bill, DMAS has the authority to limit such amendments to specify that an individual receiving services may make such designation no more than twice per calendar year.

Tara A. DurantRepublican

Concealed weapons; exceptions, penalty.

Carrying concealed weapons; exceptions; penalty. Adds any pistol, revolver, or other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile of any kind by action of compressed air to the list of concealed weapons the carrying of which is prohibited in public.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program; established.

Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program established; incorporation into National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund. Establishes the Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program and incorporates such program into the existing National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program. The bill also renames the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program Fund as the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program Fund (the Fund) and expands the purpose for which disbursements may be made from the Fund to include the award of incentive grants to school psychologists obtaining national certification from the National Association of School Psychologists consisting of an initial state-funded award of $5,000 and a subsequent award of $2,500 each year for the life of the certificate.

Tammy Brankley MulchiRepublican

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

Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard program; zero-carbon electricity. Amends the definition of renewable energy for purposes of the Virginia Electric Utility Regulation Act to include energy derived from hydrogen and nuclear power. The bill provides that the existing renewable energy portfolio standard program that establishes goals for the sale of renewable energy shall also include goals for the sale of zero-carbon electricity and adds zero-carbon electricity generating resources and certain other resources approved by the State Corporation Commission to the list of eligible sources for purposes of the renewable portfolio standard program.

Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.Republican

Electric utilities; regulation, development of renewable energy facilities.

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

Timothy P. GriffinRepublican

Health insurance; prescription drug formularies.

Health insurance; prescription drug formularies. Requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage for a generic drug or a biosimilar when the carrier provides coverage for the brand drug or product and the generic drug or biosimilar has a lower wholesale acquisition cost than the brand drug or product with more favorable cost-sharing, including actual out-of-pocket costs, relative to the brand drug or product. Additionally, the bill requires carriers to publish an up-to-date, accurate, and complete list of all covered drugs on its formulary, including any tiering structure that it has adopted and any restrictions on the manner in which a drug can be obtained, in a manner that is easily accessible to plan enrollees, prospective enrollees, and the general public.

Mark D. SicklesDemocrat

Charitable gaming; certain common interest communities qualified to conduct bingo.

Charitable gaming; common interest communities; bingo. Allows common interest communities that serve residents age 55 or older to become a qualified organization for the purposes of conducting bingo in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The bill limits such bingo games to residents of the common interest community and for no more than seven days per calendar year and sets value limits for the award of bingo prize money or merchandise.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

Pharmacy, Board of; membership, EMS agencies authorized to obtain controlled substance registration.

Board of Pharmacy; membership; emergency medical services agencies authorized to obtain controlled substance registration. Adds a career fire/emergency medical services (EMS) member and a volunteer fire/EMS member to the Board of Pharmacy for a total of 12 members. In addition, the bill directs the Board of Pharmacy to promulgate regulations authorizing EMS agencies and regional EMS councils to obtain a controlled substance registration. The authorization allows an EMS agency or regional EMS council to receive controlled substances in Schedules II through VI from a wholesale distributor, manufacturer, third-party logistics provider, warehouse, or pharmacy. The bill also directs the Board of Pharmacy to promulgate regulations specifying a fire station with around the clock staffing is authorized to store controlled substances in a locked room with an access control device and camera monitoring system.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

Absentee voting; absentee voting in person; available beginning 10 days prior to primary election.

Absentee voting; absentee voting in person; available beginning 10 days prior to primary election. Limits the availability of absentee voting in person in a primary election to 10 days before the election. Under current law, absentee voting in person is available beginning 45 days prior to any election, including primary elections.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Drug Control Act; manufacturers, wholesale distributors, etc., annual report.

Drug Control Act; manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and medical equipment suppliers; annual report. Requires a manufacturer, wholesale distributor, or medical equipment supplier that is licensed, permitted, or registered with the Board of Pharmacy to submit an annual report of the amount such manufacturer, wholesale distributor, or medical equipment supplier spent during the preceding year on direct-to-consumer advertising of each prescription drug or device.

Paul V. MildeRepublican

Firearms; purchase special identification without a photograph.

Purchase of firearms; special identification without a photograph. Removes 30-day date of issue restriction when establishing personal identification and residence in Virginia with a driver's license or an identification card without a photograph for the purposes of purchasing a firearm.

Eric R. ZehrRepublican

Virginia Public Procurement Act; project labor agreements.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; project labor agreements. Repeals the provision of the Virginia Public Procurement Act that authorizes any public body, including any state or local government, when engaged in procuring products or services or letting contracts for construction, manufacture, maintenance, or operation of public works, to require bidders to enter into or adhere to project labor agreements on the public works projects.

Bill WileyRepublican

Retail Sales and Use Tax; exempts gold, silver, or platinum bullion, extends sunset.

Retail sales and use tax; exemptions; gold, silver, or platinum bullion; sunset. Extends to June 30, 2032, the exemption from the retail sales and use tax for gold, silver, or platinum bullion and legal tender coins. The exemption is currently set to expire on June 30, 2025.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

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

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

Scott A. WyattRepublican

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; Virginia Parole Board meetings.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; Virginia Parole Board; meetings. Provides that except for a public meeting convened for conducting the final deliberation and vote regarding whether the Virginia Parole Board will grant parole to a prisoner, a meeting of the Virginia Parole Board members, regardless of whether such members invite staff or other guests to participate in such meeting, shall not be deemed a meeting subject to the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

Chris ObenshainRepublican

Health insurance; coverage for speech therapy as a treatment for stuttering.

Health insurance; coverage for speech therapy as a treatment for stuttering. Requires health insurance carriers whose health care plans include coverage for habilitative services and rehabilitative services, as such terms are defined in the bill, to provide coverage for habilitative speech therapy and rehabilitative speech therapy, as such terms are defined in the bill, as a treatment for stuttering. The bill provides that such coverage is not (i) subject to any maximum annual benefit limit, including any limits on the number of visits an insured may make to a speech-language pathologist; (ii) limited based on the type of disease, injury, disorder, or other medical condition that resulted in the stuttering; or (iii) subject to utilization review or utilization management requirements, including prior authorization or a determination that the habilitative or rehabilitative speech therapy services are medically necessary. The bill applies to health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on and after January 1, 2026.

Joshua G. ColeDemocrat

Absentee voting; absentee voting in person; available beginning 10 days prior to election.

Absentee voting; absentee voting in person; available beginning 10 days prior to election. Limits the availability of absentee voting in person to 10 days before the election. Under current law, absentee voting in person is available beginning 45 days prior to the election.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Phase II Utility; plan for certain generation and transmission infrastructure costs.

Phase II Utility; plan for certain generation and transmission infrastructure costs. Directs a Phase II Utility, as defined in existing law, to develop and file with the State Corporation Commission every two years a plan for addressing the risk of generation and transmission infrastructure costs associated with providing electric service to new customers that are data centers, as defined in existing law, being stranded with new customers.

Ian T. LovejoyRepublican

Virginia Land Conservation Fund; land conservation goals and needs assessment.

Department of Conservation and Recreation; Virginia Land Conservation Fund; land conservation goals and needs assessment. Establishes as a goal of the Commonwealth the achievement of permanent conservation of 20 percent of the land area of Virginia by 2035 and requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation to monitor progress toward such goal and, every five years beginning in 2030, establish additional goals for 2040, 2045, and 2050. The bill requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation to consult with relevant state agencies in establishing such goals and to submit an annual land conservation goals and needs assessment report including certain enumerated information no later than November 1 of each year to relevant committees of the General Assembly. The bill also removes the requirement (i) that the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation develop a needs assessment for future expenditures from the Virginia Land Conservation Fund and maintain such assessment on an annual basis and (ii) that the Virginia Land Conservation Board of Trustees report with an estimate of the funds needed to achieve certain goals established by the Board.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Child in foster care; provision of certain documents when child reaches 16 years of age.

Child in foster care; provision of certain documents; 16 years of age. Directs local departments of social services to provide children in foster care with certain documents when such children reach 16 years of age. Under current law, local departments of social services are required to provide certain documents when children are leaving foster care upon reaching 18 years of age.

Amanda E. BattenRepublican

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

Voter registration; time period for closing registration records before certain elections. Reduces from 21 to 10 days the number of days during which registration records are closed before primary and general elections and from 13 to 10 days the number of days during which registration records are closed before special elections that are not called by the Governor, Speaker of the House of Delegates, or President pro tempore of the Senate.

Amanda E. BattenRepublican

Campaign fundraising; legislative sessions; enforcement of civil penalty.

Campaign fundraising; legislative sessions; enforcement of civil penalty. Provides that violations of the prohibition on campaign fundraising during legislative sessions are to be reported to the Attorney General who shall initiate civil proceedings to enforce the civil penalty currently assessed for such violations. The bill provides that in the case of an alleged violation by the Attorney General, the State Board of Elections shall request the Supreme Court of Virginia to appoint outside counsel to receive such violation report and such outside counsel shall be responsible for initiating civil proceedings to enforce the civil penalty.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

License plates, special; issuance for supporters of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival.

Special license plates; Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. Authorizes the issuance of special license plates for supporters of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival bearing the legend SHENANDOAH APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

Pregnant individuals; DMAS to seek federal authority to implement presumptive eligibility.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; presumptive eligibility for pregnant individuals; qualified entities. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to seek federal authority to implement presumptive eligibility for pregnant individuals, in addition to the existing hospital presumptive eligibility program and, if the Department receives such authority, allows the Department to authorize qualified entities to make determinations of presumptive eligibility for pregnant individuals.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Motion picture production tax credit; renamed as content manufacturing tax credit, removes sunset.

Motion picture production tax credit; renamed as content manufacturing tax credit; sunset. Removes the sunset for the motion picture tax credit, which currently is set to expire after taxable year 2026, and expands and redesignates the tax credit as the content manufacturing tax credit. The bill increases the total amount of credits that can be allocated to eligible taxpayers from $6.5 million to $11.5 million beginning in fiscal year 2025 and allows unclaimed aggregate credit amounts to be carried over and added to the aggregate credit cap in the following fiscal year. The bill also amends the definition of the "qualifying expenses" eligible for the content manufacturing tax credit to mean certain amounts spent in connection with the production of an eligible project filmed in the Commonwealth, defined as the production of a motion picture or an episodic television series.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Virginia Access to Justice Act; establishes public defender office in each judicial circuit.

Virginia Access to Justice Act. Establishes a public defender office in each judicial circuit. Currently, public defender offices have been established in certain localities. The bill also establishes an appellate defender office to represent indigent persons in appeals of their convictions to the Court of Appeals of Virginia or Supreme Court of Virginia. The bill raises the limitation of fees that court-appointed counsel can receive for representation on various offenses in district and circuit courts. Further, the bill requires the attorney for the Commonwealth and assistant attorney for the Commonwealth to prosecute Class 1, 2, and 3 misdemeanors, or any other violation, the conviction of which carries a penalty of confinement in jail, or a fine of $500 or more, or both such confinement and fine. Current law allows discretion for prosecuting such misdemeanors and violations. Lastly, the bill expands the definition of "victim" as it relates to compensating victims of crime to include persons awarded restitution pursuant to relevant law.

R. Creigh DeedsDemocrat

Workers' compensation benefits; post-traumatic stress disorder incurred by firefighters, etc.

Workers' compensation benefits; post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters. Increases from 52 weeks to 104 weeks the maximum duration after the date of diagnosis that workers' compensation benefits are payable for anxiety disorder or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters acting in the line of duty. The bill also increases from 52 weeks to 500 weeks the maximum duration after the date of diagnosis that workers' compensation benefits are payable for post-traumatic stress disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters acting in the line of duty.

Jeremy S. McPikeDemocrat

Virginia Gaming Commerce Regulation Act; established, penalties distribution of funds, report.

Virginia Gaming Commerce Regulation Act established; penalties. Establishes the Virginia Gaming Commerce Regulation Act for the purpose of providing a regulatory and registration scheme for electronic gaming devices in the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes and specifies the registration requirements for the distribution, operation, hosting, and play of electronic gaming devices, as defined in the bill. The bill imposes a $1,200 monthly tax on each electronic gaming device from each distributor, as defined in the bill, and provides for the use of such tax proceeds after deposit in the Virginia Gaming Commerce Regulation Fund, established in the bill for distribution as follows: (i) 70 percent to the Elementary and Secondary Education Fund, also established in the bill, but only to supplement and not supplant existing funding for public primary and secondary education; (ii) 15 percent to the host locality contingent upon 33 percent of such amount being used for local law enforcement; (iii) five percent for the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program and Fund; (iv) three percent to the I-81 Corridor Improvement Fund, (v) three percent to the Gaming Regulatory Fund for administration and oversight costs; (vi) 2.5 percent to the State Police for the Office of Gaming Enforcement; and (vii) 1.5 percent to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund. The bill directs the Virginia Lottery Board to promulgate regulations no later than June 30, 2026, to implement the provisions of the bill and authorizes the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to grant a provisional registration, until the Virginia Lottery Board regulations are promulgated, to any entity that meets the respective criteria.

Bill DeStephRepublican

Insecure uncrewed aircraft systems; prohibition on procurement and use, report.

Prohibition on procurement and use of insecure uncrewed aircraft systems; report. Prohibits, beginning on July 1, 2025, any public body from purchasing, leasing, or otherwise procuring an insecure uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), as that term is defined in the bill. The bill further prohibits, beginning on July 1, 2029, any public body from using, whether directly or through work with or on behalf of another public body, an insecure UAS. The bill directs the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) to establish cybersecurity standards for the certification of secure UAS and maintain a list of approved UAS manufacturers and models on its website. The bill also requires the Joint Commission on Technology and Science, in collaboration with stakeholders, to review cybersecurity standards and make recommendations every two years to ensure alignment with emerging UAS technologies, evolving cybersecurity threats, the operational and safety needs of public bodies, and public safety priorities within the Commonwealth. Finally, the bill establishes the Uncrewed Aircraft Replacement Grant Program, to be administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to award grants to aid public bodies with the transition from insecure UAS to secure UAS.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat