Bills & Legislation

Sewage sludge; local authority to test and monitor land application within its political boundaries.

Local authority to test and monitor the land application of sewage sludge within its political boundaries. Allows a locality to provide for testing and monitoring for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, as defined in relevant law, of the land application of sewage sludge within its political boundaries using an applicable test method established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The bill prohibits any expenses from such testing and monitoring from being eligible for reimbursement from the Sludge Management Fund.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Advanced leak detection technologies; SCC shall establish standards for use by certain facilities.

State Corporation Commission; pipeline leak detection and repair standards. Directs the State Corporation Commission to promulgate regulations establishing standards for the use of pipeline leak detection technologies for intrastate natural gas distribution facilities operated by certain utilities, as informed by a federal rulemaking on gas pipeline safety. The provisions of the bill and any such regulations shall expire upon the effective date of any final rule under the federal rulemaking on gas pipeline safety.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

Public elementary and secondary schools & higher educational institutions; threat assessment teams.

Public elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education; threat assessment teams; training on emergency substantial risk orders and substantial risk orders. Requires threat assessment teams for public elementary and secondary schools and for public institutions of higher education to receive specific education and training, within existing annual training, on the use of emergency substantial risk orders and substantial risk orders, as set forth in relevant law.

Amy J. LauferDemocrat

Underinsured motorist benefits; actions against released defendant.

Underinsured motorist benefits; actions against released defendant. Provides that any action brought by an injured person to recover underinsured motorist benefits after payment of the liability insurer's available limits is required to be brought against the released defendant by name and that the complaint is required to be served on any insurer providing underinsured motorist benefits but is not required to be served on the released defendant. Additionally, the bill provides that an underinsured motorist is presumed to have failed to reasonably cooperate in the defense of any lawsuit brought against him if he fails or refuses to meet with defense counsel for a reasonable period of time after reasonable notice after the underinsured motorist benefits insurer is served with any lawsuit and again prior to his deposition and trial. Under current law, such presumption is based on such underinsured motorist's failure or refusal to meet with defense counsel for a reasonable period of time after reasonable notice within 21 days of being served with any lawsuit and again prior to deposition or trial.

Jason S. BallardRepublican

Regional emergency communications authorities; creation and powers.

Regional emergency communications authorities; creation and powers. Authorizes localities to create a regional authority to operate and manage emergency communication services including public safety answering points. The bill authorizes such authorities to employ or contract for personnel, acquire and manage property, enter into agreements, and receive and expend funds, and requires compliance with the standards of the 9-1-1 Services Board.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

Electric utilities; pilot program for electric energy conservation, solar energy generation.

Electric utilities; pilot program for electric energy conservation, generation, and storage. Requires American Electric Power and Dominion Energy Virginia to each petition the State Corporation Commission by December 31, 2026, to conduct a pilot program for electric energy conservation, solar energy generation, and energy storage resources for low-income, elderly, and disabled individuals. The bill directs the Commission to convene a technical conference to evaluate the creation of an energy efficiency program meeting certain requirements by November 1, 2026. Under the bill, if the Commission determines that such a program is feasible for implementation by American Electric Power and Dominion Energy Virginia, the Commission shall require such utilities to petition for approval by May 1, 2027, to implement such programs. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2034. This bill is identical to SB 327.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Opioid antagonist; distribution program, reports.

Department of Health; opioid antagonist distribution program; reports. Directs the Department of Health to maintain a list of agencies and organizations that submit requests for and receive opioid antagonists through its distribution program and requires the Department to submit a quarterly report to the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the chair of the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority on its distribution of opioid antagonists. The bill requires the Department to submit an annual report 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 of each year estimating the costs of the opioid antagonist distribution program for the following fiscal year using a methodology developed by the Department pursuant to parameters set out in the bill. As introduced, the bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care.

M. Keith HodgesRepublican

Chatham, Town of; amending charter, updating or removing outdated provisions.

Charter; Town of Chatham. Amends the charter for the Town of Chatham in Pittsylvania County by updating or removing outdated provisions. This bill is identical to SB 127.

Eric PhillipsRepublican

Va. Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; annual mixed beverage performing arts facility license.

Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; annual mixed beverage performing arts facility license. Allows the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to issue an annual mixed beverage performing arts facility license to persons operating food concessions at any performing arts facility located in the City of Richmond, provided that the performing arts facility (i) is occupied under a bona fide long-term lease or concession agreement, the original term of which was more than five years; (ii) has a capacity in excess of 400 patrons; (iii) has either been rehabilitated in accordance with historic preservation standards or has been in continuous operation for a period of at least 10 years at the same location and is located in the TOD-1 transit-oriented nodal district; and (iv) has monthly gross receipts from the sale of food cooked, or prepared, and consumed on the premises and nonalcoholic beverages served on the premises that meet or exceed the monthly minimum established by Board regulations for mixed beverage restaurants. The bill has an expiration date of January 1, 2027.

Betsy B. CarrDemocrat

DOC; powers and duties of Director, Virginia Prison Education Task Force established, report.

Department of Corrections; functional literacy program for incarcerated individuals; Virginia Prison Education Task Force established; report. Requires the Superintendent employed by the Director of Corrections to (i) by January 1, 2027, develop a functional literacy program for inmates testing below at least an eighth grade level, instead of a twelfth grade level as required by current law, and include in such program evidence-based literacy instruction, as defined in accordance with applicable law; (iii) share data with (a) the state entity that oversees the management, direction, and governance of the Commonwealth's education and workforce data for the purpose of developing educational, health, social service, and employment outcome data and improving the efficacy of state services and (b) the Virginia Community College System necessary for comprehensive community colleges to apply for and maintain eligibility as Federal Pell Grant-eligible prison education programs; and (iv) track and publicly report at least annually the number of incarcerated individuals eligible for, enrolled in, and waitlisted for the literacy and education programs. The bill also establishes the Virginia Prison Education Task Force for the purpose of implementing a consistent education program across all state correctional facilities operated by the Department. The bill requires the Task Force to submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly on its activities, findings, and recommendations by November 1, 2026. Finally, the bill requires the Department of Education to, by November 1, 2026, (a) review and update the salary schedules for teachers licensed by the Board of Education and employed by the Department of Corrections to provide instruction in the schools of the correctional centers to be competitive with those in effect for the school division in which the correctional facility is located and (b) make recommendations for the inclusion of such teacher salary increases in the appropriation act.

Betsy B. CarrDemocrat

College and Career Ready Virginia Program; advisory committee and work group composition.

Department of Education; College and Career Ready Virginia Program; administration; advisory committee and work group composition. Removes the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond from the membership of the advisory committee and the work group that the Department of Education and the Community College System are required to establish for administration of the College and Career Ready Program pursuant to applicable law. This bill is identical to SB 439.

Betsy B. CarrDemocrat

Dental hygienist licensure; dentists eligible to practice in a foreign country or jurisdiction.

Dental hygienist licensure; dentists eligible to practice in a foreign country or jurisdiction. Permits the Board of Dentistry to grant a license to practice dental hygiene to persons who are eligible to practice dentistry in a country or jurisdiction outside of the United States and who are graduates of a dental school or college, or the dental department of an institution of higher education, located outside of the United States that the Board determines is acceptable. This bill is identical to SB 282.

Kathy K.L. TranDemocrat

Foreign-trained chiropractors; licensure by endorsement.

Foreign-trained chiropractors; licensure by endorsement. Permits the Board of Medicine to issue a license to practice chiropractic to a foreign-trained chiropractor who meets certain requirements.

Wendell S. WalkerRepublican

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 SB 493.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Sexual abuse during infancy or incapacity; accrual.

Sexual abuse during infancy or incapacity; accrual. Adds to the accrual provisions for personal injury actions resulting from sexual abuse during the infancy or incapacity of a person that accrual occurs when corroborative evidence, as defined in the bill, is discovered or by the exercise of due diligence reasonably should have been discovered.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Health Coordination Network Program; patient data collection.

Health Coordination Network Program; patient data collection. Renames the Smartchart Network Program as the Health Coordination Network Program and relocates it within the Code. The bill expands patient level data elements and requires the Commissioner of Health to enter into contract with an authorized nonprofit organization to create, operate, maintain, and administer the Health Coordination Network Program.

Atoosa R. ReaserDemocrat

Schedule VI controlled substances; TPA-certified optometrists permitted to sell and dispense.

TPA-certified optometrists; sale and dispensation of Schedule VI controlled substances; requirements. Permits TPA-certified optometrists to sell and dispense Schedule VI controlled substances to their own patients provided that they obtain a license to do so from the Board of Pharmacy and comply with requirements related to dispensation, storage, packaging, labeling, recordkeeping, and reporting of the controlled substances sold and dispensed. The bill permits the Board of Optometry and the Board of Pharmacy to adopt regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and establish a limited-use license for TPA-certified optometrists pursuant to the bill. The bill exempts such initial regulations from the APA requirements. This bill is identical to SB 212.

Kathy K.L. TranDemocrat

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; rental payment methods, prohibited fees.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; rental payment methods; prohibited fees. Requires a landlord subject to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to accept payment of periodic rent and any security deposit by check and money order. The bill additionally prohibits such a landlord from requiring a tenant to pay any fee to submit periodic rent payments or other amounts due in excess of the actual out-of-pocket expenses charged to the landlord by a third party to process a payment. Finally, the bill prohibits a landlord from requiring a tenant to pay any fee for the maintenance or repair of any dwelling unit unless the repair is necessitated by the tenant's violation of the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. This bill is identical to SB 313.

Kathy K.L. TranDemocrat

Minimum wage; increases incrementally to $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2028.

Minimum wage. Increases the minimum wage incrementally to $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2028. The bill codifies the adjusted state hourly minimum wage of $12.77 per hour that is effective January 1, 2026, and increases the minimum wage to $13.75 per hour effective January 1, 2027, and to $15.00 per hour effective January 1, 2028. Effective January 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, the bill requires the minimum wage to be adjusted to reflect increases in the consumer price index. This bill is identical to SB 1.

Jeion A. WardDemocrat

Utilities, certain; notice procedures for nonpayment.

Electric, natural gas, and water or wastewater utilities; disconnection procedures for nonpayment. Requires certain utilities, for the purposes of required notices related to disconnections for nonpayment, to provide such notices in an additional language for customers residing in a locality that is required to provide voting or election materials in such additional language. The bill prohibits certain utilities from disconnecting a residential customer without making reasonable efforts to offer bill payment assistance, arrange a payment plan, or provide information to the customer for other bill payment assistance or energy savings programs. The bill directs the Department of Elections to post on its website a list of the localities designated as a covered locality for the purposes of providing voting or election materials in an additional minority language by September 1, 2026, and to update such list as necessary.

Kathy K.L. TranDemocrat

Payment or delivery of small asset by affidavit; Office of the Executive Secretary to prepare form.

Payment or delivery of small asset by affidavit; Office of the Executive Secretary to prepare form. Provides that an affidavit presented by any person having possession of a small asset to the designated successor of a decedent shall be on a form prepared by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Jason S. BallardRepublican