Bills & Legislation

Electric utilities; request for proposals required for certain facilities.

Electric utilities; request for proposals required for certain facilities. Requires an electric utility seeking approval to construct or purchase a generating facility that emits carbon dioxide to demonstrate that it has conducted a request for proposals designed to fairly evaluate all available supply-side and demand-side options prior to seeking approval for such generating facility. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to review the request for proposals before the utility's issuance to ensure all available resources will be fairly evaluated.

Kathy K.L. TranDemocrat

Medical Conscience Protection Act; established.

Medical Conscience Protection Act established. Establishes the right of a health care professional not to participate in any medical procedure or service that violates such health care professional's conscience, as those terms and conditions are defined in the bill. The bill provides protections for health care professionals who disclose violations of the bill or report violations of laws or ethical guidelines for the safe provision of any medical procedure or service. The bill also provides a private right of action for any party harmed by violations of the bill.

R. Lee WareRepublican

Campaign finance; prohibited contributions to candidates, includes Phase I and Phase II Utilities.

Campaign finance; prohibited contributions to candidates; Phase I Utility and Phase II Utility. Prohibits candidates, campaign committees, and political committees from soliciting or accepting contributions from any public utility, as defined in the bill, and prohibits any public utility or any political committee established by such public utility from making any such contribution.

R. Lee WareRepublican

Food service permits; out-of-state caterers.

Department of Health; food service permits; out-of-state caterers. Directs the Department of Health to adopt regulations allowing caterers located outside of the Commonwealth to obtain a permit to provide food services for events located in the Commonwealth.

Wren M. WilliamsRepublican

Public schools; certain calculations in Standards of Quality, support services.

Public schools; Standards of Quality; certain calculations; support services. Requires the Department of Education, (i) in calculating the deduction of federal funds in the Standards of Quality funding formula, to examine actual school division spending on support costs as a percentage of actual school division spending on all public education costs, with certain exceptions such as food service, and (ii) in calculating the costs in the Standards of Quality funding formula beginning with fiscal year 2029, to include all employee benefit costs incurred by a majority of school divisions, including costs related to retirement, health care, life insurance, and payout of earned but unused leave. The bill also requires support services positions to be funded based on a calculation of prevailing costs and prohibits such positions from being subject to any method of funding calculation that caps the number of funded support services positions based on a ratio of such positions to students enrolled in the school division, with the exception of certain support services positions enumerated in the bill.

Lashrecse D. AirdDemocrat

Uniform Health Care Decisions Act; created, repeals most provisions of Health Care Decisions Act.

Uniform Health Care Decisions Act. Repeals most provisions of the Health Care Decisions Act and enacts the Uniform Health Care Decisions Act. The bill creates a process for the execution of advance health care directives, as defined in the bill; establishes criteria for determining the capacity of an individual to make health care decisions; provides for the establishment of a default surrogate in the absence of an appointed agent for health care decisions; establishes powers and duties of agents appointed by powers of attorney for health care; and establishes duties of health care professionals.

Patrick A. HopeDemocrat

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 to 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.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; failure to communicate or cooperate.

Failure of Commonwealth or locality to communicate or cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; waiver of sovereign immunity. Provides that when (i) the Commonwealth adopts any rule, regulation, or policy or passes any law or (ii) any locality adopts any ordinance, resolution, or motion that impedes the ability of law-enforcement officers, corrections officers, or jail officers to communicate or cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about a person in the United States illegally, the Commonwealth or such locality waives sovereign immunity as it relates to any injuries or damages sustained by victims of crimes committed by such person.

Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr.Republican

Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program; established, report, sunset date.

Public schools; student discipline; Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program; established. Establishes the Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program (the Program), to be administered by the Department of Education (the Department), for the purpose of addressing school discipline issues and promoting evidence-based restorative practices, as that term is defined in the bill, in public schools in the Commonwealth by awarding grants to an eligible school in each superintendent's region in the Commonwealth to be used in developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to integrate evidence-based restorative practices in such schools in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill directs the Department to (i) develop the application process by which a school board may apply on behalf of an eligible school, as defined in the bill, in the applicable school division to receive funds pursuant to the Program; (ii) establish criteria for the selection and award of grants pursuant to the Program; and (iii) develop a process for evaluating the progress and performance of each eligible school selected to receive a grant pursuant to the Program in implementing such evidence-based restorative practices and satisfying the Program requirements set forth in the bill. The bill requires any eligible school selected to receive funds pursuant to the Program, in collaboration with the applicable school board, to (a) establish a learning collaborative for the purpose of developing a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based restorative practices in such school in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (b) submit to the Department by July 1 of each year a report on the school's progress in implementing such evidence-based restorative practices for the preceding school year. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2027.

Stella G. PekarskyDemocrat

Career and technical education courses, pathways, and credentials; biennial review, report.

Board of Education; career and technical education courses, pathways, and credentials; biennial review; report. Requires the Board of Education and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, with the assistance of the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement and the Virginia Office of Education Economics, the Department of Education, the Virginia Community College System, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, to conduct, beginning with the fiscal year starting July 1, 2025, and each odd-numbered year thereafter, a biennial review of all career and technical education course, pathway, and credential offerings available to public school students across the Commonwealth for the purpose of ensuring that all such career and technical education course, pathway, and credential offerings are (i) aligned with current and emerging industry and workforce needs, demands, and standards and (ii) designed to effectively prepare students for postsecondary success through gainful employment in a high-demand industry or field, enrollment in postsecondary education, or enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. The bill requires the Board of Education and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to develop and submit to the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, and the chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by October 1 of each odd-numbered year, beginning with October 1, 2025, a report on each such biennial review.

Lamont BagbyDemocrat

Voter registration; automatic registration of hunting, fishing, and milk distributor license.

Voter registration; automatic registration of hunting, fishing, and milk distributor license and concealed handgun permit applicants; penalty. Provides for automatic voter registration by the clerk of any circuit court of the Commonwealth, the Department of Wildlife Resources, and the Milk Commission upon the application for any hunting, fishing, or milk distributor license or Virginia resident concealed handgun permit.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Virginia Human Rights Act; unlawful discrimination.

Virginia Human Rights Act; unlawful discrimination. Prohibits any state agency or political subdivision in the Commonwealth from supporting, implementing, recognizing, or utilizing any program, process, or procedure that conveys or denies a benefit, advantage, or privilege to an individual based solely on such individual's race, sex, or ethnicity.

Thomas A. Garrett, Jr.Republican

Electric utilities; data center cost allocation.

Electric utilities; data center cost allocation. Directs the State Corporation Commission to initiate proceedings to determine if the current allocation of costs among different customer classifications of electric utilities requires customers that are not data centers to unreasonably subsidize the costs of customers that are data centers. If the Commission determines that the current allocation of costs requires customers that are not data centers to unreasonably subsidize the costs of customers that are data centers, the bill directs the Commission to promulgate such rules as necessary to eliminate or minimize such unreasonable subsidies to the maximum possible extent. The bill directs the Commission to complete such proceedings prior to January 1, 2026.

Michelle Lopes MaldonadoDemocrat

Consumer Data Protection Act; controller privacy notice; cookies; consumer consent.

Consumer Data Protection Act; controller privacy notice; cookies; consumer consent. Requires the privacy notice that a controller must provide to consumers to include a method by which a consumer may opt out of the automatic placement of a data file, commonly referred to as a "cookie," on the consumer's computer or web browser and a disclosure of the purposes for which the data files are used. The bill prohibits controllers from using cookies, except those that are strictly necessary, without the prior express consent of the consumer and prohibits controllers from preventing access to their services if such consent is not granted. The bill also requires controllers to document and store proof of such consent and make available an easily accessible method by which consumers may withdraw such consent.

Ryan T. McDougleRepublican

Virginia School Improvement Grant Program; established, report.

Public schools; Virginia School Improvement Grant Program established; report. Establishes the Virginia School Improvement Grant Program (the Program) for the purpose of providing additional support to public schools identified based on their school performance score as "off track" or "needs intensive support," as those terms are defined by the bill, by awarding three-year grants to eligible schools for the development and implementation of school improvement plans. The bill (i) provides that the Department of Education shall be responsible for the administration of the Program and that the Office of School Improvement shall be responsible for the implementation and oversight of the Program; (ii) provides that any public school identified as "off track" or "needs intensive support" is eligible to apply for such three-year grant disbursed in annual installments; and (iii) permits any participating school that is identified as "off track" or "needs intensive support" for the school year coinciding with or subsequent to such participating school's final year in the three-year grant period to reapply for another grant pursuant to the Program. The bill requires any eligible school, in order to receive any grant funds pursuant to the Program, to develop and submit a school improvement plan or, in the case of a participating school receiving a grant upon reapplication pursuant to clause (iii), a revised school improvement plan outlining specific strategies for improving academic outcomes and addressing identified performance gaps for such school.

Barbara A. FavolaDemocrat

Income tax, state; housing opportunity tax credit, sunset extended.

Income tax; housing opportunity tax credit; sunset extended. Extends the housing opportunity tax credit sunset date from taxable year 2025 to taxable year 2030. The bill also increases the aggregate credit cap across all calendar years from $255 million to $1.505 billion and imposes an annual aggregate credit cap of $250 million in each calendar year between 2026 and 2030. The bill also provides that of the $250 million in credits authorized per calendar year from 2026 through 2030, 33 percent shall be reserved for qualified projects located in a geographic area within the Balance of State Pool, defined in the bill. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Housing Commission.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Professionally Licensed Teacher Supplemental Pay Program; established, report.

Public school teachers; teacher compensation; Professionally Licensed Teacher Supplemental Pay Program established. Establishes the Professionally Licensed Teacher Supplemental Pay Program (the Program) for the purpose of addressing shortages of professionally licensed teachers and reducing reliance on provisionally licensed teachers in public schools in the Commonwealth by providing, with such funds as are appropriated for such purpose, an annual supplemental payment to each professionally licensed teacher, as that term is defined by the bill, employed in any high-vacancy public school in the Commonwealth, defined as any public school that, based on the most recent data in the positions and exits collection, has a teacher vacancy rate that places it in the top 10 percent of public schools with the highest teacher vacancy rates in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Department of Education to administer and oversee the Program and, in doing so, requires it to (i) identify and develop a list, every four years, of each high-vacancy public school in the Commonwealth; (ii) ensure that, each year, such funds are disbursed in a timely manner and in an amount sufficient to provide the supplemental payment to each professionally licensed teacher employed in a high-vacancy public school in each school division; and (iii) annually submit to the Governor and publish on its website a report detailing the effect of the Program on recruitment and retention of professionally licensed teachers and the overall success of the Program in addressing teacher vacancy rates.

Mamie E. LockeDemocrat

Highway maintenance; Town of New Market.

Highway maintenance; Town of New Market. Adds the Town of New Market to the list of localities authorized to receive state funds for the performance of certain highway maintenance projects.

Timmy FrenchRepublican

Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund; established, report.

Commonwealth Savers Plan; Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund established; report. Establishes (i) the Endowment Scholarship Program for the purpose of providing scholarships to students at eligible institutions, as defined in the bill; (ii) the Virginia College Opportunity Endowment as an agency of the Commonwealth for the purpose of establishing and administering the Endowment Scholarship Program; (iii) as a subfund of the Commonwealth Savers Plan's fund, the DB529 Fund for the purpose of holding in trust the assets of prepaid tuition contracts to meet contractual obligations; (iv) as a subfund of the Commonwealth Savers Plan's fund, the Virginia College Opportunity Fund (the Opportunity Fund), into which certain funds from the DB529 Fund shall be deposited for the purpose of funding, by income generated from investments of such deposits, the Endowment Scholarship Program and other programs established for the purpose of enhancing educational access and affordability for students with recognized financial need, as set forth in the bill; and (v) the College Opportunity Investment Advisory Committee for the purpose of making recommendations to and assisting the General Assembly in determining the prudence of directing deposits, and the amounts of any such deposits, of actuarial surpluses of the Commonwealth Savers Plan from the DB529 Fund into the Opportunity Fund. The bill requires the board of the Commonwealth Savers Plan to (a) after the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2025, deposit $500 million into the Opportunity Fund from the DB529 Fund; (b) each fiscal year thereafter, in accordance with the timeline set forth in the bill, submit to the General Assembly a report on the funded status, as defined by applicable law, of the DB529 Fund and the recommendation of the College Opportunity Investment Advisory Committee as to the prudence of directing deposits of additional actuarial surpluses of the Plan from the DB529 Fund into the Opportunity Fund; and (c) each subsequent year, deposit additional actuarial surpluses into the Opportunity Fund in accordance with the provisions of the bill. Finally, the bill contains provisions (1) relating to voluntary contributions to the Opportunity Fund for the purpose of receiving tax fund contributions and income tax deductions; (2) exempting from mandatory disclosure requirements certain information contained in a public record relating to the Commonwealth Savers Plan or the Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund, and (3) authorizing the College Opportunity Investment Advisory Committee to hold closed meetings for certain purposes.

Scott A. SurovellDemocrat

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; algorithmic device services or products prohibited; civil penalty.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; algorithmic device services or products prohibited; civil penalty. Prohibits the sale of algorithmic device services or products, as defined in the bill, for the purpose of setting or recommending the amount of rent to be charged to a tenant for the occupancy of a dwelling unit. The bill also prohibits a person engaged in the business of providing algorithmic device services or products for the purpose of advising a landlord of the amount of rent that such landlord may consider charging a tenant for the occupancy of a dwelling unit from using nonpublic competitor data, defined in the bill, pertaining to residential properties in the Commonwealth in algorithmic calculations. A violation of such prohibited practices is considered an unfair deceptive trade practice for which the Attorney General may cause an action to be brought in the name of the Commonwealth.

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

School resource officers and school security officers; crisis intervention training.

School resource officers and school security officers; crisis intervention training. Requires compulsory minimum training standards for school resource officers and school security officers to include crisis intervention training.

Geary HigginsRepublican

Resource intensive facilities; permitting reqmts., Resource Intensive Facility Fee Fund established.

Permitting requirements for resource intensive facilities, Resource Intensive Facility Fee Fund established; report. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department) to develop a required permitting process for the construction and operation of resource intensive facilities (RIF), as defined in the bill, to protect the Commonwealth's natural resources environment and the public health. The bill requires the Department to consult with certain state agencies and relevant stakeholders to assist in the development of any conditions and standards for such permit and establishes the Resource Intensive Facility Fee Fund sourced by fees collected by the owner or operator of an RIF to help with the cost to the Department of administering the permit. The bill requires the Department to prepare an annual report explaining the permit status of each RIF and make such report publicly available on its website by October 1 of each year. Prior to the effective date of the required permitting process, the bill requires the Department to establish an advisory panel consisting of representatives of the Department of Forestry, the State Corporation Commission, the Department of Energy, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority, and other relevant stakeholders to assist in developing the initial criteria for the permit and to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Labor and Commerce and the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and Commerce and Labor no later than December 1, 2025. The required permitting portion of the bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Retail Sales and Use Tax; exemption for electric utility equipment.

Sales and use tax; exemption for electric utility equipment. Exempts from the retail sales and use tax, beginning July 1, 2025, and ending July 1, 2030, tangible personal property used directly in the initiation, production, generation, transmission, or distribution of electricity by Appalachian Power.

Christopher T. HeadRepublican

Charitable gaming; certain common interest communities 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.

Tara A. DurantRepublican

Estimated tax; failure by individual, trust, or estate to pay.

Estimated tax; failure by individual, trust, or estate to pay. Increases from $150 to $1,000 the maximum underpayment of estimated tax for which no addition to tax shall be added.

Emily M. JordanRepublican

Faith and housing; affordable housing on property owned by religious or tax-exempt organizations.

Faith and housing; comprehensive plan; zoning; Department of Housing and Community Development. Grants authority to localities to adopt a variety of strategies intended to encourage and facilitate the development of affordable housing on property owned by religious organizations or tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. The bill allows localities to request administrative support from the Department of Housing and Community Development in preparation of a faith and housing ordinance.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; boards; appointment requirements; years of experience.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; boards; appointment requirements; years of experience. Lowers from at least five years to at least three years the years of experience required for the appointment of (i) home inspectors to the Virginia Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors; (ii) hearing aid specialists, otolaryngologists, opticians, and ophthalmologists to the Board for Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians; (iii) real estate appraisers to the Real Estate Appraiser Board; (iv) alternative onsite sewage system operators, alternative onsite sewage system installers, and onsite soil evaluators to the Board for Waterworks and Wastewater Works Operators and Onsite Sewage System Professionals; and (v) cemetery operators to the Cemetery Board.

Jonathan "Jed" ArnoldRepublican

Health records; disclosure of laboratory test results.

Health records; disclosure of laboratory test results. Requires health care entities to wait 72 hours before disclosing test results that could indicate malignancy or genetic markers as part of a patient's health records. The bill permits health care entities to disclose health records to an electronic health information exchange to comply with the 21st Century Cures Act.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program; established, report.

Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program. Establishes the Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program (the Program) to provide matching funds to employers in order to incentivize employers to contribute to the child care costs of their employees. The Program shall be administered by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (the Foundation). To participate in the Program, an employer shall agree to make child care contributions to the eligible mixed-delivery provider on behalf of the employee and shall provide any other information deemed necessary by the Foundation. To the extent funds are available, the Foundation shall issue a state match directly to such eligible mixed-delivery provider or to a third-party administrator. Program funds shall be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis; however, the Foundation is encouraged to prioritize awards to proposals involving contributions from small businesses. The bill requires the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation to provide an interim report to the General Assembly by September 1, 2026, and a summative report to the General Assembly by September 1, 2027, on the effectiveness and impact of the Program.

Ghazala F. HashmiDemocrat

Retail Sales and Use Tax; data center exemption expiration, distribution of revenues.

Retail sales and use tax; data center exemption expiration; distribution of revenues. Provides for a sunset on the data center retail sales and use tax exemption, and any extensions thereof, on and after July 1, 2025. The bill requires that the revenues generated by the expiration of the exemption be distributed for school construction and road and bridge construction.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Elections; absentee ballot security measures; watermark.

Elections; absentee ballot security measures; watermark. Requires that any ballot mailed to an absentee voter must be printed on security paper that incorporates a visible watermark that identifies the ballot as an official ballot in a manner that preserves the absolute secrecy of the ballot.

W. Chad GreenRepublican

Income tax, corporate and state; defines "entire net income."

Corporate income tax; Virginia taxable income; definitions. Defines, for purposes of income tax, "entire net income" as the total net income from all sources that a taxpayer is required to report for purposes of the federal income tax. The bill further defines "net operating loss" as the excess of any allowable income tax deductions over the gross income used in computing entire net income.

Lamont BagbyDemocrat

Single-family homes; prohibited acquisition and ownership, restrictions, civil penalty.

Prohibited acquisition and ownership of single-family homes; restrictions; civil penalty. Restricts any partnership, corporation, or real estate investment trust that manages funds pooled from investors and has $50 million or more in net value or assets under management on any day during a taxable year from acquiring any interest in single-family homes, as defined in the bill, in the Commonwealth and requires registration with the Secretary of the Commonwealth by September 1, 2026, for any such business that acquired such interest prior to July 1, 2026. The bill also requires any such business to divest at least 10 percent of such interest per year over a course of 10 years whereby no such business shall own any interest in single-family homes on and after July 1, 2036. The bill requires the Secretary of the Commonwealth to report annually by December 1 on the registrations and any penalties assessed for failure to register or divest ownership interests and to submit such report to the Governor and the General Assembly. The bill also requires all real property tax bills to contain notice of such prohibited business ownership restrictions and registration requirements. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Schuyler T. VanValkenburgDemocrat

Fees for concealed handgun permits.

Fees for concealed handgun permits. Reduces from $50 to $25 the total amount assessed for processing an application for a concealed handgun permit by reducing the total amount charged by the local law-enforcement agency from $35 to $10.

Bill WileyRepublican

School safety; employment of school security officers, criteria.

School safety; employment of school security officers; criteria. Modifies the criteria that an individual employed as a school security officer, as defined by applicable law, must satisfy in order to carry a firearm in the performance of his duties by eliminating the requirement that within 10 years immediately prior to being hired, he was either an active law-enforcement officer, as defined by applicable law, in the Commonwealth or was employed by a law-enforcement agency of the United States or any state or political subdivision thereof. The bill instead requires any such individual to be age 75 or younger at the time he is hired to be a school security officer, in addition to the other requirements set forth in applicable law, in order to carry a firearm in the performance of his duties.

Hillary Pugh KentRepublican

Special conservators of the peace; emergency and involuntary civil admissions.

Special conservators of the peace; emergency and involuntary civil admissions. Clarifies that the term "law-enforcement officer" as used in relevant law relating to emergency and involuntary civil admissions includes a special conservator of the peace authorized by an order of appointment pursuant to relevant law that states he is a "law-enforcement officer" for the purposes of laws related to emergency custody and involuntary temporary detention.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

Virginia Museum of Transportation; established, report.

Virginia Museum of Transportation; established; report. Establishes the Virginia Museum of Transportation as a public entity and educational institution under the Commonwealth. The bill provides that the Museum is governed by a 15-member board of trustees.

Christopher T. HeadRepublican

General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; definition of "gift."

General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; definition of "gift." Excludes from the definition of a gift, for purposes of the General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act, food and beverages that are consumed by a legislator while sitting and sharing a meal with at least one legislator of a different political party.

Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.Republican

VA School for the Deaf & the Blind, Board of Visitors of the; authority to establish campus police.

Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind; authority to establish campus police department. Permits the Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind to establish a campus police department, in compliance with the provisions of law relating to campus police departments established by institutions of higher education, and to employ campus police officers therein.

Christopher T. HeadRepublican

Elections; absentee voting; drop-off locations for return of absentee ballots.

Elections; absentee voting; drop-off locations for return of absentee ballots; 24-hour video surveillance requirement. Requires 24-hour video surveillance of all absentee ballot drop-off locations.

Eric R. ZehrRepublican

Health insurance; cost-sharing, pharmacy benefits managers, compensation and duties, civil penalty.

Health insurance; cost-sharing; pharmacy benefits managers; compensation and duties: civil penalty. Amends provisions related to rebates provided by carriers and health benefit plans to health plan enrollees by defining "defined cost-sharing," "pharmacy benefits management services," and "price protection rebates." The bill requires that an enrollee's defined cost-sharing for each prescription drug be calculated at the point of sale based on a price that is reduced by an amount equal to at least 80 percent of all rebates received or expected to be received in connection with the dispensing or administration of the prescription drug.The bill prohibits a pharmacy benefits manager from deriving income from pharmacy benefits management services provided to a carrier or health benefit plan except for income derived from a pharmacy benefits management fee. The bill requires the amount of any pharmacy benefits management fees to be set forth in the agreement between the pharmacy benefits manager and the carrier or health benefit plan and that such fee not be based on the acquisition cost or any other price metric of a drug; the amount of savings, rebates, or other fees charged, realized, or collected by or generated based on the activity of the pharmacy benefits manager; or the amount of premiums, deductibles, or other cost-sharing or fees charged, realized, or collected by the pharmacy benefits manager from enrollees or other persons on behalf of an enrollee. The bill requires a pharmacy benefits manager to annually certify to the State Corporation Commission that it has met certain requirements. The Commission is directed to impose a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 per claim for a violation of these provisions.The bill establishes a pharmacy benefits manager duty, which includes the duties of care, good faith, and fair dealing, owed to any enrollee, provider, or health benefit plan that receives pharmacy benefits management services from the pharmacy benefits manager or that furnishes, covers, receives, or is administered a unit of a prescription drug for which the pharmacy benefits manager has provided pharmacy benefits management services. The bill requires the Commission to define by regulation the scope of such duty and provides for a private cause of action for any person aggrieved by the breach of such duty. The bill is identical to SB 1078.

Paul V. MildeRepublican

New solar generation facilities; certificate of convenience and necessity, bond required.

New solar generation facilities; certificate of convenience and necessity; bond required. Provides that the State Corporation Commission shall only issue a certificate of convenience and necessity for a public utility to construct, enlarge, or acquire a solar generation facility that has a size of over one acre if the public utility has filed with the Commission a bond for performance payable to the Commonwealth. The amount of such bond shall be determined by the Commission depending on the size of the solar generation facility but shall not be less than $10,000.

Israel D. O'QuinnRepublican

Virginia Water Protection Permit; interbasin transfers of water prohibited.

Virginia Water Protection Permit; interbasin transfers of water prohibited. Prohibits the Department of Environmental Quality from issuing a Virginia Water Protection Permit for a surface water withdrawal if more than five percent of the nonconsumptive volume of such withdrawal will be returned to a different major river basin, as defined in the bill. The bill clarifies that such prohibition does not apply to any lawful withdrawal in existence on July 1, 2025.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

State Police Officers' Retirement System; membership for Department of Wildlife Resources conservation police officers.

State Police Officers' Retirement System; membership for Department of Wildlife Resources conservation police officers. Provides membership in the State Police Officers' Retirement System (SPORS) to conservation police officers in the Department of Wildlife Resources for service earned on or after July 1, 2026. The bill directs the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) to assess the administrative and financial impacts of the bill and provide recommendations for implementing the bill to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2025. Except for the assessment and recommendations to be made by VRS, the provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Abandoned Mine Land Grant Retention Fund established.

Abandoned Mine Land Grant Retention Fund established. Establishes the Abandoned Mine Land Grant Retention Fund and requires any eligible designated funds received under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to be deposited into the Fund. The bill authorizes the Director of the Department of Energy to provide grants for certain projects described in the federal Act relating to the protection of public health, safety, and property from the adverse effects of coal mining practices.

T. Travis HackworthRepublican

Aquatic fauna/water quality in Chesapeake Bay & its major tributaries; surface water intakes.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science; study of the cumulative impacts of surface water intakes on aquatic fauna and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its major Virginia tributaries; report. Directs the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to study the cumulative impacts of surface water intakes on aquatic fauna and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its major Virginia tributaries. The bill requires VIMS to submit a report of its findings and any recommendations to the Governor, the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources, and the House Committee on Appropriations no later than October 1, 2028.

Richard H. StuartRepublican

Voter registration; high school registration activities and parental consent.

Voter registration; high school registration activities and parental consent. Prohibits any person or organization, except a high school administrator, teacher, or staff person or a general registrar or his staff, from facilitating voter registration activities at a public high school. The bill also requires the form of the application to register to vote to include a statement of consent that must be signed by the parent or legal guardian of any applicant who is younger than the age of 18 at the time of his application. The bill specifies that such statement must include an acknowledgement that the minor applicant's personally identifiable information is required for voter registration.

Timothy P. GriffinRepublican

Safety and Health Codes Board; THC impairment standard for certain work sites.

Safety and Health Codes Board; THC impairment standard for certain work sites. Directs the Safety and Health Codes Board to promulgate regulations to establish a THC impairment standard and testing protocol to be used exclusively on manufacturing and utility work sites and to commence the rulemaking process no later than October 1, 2025.

Kim A. TaylorRepublican