Bills & Legislation

DOE; policies relating to instructional material that contains sexually explicit content.

Department of Education; policies relating to instructional material that contains sexually explicit content; applicability; construction. Amends current law requiring the Department of Education to develop model policies and each school board to adopt policies consistent with the Department's model policies for ensuring parental notification of any instructional material that includes sexually explicit content by (i) defining "instructional material" as any material, regardless of its format, assigned and provided to a student by a public school teacher directly for the completion of an assignment or curricular objective and clarifying that "instructional material" does not include any book or audiovisual material available in a public school library unless specifically required or assigned by a public school teacher directly for completion of an assignment or curricular objective and (ii) providing that nothing in the applicable law or any model policy or amendments thereto adopted by the Department or any policy or amendments thereto adopted by a school board pursuant to the applicable law shall be (a) construed to permit the censoring of books in any public elementary or secondary school or (b) utilized as a rationale or basis for the removal of books from any public elementary or secondary school. This bill is identical to SB 19.

Destiny LeVere BollingDemocrat

Child abuse or neglect; establishes centralized hotline for reports or complaints, report.

Department of Social Services; centralized intake system for reports or complaints of child abuse or neglect; response to complaints within 24 hours for children under three years of age. Establishes a centralized hotline for reports and complaints of child abuse or neglect. The bill requires the Department of Social Services to establish and maintain a hotline for reports and complaints of child abuse or neglect and specifies that the Department shall determine the validity of such reports and complaints. The bill eliminates the requirement that local departments must be capable of receiving and responding to reports and complaints of abuse or neglect and instead requires that any complaint of child abuse or neglect received by a local department shall be immediately forwarded to the Department's child abuse and neglect hotline. Such provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. The bill also directs the Department of Social Services to (i) promulgate regulations necessary to implement the provisions of the bill by July 1, 2027, and (ii) contract with a third party by August 1, 2026, to conduct a comprehensive study and review of the screening process used for child protective services complaints across Virginia.

Kathy K.L. TranDemocrat

Impersonating a law-enforcement officer; clarifies definition of "facial covering," penalties.

Impersonating law-enforcement officer; penalties. Creates a Class 5 felony for impersonating a law-enforcement officer while wearing a facial covering, as that term is defined in the bill, and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent violation.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Electric utilities; construction of new overhead transmission lines, siting requirements.

Electric utilities; construction of certain electrical transmission lines; siting requirements. Requires the State Corporation Commission, in order to approve the construction of an electrical transmission line of 138 kilovolts or more, to determine that the corridor or route chosen for the line will avoid or reasonably minimize adverse impact to the greatest extent reasonably practicable on dwelling houses. For overhead transmission lines of 500 kilovolts or more constructed by Dominion Energy Virginia, the bill directs the Commission to prioritize approving corridors or routes for construction for which the center is located farther than 150 feet from any dwelling house, public or private school building, day care, or place of worship unless no other practicable alternative exists.

JJ SinghDemocrat

Underground transmission lines; pilot program, clarifies qualifying projects, report.

Pilot program for underground transmission lines; qualifying projects; levy; report. Authorizes the State Corporation Commission, in reviewing any application submitted by a public utility for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the construction of an electrical transmission line of 500 kilovolts filed between January 1, 2025, and July 1, 2033, to approve up to four applications for qualifying projects to be constructed in whole or in part underground as part of the pilot program for underground transmission lines and to provide an expedited review of any such application. The bill removes certain provisions related to the existing pilot program. Under the bill, a project shall be qualified if (i) the Commission finds that an engineering analysis demonstrates that it is technically feasible to place the proposed line in whole or in part underground, (ii) the application contains certain information regarding projections of project costs, (iii) the application contains evidence that the governing body of each locality in which at least a portion of the proposed line will be placed underground supports the project's inclusion in the program and agrees to meet its related funding obligations, and (iv) the Commission finds the overall cost of the project reasonable and consistent with the public interest. The bill permits the Commission to deny an application for a project that otherwise meets the criteria to qualify, provided that the Commission publicly shares its rationale for doing so.The bill requires at least 50 percent of the marginal costs, as defined in the bill, of the portion of a qualifying project chosen to be placed underground within a locality pursuant to its provisions to be paid by such locality. The bill permits such a locality to meet such requirement through imposing a levy that meets certain requirements on electric utility customers within the locality, issuing a general obligation bond subject to a referendum, allocating its own funds, or any combination of such methods. The bill extends the Commission's final report deadline for the pilot program from December 1, 2024, to December 1, 2034. This bill is identical to SB 827.

JJ SinghDemocrat

Hospitals; reports of threats or acts of violence against health care providers.

Hospitals; reports of threats or acts of violence against health care providers; expansion of reporting requirements. Expands the reporting requirements for incidents of workplace violence in hospitals with an emergency department by requiring additional descriptors of incidents, requiring hospitals to report collected data to additional parties, and directing the Department of Health to publish a report containing an annual summary of such data. The bill directs the Board of Health to promulgate regulations implementing the provisions of the bill by January 1, 2027, and directs the Department of Health to publish its first report by December 31, 2027.

Kathy K.L. TranDemocrat

Probation; decreasing period.

Decreasing probation period. Establishes criteria for which a defendant's supervised probation period shall be reduced, including completing educational activities, maintaining employment, completing treatment, or obtaining housing. The bill provides that a court may decrease a defendant's probation period if warranted by the defendant's conduct upon receipt of a request from the Department of Corrections and requires the Department of Corrections to request termination of a defendant's supervised probation period after 12 months in certain situations. This bill is identical to SB 136.

Martin E. WilliamsRepublican

Local government; elections, single-member districts required.

Election of certain governing bodies; single-member districts required. Requires every locality with a population of 400,000 or greater to elect the members of its governing body from single-member districts.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Public schools; student instruction, addictive potential of time spent using certain electr. device.

Public schools; student instruction; addictive potential of time spent using certain electronic devices. Requires instruction concerning time spent using electronic devices such as computers, cell phones, and other smart devices and the addictive potential thereof to be provided by the public schools as prescribed by the Board of Education. This bill is identical to SB 568.

Sam RasoulDemocrat

Punitive damages; hit and run drivers.

Punitive damages; hit and run drivers. Provides that in any action for personal injury or death arising from conduct that constitutes a felony hit and run, punitive damages may be awarded to the plaintiff.

Will DavisRepublican

Norfolk, City of; amending charter, conformity with zoning ordinance.

Charter; City of Norfolk. Amends the charter for the City of Norfolk to require, on any property where there is a substantial negative impact on public health, safety, and welfare, conformity with the city's zoning ordinance within a reasonable time, to be specified by ordinance, but never less than two years. This bill is identical to SB 806.

Alex Q. AskewDemocrat

Law-enforcement civilian oversight bodies; disclosure of certain law-enforcement records.

Law-enforcement civilian oversight bodies; closed meetings; disclosure of certain law-enforcement records. Provides an exemption to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to allow closed meetings for discussion or consideration by any law-enforcement civilian oversight body established pursuant to general law or established by a local governing body before July 1, 2020, and operating in a manner consistent with such law of the criminal investigative files, audit findings, and deliberations regarding police operations related to a specific complaint before the body involving any violation or attempted violation of certain offenses. The bill allows inspection of certain law-enforcement records concerning juveniles by such civilian oversight bodies when required to perform their duties and by any independent policing auditor, manager, director, or other person appointed by the local governing body to support such civilian oversight body. Finally, the bill allows disclosure of certain information regarding crimes involving sexual assault, sexual abuse, or family abuse to such civilian oversight body and independent policing auditor, manager, director, or other person appointed by the local governing body.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Transportation network company partners; requirements and background screening.

TNC partners; requirements and background screening. Changes the requirements for background screening of a transportation network company (TNC) partner to specify that background checks are not to be limited to a specific period of time, except as required by law, and shall include all addresses at which such TNC partner has resided since the age of 18. The bill also changes the entity by which persons conducting background checks for TNC partners are required to be accredited to the Professional Background Screening Association.

Lily V. FranklinDemocrat

Relief; Johnson, Messiah Aladar, compensation for wrongful incarceration.

Claims; Messiah Aladar Johnson; compensation for wrongful incarceration. Grants relief in an amount to be appropriated to Messiah Aladar Johnson, who was wrongly convicted of and subsequently incarcerated for five counts of robbery, 12 counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, six counts of abduction, attempted robbery, and shooting into an occupied building in 1998.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Electric utilities; virtual power plant pilot program, Phase I Utilities.

Electric utilities; virtual power plant pilot program; Phase I Utilities. Requires Appalachian Power to petition the State Corporation Commission for approval to conduct a pilot program to evaluate methods to optimize demand through various technology applications, including the establishment of virtual power plants, by July 1, 2027. The bill requires the pilot program to evaluate electric grid capacity needs and the ability of such virtual power plants to provide grid services, including peak-shaving, during times of peak electric demand.

Lily V. FranklinDemocrat

Zoning; nonconforming uses, manufactured homes.

Zoning; nonconforming uses; manufactured homes. Provides that a land owner or home owner may place a manufactured home that meets the current HUD manufactured housing code upon any open lot in a valid nonconforming mobile or manufactured home park regardless of whether a valid nonconforming manufactured home is currently located on such lot. The bill also provides that, for the purposes of determining whether a use has been continuous, an existing mobile or manufactured home shall be considered a valid nonconforming mobile or manufactured home regardless of whether such mobile or manufactured home has been occupied during the preceding two-year period.

Joshua E. ThomasDemocrat

Victims of crime; reimbursement for expenses, report.

Victims of crime; reimbursement for expenses; work group. Provides that all medical fees expended in the gathering of evidence through anonymous trace evidence collection kit examinations conducted on victims complaining of strangulation pursuant to relevant law shall be paid by the Commonwealth through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund (also known as the Virginia Victims Fund) administered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. The bill states that such victims shall not be required to participate in the criminal justice system or cooperate with law-enforcement authorities in order to be provided with such medical exams. Under current law, all medical fees expended in the gathering of evidence through physical evidence recovery kit examinations conducted on victims complaining of sexual assault are paid by the Commonwealth via the Fund, and victims complaining of sexual assault are not required to participate in the criminal justice system or cooperate with law-enforcement authorities in order to be provided with such forensic medical exams.The bill expands the powers and duties of the Commission to adopt, promulgate, amend, and rescind suitable rules and regulations to include a distinct policy for the payment of anonymous trace evidence collection kit examinations.Lastly, the bill directs the Director of the Department of Criminal Justice Services to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to discuss and submit recommendations for certain matters related to the reimbursement process for forensic medical examinations, enumerated in the bill. The bill directs the work group to submit a report with recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services, the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 812.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

School bds.; opening of school year, certain alternative schedules & schedule flexibility permitted.

School boards; opening of the school year; certain alternative schedules and schedule flexibility permitted. Extends from no earlier than 14 days before Labor Day to no earlier than 14 days before September 1 of each year the requirement relating to the earliest date that each school board is permitted to schedule as the first day on which students are required to attend school each year. This bill is identical to SB 815.

Joseph P. McNamaraRepublican

Medicaid; expedited review process for service authorization requests, report.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; expedited review process for Medicaid service authorization requests; report. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to (i) implement expedited review of Medicaid service authorization requests consistent with applicable federal law and (ii) annually transmit the prior authorization report required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health.

Bonita G. AnthonyDemocrat

Fantasy contests; regulation and taxation, civil penalty, repeals Fantasy Contests Act.

Fantasy contests; regulation and taxation. Imposes (i) a 10 percent tax on a fantasy contest operator's fantasy contest revenue, with 2.5 percent of the tax revenue being allocated to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund and the remaining 97.5 percent being allocated to the general fund, and (ii) a 2.6 percent fee on a fantasy contests operator's fantasy contest revenue to be utilized by the Virginia Lottery to cover the costs of administration and regulation of fantasy contests in the Commonwealth. The bill also limits the definition of "fantasy contest" and requires fantasy contest operators to apply to the Virginia Lottery for a permit before offering any fantasy contest in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to SB 129.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Petersburg Parking Authority; created.

Petersburg Parking Authority Act. Authorizes the creation of the Petersburg Parking Authority. The bill grants to the Authority various powers, including the authority to construct, operate, and lease parking facilities, contract with outside entities, issue revenue bonds and revenue refunding bonds, and acquire property. The bill also exempts the Authority from taxation.

Kimberly Pope AdamsDemocrat

School nurses; sickle cell disease training.

School nurses; sickle cell disease training. Directs local school divisions to require school nurses to complete, within six months of employment and at least every three years thereafter, an online or in-person course of instruction approved by the Board in collaboration with the Department of Health regarding recognition and management of sickle cell disease. This bill is identical to SB 822.

Briana D. SewellDemocrat

Owners of sewage treatment works; land application, marketing, or distributing of sewage sludge.

Owners of sewage treatment works; land application, marketing, or distribution of sewage sludge; perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances; testing requirements. Directs any owner of a sewage treatment works land applying, marketing, or distributing sewage sludge in the Commonwealth, beginning January 1, 2027, to collect representative samples of the sewage sludge intended to be land applied, marketed, or distributed and have such samples analyzed by an accredited laboratory for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The bill mandates certain outcomes for the land application of such sewage sludge depending on the concentration of PFAS in such sewage sludge. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality to modify all Virginia Pollution Abatement permits for the land application of sewage sludge and Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for sewage treatment works that include sewage sludge prepared for land application, marketing, or distribution as soon as practicable. The bill requires the Department to utilize the PFAS Expert Advisory Committee (PEAC) or convene a work group to study and recommend approaches to reduce the occurrence of PFAS in sewage sludge intended for land application within the Commonwealth. The Department is required to report the recommendations of the PEAC or work group to the Governor and the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by November 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 386.

Alfonso H. LopezDemocrat

Contractors; regulation, solar installation companies, sale, lease, etc., of solar energy systems.

Regulation of contractors; solar installation companies; sale, lease, or power purchase of solar energy systems; civil penalty. Authorizes the Board for Contractors (the Board) to require specific contract provisions and disclosures relating to the sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system, as defined in the bill. The bill requires a sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system to have a written contract that includes specific provisions related to the solar installation company, system design and performance or production guarantees, and information related to invoices and payments. The bill includes several mandatory disclosures to be included with a sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system. Under the bill, a willful violation of such requirements shall be subject to a civil penalty of no more than $2,500 per violation. The bill also directs the Board to adopt regulations and update existing regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by January 1, 2027. The remaining provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 823.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Teacher, other instructional personnel, etc., exits; data collection, disaggregation by race.

Teacher, other instructional personnel, and support staff position exits; data collection; disaggregation by race; reason for exit. Requires each school board to report to the Department of Education annually the number and type of teacher, other instructional personnel, and support staff position exits in the school division, disaggregated by the race of the individual who exited the position. The bill also provides that for each such exit occurring during the reporting year, the reason for the exit, including whether the exit was voluntary or involuntary, shall be collected and reported. This bill is identical to SB 785.

Lindsey DoughertyDemocrat

Judgments; limitations on enforcement, docketing of gen. district court judgments in circuit court.

Limitations on enforcement of judgments; docketing of general district court judgments in the circuit court. Provides that, for judgments entered in the general district court on or after July 1, 2026, where enforcement of such judgments is sought by a debt buyer, the docketing of an abstract of such judgment in the circuit court shall not effect the 10-year limitation period to enforce such judgment. Under current law, such docketing allows a general district court judgment to be treated as a judgment entered by the circuit court and may be extended in the same manner as a judgment entered by the circuit court.

Marcus B. SimonDemocrat

Local and Regional Jails, State Board of; transferring administrative and supervisory authority.

State Board of Local and Regional Jails; administrative and supervisory authority. Directs the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to convene a work group to evaluate the feasibility of transferring the administrative and supervisory authority of the State Board of Local and Regional Jails (the State Board) from the Department of Corrections to another state agency or an independent oversight body. The bill requires the work group to submit its plan, recommended timeline, and any legislative proposals to the General Assembly by November 1, 2026.

Karen Keys-GamarraDemocrat

Sickle Cell Trait Awareness and Education Program; established.

Sickle Cell Trait Awareness and Education Program established. Directs the Department of Health to establish the Sickle Cell Trait Awareness and Education Program to raise public awareness of and provide education on sickle cell trait.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

Children; certain injuries to be reported by physicians, etc., penalties for failure to report.

Requirement that certain injuries to children be reported by physicians, nurses, teachers, etc.; penalties for failure to report. Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person required to file a report, pursuant to relevant law, who fails to do so as soon as possible, but not longer than 24 hours after having reason to suspect a reportable offense of child abuse or neglect where such reportable offense is alleged to have occurred at a private or state-operated hospital, institution, or facility to which children have been committed or where children have been placed for care and treatment. The bill also provides that a second or subsequent conviction is a Class 6 felony. The bill further expands the mandatory reporting requirements for certain enumerated persons in their professional or official capacities to include certain offenses related to children and certain obscenity and related offenses and applies all such mandatory reporting requirements to all public and private school athletics program coaches, directors, and adult volunteers, including those associated with interscholastic teams and clubs. Under current law, the mandatory reporting requirements apply to such enumerated persons who suspect that a child is an abused or neglected child and to public or private sports organization or team athletic coaches, directors, or adult volunteers.

Delores L. McQuinnDemocrat

Virginia Passenger Rail Authority; certain exemptions.

Virginia Passenger Rail Authority; exemptions. Exempts the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority from certain requirements, procurement and technology procedures, fees, and charges and expands certain existing exemptions to which it is already entitled.

David A. ReidDemocrat

Foreign divorce decrees; exercise of power by courts of the Commonwealth, non-domiciled party.

Foreign divorce decrees; exercise of power by courts of the Commonwealth; non-domiciled party. Provides that a court of the Commonwealth with proper jurisdiction may exercise certain powers relating to a foreign decree dissolving a marriage or granting a divorce from the bond of matrimony if a proceeding is initiated by a non-domiciled party to such divorce, provided that the party domiciled in the Commonwealth is still domiciled in the Commonwealth at the commencement of an action.

Virgil ThorntonDemocrat

Certain decedents; local department of social services allowed to pay reasonable funeral expense.

Local departments of social services; payment of reasonable funeral expenses. Permits the State Board of Social Services to promulgate regulations allowing local departments of social services to pay the reasonable funeral expenses of a decedent who was a recipient of social services or Supplemental Security Income.

Adele Y. McClureDemocrat

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

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies; rental agreement noncompliance; victim of family abuse. Removes the requirement that a tenant who is a victim of family abuse provide the landlord prompt notification should the perpetrator return to the dwelling unit to prevent the landlord from terminating a lease solely due to such act of family abuse occurring in the dwelling unit or on the premises by a perpetrator barred from the dwelling unit. Under the bill, if the tenant provides the landlord with a copy of the protective order, should the perpetrator not already be barred from the unit by the landlord, the lease shall not be terminated due solely to an act of family abuse against the tenant by a perpetrator barred from the dwelling unit.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

Eminent domain; certificate of take, description of property.

Eminent domain; certificate of take; description of property. Clarifies that a certificate of take in any eminent domain matter may include a combination of one or more plats, drawings, or plans to provide the description of the property being taken as required by law.

Margaret A. FranklinDemocrat

Severe Maternal Mortality Surveillance and Review Program; established.

Severe Maternal Morbidity Surveillance and Review Program established; duties; report. Creates the Severe Maternal Morbidity Surveillance and Review Program (SMM Program) to identify, analyze, and review instances of severe maternal morbidity. The bill directs the Department of Health to develop a reporting system for hospitals and freestanding birthing centers to report findings and recommendations, as well as a model protocol for conducting reviews of severe maternal morbidity. The bill requires all hospitals and freestanding birthing centers to participate in the SMM Program and report their findings and recommendations to the Department of Health on an annual basis. The bill has a delayed effective date of September 1, 2026.

Margaret A. FranklinDemocrat

Local government; appointment of youth representative.

Appointment of youth representative to local governing body. Allows a local governing body to appoint a youth representative to serve as a nonvoting member of the governing body.

Elizabeth R. GuzmanDemocrat

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; enforcement by localities.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; enforcement by localities. Provides that if a condition exists in a dwelling unit that constitutes a material noncompliance by the landlord with the rental agreement or with any provision of law that, if not remedied within a reasonable time frame, constitutes a fire hazard or serious threat to the life, health, or safety of a tenant or occupant of the premises, a locality may institute an action on behalf of any tenant or occupant of the premises who is injured by such material noncompliance for injunction and damages to enforce the landlord's duty to maintain the dwelling unit in a fit and habitable condition, provided that (i) the premises where the violation occurred is within the jurisdictional boundaries of the locality and (ii) the locality has notified the landlord who owns the premises, either directly or through the managing agent, of the nature of the violation and the landlord has failed to remedy the violation to the satisfaction of the locality within a reasonable time after receiving such notice. This bill is identical to SB 290.

Marcia S. "Cia" PriceDemocrat

Federally Recognized Tribes, Commission on; purpose, powers, sunset extended.

Commission on Federally Recognized Tribes; purpose; powers; sunset extended. Renames the Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes as the Commission on Federally Recognized Tribes and expands its purpose. The bill extends the sunset of the Commission to July 1, 2027. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes.

Paul E. KrizekDemocrat

Health insurance; coverage for maternal mental health screenings.

Health insurance; coverage for maternal mental health screenings. Requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage for maternal mental health screenings. The bill requires such coverage to include at least one maternal mental health screening to be conducted during pregnancy, at least one additional screening to be conducted during the first six weeks of the postpartum period, and additional medically necessary postpartum screenings. Additionally, the bill provides that coverage for a prescription drug for the treatment of a maternal mental health condition shall not be subject to prior authorization requirements unless there are clinically significant safety or efficacy concerns.

Margaret A. FranklinDemocrat

Loitering; curfew for minors, age restrictions on trick-or-treating, effective clause.

Prohibiting loitering; curfew for minors; age restrictions on trick-or-treating. Prohibits localities from imposing age restrictions on trick-or-treating that exceed current loitering and curfew provisions. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2027 Session of the General Assembly.

Kelly K. Convirs-FowlerDemocrat

Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network; established.

Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network established. Directs the State Health Commissioner, in coordination with the Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems Authority, to establish and maintain the Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network to provide health care providers in the Commonwealth with real-time consultation and support from sickle cell specialists. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 813.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican

School board policies; unpaid educational leave for certain employee association officers.

School board policies; unpaid educational leave for certain employee association officers; purchase of service credit. Requires each school board to adopt a policy to approve unpaid educational leave for school board employees who are state employee association executive officers and for up to two school board employees who are local employee association officers for a maximum of four years per officer. The bill permits employee association officers approved for such leave to purchase service credit with the Virginia Retirement System for such period of leave.

Shelly A. SimondsDemocrat

Teaching licenses; automatic revocation upon certain convictions.

Board of Education; automatic revocation of teaching licenses upon certain convictions. Requires the Board of Education to automatically revoke the teaching license of a license holder upon receiving a record of the license holder's conviction of a felony and order to register under the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act. The bill provides that any such revocation applies to any active teaching license and to any inactive teaching license if such license was active at the time that the offense occurred. The bill provides that no such license holder whose teaching license has been so revoked is entitled to a hearing but that the license may be reinstated by the Board if the license holder's conviction is overturned on appeal and the Board is satisfied that reinstatement is in the best interest of the public schools of the Commonwealth.

Mike A. CherryRepublican

Motor Vehicle Transaction Recovery Fund; recovery for breach of extended service contracts.

Motor Vehicle Transaction Recovery Fund; recovery for breach of extended service contracts. Authorizes any person who is awarded a final judgment in a court of competent jurisdiction in the Commonwealth for any loss or damage resulting from a breach of an extended service contract for a motor vehicle to recover the unpaid amount on the judgment from the Motor Vehicle Transaction Recovery Fund, subject to certain limitations.

Scott A. WyattRepublican

Constitutional amendment; gen. approp. act, reapportionment, redistricting congressional districts.

Constitutional amendment; April 21, 2026 special election; voter referendum; appropriations.

Luke E. TorianDemocrat

Members of U.S. Armed Forces, etc.; domicile & residential requirements for annulment, etc.

Domicile and residential requirements for annulment, affirmance, or divorce; members of the Armed Forces of the United States and civilian employees of the United States; return from station. Provides that, for the purposes of domicile requirements for annulment, affirmance, or divorce, any member of the Armed Forces of the United States or any civilian employee of the United States, including any foreign service officer, who (i) at the time the suit is filed, or immediately preceding such suit, has returned to the Commonwealth following being stationed in any territory or foreign country and (ii) resided or lived in in the Commonwealth for the six-month period immediately preceding his being stationed in such territory or country shall be deemed to have been domiciled in and to have been a bona fide resident of the Commonwealth during the six months preceding the filing of a suit for annulment or divorce.

Karen R. "Kacey" CarnegieDemocrat

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

Groundwater management areas; bioslurry injections in wells prohibited. Prohibits any person from conducting any bioslurry injection, as defined in the bill, in any well that has been drilled through any portion of a groundwater management area declared by regulation prior to January 1, 2020. This bill is identical SB 784.

Jr. Robert S. BloxomRepublican

Service providers; regulations for providers to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; regulations; service providers; emergency medical simulations; cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Directs the Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to adopt regulations requiring certain providers to (i) conduct regular emergency medical simulations and train employees that regularly engage with people receiving services to prepare such employees to recognize and respond to situations where individuals receiving services require emergency medical treatment and (ii) require at least one employee trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation to be on duty at each location where services are delivered.

Leslie Chambers MehtaDemocrat

Local boards & departments; DSS to create corrective action plans & assumption of temporary control.

Department of Social Services; corrective action plans and assumption of temporary control of local boards and local departments. Grants the Commissioner of Social Services the authority to create and enforce a corrective action plan for any local board of social services or local department of social services that (i) fails to administer public assistance and social services programs in accordance with applicable laws and regulations or (ii) takes any action or fails to act in a manner that poses a substantial risk to the health, safety, or well-being of a child or adult. The bill permits similar authority for any local board of social services that (a) fails to provide child welfare services in accordance with applicable law or regulations or (b) takes any action or fails to act in a manner that poses a substantial risk to the health, safety, or well-being of a child. Under the bill, if a local board or department fails to comply with a corrective action plan, the Commissioner has the authority to temporarily assume control of all or part of the local board's operations. The bill also provides that, when a local board of social services or local department of social services requests assistance, the Commissioner has the authority to utilize staff of the Department of Social Services or contract with private entities to provide public assistance and social services programs in the locality served by the local board or department. The bill also adds adult services to the definition of "social services" for purposes of Title 63.2 (Welfare (Social Services)).

Katrina CallsenDemocrat

Fishing license requirements; free fishing days.

Fishing license requirements; exemptions; free fishing days. Increases from three to six days the maximum number of free fishing days, during which a person is allowed to fish without a fishing license, that the Board of Wildlife Resources may designate for inland waters in the Commonwealth and the Commissioner of Marine Resources may designate for saltwater recreational fishing in the Commonwealth.

Jen Kiggans - to resign 12/31Republican