Department of Conservation and Recreation; Disabled Veteran's Family Passport; free entry into state parks and discounted services. Directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish a Disabled Veteran's Family Passport that entitles the bearer to enter state parks in the Commonwealth without the payment of a parking or admission fee. The bill provides that the Passport will be issued upon request to any immediate family member, as defined in the bill, of a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States who provides certain documentation to the Department. The bill authorizes the Department to require passport holders to re-certify such documentation no more than once every five years.
Tangible personal property tax relief; rate of taxation. Removes the $950 million cap, beginning in tax year 2027 and all tax years thereafter, on the amount of tangible personal property tax relief reimbursed to localities by the Commonwealth. The bill requires, for tax year 2027 and all tax years thereafter, each county, city, or town to reduce its local tax rate on qualifying vehicles to no greater than $0.00000001 per $100 of assessed value of the qualifying vehicle.
Department of Medical Assistance Services; state plan for medical assistance; patient-initiated consultation; provider-to-provider consultation. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to modify state plan provisions covering provider-to-provider consultations to also include patient-generated consultations. The bill specifies that consultations provided through telemedicine services, including audio-only telemedicine services where applicable, shall be included in such provision. This bill was incorporated into HB 1284.
Electric utilities; pilot programs for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. Amends annual funding commitments for the purposes of the annual pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for low-income, elderly, and disabled individuals conducted by Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company. Under the bill, Dominion Energy shall conduct its pilot program at no less than $13 million and no greater than $17 million annually, and Appalachian Power Company shall conduct its pilot program at no less than $1 million and no greater than $1.5 million annually. The bill extends the sunset date of such pilot programs from July 1, 2028 to July 1, 2038. The bill also provides that Dominion Energy may recover costs associated with certain electrical facilities that have been approved by the State Corporation Commission as of December 1, 2038, notwithstanding any time limitations on such cost recovery in current law. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.
Board of Accountancy; licensing requirements; inactive and emeritus status. Directs the Board of Accountancy to establish "Inactive" and "Emeritus" CPA license statuses for licensees who no longer provide services to the public or services to or on behalf of an employer. The bill requires the Board to develop guidelines to provide active and inactive licensees additional clarity governing the manner in which such licensees should reference autobiographical and biographical information with respect to their CPA licensure to remain historically accurate and compliant with the law and relevant regulations. The bill directs the Board of Accountancy to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.
Labor and employment; collective bargaining by certain constitutional officers. Permits the employees of any sheriff within certain localities to organize, form, join, or assist a labor union or employee organization and collectively bargain and enter into a collective bargaining agreement with their locality with respect to matters relating to the supplementation of salary and benefit compensation.
Covenants not to compete; exceptions; civil penalty. Prohibits an employer from entering into, enforcing, or threatening to enforce a covenant not to compete with employees who perform key duties of the employer's enterprise or customarily and regularly solicit customers or make sales or contracts for the employer. Under the bill, certain employees are permitted to enter agreements to refrain from soliciting business from the employer for a stated period of time following termination. The penalty provisions in current law for covenants not to compete for low-wage employees shall apply to a violation of the provisions of the bill. The provisions of the bill apply to contracts entered into, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2026.
Commonwealth Savers Plan; ImABLE accounts established; tax treatment. Provides a process whereby eligible individuals, defined in the bill, may establish ImABLE savings accounts, defined in the bill, with the Commonwealth Savers Plan. Payments and contributions, up to limits defined in the bill, to such accounts are made on an after-tax basis, distributions are generally exempt from income taxes, collections, and withdrawal penalties, and such accounts shall not be used as a factor in employment classifications. The bill authorizes the Commonwealth Savers Plan to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill also establishes the Virginia ImABLE Fund and Grant Program to award competitive grants to businesses, nonprofit organizations, and localities for projects that assist eligible individuals with support expenses, as defined in the bill.
Pet shops; sale of puppy mill dogs prohibited; civil penalty. Makes it unlawful for any pet shop to knowingly sell, offer for sale, or transfer any puppy mill dog, as defined in the bill. Any pet shop violating the provisions of the bill is subject to a civil penalty of $2,000 per dog offered for sale, sold, or transferred.
Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; algorithmic pricing device use by certain landlords; civil penalties. Requires a landlord, defined in the bill as a landlord who owns more than 10 rental dwelling units or more than a 10 percent interest in more than 10 rental dwelling units, whether individually or through a business entity, in the Commonwealth, who uses an algorithmic pricing device, defined in the bill, to establish the advertised rent, renewal rent, or rent offered to a prospective tenant to disclose such use in writing to the tenant or the prospective tenant under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The bill provides that, upon request, a landlord shall provide to the tenant or prospective tenant a plain-language summary of the general factors considered by the algorithmic pricing device in determining rent, and that a tenant or prospective tenant shall be entitled to a human review of any rent determination or renewal increase generated or recommended by an algorithmic pricing device. The bill allows the Attorney General to seek an injunction and civil penalties to restrain any violations of the bill.
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.
School boards; employment of school resource officers; Virginia Retirement System. Requires each school board to enter into a collaborative agreement with the local law-enforcement agency to employ at least one school resource officer in each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division. The bill requires localities to provide enhanced retirement benefits to school resource officers. The bill also allows a retired law-enforcement officer to work as a school resource officer after a break in service of at least six months without impacting his retirement benefits.
