Virginia Conservation Easement Act; demographic information on certain conservation easement owners; report. Requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation to submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly containing demographic information about each owner of a conservation easement in the Commonwealth that is funded with public funds. The bill requires such information to include (i) the owner's age, gender, ethnicity, household income, and geographic location; (ii) the type of conservation entity the owner formed under the laws of the Commonwealth; and (iii) if an owner is a part of a Indian tribe, the identity of such tribe. The bill requires the Department to submit the initial report by November 1, 2026, and annually by November 1 of each year thereafter.
Constitutional amendment (first reference); qualifications of voters; United States citizenship. Proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia to clarify that a person who has not obtained United States citizenship either at birth or through naturalization is not qualified to vote.
Financial institutions; loans and legal rate of interest. Provides that for the purposes of provisions governing usury and the legal rate of interest, "making," when used in reference to a loan, means advancing, offering to advance, or making a commitment to advance funds to a borrower for a loan. The bill provides that the prohibition against a contract for the payment of interest on a loan at a rate that exceeds 12 percent per year applies to any person who seeks to evade its application by any device, subterfuge, or pretense whatsoever, including (i) making loans disguised as personal property sale and leaseback transactions; (ii) disguising loan proceeds as a cash rebate for the pretextual installment sale of goods or services; and (iii) making, offering, assisting, or arranging a debtor to obtain a loan with a greater rate of interest, consideration, or charge than permitted through any method, including mail, telephone, internet, or any electronic means, regardless of whether the person has a physical location in the Commonwealth.
Board of Pharmacy; compounding pharmacies; use of bulk drug substances; recordkeeping. Establishes additional requirements for when pharmacists may use bulk drug substances in compounding and specifies prohibitions on pharmacist use of (i) bulk drug substances that were withdrawn or removed from the market for reasons of safety and effectiveness or were covered by an investigational new drug application and not approved and (ii) compounded drug products that are essentially a copy of commercially available drug products. The bill permits the Board of Pharmacy to request records of all compounded drug products and requires pharmacists to furnish such records within 48 hours of such request or within a reasonable time as determined by the Board. The bill also permits the Board of Pharmacy to submit any information related to investigations, disciplinary proceedings, or inspection of a licensee to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
Agricultural and Forestal Districts Act; size of parcels; reduction of core area acreage requirements. Reduces from 200 to 100 the minimum core acreage requirement that a locality must meet to create an agriculture and forestal district.
Agricultural and Forestal Districts Act; size of parcels; reduction of core area acreage requirements. Reduces from 200 to 100 the minimum core acreage requirement that a locality must meet to create an agriculture and forestal district.
Elections; conduct of election; affirmation statement in lieu of identification; additional information required. Requires a person voting absentee in person or at the polls on election day who signs a statement in lieu of providing a valid form of identification to also provide his full name, year of birth, and the last four digits of his social security number, if any. The form containing the statement and voter information is required to be retained as election materials.
SB 828 would have increased the annual spending cap for motion picture production tax credits from $250 million to a higher amount and extended the program's expiration date from 2026 to 2028. This bill directly affected film and television producers in the state who rely on these tax credits to offset production costs. The bill was referred to the Finance Committee but was stricken (withdrawn) at the sponsor's request on January 27, 2026, meaning it did not advance further.
Veterans' Services Protection Act; prohibited practices; penalty. Creates the Veterans' Services Protection Act to prohibit any person from receiving compensation for preparing, presenting, prosecuting, advising, consulting, or assisting any individual regarding any veterans' benefits matter, as defined in the bill, except as permitted under federal law. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
Elections; voter identification; identification containing a photograph required. Requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote. The bill repeals the provisions of law permitting a voter who does not have one of the required forms of identification to vote after signing a statement, subject to felony penalties for false statements, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Instead, the bill provides that such voter is entitled to cast a provisional ballot.
SB 710 would make Virginia's current elevated standard deduction for income tax permanent, removing a scheduled expiration date. This directly affects Virginia taxpayers who use the standard deduction instead of itemizing deductions, primarily middle- and lower-income filers. The bill's key provision eliminates the "sunset" provision that would have caused the higher deduction amount to revert to a lower level after a set date. As a result, eligible taxpayers would continue to benefit from the elevated deduction amount without needing future legislative action.
Virginia Personnel Act; certain Department of Elections officers and employees not exempt. Excludes the Department of Elections from the provision of the Virginia Personnel Act that exempts employees of executive branch agencies who have accepted serving in the capacity of chief deputy, or equivalent, and of a confidential assistant for policy or administration.
