Elections; voter identification containing photograph required; who may register up to and including the day of the election; absentee ballot application requirements; absentee voting in person availability; return of absentee ballots. Requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote and provides that a voter who does not have one of the required forms of identification is entitled to cast a provisional ballot. The bill repeals a provision that would permit any person who is qualified to register to vote to do so in person up to and including the day of the election and limits the persons who are entitled to register to vote after the close of registration records to members of a uniformed service on active duty, persons who are residing temporarily outside of the United States, and their spouses and dependents. The bill limits the period during which absentee voting in person is available from 45 days preceding the date of the election to the 14 days preceding the date of the election. The bill requires that absentee ballots returned by mail be returned to the office of the general registrar by the close of polls on election day and be postmarked on or before the Saturday preceding the date of the election. The bill eliminates the use of drop-off locations for the return of absentee ballots. The bill requires absentee ballot applications to contain the last four digits of the applicant's social security number.
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.
Workers' compensation; duty to furnish medical attention; timeframe for decision. Requires an employer, as defined in existing law, to issue a decision regarding the provision of medical attention to an employee within 45 calendar days after such employee's request for care pursuant to existing law, with certain exceptions described in the bill.
Abortion; born alive infant; treatment and care; penalty. Requires every health care provider licensed by the Board of Medicine who attempts to terminate a pregnancy to (i) exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of a human infant who has been born alive following such attempt as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age and (ii) take all reasonable steps to ensure the immediate transfer of the human infant who has been born alive to a hospital for further medical care. A health care provider who fails to comply with the requirements of the bill is guilty of a Class 4 felony and may be subject to disciplinary action by the Board. The bill also requires every hospital licensed by the Department of Health to establish a protocol for the treatment and care of a human infant who has been born alive following an attempt to terminate a pregnancy and for the immediate reporting to law enforcement of any failure to provide such required treatment and care.
Elections; form of ballot; party identification; option for candidates for local offices. Provides that, for local offices only, each candidate who has been nominated by a political party or in a primary election may be identified by the name of his political party at the discretion of the candidate.
Absentee voting; absentee voting in person; available beginning 10 days prior to election. Limits the availability of absentee voting in person to 10 days before the election. Under current law, absentee voting in person is available beginning 45 days prior to the election.
Voter registration; jury commissioners; list of unqualified persons transmitted to general registrars; list maintenance. Requires jury commissioners to collect information obtained from those persons not qualified to serve as a result of a condition that would also make them unqualified to register to vote. The sheriff, clerk of court, or other official responsible for maintaining such information provided by the commissioners is required to regularly transmit such information to the general registrar for the locality or localities served by such official. The bill requires general registrars to utilize such information to identify voters who are no longer qualified to vote and to initiate list maintenance procedures. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.
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.
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.
Virginia Public Procurement Act; project labor agreements. Repeals the provision of the Virginia Public Procurement Act that authorizes any public body, including any state or local government, when engaged in procuring products or services or letting contracts for construction, manufacture, maintenance, or operation of public works, to require bidders to enter into or adhere to project labor agreements on the public works projects.
Public utilities; certificate of convenience and necessity. Provides that, if a public utility has already received a certificate of convenience and necessity to furnish service within its territory, such utility may construct, enlarge, contract with, or acquire and operate facilities for the generation and distribution of electric energy solely to a specific customer or customers located on the same tract of land as existing facilities without obtaining another certificate of convenience and necessity, provided that all costs associated with the new facilities shall be borne by the specific customer or customers.
Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; algorithmic pricing devices; study; report. Prohibits a landlord from, for the purpose of advising the landlord of the amount of rent to charge a prospective tenant for the occupancy of a dwelling unit, using, incorporating, or training an algorithmic pricing device, defined in the bill, to restrain the rental housing market in ways that constitute an unfair method of competition. The bill grants a tenant with a reasonable belief that his landlord has violated the prohibition an opportunity to file a written complaint with the Office of the Algorithmic Rent Pricing Ombudsman, created in the bill, or to bring an action against his landlord. The bill requires a landlord who uses an algorithmic pricing device to advise him of the amount of rent to charge a prospective tenant for the occupancy of a dwelling unit to disclose the same to a tenant. The bill also directs the Virginia Housing Commission to study the deployment of algorithmic pricing devices and similar predictive technologies for the sale of housing in the Commonwealth to determine whether such devices perpetuate systemic biases prevalent in the housing market. The Commission shall report its findings and any recommendations for legislation to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology by November 1, 2026.
