Virginia Lottery; casinos; Internet gaming authorized; penalties. Authorizes Internet gaming in the Commonwealth to be regulated by the Virginia Lottery Board. The bill permits the Board to issue an Internet gaming operator license to a casino gaming operator that submits an application on forms approved by the Board, meets certain qualifications, and pays an application fee of $1 million. The tax rate is set at 15 percent of an Internet gaming operator's adjusted gross Internet gaming revenue with 2.5 percent allocated to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund and the remaining 97.5 percent allocated to the general fund.
Charitable gaming; use of proceeds; charitable gaming adjusted gross receipts. Amends charitable gaming law to allow certain organizations, as a condition of receiving a charitable gaming permit or authorization to conduct electronic gaming, to use (i) with respect to charitable gaming, other than electronic gaming, a predetermined percentage of its charitable gaming adjusted gross receipts, not to exceed 25 percent, and (ii) with respect to electronic gaming, a predetermined percentage of its electronic gaming adjusted gross receipts, not to exceed 25 percent; however, at no time shall such predetermined percentage be calculated at an amount equal to less than 10 percent of its gross receipts derived from electronic gaming less the amount of prize money paid out to players. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.
Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices; income requirements and up-front charges. Expands the list of unlawful discriminatory housing practices to include (i) refusing to rent or negotiate for the rental of a dwelling because the income of an applicant renter does not meet a threshold determined by the landlord and (ii) requiring any charges or deposits from a renter prior to the commencement date of a rental agreement for any purpose other than monthly rent, a security deposit, and any other deposit meant to pay for access to a specific service or facility related to the rental of the dwelling.
Classification of tangible personal property; computer equipment and peripherals used in data centers; facilities housing systems used to engage in digital asset mining business activities. Provides that, for purposes of the separate tax classification of tangible personal property for computer equipment and peripherals used in a data center, a data center includes facilities housing systems used to engage in digital mining business activities, defined in the bill.
Portable benefit accounts. Authorizes a Virginia resident who has worked as an independent contractor to establish a portable benefit account. Under the bill, a portable benefit account may be offered through and administered by a bank, investment management firm, technology provider, or program manager that offers services through a bank or investment management firm. Distributions from the account may be used for the payment of various health-related costs and other benefits including income replacement insurance, life insurance, or retirement benefits. Under the bill, contributions may be made using the funds of a hiring party or a percentage of funds withheld from the compensation owed to a sole proprietor or independent contractor. The bill provides that contributions using withheld funds can only be made if (i) withheld compensation is expressly agreed to in writing; (ii) such agreement is clear, unambiguous, and prominently displayed in the work contract or a separate notice; (iii) such withholdings are voluntary and require a sole proprietor or independent contractor to opt in; and (iv) a sole proprietor or independent contractor may elect to opt out of such withholdings at any time.
Department of Social Services; licensed child placing agencies; foster and adoptive provider training; reciprocity among local departments of social services and licensed child placing agencies; regulations. Directs the Department of Social Services to amend its regulations related to preservice trainings and annual in-service trainings for foster and adoptive providers to ensure that reciprocity for such trainings is established among all local departments of social services and all licensed child placing agencies in the Commonwealth.
Alcoholic beverage control; confectionery mixed beverage retail license. Creates a confectionery mixed beverage retail license that authorizes the licensee to prepare and sell on the licensed premises for on-and-off premises consumption confectionery that contains five percent or less alcohol by volume. The bill provides that any alcohol contained in such confectionery shall not be in liquid form at the time of sale, unless such confectionery is a frozen dessert, as defined in the bill. The bill also sets the state and local license fee for such confectionery license and repeals the provisions of alcoholic beverage control law that created an off-premises wine and beer confectionery license.
Health insurance; pharmacy override for enrollee with sickle cell disease; prohibited. Prohibits a health insurance carrier from requiring a pharmacy to override a denial code or to request an override in order to dispense a prescription drug for the treatment or management of pain to an enrollee who has been diagnosed with sickle cell disease.
Prohibition on procurement and use of insecure uncrewed aircraft systems; report. Prohibits, beginning on July 1, 2025, any public body from purchasing, leasing, or otherwise procuring an insecure uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), as that term is defined in the bill. The bill further prohibits, beginning on July 1, 2029, any public body from using, whether directly or through work with or on behalf of another public body, an insecure UAS. The bill directs the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) to establish cybersecurity standards for the certification of secure UAS and maintain a list of approved UAS manufacturers and models on its website. The bill also requires the Joint Commission on Technology and Science, in collaboration with stakeholders, to review cybersecurity standards and make recommendations every two years to ensure alignment with emerging UAS technologies, evolving cybersecurity threats, the operational and safety needs of public bodies, and public safety priorities within the Commonwealth. Finally, the bill establishes the Uncrewed Aircraft Replacement Grant Program, to be administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to award grants to aid public bodies with the transition from insecure UAS to secure UAS.
Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard program; zero-carbon electricity. Amends the definition of renewable energy for purposes of the Virginia Electric Utility Regulation Act to include energy derived from hydrogen and nuclear power. The bill provides that the existing renewable energy portfolio standard program that establishes goals for the sale of renewable energy shall also include goals for the sale of zero-carbon electricity and adds zero-carbon electricity generating resources and certain other resources approved by the State Corporation Commission to the list of eligible sources for purposes of the renewable portfolio standard program.
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.
Department of Social Services; Department of Health; local departments of social services; local health districts; screening for unmet social needs; service referrals. Directs the Department of Social Services and Virginia Department of Health to require local departments of social services and local health districts to screen clients seeking services for unmet social needs and refer clients to services for such unmet needs.
