Abuse, etc., of child younger than the age of 15 by person in custodial or supervisory relationship; penalty. Creates a Class 6 felony for any person 18 years of age or older who maintains a custodial or supervisory relationship over a child younger than the age of 15 and who knowingly and intentionally on three or more occasions within a 30-day period (i) commits assault or assault and battery in violation of relevant law against such child, (ii) causes such child to be an abused or neglected child as such term is defined in relevant law, or (iii) engages in any conduct that he should know or reasonably know places such child in reasonable fear of death or bodily injury. The bill also provides that a prosecution for such offense may be commenced regardless of whether such violations have been reported to a law-enforcement officer or the alleged offender has been charged with or convicted of such alleged violations.
Provision of county services within towns. Requires counties to provide their standard county services to towns located within county boundaries at the same level such services are provided in the unincorporated areas of the county.
Pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems and stop sign violation monitoring systems; violation enforcement; civil penalty. Authorizes state and local law-enforcement agencies to place and operate pedestrian crossing violation and stop sign violation monitoring systems in school crossing zones, highway work zones, and high-risk intersection segments for purposes of recording pedestrian crossing and stop sign violations, as those terms are defined in the bill. The bill imposes the same requirements on pedestrian crossing and stop sign violation monitoring systems as currently exist for photo speed monitoring devices and requires local law-enforcement agencies implementing or expanding the use of such systems to, prior to the implementation or expansion of such systems, conduct a public awareness program for such implementation or expansion.
School boards; entitlement to one-time fee from certain data centers. Provides that any school board that governs a school division that contains a public school located within three miles of a data center, as such term is defined in relevant law, that received its certificate of occupancy from the relevant locality after July 1, 2025, is entitled to a one-time fee of $250,000 to be paid by the owner of such data center no later than 90 days after the issuance of such data center's certificate of occupancy by the locality.
Protective orders; dissolution of existing order. Provides that, upon the issuance of a new protective order involving a petitioner and respondent, the court shall dissolve any existing order issued by such court involving the same petitioner and respondent.
Siting of data centers; local authority. Provides that a locality, in considering any land use application required for the siting of a data center, may (i) require and consider water use estimates for proposed data center developments; (ii) require sound modeling studies for proposed data center developments; (iii) establish and enforce maximum allowable sound levels for operational data center facilities, including the use of alternative low-frequency metrics, and include such requirements in zoning ordinances; and (iv) require and consider power load demand estimates for a proposed data center development.
State plan for medical assistance services; recovery residences; work group; report. Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for payment of care provided at certain recovery residences for individuals diagnosed with a substance use disorder. The bill also directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to (i) convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to (a) establish a monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness and impact of recovery residences on long-term recovery outcomes and (b) study the economic impact of recovery residences on the Commonwealth and (ii) in consultation with such work group, promulgate regulations to ensure recovery residences are operating in compliance with American Society of Addiction Medicine standards. The bill directs the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2025.
Taxable income; subtractions; military benefits. Removes the current cap of $40,000 of military benefits that may be subtracted from Virginia taxable income for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2026, such that the total amount of military benefits may be subtracted from such income.
Commonwealth Savers Plan; State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; Virginia College Access and Affordability Scholarship Fund established; work group; report. Directs the transfer of actuarial surplus defined benefit prepaid tuition contract funds from the fund of the Commonwealth Savers Plan (the Plan) into a DB529 subfund established in the bill to be used for (i) a surplus rebate program and (ii) establishing the Virginia College Access and Affordability Scholarship Fund (the Access Fund). The surplus rebate program returns actuarial surplus funds, in $2,500 checks, to owners of a prepaid tuition contract who entered into such contract before July 1, 2019, and claim such rebate before July 1, 2026. The amount of rebates available shall not exceed $350 million. When claiming the rebate, the application allows such rebate amount to be applied to a new prepaid tuition contract or a Roth individual retirement account in lieu of the check. The bill establishes an Investment Board with investment and actuarial expertise to review and make recommendations to the General Assembly on each deposit from the DB529 Fund to the Access Fund. After an initial $500 million deposit from the DB529 subfund, dedicated assets of the Access Fund shall be invested and managed by the Plan. Funds in the Access Fund shall be used to establish a scholarship program to be managed and administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (the Council). The scholarship program provides scholarship awards to students enrolled in an eligible education program, defined in the bill, and a portion of the funds are to be devoted to college access resources or programs to assist low-income students, first generation college students, students from underrepresented communities, or other at-risk students with their introduction to the higher education system in Virginia, college applications, financial aid applications, and resources assisting with a successful transition from high school to college. The Council is required to report on the Access Fund and scholarship program no later than December 31 each year. Finally, the bill (a) directs the Council to establish a work group of higher education stakeholders to make recommendations on allocations of funds available through the Access Fund and scholarship program and directs the work group to report to the House Committees on Education and Appropriations and Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations no later than November 1, 2025, and (b) prohibits the Plan from implementing or taking part in any initiatives relating to the accessibility or the aforementioned college access programs on or after July 1, 2025.
Commitment of serious juvenile offenders. Allows a juvenile and domestic relations district court to qualify a transferred juvenile as a serious offender and commit him to the Department of Juvenile Justice regardless of whether he meets existing criteria regarding criminal background if, upon the court's review of the juvenile's entire criminal history, such qualification is otherwise justified. Under current law, only a circuit court is allowed to make such qualification and commitment. The bill requires the committing juvenile and domestic relations district court or circuit court to document its reasoning for such commitment in writing.
Income tax; toll charges for disabled veterans tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for expenses incurred during the taxable year by a disabled veteran, defined in the bill, for documented toll charges, also defined in the bill. The amount of the credit shall be equal to the lesser of the documented toll charges or $100. The bill requires the Tax Commissioner to establish guidelines for claiming the credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forward by the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable year for which the credit was issued.
Taxable income; subtractions; military benefits. Removes the current cap of $40,000 of military benefits that may be subtracted from Virginia taxable income for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2026, such that the total amount of military benefits may be subtracted from such income.
