Study; State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; offering reduced rate in-state tuition at public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth to dependents of public elementary and secondary school teachers in the Commonwealth; report. Requests the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to study, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the feasibility and efficacy of offering the dependents of public elementary and secondary school teachers in the Commonwealth reduced rate in-state tuition at public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth for the purpose of improving retention rates of public school teachers in the Commonwealth.
Study; Commission on Local Government; authority granted to local governing body; cities and towns; requirement of dedicated land for sidewalk, curb, and gutter improvements; report. Requests the Commission on Local Government to study the feasibility and necessity of providing all cities and towns in the Commonwealth with the authority to require dedication of land for sidewalk, curb, and gutter improvements and to evaluate the impacts of requiring the dedication of land for such improvements.
Study; JLARC; Standards of Quality compliance; accuracy of data; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the accuracy of Standards of Quality compliance data annually provided by each local school board and provide recommendations to improve the accuracy of such data.
Study; JLARC; creation of Secretariat of Rural Affairs; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the need for and feasibility of creating a Secretariat of Rural Affairs in the Commonwealth.
Virginia Commission on Youth; membership; nonlegislative citizen member; person younger than 18 years of age. Requires at least one of the nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor to the Virginia Commission on Youth to be a minor at the time of appointment. The bill provides that a minor nonlegislative citizen member who reaches 18 years of age during the term to which he was appointed is permitted to continue to serve until his term expires. Under current law, nonlegislative citizen members serve terms of four years; the bill provides that minor nonlegislative citizen members serve terms of two years.
Virginia Fleet Modernization Advisory Council; established; report. Establishes the Virginia Fleet Modernization Advisory Council to coordinate cost-effective, resilient, and decarbonization-aligned strategies for public and private fleet modernization in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Council to report annually by the first day of each regular session of the General Assembly to the Governor and the General Assembly regarding its activities and recommendations. The Council has a sunset date of July 1, 2031.
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; animal slaughterhouse; report. Directs the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to convene a work group composed of relevant stakeholders to consider the benefits, feasibility, and impact of an additional animal slaughterhouse located in Northern Virginia and to submit a report of the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources no later than December 1, 2027.
Office of the Executive Secretary of Virginia; collaboration to review certain conservator annual accounting reports; report. Directs the Office of the Executive Secretary of Virginia to collaborate with the Standing Committee on Commissioners of Accounts of the Judicial Council of Virginia and the Conference of Commissioners of Accounts to contract with a third party to review a subset of conservator annual accounting reports. The bill provides that a report of the findings of the review shall be submitted to the chief circuit court judge and commissioner of accounts in each locality included in such review by December 1, 2026. The bill provides that such report shall be used to inform the development and refinement of guidance for commissioners of accounts and training for newly appointed conservators.
Virginia State Crime Commission; kratom regulation and enforcement; report. Directs the Virginia State Crime Commission (the Commission), in consultation with the Board of Pharmacy, to conduct an analysis of the enforcement and regulation of Mitragyna speciosa, commonly known as kratom, throughout the United States. The bill provides that in conducting its analysis, the Commission shall determine (i) the status of kratom enforcement and regulation at the federal level; (ii) whether states regulate kratom through criminalization or consumer protection laws; (iii) the penalties, if any, associated with violations of state law related to kratom, including individual possession and retail sales; (iv) any other information it deems relevant to kratom enforcement and regulation in the Commonwealth; and (v) any recommendations for changes to existing laws related to the enforcement or regulation of kratom. Lastly, the bill requires the Commission to submit an executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2026.
Wildlife Corridor Action Plan; interagency implementation group; report. Directs the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources to, in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation, convene an Interagency Implementation Group to advance projects, policies, and priorities identified under the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. The bill requires the Group to (i) facilitate the development of a statewide memorandum of understanding among participating state agencies to formalize roles, data-sharing practices, and collaborative processes; (ii) facilitate sharing of wildlife vehicle collision data; (iii) support local level connectivity planning; (iv) develop and offer training to state agencies, localities, and metropolitan planning organizations relating to wildlife crossings and habitat connectivity strategies; (v) coordinate and prioritize projects identified in the Plan; and (vi) assist state agencies and political subdivisions, and by request any federal agency, in considering and incorporating wildlife corridors and the recommendations of the Plan when developing any governmental strategic plan, map, or action. The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources to jointly submit a report of the Group's progress in advancing the Plan to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and Transportation and the House Committees on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Transportation by September 1 of each year.
Income tax subtraction; broadband grant fund awards. Establishes an individual and corporate income tax subtraction for any amount of public grant awards received in the taxable year for the exclusive purpose of planning, constructing, expanding, or improving upon broadband infrastructure and services in the Commonwealth beginning in taxable year 2026.
Department of Transportation; work group; examine reclaimed asphalt pavement study; report. Directs the Department of Transportation to convene a work group to examine the Characterizing and Improving Binder Availability and Activity in Asphalt Mixtures with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) study conducted by the Virginia Transportation Research Council and make certain recommendations, and to submit a report of the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees on Transportation, the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources, and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources no later than December 1, 2026.
