Kei vehicles; operation and requirements. Prohibits kei vehicles, as defined in the bill, from being operated on any limited access highway, interstate highway, or highway with a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour or more. The bill provides for the licensing and registration of kei vehicles by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The bill prohibits localities from placing certain restrictions on kei vehicles and prohibits the imposition of liability for motor vehicle dealers for any damages that are directly or indirectly attributable to the sale of a kei vehicle that was not manufactured in accordance with federal safety standards. The bill directs the State Air Pollution Control Board to develop and adopt emissions inspection standards for kei vehicles and directs the Superintendent of State Police to promulgate any regulations necessary for conducting safety inspections of kei vehicles.
Military leaves of absence for employees of the Commonwealth or political subdivisions; law-enforcement officers. Provides that any person who is employed by the Commonwealth or a political subdivision of the Commonwealth as a law-enforcement officer shall receive paid leaves of absence for up to 388 hours for which a leave of absence is required, during which such person is engaged in federally funded military duty, to include training duty, or is called forth by the Governor for military duty.
A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 2.2-203.3, 2.2-401.01, 2.2-511, 2.2-614.3, 2.2-3705.3, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, 2.2-3705.6, 2.2-3705.7, 2.2-3711, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, 2.2-3802, 2.2-4002, 2.2-4346, 3.2-102, 3.2-6201, 4.1-100, 4.1-206.3, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, 4.1-226, 6.2-603.1, 8.01-216.3, 8.01-534, 11-16.1, 11-16.2, 15.2-912.2, 15.2-2825, 18.2-513, 19.2-66, 19.2-215.1, 19.2-389, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, 19.2-390, 22.1-140.1, 37.2-304, 37.2-314.2, 52-53, 52-54, 58.1-3, 58.1-439, 58.1-460, 58.1-3510, 58.1-3732.1, and 59.1-542.1 of the Code of Virginia; to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a title numbered 29.5, containing a subtitle numbered I, consisting of chapters numbered 1 through 6, containing sections numbered 29.5-100 through 29.5-650, a subtitle numbered II, consisting of chapters numbered 7 and 8, containing sections numbered 29.5-700 through 29.5-814, and a subtitle numbered III, consisting of a chapter numbered 9, containing sections numbered 29.5-900 through 29.5-913; and to repeal §§ 2.2-2455 and 2.2-2456, Article 1 (§§ 18.2-325 through 18.2-340) of Chapter 8 of Title 18.2, Article 1.1:1 (§§ 18.2-340.15 through 18.2-340.37) of Chapter 8 of Title 18.2, Chapter 40 (§§ 58.1-4000 through 58.1-4048) of Title 58.1, Chapter 41 (§§ 58.1-4100 through 58.1-4141) of Title 58.1, Chapter 29 (§§ 59.1-364 through 59.1-405) of Title 59.1, Chapter 29.1 (§ 59.1-405.1) of Title 59.1, and Chapter 51 (§§ 59.1-556 through 59.1-570) of Title 59.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Gaming Commission established; penalties.
Electric utilities; licensed suppliers of electric energy; aggregate demands; total retail load limit. Amends provisions that permit two or more individual nonresidential retail customers of electric energy to petition the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) to aggregate their electric demands for the purpose of purchasing electric energy from a licensed supplier. Under the bill, the five megawatt participation threshold is based on noncoincident peak demand in calendar year 2024 and any year thereafter. Under the bill, such customers are not required to petition the Commission for approval to aggregate their demands, but are required to notify the Commission and incumbent electric utility in writing that they have met the requirements for doing so. The bill makes it voluntary rather than mandatory for the Commission to impose certain periodic monitoring and reporting obligations for such customers to demonstrate continued compliance with the aggregate demand limitations.
Virginia Conservation Easement Act; definitions; federally recognized tribes. Provides that a federally recognized tribe, as defined in the bill, can be a conservation easement holder and that such a tribe is not bound by the same restrictions on the location of a principal office or the duration of existence that are placed on other types of easement holders. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes.
Juvenile secure detention facilities; placement of juveniles referred from another locality; high-needs or high-risk juveniles; funding. Requires the statewide plan developed by the Department of Juvenile Justice (the Department) for the establishment and maintenance of a range of institutional and community-based, diversion, predispositional and postdispositional services to be reasonably accessible to each court to include (i) a plan for juvenile secure detention facilities in the Commonwealth, which shall designate the total number of facilities to be in operation in the Commonwealth, the location of each facility, the localities each facility shall serve, and the number of beds required for each facility and (ii) procedures for determining the appropriate placement of juveniles pursuant to the plan. The bill provides that the Department may reduce or cease the apportionment of any state funds to any localities or commissions that choose not to participate in the plan for juvenile secure detention facilities in the Commonwealth included in the statewide plan as required by this section. The bill also allows the Department to designate up to three juvenile secure detention facilities to provide additional support and services to juveniles identified as high-needs or high-risk. The bill requires any locality or commission operating a juvenile secure detention facility that receives state funds to accept the placement of any juvenile referred from another locality, unless accepting placement of such juvenile is not feasible due to security concerns or exigent circumstances related to staffing or other operational factors. The bill also provides that if any locality or commission refuses to accept the placement of any such juvenile, the Department may cease the apportionment of any funds to the locality or commission, including any funds for facility operations and education programs. The bill also provides that when a locality or commission operating a juvenile secure detention facility accepts the placement of a juvenile referred from another locality, (a) any medical expenses incurred on behalf of such juvenile shall be borne by the locality from which the juvenile was referred, unless otherwise agreed to by the locality referring such juvenile and the locality or commission accepting such juvenile; (b) if an employee of the juvenile secure detention facility is injured in the course of his employment by any such juvenile, the locality from which such juvenile was referred shall be considered the employer for the purposes of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act; (c) any sheriff's departments that are impacted by additional travel requirements related to transporting juveniles shall be compensated to the extent practicable from identified savings; and (d) the locality referring such juvenile and the locality or commission accepting such juvenile shall negotiate in good faith to arrive at mutually agreeable funding contributions. The bill provides that if the localities or commissions are unable to reach an agreement on the funding contributions required by clause (d), then the Department shall determine the funding contributions and that failure of any locality or commission to comply with such funding contributions may result in the loss or reduction of the apportionment of any funds to the locality or commission, including any funds for facility operations and education programs.
Fostering Access, Innovation, and Responsibility in Artificial Intelligence Act established. Establishes the Fostering Access, Innovation, and Responsibility in Artificial Intelligence Act (FAIR AI Act) that requires a developer of a base artificial intelligence model, as defined in the bill, to clearly and conspicuously disclose, in a manner that is appropriate for the medium of the content and is easily accessible to the user of such model, in the terms of service governing the use of such model, certain elements related to the artificial intelligence system. The bill creates the FAIR AI Enforcement Fund for the purpose of supporting agency enforcement of artificial intelligence system misuse, bias, and workforce disruption. Finally, the bill limits the defenses available in any criminal or civil action against a defendant that is alleged to have developed, modified, or deployed an artificial intelligence system that caused harm to a plaintiff. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
Petition for modification of a sentence; eligibility; procedures; report. Provides procedures for individuals serving a sentence for certain felony convictions or a combination of such convictions who remain incarcerated in a state or local correctional facility or secure facility and meet certain criteria to petition the circuit court that entered the original judgment or order to (i) suspend the unserved portion of such sentence or run the unserved portion of such sentence concurrently with another sentence, (ii) place such person on probation for such time as the court shall determine, or (iii) otherwise modify the sentence imposed. Depending on the type of conviction, the bill allows the court to grant a hearing on such petition after an individual has served at least 25 years for certain offenses, after 20 years for certain other offenses, and after 15 years for any other felony conviction not specified. The bill directs the Department of Corrections to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to (a) consider and recommend best practices for implementation of the bill and (b) evaluate and recommend updates to victim notification systems. The work group shall complete its meetings by November 1, 2026, and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2026.
Department of Medical Assistance Services; Medicaid estate recoveries. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (the Department) to limit the operation of its estate recovery program to the recovery of only federally required costs. The bill directs the Department to make information on estate recovery available on its website in multiple languages. The bill directs the Department to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.
Secretary of Health and Human Resources; private equity ownership of health care facilities; work group; report. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources (the Secretary) to convene a work group to study the impact of private equity on health care. The bill requires the Secretary to submit a report on the work group's 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, 2026.
Individual income tax; child tax credit. Creates a refundable individual income tax credit in taxable years 2027 through 2031 in an amount equal to that allowed for the corresponding federal child tax credit. Only one credit may be claimed for each qualifying child, as defined in the bill.
A BILL directing the Virginia State Crime Commission to analyze kratom enforcement and regulation in the United States; report.
