Virginia 2025 Regular Session All Bills (Page 209)
Page 209 of 235
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB964
Introduced
1/6/25
Refer
1/6/25
Collective bargaining; individual home care providers. Establishes within the Department of Medical Assistance Services the Virginia Home Care Authority to ensure the effectiveness and quality of the services of home care programs in the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes individual providers, as defined in the bill, to select an exclusive bargaining representative and to collectively bargain with the Virginia Home Care Authority regarding matters including wages, benefits, and all terms and conditions of employment that are within the Authority's control. The bill's provisions do not become effective unless legislation is enacted in the Commonwealth authorizing public employees to engage in collective bargaining. This bill was incorporated into SB 917.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB965
Introduced
1/6/25
Refer
1/6/25
Report Pass
1/15/25
Engrossed
1/20/25
Refer
2/5/25
Report Pass
2/10/25
Enrolled
2/18/25
Chaptered
3/24/25
Passed
3/24/25
Recording of proceedings in district courts. Allows an audio recording of proceedings in a district court, which includes both general district court and juvenile and domestic relations district court, to be made by a party or his counsel. Under current law, such recordings are only allowed in a general district court.Additionally, the bill (i) allows the judge of a juvenile and domestic relations district court to impose any restriction as necessary to comply with the confidentiality requirements applicable to such district court and (ii) prohibits the judge of a district court from (a) ordering or requiring a party or his counsel to submit a copy of such audio recording or transcript of such recording to the clerk of a district court to be maintained in such party's individual case file or (b) prohibiting a party or his counsel from providing such copy or transcript to the opposing party or his counsel.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB966
Introduced
1/6/25
Refer
1/6/25
Report Pass
1/17/25
Engrossed
1/21/25
Refer
2/4/25
Report Pass
2/17/25
Enrolled
3/7/25
Chaptered
3/18/25
Passed
3/18/25
Membership of Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission. Adds the executive director of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission or his designee to the membership of the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. This bill is identical to HB 2111.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB967
Introduced
1/6/25
Refer
1/6/25
Minimum wage and overtime pay; warehouse distribution center employees and employers; civil action; civil penalty. Provides that (i) an employer that violates requirements in existing law relating to the minimum wage, payment of wages and salaries, or overtime pay or (ii) a warehouse employer, as defined in the bill, that violates the bill's provisions shall be liable to an impacted employee for certain remedies, damages, and other relief as specified in the bill. The bill requires a warehouse employer to provide each warehouse employee, as defined in the bill, a written description of each performance standard to which such employee is subject and of any potential adverse employment action that may result from such employee's failure to meet such performance standard. The bill prohibits a warehouse employer from taking an adverse action against a warehouse employee for such employee's use of a bathroom facility. The bill provides that a warehouse employer that violates the bill's provisions relating to warehouse employers is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for each violation.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB968
Introduced
1/6/25
Refer
1/6/25
Report Pass
1/23/25
Engrossed
1/27/25
Refer
2/3/25
Report Pass
2/5/25
Enrolled
2/11/25
Chaptered
3/24/25
Passed
3/24/25
Board of Education; support services personnel; annual collection of certain staffing data required; report. Requires (i) each school board to, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, annually collect and submit to the Department of Education a report on data on the average salaries of support services personnel, as that term is defined in the bill, employed by the school board and (ii) the Department to, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, annually compile such data, include it in the Annual School Report, and publicly post it on the Department's website. The bill requires each school board and the Department to disaggregate the data by career categories of support services personnel and specialized student support personnel as set forth in applicable law. This bill is identical to HB 1983.Â
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB969
Introduced
1/6/25
Refer
1/6/25
Report Pass
1/21/25
Engrossed
1/24/25
Refer
2/4/25
Report Pass
2/12/25
Engrossed
2/17/25
Enrolled
2/19/25
Chaptered
3/24/25
Passed
3/24/25
Mineral Mine Safety Act; definition of "surface mineral mine"; mine inspectors; certificate renewal; use of cyanide or cyanide compound. Amends the definition of "surface mineral mine" in the Mineral Mine Safety Act to exclude excavation or grading when conducted solely in aid of onsite farming or construction and under certain conditions enumerated in the bill. The bill amends the definition of "mining" in existing law, relating to the exemption from permits for a mining operation, to extend the required completion time from six months to one year for excavation or grading conducted to construct or expand a farm pond for agricultural irrigation or provision of water for livestock. The bill also amends the qualification requirements for mineral mine inspectors, removes references to the defunct Board of Mineral Mining Examiners, and prohibits the issuance of any permit for a mineral mining or processing operation that includes the use of cyanide or a cyanide compound. This bill is identical to HB 1887.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB970
Introduced
1/6/25
Refer
1/6/25
Report Pass
1/17/25
Report Pass
1/28/25
Engrossed
1/30/25
Refer
2/6/25
Report Pass
2/6/25
Enrolled
3/7/25
Vetoed
3/24/25
Cannabis control; retail market; penalties. Establishes a framework for the creation of a retail marijuana market in the Commonwealth, to be administered by the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. The bill allows the Authority to begin issuing all marijuana licenses on September 1, 2025, but provides that no retail sales may occur prior to May 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 2485.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB971
Introduced
1/6/25
Refer
1/6/25
Income tax; second-chance employment tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable second-chance employment tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for five percent of the amount of wages paid to a qualified employee during the taxable year. The bill defines a qualified employee as an individual who was convicted of a felony or a Class 1 or Class 2 misdemeanor. The annual amount of the credit that may be claimed by the employer shall not exceed $1,250 per qualified employee or $2,250 in the case of a qualified employee who is on probation or parole. The credit may be claimed in the first year in which the qualified employer employs a qualified employee and in each subsequent year in which such employer continues to employ such qualified employee. The bill requires that such qualified employer adopt and implement a second-chance hiring policy that meets or exceeds standards set in guidance by the Department of Human Resource Management. The aggregate amount of tax credits available in any fiscal year shall not exceed the amount appropriated for such year as provided in the general appropriation act.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB972
Introduced
1/6/25
Refer
1/6/25
Report Pass
1/15/25
Emergency Response Exposure Grant Fund and Program. Creates the Emergency Response Exposure Grant Fund and Program to award grants to localities to support certain emergency responders who were exposed to a qualifying emergency, defined in the bill. The bill requires funding to be used for annual cancer screenings and health care expenses incurred by eligible emergency responders, defined in the bill, in the event such emergency responders are diagnosed with cancer from toxic material exposure. The bill permits funding to be used for out-of-pocket medical expenses not otherwise covered by insurance, workers' compensation, or other available funding. The Department of Fire Programs shall administer the Fund and Program.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB973
Introduced
1/7/25
Refer
1/7/25
Pilot program; electric generation from captured waste mine methane; renewable portfolio standard. Directs the State Corporation Commission to establish a pilot program for American Electric Power and Dominion Energy to submit proposals to deploy electric generation that utilizes, in whole or in part, captured waste mine methane, as defined in the bill. Under the bill, reasonable and prudent costs incurred under the captured waste mine methane pilot program shall be recovered through utility base rates for generation and distribution services. Additionally, the bill provides that electricity generated using captured waste mine methane with a non-combustion electric generator under the captured waste mine methane project shall be considered an eligible resource for purposes of the renewable energy portfolio standard program until December 31, 2045.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB974
Introduced
1/7/25
Refer
1/7/25
Report Pass
1/27/25
Engrossed
1/29/25
Refer
2/4/25
Report Pass
2/7/25
Engrossed
2/12/25
Engrossed
2/14/25
Enrolled
2/18/25
Chaptered
3/24/25
Passed
3/24/25
Subdivision ordinance; plan review by designated agent. Removes planning commission and governing body approval authority for the administrative review process for plats and plans and assigns such authority solely to a designated agent, defined in the bill. However, the bill provides that the local planning commission may serve as the designated agent of any locality with a population of 5,000 or less. The bill also expedites the review process by shortening the timeframe for forwarding plats and plans to state agencies for review.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB975
Introduced
1/7/25
Refer
1/7/25
Statewide housing targets for localities. Requires localities to increase their total housing stock by at least 7.5 percent over the five-year period beginning January 1, 2026. The bill provides that in order to meet the 7.5 percent growth target, a locality shall develop a housing growth plan that best meets the needs of the locality and may include any of various listed housing growth strategies. The bill further provides that after January 1, 2031, an applicant who seeks local government approval for a residential development that will have the effect of increasing the supply of housing in a locality and has that application rejected may, in addition to other remedies, appeal such decision to the Housing Approval Board, which shall be established by the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development. The bill authorizes the Housing Approval Board to overturn local decisions and approve applications under certain circumstances. However, if the Housing Approval Board determines that a locality has in good faith implemented at least three of the housing growth strategies listed in the bill and has not rejected more than 25 percent of new housing development proposals over the previous five years, the Housing Approval Board shall allow the local decision to stand. Finally, the bill provides that the Housing Approval Board shall give extra weight for increases in affordable housing and for the rehabilitation of current, underutilized housing stock.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB976
Introduced
1/7/25
Refer
1/7/25
Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund; performance agreement. Removes the authority to make commitments related to accelerated permitting, property tax classifications, and other such issues in an agreement between a qualified company and a locality for purposes of the Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB977
Introduced
1/7/25
Refer
1/7/25
Report Pass
1/16/25
Public schools; Standards of Quality; certain calculations; support services. Requires the Department of Education (the Department) (i) in calculating nonpersonal costs in the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include the costs associated with work-related employee travel and leased facilities; (ii) in calculating the deduction of federal funds in the Standards of Quality funding formula, to examine actual school division spending on support costs as a percentage of actual school division spending on all public education costs, with certain exceptions such as food service; (iii) in calculating the costs in the Standards of Quality funding formula beginning with fiscal year 2029, to include all employee benefit costs incurred by a majority of school divisions; (iv) in calculating the cost of salaries under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include facilities staff and transportation staff salaries in the calculation of any cost of competing adjustment to salaries for instructional and support positions; and (v) in estimating the cost of any compensation supplement for instruction and support positions under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include and estimate the cost of such a compensation supplement for facilities staff. The bill also prohibits the Department from applying any cap on inflation rate adjustments to non-personal cost categories during the biennial process of re-benchmarking the aid to the public education budget. The bill (a) requires a per-pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on to be provided for each special education student; (b) requires support services positions to be funded based on a calculation of prevailing costs and prohibits such positions from being subject to any method of funding calculation that caps the number of funded support services positions based on a ratio of such positions to students enrolled in the school division, with the exception of certain support services positions enumerated in the bill; and (c) establishes the At-Risk Program for the purpose of supporting programs and services for students who are educationally at-risk, including programs and services of prevention, intervention, or remediation.
VA
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB978
Introduced
1/7/25
Refer
1/7/25
Report Pass
1/23/25
Public elementary and secondary education; Office of Mathematics Improvement established; mathematics improvement and advancement policies and programs. Establishes several new programs and policies for the purpose of improving mathematics instruction and student learning outcomes in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth, including (i) directing the Department of Education (the Department) to establish the Office of Mathematics Improvement (the Office) as an office within the Department; (ii) directing the Director of the Office, in collaboration with the Department, to establish an Elementary School Mathematics Advisory Task Force, a Middle School Mathematics Advisory Task Force, and a High School Mathematics Advisory Task Force; (iii) creating several grant programs aimed at incentivizing, encouraging, and expanding opportunities for improving mathematics instruction for educators and mathematics learning outcomes for students, including the Summer Mathematics Intervention Grant Program, the Advance Placement Mathematics Exam Fee Elimination Fund and Program, the Mathematics Improvement and School Support Grant Program, and the Advanced Mathematics Teacher Incentive and Support Grant Program; (iv) making several changes to staffing requirements relating to teachers providing mathematics instruction, including creating a mathematics specialist microcredential program and establishing staffing ratios for mathematics specialists in public schools and permitting schools to use state funding appropriated to support meeting such staffing ratios to support teachers in completing the professional development or training necessary to receive the requisite licensure or endorsements; and (v) requiring the Department to expand the advanced mathematics courses offered through Virtual Virginia, as established pursuant to applicable law, for the purpose of ensuring that students attending public schools across the Commonwealth have access to a full range of advanced mathematics courses. The bill also (a) directs the Board of Education (the Board) to modify its regulations to increase the flexibility of receiving an Algebra I add-on endorsement for teachers; (b) directs the Board, in collaboration with the Office, to develop and approve a Geometry add-on endorsement for teachers; (c) requires the development and dissemination of various guidance documents for school boards and school counselors and online training programs and modules for educators relating to expanding and encouraging mathematics instruction and education, particularly advanced mathematics instruction and education; and (d) requires the Department to compile and post in a publicly accessible location on its website by August 1 of each year a report detailing the impact of the provisions of the bill on expanding mathematics offerings and improving mathematics learning outcomes in public schools across the Commonwealth. The bill provides timelines for modifying regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.