Virginia Military Institute; board of visitors; membership. Makes several changes relating to the membership of the Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors, including providing that, of the 16 members appointed by the Governor, (i) no more than eight shall be alumni of the Institute, (ii) at least six shall be nonalumni residents of the Commonwealth, and (iii) at least five shall have United States military experience, as defined in the bill. Current law provides that of the 16 members appointed by the Governor, (i) 12 shall be alumni of the Institute, of whom eight shall be residents of the Commonwealth and four shall be nonresidents, and (ii) four shall be nonalumni residents of the Commonwealth.

Commending Patrick Henry's Scotchtown.

Election of Circuit Court Judges, General District Court Judges, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judges, a member of the State Corporation Commission, and a member of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission.

Nominating persons to be elected to general district court judgeships.

Virginia Military Institute; task force. Establishes a task force to examine higher education at Virginia Military Institute (VMI). The bill directs the task force to determine VMI's responsiveness to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia's 2021 report on the institution and to explore and recommend other changes to be made to distance VMI from the Lost Cause narrative, foster an inclusive environment, and address any other concerns raised by the task force. The task force is required to complete its meetings by November 30, 2026, and to report to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than the first day of the 2027 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Nominating a person to be elected to the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission.

Urban Public-Private Partnership Redevelopment Fund; funding requirements; report. Revises the Urban Public-Private Partnership Redevelopment Fund by expanding the qualifying private entities available for partnership with a local government for the redevelopment of local sites, removing the existing $500,000 grant cap for such local government, and eliminating the requirement that each grant be conditioned upon a 100 percent match of funds by the local government. The bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development (the Department), on or before December 1 of each year, to submit a report to the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, the Governor, and the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, including the number of projects funded and the costs of the Fund. In addition, the bill directs the Department to convene a work group to develop appropriate criteria and guidelines for the administration of the grant program established by the Fund, including for (i) how to prioritize awards for (a) localities experiencing an above average and high level of fiscal stress as designated by the Commission on Local Government and (b) localities experiencing a significant decrease in commercial real estate assessments and (ii) the amount and type of local match, including both requirements that consider monetary contributions and non-monetary contributions. The bill requires the work group to include representatives of the Department, the Virginia Association of Counties, the Virginia First Cities Coalition, the Virginia Municipal League, and the Virginia Economic Developers Association and to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by November 1, 2026. Under current law, the Board of Housing and Community Development is directed to develop guidelines for administration of the Fund. Finally, the bill repeals the Housing Revitalization Zone Act.

Nominating persons to be elected to circuit court judgeships.

Commending Chesapeake Regional Healthcare.

Nominating a person to be elected as a member of the State Corporation Commission.

Nominating persons to be elected to juvenile and domestic relations district court judgeships.

Domicile and residential requirements for annulment, affirmance, or divorce; members of the Armed Forces of the United States and civilian employees of the United States; return from station. Provides that, for the purposes of domicile requirements for annulment, affirmance, or divorce, any member of the Armed Forces of the United States or any civilian employee of the United States, including any foreign service officer, who (i) at the time the suit is filed, or immediately preceding such suit, has returned to the Commonwealth following being stationed in any territory or foreign country and (ii) resided or lived in in the Commonwealth for the six-month period immediately preceding his being stationed in such territory or country shall be deemed to have been domiciled in and to have been a bona fide resident of the Commonwealth during the six months preceding the filing of a suit for annulment or divorce.

Retail sales and use tax; penalty and interest for certain dealers. Provides that any dealer that (i) is an operator of an event venue that neither provides nor offers overnight stays, (ii) fails to make any sales and use tax return and pay the full amount of such tax for those transactions that include both items that are taxable and nontaxable, and (iii) has demonstrated no willful intent to defraud the Commonwealth shall only be liable for penalty and interest amounts calculated upon the amount of such unpaid tax rather than the amount of the lump sum of the subject transactions.

Motor vehicle glass repair and replacement; emissions inspection; penalties. Establishes various notice requirements for motor vehicle glass repair shops, defined in the bill, and provides that a violation of such requirements is a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill permits a motor vehicle to qualify for an emissions inspection waiver if such vehicle has failed an inspection and the vehicle's onboard diagnostic system is in a not-ready condition to be tested when presented for reinspection. This bill is identical to HB 312.

Commending Richard A. Vaughan.