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Starting in 2026, Virginia will observe "Christian Heritage Week" every year from April 24 to April 30.
This law stops forcing judges to give out a specific minimum amount of jail time for certain crimes. Instead, judges will now have more freedom to decide what a fair sentence is for each case.
Virginia Gaming Commission established; penalties. Establishes the Virginia Gaming Commission as an independent agency of the Commonwealth, exclusive of the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of government, to oversee and regulate all forms of legal gambling in the Commonwealth except for the state lottery. The bill sets eligibility requirements for the appointment of a Commissioner and Virginia Gaming Commission Board members, provides powers and duties of such Commissioner and Board members, and provides for the transfer of current employees of relevant state agencies to the Commission. The bill contains numerous technical amendments.
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.
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.
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.
Between 2027 and 2031, the state will give families a tax credit for each child that matches the amount of the federal child tax credit. Because it is "refundable," you will receive this money even if you don’t owe any state income taxes. You can claim the credit once for each qualifying child.
Virginia Clean Energy Research and Support Center; established. Establishes the Virginia Clean Energy Research and Support Center (the Center) as an interdisciplinary study, research, and informational resource for individuals and businesses in the Commonwealth. The Center is governed by a board of directors that includes representatives from several colleges and universities in the Commonwealth, the Department of Energy, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. The board is directed to establish an advisory council to provide expertise and guidance related to the functions and duties of the Center. Functions and duties of the Center include providing technical assistance in matters related to energy technologies, siting, permitting, project design, interconnection, electric infrastructure, electric utilities, ratepayer proceedings, and environmental impacts of energy projects. Under the bill, the Center shall conduct an annual evaluation and collaborate with state agencies and institutions of higher education to provide technical assistance, research, or support in matters related to siting and permitting, programs to improve electric grid reliability, energy programs established at a participating institution of higher education, and administration and implementation of the Virginia Energy Plan. The bill also requires the Center to submit an annual report to the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation summarizing its research activities and any funding received by the Center by November 1 of each year. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.
Starting in 2027, Virginia will officially recognize the fourth week of January as "Winter Salt Week" every year.
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.
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.