Campaign fundraising; legislative sessions; enforcement of civil penalty. Provides that violations of the prohibition on campaign fundraising during legislative sessions are to be reported to the Attorney General, who shall initiate civil proceedings to enforce the civil penalty currently assessed for such violations. The bill provides that in the case of an alleged violation by the Attorney General, the State Board of Elections shall request the Supreme Court of Virginia to appoint outside counsel to receive such violation report and such outside counsel shall be responsible for initiating civil proceedings to enforce the civil penalty.
Elections; general provisions; loudspeakers prohibited at polls and certain other locations; penalty. Extends the prohibition on loudspeakers at the polls on election day to the office of the general registrar, a central absentee voter precinct, or a voter satellite office on election day and during hours when such facilities are open for the purpose of casting absentee ballots.
Voter registration; exchange of registered voter lists with other states; list of states posted to the Internet. Requires the Department of Elections to post to its official Internet website a list of states with which it has an agreement to exchange data for voter registration list maintenance purposes.
Elections; absentee voting; drop-off locations for return of absentee ballots; 24-hour video surveillance requirement. Requires 24-hour video surveillance of all absentee ballot drop-off locations.
Charter; City of Hopewell. Amends the charter for the City of Hopewell to allow the city to reassign certain duties from the city's elected treasurer to the city manager's office. The bill provides that the city manager will designate the finance department to be the custodian of all moneys and the treasurer will continue to be responsible for collecting state and federal disbursements to the city and for maintaining local collections.
A BILL to amend and reenact § 1, as amended, of Article IV of Chapter 634 of the Acts of Assembly of 1976, which provided a charter for the City of Poquoson, relating to powers of city council; expelling certain appointed members of board or commission.
Department of Education; public school accountability; delayed implementation and review of revised public school accountability system; report; emergency. Directs the Department of Education to delay for a period of one year the implementation of the revised public school accountability system adopted pursuant to applicable Board of Education regulations in order to conduct a review of and establish a stakeholder advisory committee to solicit input on such revised public school accountability system for the purpose of ensuring that such accountability system is designed to achieve fair, transparent, and actionable results aimed at improving student growth and learning outcomes across the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Department to, by April 1, 2026, (i) publish a report on the process and findings of the review conducted in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (ii) submit to the Governor, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the House Committee on Education a plan for modifying and implementing the revised public school accountability system that incorporates the findings of the review conducted and the input from the stakeholder advisory committee established in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Trespass towing fees; State Corporation Commission to establish; report. Repeals the authority for localities to establish trespass towing fees, with exceptions, and requires the State Corporation Commission to establish such fees and adjust such fees annually based on the Transportation Consumer Price Index. The bill permits localities to, by ordinance, allow for and establish reasonable limits on storage fees, administration fees, and additional fees for towing vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds. The bill requires the Commission, beginning November 30, 2030, and every five years thereafter, to submit a report to the General Assembly reviewing the process for adjusting towing rates, provided that funds are appropriated for such review.
Sales and use tax; accommodations for transients. Provides that the term "retail sale" shall include the sale of accommodations to transients for less than 30 days. Under current law, "retail sale" includes such sales to transients for less than 90 days.
Income tax; alternative schooling and public school tax credits. Creates an alternative schooling tax credit as a refundable income tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029, for up to $5,000 in qualifying expenses, defined in the bill, incurred by the parent or legal guardian of an eligible student in home education or attending a private school. If the taxpayer's family Virginia adjusted gross income does not exceed 300 percent of federal poverty guidelines, the taxpayer may claim an additional $2,500 refundable tax credit. The bill also creates a public school tax credit as a refundable individual tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029, for up to $1,500 in qualifying expenses, defined in the bill, incurred by the parent or legal guardian of a student in public school. If the taxpayer's family Virginia adjusted gross income does not exceed 300 percent of federal poverty guidelines, the taxpayer may claim an additional $2,500 refundable tax credit. The bill allows the taxpayer one credit per eligible student per year and requires the taxpayer to submit purchase receipts to verify qualifying expenses for each credit. The aggregate amount of credits allowable for each credit is limited to $25 million per taxable year and will be allocated by the Department of Taxation on a first-come, first-served basis. In the event that the aggregate amount of credits claimed in a single taxable year is greater than 90 percent of such amount, then such aggregate credit cap amount shall be increased in the immediately succeeding taxable year by 10 percent.
Commitment of serious juvenile offenders. Allows a juvenile and domestic relations district court to qualify a transferred juvenile as a serious offender and commit him to the Department of Juvenile Justice regardless of whether he meets existing criteria regarding criminal background if, upon the court's review of the juvenile's entire criminal history, such qualification is otherwise justified. Under current law, only a circuit court is allowed to make such qualification and commitment. The bill requires the committing juvenile and domestic relations district court or circuit court to document its reasoning for such commitment in writing.
Sale of certain vacant and blighted or derelict property. Allows a locality where certain vacant and blighted or derelict property is located to petition the circuit court to appoint a special commissioner to execute the necessary deed or deeds to convey the real estate, in lieu of a sale at public auction, to the locality, to the locality's land bank entity, or to an existing nonprofit entity designated by the locality to carry out the functions of a land bank. The bill provides that the locality shall require any purchaser by covenants in the deed or other security instrument to (i) begin repair or renovation of the property within six months of purchase and (ii) complete all repairs or renovations necessary to bring the property into compliance with the local building code within a period not to exceed two years of the purchase. The provisions of the bill apply only to property that is owned by a person that is not a United States citizen or United States entity or an entity that is owned or controlled by a person who is not a United States citizen.
