Virginia Bills

Admission to bail; rebuttable presumptions against bail. Creates a rebuttable presumption against bail for certain criminal offenses enumerated in the bill. The bill also requires the court to consider specified factors when determining whether the presumption against bail has been rebutted and whether there are appropriate conditions of release.

Virginia Preschool Initiative; Kindergarten Readiness Fund established. Establishes the Kindergarten Readiness Fund and provides that all balances of state general funds intended for the provision of services to families through the Virginia Preschool Initiative that are unspent at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall be paid into the state treasury and credited to the Kindergarten Readiness Fund and thereafter used in the discretion of the Department of Education solely for the purpose of providing grants on a competitive basis to school divisions to utilize for other currently operated early childhood education programs.

Income tax exclusion; veteran student loan forgiveness. Eliminates the sunset date and expands eligibility for the income tax exclusion for any income received by a disabled veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States from the discharge of federal student loan indebtedness.

Library boards; removal of members; appeal. Provides that the procedure for removal of a library board member shall include a right of appeal by the member to the circuit court within 30 days of a decision to remove such member.

Jurors; failure to return jury questionnaire. Provides that the court may order any juror who has been issued a jury questionnaire and fails to return such questionnaire without good cause to appear in the office of the clerk to complete the questionnaire in a manner determined by such clerk.

Unclaimed property; application to delinquent taxes. Directs the administrator of unclaimed property to transmit information to the Department of Taxation regarding the value of the property and the identity of the taxpayer. The bill also directs the Department to subtract the value of any unclaimed cash property, as defined in the bill, from the amount of any state taxes owed and specifies that the unclaimed cash property shall be paid to the Department.

Affordable housing; county executive form of government. Adds counties with the county executive form of government to the list of localities with authority to provide for an affordable dwelling unit program. Albemarle County, which is already granted such authority under current law, and Prince William County are the only counties that have adopted such form of government.

Manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, etc., of fentanyl; weight-based and pill-based penalties. Creates a penalty structure for manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with the intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute fentanyl based on the weight of the fentanyl, its salts, isomers, or salts of its isomers; the weight of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, its salts, isomers, or salts of its isomers; or the number of pills containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, its salts, isomers, or salts of its isomers.

Zoning; recovery residences. Provides that zoning ordinances for all purposes shall consider a certified recovery residence in which no more than eight individuals with substance use disorder reside, either with or without one or more resident or nonresident staff persons, as residential occupancy by a single family and that no conditions more restrictive than those imposed on residences occupied by persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption shall be imposed on such certified recovery residence. The bill provides that no clinical treatment shall take place in such recovery residence and that the recovery residence shall submit the individual name and contact information for the person responsible for the residence to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

Venison donation tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 for expenses incurred by a taxpayer to butcher and process an antlerless deer for human consumption. A taxpayer may claim this credit provided that (i) the hunting and harvesting of the deer complies with the Commonwealth's hunting laws and regulations and (ii) the taxpayer donates the processed deer meat to a venison donation program administered by a nonprofit organization. The amount of the credit that may be claimed in any single taxable year cannot exceed (a) $200, if the taxpayer did not harvest each deer for which the credits are claimed in accordance with a deer management permit, or (b) the taxpayer's liability in that taxable year, if the taxpayer harvested each deer for which the credits are claimed in accordance with a deer management permit. Finally, the bill provides for an exemption from civil liability arising from injury or death resulting from the nature, age, condition, or packaging of the donated food.

HB 2673 would have allowed dealers to receive a discount on retail sales and use tax payments. The bill aimed to directly affect businesses that collect sales tax, potentially reducing their tax burden. However, the Finance Subcommittee voted unanimously (8-0) on January 27, 2025, to strike the bill from the committee docket, effectively killing it without further consideration. The bill did not advance beyond the subcommittee stage.

Gift certificate theft; penalty. Includes gift certificates, defined in relevant law, to the crime of credit card theft, which is punishable as grand larceny in existing law.