Virginia Community College System; certain dual enrollment instructors; certain flexibility in qualifications. Permits the requirement for an individual to have completed 18 credit hours of course work in the relevant career and technical education (CTE) content area in order to qualify as an instructor of CTE dual enrollment courses that are transferrable to a baccalaureate public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to be waived in any case in which the employing comprehensive community college determines that such individual has sufficient and specific occupational experience in such content area. The bill requires each comprehensive community college in the Virginia Community College System to work with its institutional accreditor to remove any barriers to the full implementation of the aforementioned flexibility.
Income tax; energy-efficient homes tax credits. Authorizes an eligible contractor, defined in the bill, or an eligible purchaser, also defined in the bill, to claim a nonrefundable income tax credit, during taxable years 2025 through 2029, in an amount equal to $2,000 per construction or purchase of a qualified new energy-efficient home and $4,000 per construction or purchase of a zero energy ready home, as those terms are defined in the bill. The bill clarifies that either an eligible contractor or an eligible purchaser, but not both, shall be able to claim the credit for any single qualified new energy-efficient or zero energy ready home, as applicable, and establishes a maximum credit amount that an eligible contractor may claim per taxable year of $500,000.
Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact. Enters the Commonwealth into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, the purpose of which is to facilitate the mobility of teachers across the member states, with the goal of supporting teachers through a new pathway to licensure. The Compact is presently in effect, as it has reached the enactment threshold of 10 state members.
Public school teachers; teacher compensation; Professionally Licensed Teacher Supplemental Pay Program established. Establishes the Professionally Licensed Teacher Supplemental Pay Program (the Program) for the purpose of addressing shortages of professionally licensed teachers and reducing reliance on provisionally licensed teachers in public schools in the Commonwealth by providing, with such funds as are appropriated for such purpose, an annual supplemental payment to each professionally licensed teacher, as that term is defined by the bill, employed in any high-vacancy public school in the Commonwealth, defined as any public school that, based on the most recent data in the positions and exits collection, has a teacher vacancy rate that places it in the top 10 percent of public schools with the highest teacher vacancy rates in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Department of Education to administer and oversee the Program and, in doing so, requires it to (i) identify and develop a list, every four years, of each high-vacancy public school in the Commonwealth; (ii) ensure that, each year, such funds are disbursed in a timely manner and in an amount sufficient to provide the supplemental payment to each professionally licensed teacher employed in a high-vacancy public school in each school division; and (iii) annually submit to the Governor and publish on its website a report detailing the effect of the Program on recruitment and retention of professionally licensed teachers and the overall success of the Program in addressing teacher vacancy rates.
Modification of sentence for marijuana-related offenses. Creates a process by which persons convicted of certain felony offenses involving the possession, manufacture, selling, giving, distribution, transportation, or delivery of marijuana committed prior to July 1, 2021, who remain incarcerated or on community supervision on July 1, 2025, may receive an automatic hearing to consider modification of such person's sentence. The provisions of this bill sunset on July 1, 2028. This bill was incorporated into HB 2555.
Board of Education; Child Care Subsidy Program; maximum reimbursement rate; vendors providing care outside of normal business hours. Directs the Board of Education to amend its regulations relating to the Child Care Subsidy Program to permit payment over the maximum reimbursable rate for any vendor that provides child care outside of normal business hours, provided that such rate may not exceed twice the maximum reimbursable rate for child care provided within normal business hours.
Gift certificates; international transactions; fraud reports. Amends the definition of "gift certificate" and prohibits merchants from selling a gift certificate as part of an international transaction without first implementing a 24-hour hold on the activation of such gift certificate. The bill also requires local law enforcement to communicate reports of gift certificate fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Study; JLARC; economic and workforce impacts of the automation of ports in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), in collaboration with the Modeling and Simulation Advisory Board, the College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University, and the Department of Political Science and School of Social Work at Norfolk State University, to study the economic and workforce impacts of the automation of ports in the Commonwealth. JLARC is directed to report its recommendations no later than the first day of the 2026 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
Study; Department of State Police; vehicle noise-monitoring devices; report. Requests the Department of State Police to study the feasibility and impact of implementing vehicle noise-monitoring devices in the Commonwealth.
Study; JLARC; Virginia's campaign finance laws; independent agency; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study Virginia's campaign finance laws. In its study, JLARC is directed to (i) identify any legal, technical, and staffing shortcomings in the current election and campaign finance laws relating to (a) reporting and investigating violations, (b) enforcing legal and regulatory requirements, and (c) implementing directions from state government at the local level and (ii) determine whether current budgetary allocations are sufficient to effectively carry out such aspects of the campaign finance system. To that end, JLARC is directed to analyze how existing campaign finance and election laws can be modernized by creating a new independent agency to increase transparency and accountability using best practices from other jurisdictions across the United States and to produce a report of clear recommendations and best practices for creating such an independent agency for improving the current system.
Study; cardiovascular disease screening coverage; Health Insurance Reform Commission; report. Directs the Health Insurance Reform Commission to study requiring insurance carriers to provide coverage for certain tests for the early detection of cardiovascular disease in at-risk populations. Such coverage would include coverage for computed tomography scans measuring coronary artery calcification or ultrasonography scans measuring carotid intima-media thickness and plaque for an enrollee who is a male between the ages of 45 and 75 years or a female between the ages of 55 and 75 and who is diabetic or has a risk of developing coronary heart disease based on an intermediate or higher score using the Framingham Heart Study coronary prediction algorithm.
Study; tax policies enacted by the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions concerning affordable housing; report. Directs the Virginia Housing Commission to study the tax policies enacted by the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions concerning affordable housing and submit its report by the first day of the 2026 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
