Best interests of the child; custody; orders to return a minor child; violations of orders regarding motions to relocate. Provides that in any case in which a party to a custody case (i) was subject to an order to return a minor child or (ii) violated a stay on or denial of a motion to relocate within the previous 10 years of such custody case, there shall be a presumption that it is in the best interests of the child for such child to be placed in the primary custody of the party not subject to or in violation of any such order.
Zoning; traffic studies. Provides that no locality shall require a traffic study as a condition for approval of a rezoning application that involves either a single-family or multifamily residential use of fewer than 50 residential units. The bill further provides that in any instance in which a locality requires a rezoning applicant to submit a traffic study as part of the application, the applicant shall be reimbursed by the locality for the costs of the traffic study if the locality does not accept the results of the traffic study or if the locality requires the applicant to make additional traffic-related improvements that are not required by the traffic study.
Workers' compensation; injuries caused by repetitive and sustained physical stressors. Provides that, for the purposes of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act, "occupational disease" includes injuries or diseases from conditions resulting from repetitive and sustained physical stressors, including repetitive and sustained motions, exertions, posture stresses, contact stresses, vibrations, or noises. The bill provides that such injuries or diseases are covered under the Act and that such coverage does not require that such repetitive or sustained physical stress occurred over a particular time period, provided that the time period over which such physical stress occurred can be reasonably identified.
Notification by individuals finding companion animals; civil penalty. Increases from $50 to $500 the civil penalty for violating provisions requiring an individual who finds a companion animal and (i) provides care or safekeeping or (ii) retains the companion animal in such a manner as to control its activities to notify the owner of such companion animal and a public animal shelter that serves the locality where such companion animal was found and provide adequate care of such companion animal.
Department of State Police; work group; reporting threshold for motor vehicle accidents; report. Directs the Department of State Police to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to review the property damage threshold for submitting a motor vehicle accident report to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
School breakfasts; availability at no cost to students. Requires each school board to require each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to make breakfast available to any student who requests such a meal at no cost to the student, unless the student's parent has provided written permission to the school board to withhold such a meal from the student. The bill requires the Department of Education to reimburse each public elementary and secondary school for each school breakfast served to a student, with a maximum of one breakfast per student per school day and provides the formula for determining the state reimbursement rate for such meals. Finally, the bill repeals a provision of law relating to the federal School Breakfast Program that is rendered obsolete by the provisions of the bill.
Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units. Requires a locality to include in its zoning ordinances for single-family residential zoning districts accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as defined in the bill, as a permitted accessory use. The bill requires a person to seek a permit for an ADU from the locality, requires the locality to issue such permit if the person meets certain requirements enumerated in the bill, and restricts the fee for such permit to $500 or less. The bill prohibits the locality from requiring (i) dedicated parking for the ADU except in densely developed neighborhoods; (ii) setbacks for the ADU greater than that of the primary dwelling; and (iii) consanguinity or affinity between the occupants of the ADU and the primary dwelling. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026. This bill was incorporated into HB 2533.
Study; Department of Conservation and Recreation; state park in Washington County; report. Requests the Department of Conservation and Recreation to study the feasibility of establishing a state park in Washington County at the Mendota Trail and Abrams Falls located within the Holston River watershed.
Taxation; rate of interest. Provides that (i) the rate of interest on omitted taxes and assessments is equal to the Underpayment Rate established by the Internal Revenue Code and (ii) the rate of interest on refunds is equal to the Overpayment Rate for noncorporate taxpayers established by the Internal Revenue Code. Current law provides that (a) the rate of interest on omitted taxes and assessments is equal to the Underpayment Rate plus two percent and (b) the rate of interest on refunds is equal to the Overpayment Rate for noncorporate taxpayers plus two percent.
Study; JLARC; cost efficiency of public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study the cost efficiency of public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth and to identify opportunities to reduce the cost of public higher education in the Commonwealth. In conducting this study, JLARC is directed to examine the full range of costs for in-state tuition and room and board at each public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth, to compare and consider the amount of funding appropriated by the state to each public institution of higher education since 2012, and to provide a comprehensive update on the status of the implementation of its recommendations pursuant to House Joint Resolution 108 (2012). The resolution requires JLARC to complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2025, and for the second year by November 30, 2026, and requires the chairman to submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly for each year.
High school graduation requirements; passing score on select questions from U.S. Naturalization Test. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing high school graduation requirements, to require, except in the case of a high school student whose individualized education program indicates otherwise, each high school student to take and correctly answer at least 70 percent of the questions on a test composed of at least 25 but not more than 50 of the questions on the civics portion of the U.S. Naturalization Test in order to graduate high school with a standard or advanced studies diploma, provided that such student may take such test at any time during grades nine through 12 and as many times during such period as necessary to achieve the minimum 70 percent passing score.
Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord obligations; access of tenant to broadband services. Prohibits the landlord of a multifamily dwelling unit from accepting payment from a provider of broadband service for granting such provider mere access to the landlord's tenants or giving such tenants mere access to such service. The bill also prohibits a landlord from demanding or accepting payment from tenants in exchange for such a service unless the landlord itself is the provider of the service.
