Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. Provides that the Office of the Attorney General shall determine whether other states' concealed handgun permit requirements are substantially similar to the statutory qualifications for Virginia to recognize the concealed handgun permit of a person from such other state. Under current law, any out-of-state permit is recognized in the Commonwealth, provided that (i) the issuing authority provides the means for instantaneous verification of the validity of all such permits or licenses issued within that state accessible 24 hours a day, (ii) the permit or license holder carries a photo identification issued by a government agency of any state or by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Department of State and displays the permit or license and such identification upon demand by a law-enforcement officer, and (iii) the permit or license holder has not previously had a Virginia concealed handgun permit revoked. The bill exempts an active duty service member or such service member's spouse from the requirements of the bill. The foregoing provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.The bill also directs the Office of the Attorney General to review any agreements for reciprocal recognition that are in place with any other states as of July 1, 2026, to determine whether the requirements of those states' laws are substantially similar to the Commonwealth's concealed carry permit requirements and revoke any reciprocity agreement or recognition of any states that do not meet such requirements by December 1, 2026. The bill requires the Attorney General to provide a written explanation for any determination that a state's laws are substantially similar to the requirements of the bill to prevent possession of such permit or license by persons who would be denied such permit in the Commonwealth.
Railroad safety; minimum train crew; movement of freight. Requires a crew of at least two qualified individuals on all trains, locomotives, or light engines used in connection with moving freight except in use for hostler or utility service. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to include in an existing report the number of probable violations of federal regulations related to railroad safety investigated by the Commission's Division of Utility and Railroad Safety and reported to the Federal Railroad Administration for enforcement. This bill is identical to HB 25.
Minor elementary or secondary school students admitted to inpatient treatment; certain disclosures to certain school personnel upon discharge. Provides that in the event that the facility to which a minor elementary or secondary school student is admitted to inpatient treatment determines that such minor student requires additional educational services upon discharge from the facility, the parents of such student may opt in to the disclosure, prior to or at the time of such minor student's discharge from the facility, of such determination by the facility to a mental health professional employed in such minor student's school or, if applicable, by the school division in which the student is enrolled. The bill also provides that, in the event that the facility to which a minor elementary or secondary school student is admitted to inpatient treatment determines, based on communications from such minor student to a mental health service provider at such facility, that the student poses a specific and immediate threat to cause serious bodily injury or death to an identified or readily identifiable person or persons at the time of the student's discharge from the facility, the facility shall disclose, prior to or at the time of discharge in accordance with the requirements set forth in relevant law, such determination to a mental health professional employed in such minor student's school or, if applicable, by the school division. The bill also prohibits any such facility from withholding discharge of such a student for the purpose of making any such disclosure. The provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.
Charter; Town of Herndon. Updates the charter for the Town of Herndon in Fairfax County to permit greater flexibility for the town council to contract with the town manager regarding the location of his residence, clarifies the duties of the town manager relative to employees, clarifies that the town council has the authority to appoint two officers: the town manager and town attorney, and establishes that the town manager has the authority to employ any deputies or assistants for the two appointed offices. The bill also removes outdated or duplicative provisions that occur as a result of the changes to the town manager's duties and authority and an obsolete reference to a Town of Herndon school board. This bill is identical to HB 887.
Limited-duration licenses, driver privilege cards and permits, and identification privilege cards; expiration. Extends the validity of limited-duration licenses, driver privilege cards and permits, and identification privilege cards, other than REAL ID credentials and commercial driver's licenses and permits, to a period of time consistent with the validity of driver's licenses, which, under current law, is a period not to exceed eight years or, for a person age 75 or older, a period not to exceed five years, and permits and special identification cards. The bill aligns requirements for eligibility for limited-duration commercial driver's licenses and permits and REAL ID-compliant limited-duration commercial driver's licenses with federal requirements and clarifies the validity periods for such documents. The bill directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to implement the extended validity periods for limited-duration licenses, driver privilege cards, or permits upon renewal or reissuance. This bill is identical to HB 911.
Presidential electors; National Popular Vote Compact. Enters Virginia into an interstate compact known as the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote. Article II of the Constitution of the United States gives the states exclusive and plenary authority to decide the manner of awarding their electoral votes. Under the compact, Virginia agrees to award its electoral votes to the presidential ticket that receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The compact goes into effect when states cumulatively possessing a majority of the electoral votes have joined the compact. A state may withdraw from the compact; however, a withdrawal occurring within six months of the end of a President's term shall not become effective until a President or Vice President has qualified to serve the next term. The bill also provides for the manner of appointing electors when such agreement does and does not govern the appointment of electors. This bill is identical to HB 965.
Comprehensive plan; environmental justice strategy. Requires cities with populations greater than 20,000 and counties with populations greater than 100,000 to consider, beginning July 1, 2026, at the next and all subsequent reviews of the comprehensive plan, adopting an environmental justice strategy. The bill provides that the locality's strategy shall be to identify environmental justice and fenceline communities within the jurisdiction of the local planning commission and identify objectives and policies to reduce health risks, to promote civic engagement, to prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs of environmental justice and fenceline communities, as those terms are defined in the bill, and to establish baseline environmental and health conditions to characterize any disproportionate public health conditions in the identified fenceline communities. This bill is identical to HB 256.
Department of Criminal Justice Services; powers and duties; local and regional jails; repeal of model addiction recovery program. Removes the requirement that the Department of Criminal Justice Services, in consultation with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, develop a model addiction recovery program that may be administered by sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, jail officers, administrators, or superintendents in any local or regional jail. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to HB 454.
Air Pollution Control Board regulations; small renewable energy projects; anaerobic digestion technology; report. Provides that for the purposes of a permit by rule for a small renewable energy project under existing law, a small renewable energy project includes an electrical generation facility in a locality in Planning District 8 with a rated capacity not exceeding 100 megawatts that generates electricity from biomass, energy from waste, or municipal solid waste and its dedicated associated interconnection facilities, provided that such facility is capable of processing the majority of its organic waste, including food waste and municipal sludge, with anaerobic digestion technology by January 1, 2030. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality, in coordination with relevant stakeholders, to (i) assess all practicable technologies available to waste-to-energy facilities to reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions, (ii) assess technologies to create biomethane, and (iii) recommend any legislative changes necessary to create market conditions to ensure the viability of such program. The bill also directs the Department to report its findings to the Air Pollution Control Board by December 1, 2026.
Nonjudicial disciplinary proceedings in the Virginia National Guard. Removes the restriction on nonjudicial disciplinary proceedings that prevents reduction in rank for members with more than 10 years of service who are in the rank of E-5 or above.
Motor vehicle insurance; unauthorized addition of insured drivers prohibited. Prohibits an insurance carrier authorized to issue motor vehicle liability insurance policies from automatically adding any person to the list of persons insured under a motor vehicle owner's policy or to the household of a named insured for purposes of such policy based solely on certain information enumerated in the bill.
Virginia Human Rights Act; procedures for a charge of unlawful discrimination. Provides that, for the purposes of nondiscrimination in places of public accommodation, "place of public accommodation" includes educational institutions. The bill reduces from 15 to five the number of employees in the definition of "employer" for purposes of nondiscrimination in employment. The bill also amends from 300 days to two years the timeframe for filing a complaint alleging unlawful discrimination with the Office of the Attorney General.
