Virginia Consumer Protection Act; liquefied petroleum gas fitters; service disconnection requirements; civil penalties. Requires a liquefied petroleum gas fitter, within 14 days after receiving a customer's request to discontinue liquefied petroleum gas delivery service, to offer in writing to remove any remaining liquefied petroleum gas from such customer's storage tank and reimburse the customer for the cost of the removed liquefied petroleum gas at the prevailing rate, as defined in the bill. Under the bill, if a customer accepts such offer, the liquefied petroleum gas fitter shall carry out such removal and reimbursement within 30 days after such acceptance. A violation of the bill's provisions constitutes a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
Photo speed monitoring devices; highway work zones; workers present. Limits the use of photo speed monitoring devices in highway work zones to when workers are present, as defined in the bill. The bill provides that a certificate sworn to or affirmed by a law-enforcement officer or a retired sworn law-enforcement officer is not prima facie evidence of the facts contained therein for a photo speed monitoring device placed in a highway work zone unless the operator of the photo speed monitoring device provides a sworn certification verifying that workers were present at the time of the violation.
Unemployment insurance; benefit eligibility conditions; lockout exception to labor dispute disqualification. Amends the Virginia Unemployment Compensation Act's labor dispute disqualification provision to provide that a lockout by an employer shall not constitute a labor dispute and that locked-out employees who are otherwise eligible for benefits shall receive such benefits unless (i) the recognized or certified collective bargaining representative of the locked-out employees refuses to meet under reasonable conditions with the employer to discuss the issues giving rise to the lockout, (ii) there is a final adjudication under the federal National Labor Relations Act that such representative has refused to bargain in good faith with the employer, or (iii) the lockout is the direct result of such representative's violation of an existing collective bargaining agreement.
Financial institutions and services; virtual currency kiosk operators; license required; penalties. Establishes requirements for the operation of virtual currency kiosks, as defined in the bill, including a requirement that a virtual currency kiosk operator obtain licensure with the State Corporation Commission. The bill requires operators to file annual and quarterly reports, provide certain disclosures, and take reasonable steps to detect and prevent fraud and money laundering. The bill prohibits operators from accepting transactions above specified daily and monthly limits and establishes a maximum transaction charge of 18 percent of the value of such transaction. A person who violates the bill's provisions is subject to a fine of up to $1,000 per violation as well as the existing enforcement provisions of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. This bill is identical to HB 665.
Pharmaceutical Substance Manufacturing Grant Fund. Establishes the Pharmaceutical Substance Manufacturing Grant Fund to provide grant installment awards between July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2045, in an amount not to exceed $34 million per fiscal year and in an aggregate amount not to exceed $191,255,000, to a qualified company that (i) engages in the manufacture of pharmaceutical substances, (ii) executes a memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth, and (iii) is expected to make a capital investment of at least $4 billion and create and maintain at least 500 new full-time jobs. This bill is identical to HB 1076.
Public institutions of higher education; governing boards; membership and duties; work groups. Revises the membership and duties of the governing board of each public institution of higher education by, among other things, increasing from four years to six years the terms of each member of the governing board and requiring the governing board of each public institution of higher education to adopt policies defining and implementing shared governance among the components of the institution's organizational structure. The bill also directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to convene work groups for the purpose of developing model shared governance policies, in accordance with the provisions of the bill, and for the purpose of studying and making recommendations on (i) institutional structures and processes relating to legal counsel; (ii) the current selection and use of outside legal counsel by public institutions of higher education; (iii) a process by which (a) the governing board of any public institution of higher education, the Governor, or the General Assembly or a committee thereof with relevant oversight responsibility, upon determining that the legal counsel of a public institution of higher education is not acting in the best interests of the institution, including due to a conflict of interest, failure to defend the lawful authority of the public institution of higher education, or failure to comply with state law, may request the Attorney General to review the adequacy of such legal representation and (b) upon a determination by the Attorney General or the General Assembly or a committee thereof with relevant oversight responsibility that such institution is not receiving adequate legal representation, the governing board of any public institution of higher education may request additional representation or approve alternate counsel as necessary to protect the interests of the institution; and (iv) policies for requiring any individual member of a governing board of a public institution of higher education to recuse himself from or not participate in any vote or decision of the governing board on any matter in which he has a personal or pecuniary interest or any partisan or ideological interest that would compromise his ability to vote or act objectively and in accordance with the primary duties set forth in relevant law. This bill incorporates SB 381 and is identical to HB 1385.
High school graduation requirements; application. Provides that, in the event that the Board of Education establishes or modifies any graduation requirements or diploma pathways, the Board shall only apply such new or modified graduation requirements or diploma pathways to students who enter ninth grade at the beginning of or after the first school year of implementation of such new or modified graduation requirements or diploma pathways. The bill is applicable beginning with students who enter the ninth grade on or after the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year. This bill is identical to HB 1283.
Motor vehicle glass repair and replacement; emissions inspection; penalties. Establishes various notice requirements for motor vehicle glass repair shops, defined in the bill, and provides that a violation of such requirements is a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill permits a motor vehicle to qualify for an emissions inspection waiver if such vehicle has failed an inspection and the vehicle's onboard diagnostic system is in a not-ready condition to be tested when presented for reinspection. This bill is identical to HB 312.
TPA-certified optometrists; sale and dispensation of Schedule VI controlled substances; requirements. Permits TPA-certified optometrists to sell and dispense Schedule VI controlled substances to their own patients provided that they obtain a license to do so from the Board of Pharmacy and comply with requirements related to dispensation, storage, packaging, labeling, recordkeeping, and reporting of the controlled substances sold and dispensed. The bill permits the Board of Optometry and the Board of Pharmacy to adopt regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and establish a limited-use license for TPA-certified optometrists pursuant to the bill. The bill exempts such initial regulations from the APA requirements. This bill is identical to SB 212.
Elections; Voting Rights Act of Virginia. Revises provisions of the Voting Rights Act of Virginia (the Act) by (i) clarifying the legal standards for evaluating claims of alleged voter suppression and vote dilution, (ii) providing guidance to the courts to follow when determining whether a violation of the prohibition against voter suppression or vote dilution has occurred, and (iii) outlining the factors that the courts are permitted to consider and those factors that the courts are prohibited from considering. The bill expands the class of persons who may initiate a cause of action for an alleged violation of the Act to include organizations whose membership includes members of a protected class, organizations whose mission would be frustrated by a violation of the Act, and organizations that would expend resources in order to fulfill their mission as a result of a violation of the Act. The population thresholds for a locality to be designated as a covered locality for purposes of minority language accessibility pursuant to the Act are also amended. Current law designates a locality as a covered locality if, in the locality, (a) more than five percent of the voting age population or (b) more than 10,000 of the voting age population are members of a single language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process; the bill reduces those thresholds from five to three percent and from 10,000 to 5,000. The bill contains technical amendments for organizational purposes.
Health insurance; claims experience information. Provides that provisions requiring insurers to provide policyholders with certain claims experience information apply to all employee welfare benefit plans and include pharmacy benefits claims.
Regulation of contractors; solar installation companies; sale, lease, or power purchase of solar energy systems; civil penalty. Authorizes the Board for Contractors (the Board) to require specific contract provisions and disclosures relating to the sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system, as defined in the bill. The bill requires a sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system to have a written contract that includes specific provisions related to the solar installation company, system design and performance or production guarantees, and information related to invoices and payments. The bill includes several mandatory disclosures to be included with a sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system. Under the bill, a willful violation of such requirements shall be subject to a civil penalty of no more than $2,500 per violation. The bill also directs the Board to adopt regulations and update existing regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by January 1, 2027. The remaining provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 823.
