Green warning lights, snow plows and vehicles equipped with truck-mounted attenuators. Authorizes snow plows used for clearing or removing snow on or along public highways and vehicles equipped with a truck-mounted attenuator that are used in constructing, maintaining, and repairing highways or utilities on or along public highways to be equipped with and use either (i) flashing, blinking, or alternating amber warning lights of types approved by the Superintendent of State Police or (ii) alternating amber and green warning lights of a type approved by the Superintendent of State Police. The bill requires that warning lights be lit only when performing the functions that qualify them to be equipped with such lights and that if a vehicle is equipped with multiple warning lights that are alternating amber and green warning lights, such lights shall be used synchronously with each other.
An Act to amend and reenact § 14 of Chapter 44 of the Acts of Assembly of 1937, which provided a charter for the Town of Front Royal in Warren County, relating to town manager.
Joint Commission on Technology and Science; artificial intelligence; independent verification organizations. Directs the Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS) to evaluate the feasibility and impact of developing a framework for any person or entity seeking to act as an independent verification organization that assesses artificial intelligence models' or applications' adherence to standards reflecting best practices for the prevention of personal injury and property damage. The bill directs JCOTS to submit a report with its recommendations and any findings to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and General Laws and Technology and the House Committees on Appropriations and Communications, Technology and Innovation by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 797.
Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; Auctioneers Board; citizen members. Clarifies that no citizen member appointed to the Auctioneers Board shall (i) have training or experience as an auctioneer; (ii) be the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of an auctioneer; or (iii) have any direct or indirect financial interest, except as a consumer, in auctioneering. The bill further prohibits appointing any citizen member of the Board currently licensed in, employed by, or financially affiliated with any profession or occupation that provides similar services to auctioneers, including a real estate broker or salesperson.
Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard; zero-carbon electricity; accelerated clean energy buyers. Revises the conditions under which accelerated clean energy buyers, defined in existing law as accelerated renewable energy buyers, may contract with Appalachian Power or Dominion Energy Virginia to obtain renewable energy certificates (RECs). The bill exempts an accelerated clean energy buyer obtaining capacity, energy, or RECs from qualifying resources or facilities from the assignment of non-bypassable costs associated with compliance with the renewable portfolio standard program based on the amount and type of renewable energy certificates obtained in proportion to such accelerated clean energy buyer's total electric energy consumption. This bill incorporates SB 470. This bill is identical to HB 369.
Conservation and replacement of trees during development process; work group; report. Expands certain existing local government authority to plant or replace trees during the development process by expanding such authority statewide. The bill allows localities to establish higher tree canopy replacement percentages based on density per acre. The bill also alters the current process for granting exceptions to a local ordinance by modifying a provision that requires the granting of an exception when the strict application of the ordinance would result in unnecessary or unreasonable hardship to the developer, and replacing it with a requirement that the locality concur with such a determination. The bill permits localities to monitor and assess the condition and coverage of tree canopies at development sites during a period of up to 20 years after the trees are planted. The bill also allows any town within Planning District 8 belonging to an eight-hour nonattainment area for air quality standards to require, by ordinance, that a subdivision or development provide for the preservation or replacement of trees on the development site such that the minimum tree canopy or cover 10 years after development is projected to meet specified coverage criteria. Under current law, the criteria apply to tree canopy coverage 20 years after development. Finally, the bill directs the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience to convene a work group to conduct a comprehensive review of the tree canopy laws and regulations and report the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns and Senate Committee on Local Government by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 549.
An Act to amend and reenact §§ 13.1-803, 13.1-804, 13.1-804.1, 13.1-806 through 13.1-811, 13.1-813 through 13.1-816, 13.1-819 through 13.1-828, 13.1-831, 13.1-834, 13.1-835, 13.1-837 through 13.1-852.1, 13.1-853 through 13.1-860, 13.1-862, 13.1-864, 13.1-865, 13.1-867 through 13.1-870.1, 13.1-871, 13.1-872 through 13.1-897.1, 13.1-898.2 through 13.1-898.5, 13.1-899, 13.1-900, 13.1-902, 13.1-904 through 13.1-910, 13.1-912 through 13.1-923, 13.1-925 through 13.1-936.1, 13.1-937, 13.1-939, 13.1-945, 13.1-1002, and 13.1-1082 of the Code of Virginia; to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 10 of Title 13.1 an article numbered 1.1, consisting of sections numbered 13.1-814.2 through 13.1-814.9, by adding sections numbered 13.1-837.1 and 13.1-837.2, by adding in Article 7 of Chapter 10 of Title 13.1 a section numbered 13.1-852.01, by adding in Chapter 10 of Title 13.1 an article numbered 7.2, consisting of sections numbered 13.1-852.3 through 13.1-852.7, by adding sections numbered 13.1-861.1, 13.1-871.2, 13.1-889.1, 13.1-894.1, 13.1-895.1, and 13.1-898.5:1, by adding in Chapter 10 of Title 13.1 an article numbered 11.2, consisting of sections numbered 13.1-898.8 through 13.1-898.14, by adding in Article 13 of Chapter 10 of Title 13.1 a section numbered 13.1-901.1, by adding in Chapter 10 of Title 13.1 an article numbered 13.1, consisting of sections numbered 13.1-918.1 and 13.1-918.2, and by adding a section numbered 13.1-935.2; and to repeal §§ 13.1-898.6 and 13.1-898.7 and Article 17.1 (§§ 13.1-944.1 through 13.1-944.7) of Chapter 10 of Title 13.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act.
Department of Medical Assistance Services; remote monitoring services through pregnancy and postpartum for high-risk pregnant patients; reimbursement. Expands provision for payment of medical assistance for remote patient monitoring services provided via telemedicine to include high-risk pregnant persons through 12 months postpartum. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to assess expanding similar provision of payment for patients with advanced maternal age and submit a report of its findings to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2026.
Public utilities; budget plan payment increases. Prohibits a public utility from, for any residential customer who is enrolled in a budget plan, increasing the amount of such customer's monthly payment more than once within any 12-month period or without notifying the customer in writing at least 60 days before such increase takes effect. The bill defines "budget plan" as a fixed billing option offered by a public utility to a customer whereby the total service for the succeeding 12-month period is estimated in advance and bills are rendered monthly on the basis of one-twelfth of the 12-month estimate. The provisions of the bill do not apply to any public utility engaged in the business of furnishing water or sewerage facilities.
Water utilities; prohibition of multiple rate increases within three-year period for water utilities. Prohibits a public utility authorized to furnish water or water and sewer service from filing an application for a rate increase more frequently than once in any three-year period. The bill provides exceptions to such prohibition for the utility to file an application (i) for a decrease in rates; (ii) limited to a rate adjustment clause, rider, or surcharge; (iii) for a temporary emergency increase in rates; or (iv) for an increase upon a finding by the State Corporation Commission that extraordinary circumstances exist. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2027 Session of the General Assembly.
Virginia Stock Corporation Act. Makes various changes to the Virginia Stock Corporation Act, many of which conform the Act to recent changes to the Model Business Corporation Act produced by the Corporate Laws Committee of the American Bar Association's Business Law Section. Among other things, the bill (i) addresses the authority of a board of directors to delegate authority with respect to the issuance of shares to a committee of the board and one or more of the corporation's officers, (ii) removes the requirement for the cessation of shareholder agreements when a corporation becomes a public corporation, (iii) requires a corporation to maintain in its records certain shareholder agreements, (iv) removes the requirement for a corporation to maintain its financial statements for the three most recent fiscal years, and (v) authorizes a corporation to submit a matter to a vote of its shareholders even if, after approving the matter, the board of directors determines it no longer recommends such matter. This bill is identical to SB 479.
Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; administration of nursing scholarships. Grants the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority the authority to administer scholarships related to nursing and to promulgate regulations exempt from the requirements of the Administrative Process Act as may be necessary to carry out the administration of nursing scholarship and loan programs. Under current law, the Board of Health is the administrative authority for such scholarships and the Commissioner of Health serves as the fiscal agent for the Board in the administration of some scholarship funds. The bill directs the Authority to establish an annual reporting schedule requiring submission of health workforce data, requires the Authority to establish and provide oversight and strategic guidance to the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center, and grants the Authority the authority to evaluate health workforce programs administered or supported by the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center to establish an advisory board to provide it with strategic oversight and guidance. This bill is identical to SB 405.
