Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; duties of landlord; mold remediation; civil penalty. Provides that a tenant, authorized occupant, or guest or invitee of a tenant or authorized occupant may bring a personal injury or wrongful death action for exposure to mold arising from the condition within the interior of a dwelling unit or for any property damage claims arising out of the landlord-tenant relationship to recover (i) compensatory damages, including medical bills, lost wages, and injury to personal property; (ii) punitive damages; and (iii) reasonable attorney fees and costs, if the mold is caused solely by the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the landlord or managing agent. The bill also mandates a landlord to require a tenant to temporarily vacate the dwelling unit in order for the landlord to perform mold remediation in accordance with professional standards if it has been determined by a physician or other qualified medical professional and certified by a written medical statement that the mold condition in the dwelling unit materially affects the health or safety of the tenant or any authorized occupant.
Electric utilities; cost recovery; costs substantially related to serving data center customers. Prohibits the recovery of costs incurred by an electric utility that (i) are substantially related to the provision of electric service to data center customers and (ii) would not have been incurred but for the demand of such data center customers from being included in any rates or charges approved by the State Corporation Commission under current law, unless such rates and charges are designed to recover, or substantially recover, such costs solely from data center customers. Under the bill, "data center customers" are data centers with a peak demand of 100 megawatts or greater.
Property Owners' Association Act; operation and management of association; condemnation of common area; procedure. Requires consideration of the physical characteristics of a property owners' association's common area land when determining such land's highest and best use for purposes of valuing the property for award or payment for such land in a condemnation proceeding after the common area land is taken or damaged under the power of eminent domain.
Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; prohibited provisions in rental agreements; landlord's maintenance responsibilities. Prohibits a rental agreement from containing any provision stating that the tenant agrees to pay (i) any fee for the maintenance of the premises, including the maintenance or provision of heating and cooling systems, pest control, trash disposal, common area utilities, and mail or package delivery; (ii) a fee for internet, cable, or any other utilities or services that amount to more than the cost paid by the landlord; or (iii) for the maintenance or security of the common areas. The bill also repeals the provision allowing the landlord and tenant to agree in writing that the tenant may perform certain duties typically assigned to the landlord and also specified repairs, maintenance tasks, alterations, and remodeling, but only if the transaction is entered into in good faith and not for the purpose of evading the obligations of the landlord and if the agreement does not diminish or affect the obligation of the landlord to other tenants in the premises.
Motor vehicle liens; enforcement and sales. Creates a new, expedited process for the sale of certain unclaimed vehicles subject to liens, and accompanying requirements for such sales, and changes certain existing requirements for liens of keepers of vehicles, as defined in the bill, and mechanics.
Toll relief; maximum charges. Limits to $200 per month the tolls charged to residents of the Commonwealth via electronic toll collection devices for the use of toll bridges, toll ferries, toll tunnels, or toll roads in the Commonwealth. The bill prohibits misusing, sharing, or transferring an electronic toll collection device for the purpose of (i) generating tolls to reach the toll charges limit or (ii) obtaining toll-free use of toll facilities in the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes the free use of all toll bridges, toll roads, and other toll facilities in the Commonwealth for drivers who are recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.
Authority of school division to request motor vehicle registration numbers. Provides that any school division may request the vehicle registration number of a vehicle owned or operated by any person using the services or facilities of the school division.
Large-Scale Electricity Consumer Infrastructure Impact Fund. Establishes the Large-Scale Electricity Consumer Infrastructure Impact Fund (the Fund) for the purposes of offsetting infrastructure replacement and enhancement costs incurred by utilities that are directly attributable to the electricity demand of large-scale electricity consumers and providing bill credits to residential customers to offset rate increases due to the electricity demand of large-scale electricity consumers. The bill requires each large-scale electricity consumer operating in the Commonwealth to remit an annual infrastructure impact fee in an amount determined and assessed by the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) based on energy usage and demand in megawatts and square footage of the large-scale electricity consumer. Additionally, the bill requires each locality that gives final approval for the construction or operation of a large-scale electricity consumer on or after January 1, 2028, to remit an annual infrastructure impact fee to the Commission in an amount equal to five percent of the total annual tax revenue received by the locality that is directly or indirectly attributable to the construction or operation of each such large-scale electricity consumer. All fees collected from such assessments shall be deposited into the Fund.
Local governing bodies; appropriations of local school funds to families for compulsory student attendance in nonpublic school settings. Permits any local governing body to reserve per pupil amounts of apportioned Standards of Quality costs and appropriate such amounts to the parents of students in the local school division for the satisfaction of the compulsory attendance of their children in nonpublic school settings.
Medical care facilities; expanded access to medical cannabis for terminally ill patients. Requires medical care facilities to permit terminally ill patients, as defined in the bill, to use medical cannabis. The bill requires medical care facilities to adopt policies facilitating the use of medical cannabis. The provisions of the bill do not apply to the provision of emergency medical services, including in emergency departments of hospitals. The bill requires compliance with applicable drug and medication requirements, specifies that compliance with its provisions shall not be a condition of obtaining, retaining, or renewing a license as a medical care facility, and establishes a protocol for noncompliance in the event of intervention by the federal government. The bill has a delayed effective date contingent on the federal rescheduling of marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. This bill was incorporated into HB 75.
Special license plates; QUAIL FOREVER. Authorizes the issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates for supporters of Quail Forever bearing the legend QUAIL FOREVER. The bill exempts such special license plates from requirements related to the minimum number of prepaid applications and the minimum number of active license plates after five years of issuance for special license plates.
Prevailing wage rate; apprenticeship requirements; RPS-eligible source work; penalties. Requires each public service company, including its contractors and subcontractors, or third-party developer to ensure payment at the prevailing wage rate set by the Department of Labor and Industry for any mechanic, laborer, or worker employed, retained, or otherwise hired to perform construction, maintenance, or repair work for certain electricity generating sources. The bill requires each public service company to (i) ensure that 15 percent of the total labor hours of such work is performed by a qualified apprentice and (ii) employ at least one qualified apprentice if four or more individuals are employed to perform such work. Under the bill, a public service company that fails to meet the requirements of its provisions is required to make penalty payments to the Commissioner of Labor and Industry.
