Virginia Bills

Study; JLARC to update its 2016 study of the impact of regulations on Virginia's manufacturing sector; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to update its 2016 study of the impact of regulations on Virginia's manufacturing sector. This bill is a recommendation of the Manufacturing Development Commission.

This bill (SJ 48) is a non-binding resolution encouraging the U.S. Secretary of the Navy to name an active ship or submarine "USS Yorktown" by 2031. It does not create new law or require specific action, but formally requests the Navy consider this name for a future vessel. The resolution directly affects the Navy's ship-naming process and honors the historical USS Yorktown (CV-10), a World War II aircraft carrier. It was approved by the Rules Committee via voice vote in early 2026.

Public campaign financing; counties and cities may establish for certain offices. Authorizes the governing body of a county or city to establish by ordinance a system of public campaign financing for elected local offices. The bill specifies certain requirements for a system of public campaign financing established by a governing body, including the provision of a public election fund to be administered by the treasurer of the county or city. A system of public campaign financing established by a county or city is permitted to more stringently regulate the campaign finance activity of participating candidates and shall be subject to regulation and oversight by the State Board of Elections to ensure its conformity with state law and policy to the extent practicable.

Housing for local employees; grants for homeownership and workforce housing alternatives. Eliminates the maximum amount a locality may provide (i) to employees of the locality, employees of the school board, and employees of constitutional officers for homeownership grants to purchase primary residences in the locality and (ii) to school division personnel for residential housing assistance grants to provide affordable workforce housing alternatives. The bill also eliminates the requirement that such grants adhere to the Virginia Housing and Development Authority regional sales price and household income limitation guidelines. Current law imposes a maximum grant amount of $25,000 for individual grants per employee, as well as a maximum lifetime cumulative amount of $25,000 per employee.

Study; JLARC; housing projects; zoning restrictions and permitting and approval processes; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study local zoning ordinances and permitting and approval processes for housing projects. The resolution additionally directs JLARC to provide recommendations to address regulations, ordinances, and processes that inhibit the approval and construction of multi-family or smaller square-footage housing projects in order to improve access to more affordable housing for residents of the Commonwealth.

Study; Department of Conservation and Recreation; methods to mitigate flooding in Prince Edward County; report. Requests the Department of Conservation and Recreation to work in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study methods to mitigate flooding in Prince Edward County. The resolution specifies that the study focus on flooding mitigation for the Town of Farmville and its surrounding areas stemming from the Appomattox River and its tributaries.

Subdivision of property; sale and transfer. Provides that any subdivision created (i) 40 or more years prior to the sale or transfer of the subdivided residential property or (ii) 60 or more years prior to the sale or transfer of the subdivided commercial property and other nonresidential property shall be deemed to be lawful. Under current law, no person shall sell or transfer any land of a subdivision, before a plat has been duly approved and recorded, unless the subdivision was lawfully created prior to the adoption of an applicable subdivision ordinance.

Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Fund and Program; public, private, or nonprofit entity under contract with public school division. Amends the Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Fund and Program to allow moneys from the Fund to be awarded to any public, private, or nonprofit entity currently under contract with, or expected to be under contract with, a public school division to cover certain costs associated with transitioning from diesel school buses and other commercial motor vehicles, heavy equipment, or other machinery to electric school buses or other equipment that reduces air emissions. The bill also removes a provision that prohibits the allocation of funds to the Fund or the Program unless federal funds or nonstate funds are available to cover the entire cost of such allocation.

Alcoholic beverage control; manufacturer license; small commercial winery; sale at events. Allows a licensed small commercial winery, defined in the bill, to sell at retail (i) wine manufactured by such licensee, (ii) wine manufactured by a contract winemaking facility with which the licensee has entered into an agreement pursuant to regulations of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, and (iii) wine purchased from a wholesale wine licensee at the site of an event licensed by the Board and conducted for the purpose of featuring and educating the consuming public about wine. The bill specifies that such small commercial wineries shall be limited to five such events per year.

Director of the Department of General Services; electric vehicles and charging stations; state targets. Directs the Director of the Department of General Services (the Director) to set a goal for the electrification of the Commonwealth's centralized fleet that is aligned with the Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy, with interim targets set for 2028, 2030, and 2032. The bill also requires the Director to set targets for the number and type of electric vehicle charging stations installed at state facilities by those same years that are achievable under the current Department of General Services appropriations and for the same years if additional funds were made available. The Director is required to report his findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by October 1, 2026.

Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs; work group; report. Directs the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs to convene a work group every four years to study and develop recommendations for implementing a statewide strategic plan to guide legislation and budget decisions relating to veterans in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the work group to submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2026, and every four years thereafter.

Impact fees; residential development. Authorizes any locality to impose impact fees on certain residential developments in order to defray the costs of constructing public facilities necessitated by those developments. Under current law, such impact fees have limited applicability and may be imposed only by those counties that have established urban transportation service districts. The bill also deletes provisions of current law that narrow the scope of included public facilities for localities in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area.