Involuntary manslaughter; certain drug offenses. Provides that any person who knowingly, intentionally, and feloniously manufactures, sells, or distributes a controlled substance knowing that such controlled substance contains a detectable amount of fentanyl, including its derivatives, isomers, esters, ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, and unintentionally causes the death of another person is guilty of involuntary manslaughter if (i) such death results from the use of the controlled substance and (ii) such controlled substance is the proximate cause of the death. The bill provides that venue for a prosecution of this crime shall lie in the locality where the manufacturing, sale, or distribution of such controlled substance occurred, where the use of the controlled substance occurred, or where death occurred.The bill also provides that if a person gave or distributed such controlled substance only as an accommodation to another individual who is not an inmate in a community correctional facility, local correctional facility, or state correctional facility, or in the custody of an employee thereof, and not with intent to profit thereby from any consideration received or expected nor to induce the recipient of the controlled substance to use or become addicted to or dependent upon such controlled substance, he is not guilty of involuntary manslaughter but is guilty of a Class 6 felony. This bill is identical to SB 746.
Postpartum Depression Education Act; report. Directs the Department of Health to establish a public awareness campaign, develop and distribute educational materials, and create an online resource hub focused on perinatal and postpartum depression. The bill requires the Department to submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly on the implementation of the bill, with the first annual report due by November 1, 2026.
Board of Education; public school accountability system; Three "E" Readiness Framework; include and incentivize work-based learning experiences. Directs the Board of Education to revise its Three "E" Readiness Framework: Employment, Enlistment, and Enrollment, adopted pursuant to the public school accountability system to measure high school student postsecondary readiness, to include as an indicator of postsecondary readiness and incentivize participation in and completion of work-based learning experiences, with the maximum number of points for such indicator awarded to students who participate in a minimum of 90 hours of work-based learning experiences. This bill is identical to SB 784.
Powers and duties of Parole Board; voting requirements; meetings. Removes various references to postrelease supervision and instead includes such references and related procedures in the provisions that govern probation so that such procedures, including revocation hearings, will be overseen and conducted by the sentencing court. The bill provides that except for a public meeting convened for conducting the final deliberation and vote regarding whether the Parole Board will grant parole to a prisoner, a meeting of the Parole Board members, regardless of whether such members invite staff or other guests to participate in such meeting, shall not be deemed a meeting subject to the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.The bill also provides that the final deliberation and vote of whether to grant parole to a person serving life imprisonment for murder in the first degree shall be attended by four or more members of the Parole Board, and a decision to grant such person discretionary parole shall require the concurrence of four or more members present. A final deliberation and vote of whether to grant parole to a person not sentenced to life imprisonment requires the attendance of a panel of no fewer than three members of the Parole Board and a concurrence of the majority of members present for such final deliberation and vote.
Child labor; child engaged in the work of content creation; trust account. Requires that a child under the age of 16 who meets certain criteria specified in the bill to be considered a child engaged in the work of content creation be compensated by the content creator, defined in the bill, whose video content includes such child's likeness, name, or photograph. The bill requires the content creator to set aside gross earnings on the video content that includes the likeness, name, or photograph of the child in a trust account to be preserved for the benefit of the child upon attaining 18 years of age or having been declared emancipated. The bill also requires the content creator to maintain certain records specified in the bill and provide them to the child and the holder of the trust account on an ongoing basis. The bill also allows the child, or his parent or guardian on behalf of such child, to commence a civil action if the content creator fails to maintain the required records and to enforce the provisions of law related to the trust account. This bill is identical to SB 998.
Department of Medical Assistance Services; state plan for medical assistance services; postpartum doula care; report. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for payment for up to 10 doula visits, with up to four doula visits during pregnancy and up to six doula visits during the 12 months after the individual gives birth. The bill requires the Department to report to the Governor and General Assembly annually on the implementation and outcomes of the provision, and requires the first such report to be submitted by December 31, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 1614.
Electric utilities; generation of electricity from renewable and zero carbon sources; projects on or adjacent to public elementary or secondary schools. Provides that for purposes of compliance with a renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) program, to the extent that low-income qualifying projects, as defined in existing law, are not available and projects located on or adjacent to public elementary or secondary schools are available, a certain percentage of the required projects shall be composed of projects located on or adjacent to public elementary or secondary schools. This bill is identical to HB 1934.
Public housing authorities; indigent parties; unlawful detainer. Exempts indigent defendants from having to post an appeal bond in unlawful detainer actions brought by a public housing authority. The bill also amends certain provisions of the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to (i) prohibit any landlord that is a public housing authority from requiring a tenant to pay any fees for the maintenance or repair of a dwelling unit unless such repair is necessitated by the tenant's action or omission and (ii) require, if a public housing authority issues a notice of nonpayment of rent to a tenant, such public housing authority to provide the tenant certain information printed on pink or orange paper explaining how the tenant may recertify the tenant's income in accordance with federal law and policy. This bill is identical to SB 1221.
Renewable energy portfolio standard eligible sources; geothermal electric generating resources. Provides that geothermal electric generating resources, as defined in the bill, located in the Commonwealth or physically located within the PJM region are eligible for compliance with renewable energy portfolio standard requirements.
General Assembly; Legislator Compensation Commission established. Establishes the Legislator Compensation Commission, to be formed every four years for the purpose of reviewing the salaries, expense allowances, retirement benefits, and other emoluments received by members of the General Assembly and determining whether any adjustments to salaries or allowances are needed. The 11-member Commission shall be appointed as follows: two former members of the Senate of Virginia and four former members of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the Joint Rules Committee, and five nonlegislative citizen members, with the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the House Minority Leader, and the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders each appointing one such member. Any adjustments made to salaries, expense allowances, or other emoluments or benefits enacted in a budget bill based upon the recommendation of the Commission shall not be effective until January 1 of the year immediately following the general election for all members of the General Assembly.
Small Family Day Home Provider Incentive Pilot Program established. Establishes the four-year Small Family Day Home Provider Incentive Pilot Program whereby funds are provided to the Ready Region Chesapeake Bay lead to work in conjunction with public and private partners to (i) cover the cost of hiring a Navigator focused on providing training and support to small family day homes in the region, including weekend training sessions to provide information on first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification, medication administration, safe sleep practices, emergency planning, recordkeeping, insurance, and compliance with relevant local ordinances, and (ii) provide incentive payments of $500 to any small family day home in the region (a) that is not licensed or voluntarily registered when such home achieves voluntary registration, (b) that is voluntarily registered or otherwise unlicensed when such home achieves licensure, and (c) when such home first participates in the Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5) system. The bill requires the Ready Region Chesapeake Bay lead to annually collect and make publicly available data on the number of small family day homes in the region that (1) participated in the weekend trainings provided by the Navigator and (2) received incentive payments for first achieving voluntary registration or licensure or participating in VQB5.
Local and regional correctional facilities; treatment of prisoners known to be pregnant. Prohibits the use of restraints, defined in the bill, on any prisoner of a local or regional correctional facility who is (i) known to be pregnant or (ii) in postpartum recovery unless a deputy sheriff or jail officer makes an individualized determination that (a) the prisoner will harm herself, the fetus, the newborn child, or any other person; (b) the prisoner poses a flight risk; or (c) the totality of the circumstances creates a serious security risk. Under current law, such prohibition applies only to state correctional facilities. The bill also requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to include in the compulsory minimum entry-level training standards training regarding pregnant prisoners for deputy sheriffs and jail officers who are employees of local or regional correctional facilities who may have contact with pregnant prisoners.
