Technology

in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 18, 2026

HB 1155: Income tax, state and corporate; subtraction for broad band grant fund awards.

Income tax subtraction; broadband grant fund awards. Establishes an individual and corporate income tax subtraction for any amount of public grant awards received in the taxable year for the exclusive purpose of planning, constructing, expanding, or improving upon broadband infrastructure and services in the Commonwealth beginning in taxable year 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEstablishes income tax subtraction for broadband grant recipients, reducing taxable income and providing tax relief under fiscal policy.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill provides tax incentives for broadband infrastructure grants, directly expanding internet access as a core technology policy.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Income Tax Tax Incentives Broadband Access

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in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 18, 2026

HB 1368: Consumer Data Protection Act; individual action for damages or penalty, social media platforms.

Consumer Data Protection Act; individual action for damages or penalty; social media platforms. Allows a parent or minor who suffers loss as the result of a violation of Consumer Data Protection Act provisions relating to social media platforms to initiate an action against a controller or processor in violation of such provisions. The bill requires a parent or minor to provide a controller or processor 30 days' written notice and an opportunity for the controller or processor to cure the noticed violation prior to initiating such an action.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill strengthens data privacy protections by enabling legal action against social media platforms for violations, aligning with consumer data protection regulations.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Consumer Data Protection Data Privacy Social Media

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in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 6, 2026

HB 1515: Local approval of data centers; temporary moratorium.

Local approval of data centers; temporary moratorium. Prohibits final approval of any application for a rezoning, special exception, special use permit, site plan, or plan of development for the siting of a new data center by a locality until the earlier of (i) the fulfillment of all pending requests for interconnection to distribution service by an electric utility customer that is a data center or (ii) July 1, 2028.

Topics ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyMoratorium delays data center approvals, restricting infrastructure development for technology services.90% confidence

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in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 2, 2026

HB 83: Virginia Information Technologies Agency; powers of the CIO; creation of Cyber Civilian Corps.

Virginia Information Technologies Agency; powers of the CIO; creation of Cyber Civilian Corps. Allows the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) to select persons to serve as Virginia Cyber Civilian Corp (the Corps) volunteers and Corps advisors and deploy such volunteers to provide rapid response assistance under the direction of VITA upon request of a client affected by a cybersecurity incident, defined in the bill. The bill also establishes an advisory board within VITA to review and make recommendations regarding the creation and administration of the Corps. The bill instructs the Chief Information Officer to consult with the advisory board in decisions related to deployment of the Corps during cybersecurity incidents.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyCreates Cyber Civilian Corps for rapid cybersecurity incident response, strengthening state-level cybersecurity infrastructure and capabilities.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Cybersecurity

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in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 18, 2026

HB 758: Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Minors Act; established, prohibited practices, penalties.

Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Minors Act established; prohibited practices; penalties. Creates the Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Minors Act to require that deployers that operate or distribute a chatbot in the Commonwealth (i) ensure that any chatbot operated or distributed by the deployer does not make human-like features, defined in the bill, available to minors to use, interact with, purchase, or converse with and (ii) implement reasonable age verification systems to ensure that chatbots with human-like features are not made available to minors. The bill also requires deployers operating or distributing a chatbot that is a social artificial intelligence companion, defined in the bill, to ensure such chatbot is not available to minors. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Topics ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyBill prohibits AI chatbots from offering human-like features to minors and mandates age verification, restricting tech use for minors to protect them.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Artificial Intelligence Online Safety Social Media

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in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 9, 2026

HB 635: Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act; established, prohibited practices, penalties.

Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act established; prohibited practices; penalties. Creates the Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act, which prohibits an operator from making a companion chatbot, as those terms are defined in the bill, available to a user in the Commonwealth unless the companion chatbot is incapable of certain actions specified in the bill. The bill also requires an operator of a companion chatbot to include a disclaimer to users of all ages that a companion chatbot is not a human via a static, persistent disclosure and notify a user via a pop-up that he is not engaging with a human counterpart at specified intervals. The bill makes it unlawful for any operator of a companion chatbot to operate or provide a companion chatbot to a user unless such companion chatbot contains a protocol to take reasonable efforts for detecting and addressing expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm by a user to the companion chatbot. The bill also includes certain data privacy and transparency requirements. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill regulates AI chatbot capabilities and mandates disclaimers to prevent deception, aligning with consumer protection regulations in tech policy.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Artificial Intelligence Data Privacy

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in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 18, 2026

HB 713: Fostering Access, Innovation, and Responsibility in Artificial Intelligence Act; established.

Fostering Access, Innovation, and Responsibility in Artificial Intelligence Act established. Establishes the Fostering Access, Innovation, and Responsibility in Artificial Intelligence Act (FAIR AI Act) that requires a developer of a base artificial intelligence model, as defined in the bill, to clearly and conspicuously disclose, in a manner that is appropriate for the medium of the content and is easily accessible to the user of such model, in the terms of service governing the use of such model, certain elements related to the artificial intelligence system. The bill creates the FAIR AI Enforcement Fund for the purpose of supporting agency enforcement of artificial intelligence system misuse, bias, and workforce disruption. Finally, the bill limits the defenses available in any criminal or civil action against a defendant that is alleged to have developed, modified, or deployed an artificial intelligence system that caused harm to a plaintiff. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates AI developers to disclose model details to users, enhancing transparency and consumer protection in AI deployment.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Artificial Intelligence

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in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 11, 2026

HB 961: Retail Sales and Use Tax; commercial and industrial exemptions, data centers.

Retail sales and use tax; commercial and industrial exemptions; data centers. Limits, beginning July 1, 2026, the retail sales and use tax exemption for computer equipment or enabling software to (i) the purchase or lease of equipment or enabling software for use in a data center, provided that such purchase or lease takes place prior to the start of operations for such data center, or (ii) the purchase or lease of equipment or enabling software as part of a refresh cycle of an existing data center. The bill defines "refresh cycle" to mean purchases or leases made to replace, repair, or upgrade the equipment or enabling software that improve the energy efficiency of such equipment or software.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesLimits tax exemption for data centers, restricting a tax break that would reduce state revenue, aligning with 'oppose' indicators.92% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill provides tax exemption for data center equipment, incentivizing technology infrastructure investment without addressing privacy/cybersecurity directly.80% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Sales Tax Tax Incentives

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signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 8, 2026

HB 277: Zoning; wireless facility modifications, application process.

Zoning; wireless facility modifications; application process. Prohibits a locality from denying an application for the modification of an existing wireless facility if (i) the modification would not substantially change the physical dimensions of the existing wireless facility; (ii) the modification involves the co-location of new transmission equipment, the removal of transmission equipment, or the replacement of transmission equipment; and (iii) the request meets the requirements of the bill. The bill provides that a modification does not substantially change the physical dimensions of the existing wireless facility if it entails the excavation or deployment of transmission equipment within 30 feet, in any direction, of the existing wireless support structure or base station. The bill also provides various requirements for local approval within a specified timeframe, permits any applicant or locality to bring claims related to the bill to any court of competent jurisdiction, and prohibits any party, other than the applicant or locality, from having an actionable appeal for the issuance of permits or authorizations made pursuant to the bill.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyFacilitates wireless infrastructure deployment for expanded coverage (first responders/schools), advancing internet access infrastructure without restrictions.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Telecommunications

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 8, 2026

SB 105: STEM+C competition team grants; DOE to consider changes to application and eligibility guidelines.

Department of Education; STEM+C Competition Grant Program eligibility. Requires the Department of Education, prior to the 2026 application period for grants pursuant to the STEM+C Competition Team Grant Program (the Program), to consider making the following changes to the grant application and eligibility guidelines: (i) clarify that, in accordance with the provision of relevant law that provides that the purpose of the Program is to provide grants for use in establishing or supporting STEM+C competition teams, grants may be awarded to establish new STEM+C competition teams or support existing STEM+C competition teams and (ii) provide that, in the event that grant applications exceed available funds, priority shall be given to applications for the establishment of new STEM+C competition teams with demonstrated financial need.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationProvides grants for STEM competition teams, advancing student program funding and educational access in K-12 STEM education.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyFunds STEM+C competition teams, directly supporting technology education and computing initiatives through grant programs.95% confidence