Del. Dan Helmer

Preservation of existing trees during development; certain localities. Allows a locality with a population of at least 75 people per square mile or a locality located within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, when assessing the adequacy of existing trees identified by the developer during the development process to be preserved or in assessing the overall impact of the development on existing trees, to require, by ordinance, the developer to (i) submit a survey or map detailing the location of critical root zones on the subject property, including any roots from mature trees that have grown over the subject property line to the abutting property or property adjacent to the subject property, or (ii) provide other information reasonably calculated to assist the locality to determine if such trees are sufficient to meet all or part of the tree canopy requirements.

Collective bargaining by firefighters and emergency medical services providers. Authorizes firefighters and emergency medical services providers employed by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth to engage in collective bargaining through labor organizations or other designated representatives. The bill establishes the Fire Service Cooperation Board to administer its provisions. The bill provides for the appointment of a three-member board of arbitration regarding any dispute arising between an employer and firefighters or emergency medical services providers. Under the bill, determinations made by such board of arbitration are final on a disputed issue and are binding on the parties involved. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Public secondary schools; interscholastic athletics; certain recruitment policies and practices prohibited. Prohibits any school board employee, including any interscholastic athletics coach or director, from implementing any policy or engaging in any practice whereby the employee (i) designates any secondary school student-athlete as homeless pursuant to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended, solely for the purpose of recruiting such student-athlete to transfer to the local school division to participate in interscholastic athletics or (ii) receives money or other things of value from any individual or entity, including any institution of higher education or any intercollegiate athletics program at such an institution, solely for the purpose of recruiting a secondary school student-athlete to participate in intercollegiate athletics.

Alcoholic beverage control; illegal advertising; exceptions; charitable sales promotion. Allows a licensed distillery, winery, or brewery to advertise in or send any advertising matter into the Commonwealth about or concerning alcoholic beverages for the purposes of a charitable sales promotion to benefit (i) a charitable or civic organization, (ii) an organization exempt from taxation under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or (iii) any public or private elementary or secondary school or institution of higher education, regardless of whether such charitable sales promotion advertises that a percentage of each sale or per product sold will benefit such organization, school, or institution.

Public institutions of higher education; endowments; investment management; certain divestment practices prohibited. Prohibits any public institution of higher education or any affiliated foundation, investment management company, or other entity that is responsible for managing or investing endowment funds of the institution from establishing or implementing any policy or practice of divesting from all investments in any country or territory that is not the subject of an active sanctions program administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Short-term rental properties; human trafficking awareness training. Mandates every accommodations intermediary to require its accommodations providers to complete certain training on recognizing and reporting instances of suspected human trafficking. Current law limits this requirement to every hotel proprietor and its employees and excludes short-term rentals. The bill prohibits an accommodations intermediary from listing a short-term rental property prior to receipt of an up-to-date written certification signed by the accommodations provider of such property that such accommodations provider has complied with the relevant training requirements.

Virginia Commission on Lynching Sites Memorialization established; report. Establishes the Virginia Commission on Lynching Sites Memorialization as an advisory commission in the executive branch of state government. The purpose of the 15-member Commission is to acknowledge the history of racial violence in Virginia through the placement of historical markers at the sites of lynchings. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2028.

Alcoholic beverage control; limitation on manufacturers, bottlers, and wholesalers; restrictions on employment; exemptions. Allows a manufacturer, bottler, or wholesaler to employ any person employed by a retail licensee and a retail licensee to employ any person employed by a manufacturer, bottler, or wholesaler, provided that (i) no person employed by a manufacturer is employed as a designated manager of a retail licensee or similar position in a retail licensee establishment and (ii) no retail licensee is required by agreement or otherwise to exclude from sale at his establishment alcoholic beverages of other manufacturers, bottlers, or wholesalers.

Siting of data centers; site assessment. Allows a locality, prior to any approval for the siting of a data center, to perform a site assessment to examine the effect of the data center on water usage and carbon emissions within the locality.

Collective bargaining by firefighters and emergency medical services providers. Authorizes firefighters and emergency medical services providers employed by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth to engage in collective bargaining through labor organizations or other designated representatives. The bill provides for the appointment of a three-member board of arbitration regarding any dispute arising between an employer and firefighters or emergency medical services providers. Under the bill, determinations made by such board of arbitration are final on a disputed issue and are binding on the parties involved.