Del. Kathy Tran

Electric utilities; request for proposals required for certain facilities. Requires an electric utility seeking approval to construct or purchase a generating facility that emits carbon dioxide to demonstrate that it has conducted a request for proposals designed to fairly evaluate all available supply-side and demand-side options prior to seeking approval for such generating facility. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to review the request for proposals before the utility's issuance to ensure all available resources will be fairly evaluated.

Average teacher salary in the Commonwealth; national average. Requires the Governor's introduced budget bills for the 2026 and 2027 Regular Sessions of the General Assembly to propose funding for, and state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act enacted during any regular or special session of the General Assembly during 2026 or 2027 to fund, the Commonwealth's share of compensation supplement incentives for Standards of Quality-funded instructional and support positions sufficient to increase the average teacher salary in the Commonwealth to at least the national average teacher salary by the end of the 2026-2028 biennium and establishes a detailed timeline and process for satisfying such requirement.

Commonwealth Savers Plan; State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; Virginia College Access and Affordability Scholarship Fund established; work group; report. Directs the transfer of actuarial surplus defined benefit prepaid tuition contract funds from the fund of the Commonwealth Savers Plan (the Plan) into a DB529 subfund established in the bill to be used for (i) a surplus rebate program and (ii) establishing the Virginia College Access and Affordability Scholarship Fund (the Access Fund). The surplus rebate program returns actuarial surplus funds, in $2,500 checks, to owners of a prepaid tuition contract who entered into such contract before July 1, 2019, and claim such rebate before July 1, 2026. The amount of rebates available shall not exceed $350 million. When claiming the rebate, the application allows such rebate amount to be applied to a new prepaid tuition contract or a Roth individual retirement account in lieu of the check. The bill establishes an Investment Board with investment and actuarial expertise to review and make recommendations to the General Assembly on each deposit from the DB529 Fund to the Access Fund. After an initial $500 million deposit from the DB529 subfund, dedicated assets of the Access Fund shall be invested and managed by the Plan. Funds in the Access Fund shall be used to establish a scholarship program to be managed and administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (the Council). The scholarship program provides scholarship awards to students enrolled in an eligible education program, defined in the bill, and a portion of the funds are to be devoted to college access resources or programs to assist low-income students, first generation college students, students from underrepresented communities, or other at-risk students with their introduction to the higher education system in Virginia, college applications, financial aid applications, and resources assisting with a successful transition from high school to college. The Council is required to report on the Access Fund and scholarship program no later than December 31 each year. Finally, the bill (a) directs the Council to establish a work group of higher education stakeholders to make recommendations on allocations of funds available through the Access Fund and scholarship program and directs the work group to report to the House Committees on Education and Appropriations and Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations no later than November 1, 2025, and (b) prohibits the Plan from implementing or taking part in any initiatives relating to the accessibility or the aforementioned college access programs on or after July 1, 2025.

Board of Education; Child Care Subsidy Program; maximum reimbursement rate; vendors providing care outside of normal business hours. Directs the Board of Education to amend its regulations relating to the Child Care Subsidy Program to permit payment over the maximum reimbursable rate for any vendor that provides child care outside of normal business hours, provided that such rate may not exceed twice the maximum reimbursable rate for child care provided within normal business hours.

Transportation network companies; minimum compensation. Establishes minimum compensation rates for TNC partners. The bill also prohibits gratuities from passengers from being included in TNC partner compensation calculations, authorizes TNC partners to collect gratuity in cash or electronically, and prohibits transportation network companies from limiting the amount that can be paid as gratuity through such companies' digital platforms.

History Education Advisory Board established. Establishes the 32-member History Education Advisory Board to advise the Governor, his cabinet members, the Board of Education, and the General Assembly on the current ways in which African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, Indigenous, Women's, and LGBTQ+ history are described in the relevant Standards of Learning and associated curriculum frameworks; how that content is taught in classrooms; and strategies to develop African American history and social studies elective courses, Asian American and Pacific Islander history and social studies elective courses, Latino history and social studies elective courses, Indigenous history and social studies elective courses, Women's history and social studies elective courses, and LGBTQ+ history and social studies elective courses.

Child tax credit; Virginia adjusted gross income. Creates a one-time tax credit in taxable years 2025 through 2029 for taxpayers whose households include dependents younger than 12 years of age and whose family Virginia adjusted gross income, defined in the bill, does not exceed $100,000. Such credit shall be in an amount equal to $300 for each such dependent and only one credit may be claimed for each such dependent. The bill provides that if the taxpayer is a resident of the Commonwealth for the full taxable year, the credit is refundable. Otherwise, the credit is nonrefundable.

Motion picture production tax credit. Increases the aggregate cap on the motion picture production tax credit allocated in each fiscal year from $6.5 million to $8.5 million beginning in fiscal year 2025.

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.

Information Technology Access Act; digital accessibility. Makes numerous organizational changes to the Information Technology Access Act. The bill defines "information and communications technology" as it relates to digital accessibility, defined in the bill, for all persons with disabilities. The bill permits the head of each covered entity, defined in the bill, to designate an employee to serve as such covered entity's digital accessibility coordinator and provides that such digital accessibility coordinator is responsible for developing and implementing such covered entity's digital accessibility policy. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.