Del. J.R. Henson

Maddy summarySJ 363 is a ceremonial resolution commending the Virginia Spaceport Authority for its work in advancing space exploration and economic development in Virginia. It does not create new laws or affect any policies, as it is purely symbolic recognition. The bill passed both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly with unanimous voice votes in February 2025. It honors the Authority's contributions but has no binding effect or direct impact on residents, businesses, or regulations.

Maddy summaryThis bill (SJ 371) is a ceremonial resolution commending Hoda Kotb, a well-known television host and co-anchor, for her contributions. It does not create any legal requirements or affect any individuals, organizations, or policies. The resolution simply expresses the legislature's appreciation through a formal statement. As a commemorative measure, it has no binding effect and passed unanimously in both chambers.

Poor debtor's exemption; depository institution account exemption. Allows a householder to hold exempt from creditor process up to $500 held in a depository institution. The bill provides that a depository institution shall, upon receipt of an order of garnishment, attachment, or other levy, answer such order and, if the householder maintains a deposit account or accounts with such depository institution, state that (i) the total amount in such account or accounts does not exceed $500 or (ii) the total amount in such account or accounts does exceed $500 and that the amount of funds in excess of $500 is being held by such institution pending further order of the court. The bill further provides that, beginning on April 1, 2027, any increases in exempt amounts shall be adjusted at three-year intervals to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The bill provides that such adjustments shall be calculated by the Department of Planning and Budget.

Local regulation of solar facilities; special exceptions. Provides that a ground-mounted solar energy generation facility to be located on property zoned agricultural, commercial, industrial, or institutional shall be permitted pursuant to various criteria to be included in a local ordinance, such as specifications for setbacks, fencing, solar panel height, visual impacts, and grading, and a decommissioning plan for solar energy equipment and facilities, unless otherwise permitted by right.

Statewide unified public-private system for early childhood care and education in the Commonwealth; state goal; capacity and family choice. Requires the statewide, unified, public-private system for early childhood care and education in the Commonwealth to be established with the goal of increasing and maintaining capacity systemwide to provide each family with meaningful access to high-quality and affordable choices among publicly funded, federally funded, mixed delivery, and private providers.

Department of Education; English language learner students; data collection on expenditures. Requires the Department of Education to develop and implement a data collection process related to English language learner expenditures and student English proficiency levels and identify other options to support English language learners and provide a status report to the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding on its implementation and data collection efforts by September 1, 2025.

Department of Education; Child Care Subsidy Program waiting list; additional priority group; target timeline for assigning slots to priority groups. Requires the Department of Education to amend its Child Care Subsidy Program Guidance Manual to add a seventh priority group to the Child Care Subsidy Program waiting list that consists of any family that meets all other Program eligibility criteria and includes a parent who is employed for at least 30 hours per week by a publicly funded child care provider in the Commonwealth that serves children from birth to age five, excluding employment by a local school division but including employment by a Head Start program that is located within a public school building. The bill also directs the Department of Education to require local departments of social services to target a maximum of 30 days for moving priority group families from the waiting list into services; regularly assess, in coordination with the Department of Social Services, the length of time it takes for priority groups to be assigned slots; and provide quarterly updates, beginning October 1, 2025, to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education on such timeline and any other barriers experienced by families in priority groups on the waiting list in accessing services.

Deaths by suicide of veterans or military service members; inquiry by State Registrar of Vital Records; Department of Veterans Services annual report. Requires the State Registrar of Vital Records, when a death certificate is filed and lists suicide as the cause of death, to make an inquiry into whether the decedent was a veteran or military service member and to provide any information concerning the suicide of such veteran or military service member to the Department of Veterans Services. The bill also provides that the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services may request, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner shall deliver to the Commissioner, a copy of an autopsy report of a veteran or military service member whose cause and manner of death is determined to be a suicide. The bill also reestablishes the position of Suicide Prevention Coordinator as the Suicide Prevention Program and requires such Program to, in coordination with the State Police, compile and analyze data relating to such suicides to be included in the annual report submitted by the Department to the Governor and the General Assembly.

Land records; recording and indexing fees. Provides that no clerk of a circuit court shall assess separate recording and indexing fees for one document that contains two or more instruments that may serve independent legal purposes, unless the person presenting such document or instruments requests that such document or instruments be recorded and indexed in more than a single instance. The bill also provides that no recordation tax shall be required of a quitclaim deed between a grantor and grantee when no consideration has passed between the parties, provided that such quitclaim deed shows on its face that no consideration has passed.

Surplus real property; prioritization of disposition for affordable housing. Requires the Department of General Services to determine whether, following an offer of surplus property to the chief administrative officer of the locality within which the surplus property is located, as well as to any economic development entity for such locality, such surplus property is suitable for the development of affordable housing, as defined by the bill. If the Department so determines, the bill provides that such property shall be offered for at least 90 days exclusively to eligible organizations, as defined by the bill, for the purpose of developing affordable housing, provided that the terms of the disposition include a recorded covenant to provide affordable housing for at least 30 years.The bill also requires the governing body of each locality to prepare an inventory list of all real property within its jurisdiction to which the locality or any dependent special district within its boundaries holds fee simple title that is suitable for the development of affordable housing. If the governing body of a locality chooses to dispose of such a property, such property shall be offered for at least 90 days exclusively to eligible organizations, as defined by the bill, for the purpose of developing affordable housing, through purchase, lease, exchange, or donation in return for a recorded covenant to provide affordable housing for at least 30 years.