Del. J.R. Henson

Regulation of discharging preproduction plastic; requirements. Requires the Department of Environmental Quality to establish a program to ensure zero discharge or release from point and nonpoint source at certain facilities that discharge to (i) a surface water under a Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued by the Department or (ii) a publicly owned treatment works under an industrial pretreatment program permit or other written authorization issued by a local permit control authority and to require the prompt and environmentally responsible containment and cleanup of discharged or released preproduction plastic. The bill requires the Department to adopt and implement certain requirements in order to reduce and control the discharge or release of preproduction plastic from such facilities. The bill allows the Department to exempt a facility from the requirements of the program if a facility satisfies the criteria for a no exposure certification and complies with inspection requirements administered by the Department. The bill also allows the Department to establish additional requirements regarding the regulation of discharges and releases of preproduction plastic from certain facilities into water or onto land in the Commonwealth.

Public schools; student support services; student personal information and data security; registration; requirements; grants; report. Requires any student support agency, as defined by the bill, to register with the Department of Education (the Department) in order to provide any student support programs, as defined by the bill, to students enrolled in any public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth. The bill establishes several requirements for the registration of any student support agency relating to the protection of any student personal information collected by the student support agency, including (i) requiring such agencies to adopt certain policies, procedures, and protocols designed to ensure the continued security, integrity, and confidentiality of student personal information; (ii) requiring the Department to ensure any student support agency obtains informed consent from the parent of any student or, if such student is 18 years of age or older, the student prior to collecting or using any student personal information; (iii) requiring the Department to develop a standard memorandum of understanding and each student support agency and school board to execute a memorandum of understanding establishing authorizations and limitations relating to the transmission, collection, and use of student personal information; (iv) requiring the Department to establish and administer a grant program for the purpose of awarding grants to certain student support agencies for data security upgrades, training for staff, and third-party audits; (v) prohibiting any student support agency from using or sharing student personal information for certain purposes set forth in the bill, including sharing any such student personal information for use in targeted advertising; (vi) requiring the Department to establish certain programs and provide certain resources to support certain registered student support agencies and school boards in effectively and efficiently providing student support programs in compliance with the provisions of the bill; and (vii) requiring the Department to conduct an annual audit of a certain percentage of registered student support agencies to ensure compliance with the provisions of the bill and establishing provisions relating to consequences for failure of the audit or otherwise being found in violation of the provisions of the bill.

Study; Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity; small business set-asides; report. Directs the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to study small business set-asides and their effectiveness in promoting the growth and economic development of small businesses through participation in government contracting. For purposes of the study, \"small business\" includes women-owned and minority-owned businesses.

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to full-time salaried 911 dispatchers. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher on or after July 1, 2026, but allows an employer, as that term is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher before July 1, 2026, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Artificial Intelligence Transparency Act established. Requires developers of generative artificial intelligence systems made available in the Commonwealth to ensure that any generative artificial intelligence system that produces audio, images, text, or video content includes on such AI-generated content a clear and conspicuous disclosure that meets certain requirements specified in the bill. The bill also requires developers of generative artificial intelligence systems to implement reasonable procedures to prevent downstream use of such system without the required disclosures and requires any third-party licensee of a generative artificial intelligence system to also implement such procedures. The bill provides that a violation of the disclosure requirements constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill allows the Attorney General to offer developers a right to cure noncompliance that is noticed by the Attorney General and provides that a person or entity claiming to be injured due to a violation of the disclosure requirements shall be entitled to initiate an action for monetary damages or equitable relief.

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.

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt anti-rent gouging provisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing prior to the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlords who are under the ordinance may be required to give at least two months' written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent by more than the locality's calculated allowance, described in the bill as the maximum amount a landlord can increase a tenant's rent during any 12-month period, in effect at the time of the increase. The bill sets such allowance as equal to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index or seven percent, whichever is less, states that such allowance is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1 each year, and requires the locality to publish such allowance on its website by June 1 of each year. Certain facilities, as outlined in the bill, are exempt from such ordinance. The bill also requires a locality to establish an anti-rent gouging board that will develop and implement rules and procedures by which landlords may apply for and be granted exemptions from the rent increase limits set by the ordinance. Finally, the bill provides that a locality shall establish a civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set out in its ordinance.

Toll relief; maximum charges. Limits to $200 per month the tolls charged to residents of the Commonwealth via electronic toll collection devices for the use of toll bridges, toll ferries, toll tunnels, or toll roads in the Commonwealth. The bill prohibits misusing, sharing, or transferring an electronic toll collection device for the purpose of (i) generating tolls to reach the toll charges limit or (ii) obtaining toll-free use of toll facilities in the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes the free use of all toll bridges, toll roads, and other toll facilities in the Commonwealth for drivers who are recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.

Wildlife corridors or crossings; action plan and programs; Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan; Wildlife Corridor Action Plan; wildlife carcass removal tracking; report. Requires the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan created by the Department of Wildlife Resources to address the financial needs of the Plan and implement certain additional initiatives. The bill directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to include in the Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan a directive to encourage opportunities to incorporate wildlife-friendly design in flood resilience infrastructure where flood risk priorities align with priorities of the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to (i) establish and administer a program for the implementation of wildlife crossings of highways in the Commonwealth, (ii) incorporate the recommendations of the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan established by the Department of Wildlife Resources pursuant to existing law in the policies and procedures of the Department, and (iii) submit a report to the General Assembly in each even-numbered year regarding such program. The bill requires the Department of Transportation and the Commonwealth Transportation Board to include in all highway maintenance contracts a requirement for such contractor to identify certain data related to wildlife carcass removal and provides that such requirement may be accomplished by using the Department of Transportation's Wildlife Carcass Removal Tracking application.

Gas pipeline safety; regulations. Requires that for pipeline facilities used in the interstate transport of gas, as defined in federal regulations, any gas transported in transmission lines in the Commonwealth shall be adequately odorized, with an exception for certain pipelines in operation before May 5, 1975. The bill directs the State Corporation Commission to promulgate regulations related to the provisions of the bill.