Rep. Tim Griffin

Income tax; real property tax relief credit. Provides a refundable income tax credit in taxable years 2026 through 2030 to eligible taxpayers, defined in the bill, who incur real property taxes in an amount equal to or greater than four percent of their federal adjusted gross income for up to $500 for single individuals and $1000 for married persons filing jointly.

Gift certificates; redeemable cash value; Virginia Consumer Protection Act. Requires that any gift certificate with a cash value of less than $10 be redeemable by the holder of the certificate for its cash value from the issuing merchant. A violation of the provisions of the bill is a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

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, 2027, 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, 2027, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Public elementary and secondary schools and public institutions of higher education; display of Ten Commandments in each classroom required. Requires each school board to display in each classroom in each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division and each public institution of higher education to display in each classroom on campus the Ten Commandments on a poster or framed document that is at least 11 inches by 14 inches and that includes a certain English translation of the Ten Commandments and, in the case of public elementary and secondary schools, a context statement on the history of the Ten Commandments in American public education. The bill provides that each school board and public institution of higher education shall either accept donated funds to purchase such displays or accept donations of such displays.

Prohibited acquisition of single-family homes; affidavit; civil penalty. Restricts any partnership, corporation, or real estate investment trust that manages funds pooled from investors, is a fiduciary to such investors, has net value or assets under management on any day during a taxable year, and holds an interest in more than 50 single-family homes from acquiring any interest in any other single-family home, as defined in the bill to include manufactured home parks and residential single-family homes split into multiple dwellings, on or after July 1, 2026. The bill also requires an offering purchaser of a manufactured home park to provide a notarized affidavit certifying that the purchaser is not prohibited from acquiring such an interest. Any false statements on such affidavit is subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per occurrence.

Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund; Department of Conservation and Recreation; extending application deadline. Directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to extend the deadline by 30 days for a person to submit an application to the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund.

Geoengineering prohibited; civil penalties. Prohibits any person from engaging in geoengineering, defined in the bill as the intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of sunlight, in the Commonwealth. The bill provides that any person who violates such prohibition shall be subject to civil penalties authorized by relevant law.

Secretary of Health and Human Resources; State Health Commissioner; website; services and programs available to pregnant women. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources (the Secretary) and the State Health Commissioner, by July 1, 2027, to establish, maintain, and annually update a website that provides information about public and private agencies, services, and programs available to pregnant women. The bill specifies that the website shall include a portal that allows users to receive specifically tailored pregnancy information and provides for the submission of feedback on how user-friendly and helpful the portal was in providing such specifically tailored information. The bill requires the Secretary to submit a report to the General Assembly, no later than 180 days after the website and portal are established, on (i) the traffic on the website and portal; (ii) user feedback submitted regarding the website and portal; (iii) any identified gaps in services for pregnant and postpartum women, including any missing resources helpful to include in future updates; and (iv) recommendations on how to improve the user experience based upon user feedback.

Department of Wildlife Resources; free or partially discounted fees to hunt, fish, and trap; reimbursement. Requires the Department of Wildlife Resources to maintain an annual accounting of revenue that would have been received by the Department from license exemptions or free or partially discounted fees to hunt, fish, or trap that are established by the General Assembly on or after July 1, 2026, and to submit such accounting to the Department of Accounts by August 1 of each year. The bill requires the Department of Accounts to pay the actual amount of such revenue within 30 days into the Game Protection Fund and also allows the accounting required by the bill and any other records relating to such accounting to be subject to audit by the State Comptroller.

Income tax; standard deduction. Removes the sunset from and makes permanent the enhanced standard deduction amounts of $8,750 for single individuals and $17,500 for married individuals filing jointly. Under current law, the standard deduction is scheduled to revert to $3,000 for single individuals and $6,000 for married individuals filing jointly after taxable year 2026.