Rep. Tom Garrett

Immunization requirements for children; hepatitis B vaccine. Removes the hepatitis B vaccine from the list of required immunizations for children in the Commonwealth, removes the extended conditional enrollment period for students requiring more than two doses of the hepatitis B vaccine, and directs the Board of Health to amend its regulations to remove provisions requiring children to receive the hepatitis B vaccine.

Virginia Consumer Protection Act; cash payments; discrimination prohibited; penalty. Prohibits a supplier from discriminating against cash as a payment for a retail sale, including by refusing to accept cash as a form of payment, posting signs on business premises that cash payment is not accepted, or charging a higher price to consumers who pay with cash. The bill includes certain exceptions to such prohibition and provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Electric utilities; retirement of certain electric generating units. Provides that, for the required retirement by December 31, 2045, of electric generating units that emit carbon as a by-product of combusting fuel to generate electricity, exceptions to such requirement include natural gas electric generating units with carbon capture capability and emissions-positive electric generating units. Under the bill, "emissions-positive generating unit" means an electric generating unit that produces a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by either preventing, capturing, or collecting such emissions from fuel combustion.

Alcoholic beverage control; voluntary no-buy program; court-ordered inclusion on list of excluded persons. Requires the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to establish and implement a voluntary no-buy program which allows a person to agree to refrain from purchasing any alcoholic beverage for a chosen period of two years, five years, or a lifetime. The bill provides that the name of a person participating in the program shall be included on a list of excluded persons and that the personal information of the participants shall be confidential, with dissemination by the Board limited to persons authorized to sell alcoholic beverages, law-enforcement officers acting in the performance of their official duties, and any other parties the Board deems necessary for purposes of enforcement. The bill also provides that a court may order any person be placed on the list of excluded persons as a condition of probation or suspension of sentence or upon a conviction of certain enumerated alcohol-related offenses.

Driver privilege cards and permits; discontinued. Discontinues the issuance of driver privilege cards and provides that any issued driver privilege card is invalid as of July 1, 2026. The bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to notify any person who has been issued a driver privilege card that such driver privilege card is invalid.

Insurance; Fire Programs Fund; purposes; Virginia At Risk Fire Grant Program established. Increases the assessment on certain insurance companies from one percent to 1.5 percent. The bill provides that the portion of the Fire Programs Fund allocated to localities may be used for the additional purposes of (i) constructing, improving, or expanding fire station facilities; (ii) providing mental health resources for fire personnel; or (iii) hiring additional fire personnel and funding recruitment and retention programs. The bill also prohibits such funds from being used, except as provided, for the purposes of investments, operating expenses, debt repayment, taxes, or fees. The bill also establishes the Virginia At Risk Fire Grant Program, to be funded by 0.25 percent of the assessments on insurance companies, for the purposes of providing assistance to localities with fire departments that are determined to be most at risk of being unable to provide fire suppression or rescue activities or maintain compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Certain public institutions of higher education; enrollment limitations in incoming freshman classes; Virginia Higher Education Scholarship Act Fund and Program established. Requires, beginning with the incoming freshman class in the 2027 academic year, the board of visitors of each baccalaureate public institution of higher education, with the exception of Norfolk State University, Virginia Military Institute, and Virginia State University, to ensure that the annual percentage of undergraduate non-Virginia students in each incoming freshman class does not exceed 45 percent. The bill also establishes the Virginia Higher Education Scholarship Act Fund and Program whereby certain Virginia public high school graduates who graduated at or near the top of their graduating classes are permitted to apply to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for a scholarship in an amount equal to the cost of tuition, room and board, and mandatory fees to attend a public institution of higher education enumerated in the bill for eight semesters.

Students who receive home instruction; evaluation letter of student academic progress; qualifications to submit. Permits an evaluation letter submitted as evidence of the academic progress of a student who receives home instruction to be submitted by a licensed teacher or a person with a bachelor's degree or higher in an academic discipline. Current law requires such an evaluation letter to be submitted by a licensed teacher or a person with a master's degree or higher in an academic discipline.

Virginia Human Rights Act; unlawful discrimination. Prohibits any state agency or political subdivision in the Commonwealth from supporting, implementing, recognizing, or utilizing any program, process, or procedure that conveys or denies a benefit, advantage, or privilege to an individual based solely on such individual's race, sex, or ethnicity.

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.