Del. Rip Sullivan

Maddy summaryHJ 684 is a commemorative resolution honoring Loudoun County residents who were among the passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which crashed in 2023. It formally recognizes and celebrates the lives of these community members without creating any new laws or policy changes. The resolution passed both the House and Senate in February 2025 and was signed into law. This is a symbolic gesture, not a substantive legislative measure.

Replacement of trees during development process in localities; tree canopy fund. Allows localities by ordinance to establish a tree canopy fund to collect, maintain, and distribute fees collected from developers that cannot provide for full tree canopy requirements where the development project is situated. The bill requires the ordinance to establish cost units that are based on average costs of two-inch caliper nursery stock trees. The bill allows a locality to use moneys from the fund to (i) plant and maintain trees on public or private property or (ii) make disbursements to a community-based organization that is exempt from income tax pursuant to § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is operated for tree planting, stewardship, or community-beautification missions that benefit the community at large. The bill requires any funds collected by localities to be spent within five years of the collection date.

Constitutional amendment (first reference); qualifications of voters; right to vote; persons not entitled to vote. Provides that every person who meets the qualifications of voters set forth in the Constitution of Virginia shall have the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth and that such right shall not be abridged by law, except for persons who have been convicted of a felony and persons who have been adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting. A person who has been convicted of a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote. Currently, in order to be qualified to vote a person convicted of a felony must have his civil rights restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority. The amendment also provides that a person adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction as lacking the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitled to vote during this period of incapacity until his capacity has been reestablished as prescribed by law. Currently, the Constitution of Virginia provides that a person who has been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent is not qualified to vote until his competency is reestablished.

Maddy summaryHJ 659 is a ceremonial resolution commending Mekhi Becton, Sr., for his contributions to the community. It does not create new laws, alter policies, or directly affect any individuals or groups beyond expressing legislative recognition. The resolution passed unanimously in the Senate via voice vote after being introduced and quickly advanced through procedural steps. As a non-binding resolution, it serves only to honor an individual and has no legal or practical impact on governance or public policy.

Insurance agents; appointments and terminations. Amends the process for the appointment of insurance agents and agencies by insurers as administered by the Bureau of Insurance of the State Corporation Commission. The bill also revises certain requirements of an insurer or authorized representative that terminates an appointment of an agent that is found to have engaged in conduct prohibited by existing law.

Workers' compensation; throat cancer. Provides that for the purposes of the workers' compensation presumption as to death or disability from certain types of cancer, throat cancer includes cancer that forms in the tissues of the pharynx, larynx, adenoid, tonsil, esophagus, trachea, nasopharynx, oropharynx, or hypopharynx. This bill applies only to diseases diagnosed on or after July 1, 2025. This bill is identical to SB 920.

Real property tax; exemption for elderly and disabled individuals. Revises various provisions of the local real property tax exemption and deferral program for elderly and disabled individuals. The bill allows a locality to require that an individual (i) pay all delinquent taxes, penalties, and interest assessed by the locality and incurred prior to becoming eligible for an exemption or deferral; (ii) enter into an installment agreement with the locality for the payment of all such delinquent amounts in installments over a period that is reasonable under the circumstances, but that in no event shall exceed 72 months; (iii) submit and obtain the treasurer's agreement to an offer in compromise with respect to all amounts of delinquent taxes, penalties, and interest; or (iv) carry out a combination thereof. Additionally, the bill provides that notice of the terms and conditions of the exemption and deferral program may be included in any notice of change in assessment and that the treasurer shall post such information on the locality's website. Finally, the bill allows a locality to provide a prorated exemption or deferral for the portion of the taxable year during which the taxpayer would have qualified for such exemption or deferral but had not yet filed an application. This bill is identical to SB 816.

Florence Neal Cooper Smith Sickle Cell Research Endowment Fund established. Establishes the Florence Neal Cooper Smith Sickle Cell Research Endowment Fund to support medical and biomedical sickle cell disease research conducted in institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth that relates to the causes and potential cures of sickle cell disease. The Fund shall be administered by the Commonwealth Health Research Board.

Foreign protective orders in cases of family abuse; enforcement. Clarifies that the same criminal penalty applies for any person who violates the provisions of a foreign protective order in a case of family abuse that is accorded full faith and credit and is enforceable in the Commonwealth as if it were an order of the Commonwealth. This bill is a recommendation of the Judicial Council of Virginia and is identical to SB 1095.

Constitutional amendment (first reference); marriage between two individuals; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative right to marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman as well as the related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015). The amendment provides that the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of persons and prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from denying the issuance of a marriage license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The Commonwealth and its political subdivisions are required to recognize any lawful marriage between two parties and to treat such marriages equally under the law, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The amendment provides that religious organizations and clergy acting in their religious capacity have the right to refuse to perform any marriage.