Rep. Keith Hodges

Income tax subtraction; broadband grant fund awards. Establishes an individual and corporate income tax subtraction for any amount of public grant awards received in the taxable year for the exclusive purpose of planning, constructing, expanding, or improving upon broadband infrastructure and services in the Commonwealth beginning in taxable year 2025.

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.

Pharmacists; initiation of treatment; influenza prophylaxis. Permits pharmacists to initiate treatment with, dispense, or administer drugs and devices for prophylactic purposes to prevent or mitigate the symptoms of influenza virus infection.

Department of Conservation and Recreation; federal National Flood Insurance Program; guidance document. Requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation, in collaboration with the Department of Health, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Transportation, Marine Resources Commission, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, representatives from localities, and any other state agency issuing permits in a floodplain, to develop and maintain a comprehensive guidance document to assist localities in complying with federal floodplain management requirements under the National Flood Insurance Program. The bill requires such guidance document to provide the proper implementation of enforcement provisions regulating development in floodplain management areas, including floodplain permitting requirements for all man-made development, within localities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. The bill requires the Department to review and revise the guidance document, with input from other state agencies and representatives of localities, at least every five years.

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.

Middle Peninsula Chesapeake Bay Public Access Authority; powers; commercial fishing pier. Expands the powers of the Middle Peninsula Chesapeake Bay Public Access Authority to allow the Authority to construct, maintain, and operate a commercial fishing pier, defined in the bill, whose primary purpose is to allow fishing by the public. The bill exempts such a pier from certain licensing and reporting requirements for commercial fishing piers.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Title 24.2 a chapter numbered 6.1, consisting of sections numbered 24.2-684.1 through 24.2-684.17, relating to statewide referendum ballot questions; fairness and transparency requirements; Ballot question fairness Commission; readability standards; language accessibility; public comment; judicial review.

Department of Education; local composite index school funding formula; data center revenue. Requires the Department of Education, in coordination with the Department of Taxation, no later than December 1, 2026, to revise the local composite index school funding formula to include as a factor in the calculation of required local effort any local revenue generated by any data center, as defined in relevant law, in the local school division, including real property taxes and business personal property taxes attributable to the operation of any such center, while also ensuring that no local school division that does not have such a data center is disadvantaged by any such revision. The bill requires the Department to submit such revised formula to the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2026, for approval pursuant to the general appropriation act enacted during any regular or special session during the 2026 calendar year before utilizing and making calculations according to the formula and provide that if the General Assembly grants such approval, the Department of Education shall apply such revised formula effective beginning with the 2028-2030 biennium.

Middle Peninsula Chesapeake Bay Public Access Authority; public purpose; submerged aquatic vegetation. Allows the Middle Peninsula Chesapeake Bay Public Access Authority to receive and expend public funds and private donations in order to restore or create submerged aquatic vegetation within the region for which the authority exists subject to certain limitations. The bill also allows the Authority to sell or convey tidal mitigation or submerged aquatic vegetation credits resulting from restoration or creation projects to political subdivisions within the Authority and with the concurrence of the Marine Resources Commission to nonparticipating political subdivisions. Currently, the Authority is only allowed to receive public and private funds for tidal wetland restoration and creation projects and is prohibited from selling or conveying tidal mitigation credits to any participating political subdivision.

Managed care organizations; pharmacy benefits manager; data collection and reporting requirements; civil penalty. Requires the Department of Medical Assistance Services to develop, and managed care organizations and pharmacy benefits managers to comply with, standardized methodologies for the collection and reporting of data related to expenditures, rebates, and the source of all cost components to the Department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The bill requires managed care organizations to solicit and undergo an independent audit of their reporting practices every two years and directs the Department to establish a compliance unit that may impose penalties on noncompliant managed care organizations and pharmacy benefits managers.