Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra

Virginia Housing Trust Fund; geographic equity impact assessment. Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to conduct an annual geographic equity assessment (GEIA) to identify distressed localities that have historically received less investment for housing and economic development. The bill provides that, of the 80 percent of moneys from the Virginia Housing Trust used to provide flexible financing for low-interest loans, no more than 20 percent shall be allocated to a single locality unless such locality has been identified as underserved in the most recent GEIA.

First-time Homebuyer Grant Program. Establishes a First-time Homebuyer Grant Program for the purpose of assisting first-time homebuyers with first-time homebuyer expenses, as those terms are defined in the bill. The bill provides that the Department of Housing and Community Development shall award eligible first-time homebuyers a grant in an amount equal to five percent of such expenses incurred during a calendar year, not to exceed $10,000. Any grant awarded pursuant to the Program shall be repaid to the Commonwealth if the property for which expenses were incurred is sold within three years from the purchase date, unless the sale is made following a natural disaster or other act of God.

Public secondary schools; interscholastic athletics; certain recruitment policies and practices prohibited. Prohibits any school board employee, including any interscholastic athletics coach or director, from implementing any policy or engaging in any practice whereby the employee (i) designates any secondary school student-athlete as homeless pursuant to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended, solely for the purpose of recruiting such student-athlete to transfer to the local school division to participate in interscholastic athletics or (ii) receives money or other things of value from any individual or entity, including any institution of higher education or any intercollegiate athletics program at such an institution, solely for the purpose of recruiting a secondary school student-athlete to participate in intercollegiate athletics.

Health insurance; coverage for breast examinations for high-risk individuals. Requires health insurance carriers to cover diagnostic breast examinations and supplemental breast examinations, as those terms are defined in the bill, based on sound medical practices for any high-risk individual, as defined in the bill, without cost sharing under certain insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2026. The bill provides that such examinations include examinations using a health care provider's choice of diagnostic mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, or breast ultrasound. This bill was incorporated in HB 1828.

Health insurance; coverage for cancer follow-up testing; report. Requires health insurers and other carriers to provide coverage for cancer follow-up testing, as defined in the bill, and prohibits the imposition of deductibles, coinsurance, or any other cost-sharing requirements specifically on cancer follow-up testing. The bill directs the Bureau of Insurance to annually report to the General Assembly on (i) the number of individuals benefiting from the removal of copayments for cancer follow-up testing, (ii) the financial impact on health insurance premiums as a result of the provisions of the bill, and (iii) recommendations for further policy adjustments.

Maddy summarySJ 303 is a formal resolution commending Master Gardeners in Northern Virginia for their community service in horticulture and environmental stewardship. It expresses the legislature's appreciation for their volunteer work without creating any new laws or obligations. This ceremonial resolution has no binding effect and serves solely as a symbolic gesture of recognition. (1 sentence summary per procedural bill guidelines)

Sale and distribution of plastic carryout bags by grocery stores prohibited; civil penalty. Prohibits any grocery store, as defined in the bill, from selling or distributing any plastic carryout bag, as defined in the bill, to its customers on or after January 1, 2027, unless such bag qualifies as an exempt bag, as defined in the bill. The bill provides that any grocery store that violates this provision shall be issued by the Department of Environmental Quality a written warning for the first violation and shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $500 for a second and each subsequent violation as determined by the Director of the Department. The bill also requires any grocery store, no later than January 1, 2027, to develop, implement, and maintain a program to encourage its customers to utilize reusable bags, as defined in the bill.

Access to Housing Task Force; report. Establishes the Access to Housing Task Force for the purpose of evaluating short-term and long-term access to housing in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Task Force to report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and General Assembly no later than November 1, 2025, regarding its activities and recommendations.

Department of Social Services; foster care; new luggage; report. Directs the Department of Social Services (the Department) to establish and maintain a decentralized supply of new luggage to be used to transport the personal belongings of a child in foster care. The bill requires the Department to provide new luggage to a child who is entering or exiting foster care or moving from one foster care placement to another and prohibits the Department from using disposable bags or trash bags to transport any items for a child in foster care. The bill requires the Commissioner of the Department to report certain information related to new luggage to the General Assembly by no later than December 1 of each year.

Earned income tax credit. Allows eligible low-income taxpayers to claim a refundable income tax credit equal to 20 percent of the federal earned income tax credit claimed that year by the taxpayer for the same taxable year. The bill also states that individuals who would have been entitled to the federal equivalent of this credit but for the fact that the individual, the individual's spouse, or one or more of the individual's children does not have a valid social security number are eligible to claim this credit. Under current law, taxpayers may choose to claim either a nonrefundable tax credit equal to 20 percent of the federal earned income tax credit claimed that year or a refundable tax credit equal to 15 percent of the federal earned income tax credit claimed that year.