Del. Shelly Simonds

Commonwealth Aviation Fund; allocations. Changes (i) the allocation amounts from the Commonwealth Aviation Fund, (ii) the entity to which certain funds from such Fund are allocated from air carrier airports to commercial service airport sponsors, and (iii) the classification of airports from air carrier airport and reliever airport to commercial service airport and regional business airport, respectively.

Equity in public school funding and staffing; special education students; at-risk students; English language learner students; report. Requires state-funded add-ons to be provided to support special education students that are calculated by multiplying weights set forth in the general appropriation act by the relevant basic aid per-pupil amount for each such student. The bill establishes the At-Risk Program for the purpose of supporting programs and services for students who are educationally at risk, including prevention, intervention, or remediation activities required pursuant to relevant law, teacher recruitment programs and initiatives, programs for English language learners, the hiring of additional school counselors and other support staff, and other programs relating to increasing the success of disadvantaged students in completing a high school degree and providing opportunities to encourage further education and training. The bill also contains provisions relating to certain funding requirements for the At-Risk Program. The bill requires the Department of Education to develop and implement a data collection process related to English language learner expenditures and student English proficiency levels and identify other options to support English language learners and provide a status report to the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding on its implementation and data collection efforts by September 1, 2025. Finally, the bill requires the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or any other relevant stakeholders with expertise in special education as the Department of Education deems appropriate, to develop a plan for revised special education staffing requirements that addresses the staffing needs of each special education program in each school division as determined by the specific educational and behavioral support needs of students who receive special education and aims to improve special education teacher recruitment and retention and to report its findings to the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding by November 1, 2025. The bill is a recommendation of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. This bill incorporates HB 1831.

Collective bargaining by firefighters and emergency medical services providers. Authorizes firefighters and emergency medical services providers employed by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth to engage in collective bargaining through labor organizations or other designated representatives. The bill establishes the Fire Service Cooperation Board to administer its provisions. The bill provides for the appointment of a three-member board of arbitration regarding any dispute arising between an employer and firefighters or emergency medical services providers. Under the bill, determinations made by such board of arbitration are final on a disputed issue and are binding on the parties involved. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

High-energy facilities; water and energy usage information reports; statewide clearinghouse established. Requires any owner or operator of a high-energy facility, as defined in the bill, to submit to the Department of Environmental Quality no later than May 1, 2026, and on a quarterly basis thereafter, a report that contains certain information relating to water and energy usage for each such facility. The bill requires the Department, no later than July 1, 2026, to design, implement, and maintain a publicly accessible website to serve as a statewide clearinghouse for information relating to water and energy usage of all high-energy facilities operating in the Commonwealth. The bill provides that, in order to fully cover the costs of designing, implementing, and maintaining the statewide clearinghouse, the Department shall assess an initial fee to each owner or operator of a high-energy facility and may assess an annual fee thereafter for each year that such high-energy facility is in active use. The bill requires any owner or operator of a high-energy facility to notify the Department of any substantial change in operations or technologies that would require an update to the information required by the bill at least 60 days prior to making such change. The bill also requires the Department to convene a work group of stakeholders for the purpose of identifying additional information required to be published to the statewide clearinghouse. Such work group is required to convene at least three times by July 1, 2026, in a manner that is open to the public, and each such meeting is required to include a public comment period of no less than 60 days following such meeting.

High-energy facilities; water and energy usage information reports; statewide clearinghouse established. Requires any owner or operator of a high-energy facility, as defined in the bill, to submit to the Department of Environmental Quality no later than May 1, 2026, and on a quarterly basis thereafter, a report that contains certain information relating to water and energy usage for each such facility. The bill requires the Department, no later than July 1, 2026, to design, implement, and maintain a publicly accessible website to serve as a statewide clearinghouse for information relating to water and energy usage of all high-energy facilities operating in the Commonwealth. The bill provides that, in order to fully cover the costs of designing, implementing, and maintaining the statewide clearinghouse, the Department shall assess an initial fee on each owner or operator of a high-energy facility and may assess an annual fee thereafter for each year that such high-energy facility is in active use. The bill requires any owner or operator of a high-energy facility to notify the Department of any substantial change in operations or technologies that would require an update to the information required by the bill at least 60 days prior to making such change. The bill also requires the Department to convene a work group of stakeholders for the purpose of identifying additional information required to be published to the statewide clearinghouse. Such work group is required to convene at least three times by July 1, 2026, in a manner that is open to the public, and each such meeting is required to include a public comment period of no less than 60 days following such meeting.

Free fishing license program; blue catfish; sunset. Directs the Department of Wildlife Resources to create a program that allows a person to obtain a digital fishing license at no cost through the Department's Go Outdoors Virginia mobile application to catch blue catfish. The bill requires the Department to establish certain eligibility requirements as provided in the bill and to establish guidelines for the administration of the program, including an incentive program to recognize program participants that catch the most blue catfish by weight, length, or number. The program has an expiration date of July 1, 2029, after which the Department is required to examine and report on the effectiveness of the free digital fishing license program in reducing the Commonwealth's population of blue catfish.

Vacant building registration; civil penalty. Increases from $100 to $500 the maximum annual registration fee a locality may charge the owners of certain vacant buildings to defray the cost of processing such registration. The civil penalty for failure to register such vacant building is increased from $200 to $750, and the maximum civil penalty for failure to register in certain conservation and rehabilitation districts or in other areas designated as blighted is increased from $400 to $1,000.

Short-term rental properties; human trafficking awareness training. Mandates every accommodations intermediary to require its accommodations providers to complete certain training on recognizing and reporting instances of suspected human trafficking. Current law limits this requirement to every hotel proprietor and its employees and excludes short-term rentals. The bill prohibits an accommodations intermediary from listing a short-term rental property prior to receipt of an up-to-date written certification signed by the accommodations provider of such property that such accommodations provider has complied with the relevant training requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 1843 would replace Columbus Day, observed on the second Monday in October, with Indigenous Peoples' Day as an official state holiday. This change directly affects state employees, public schools, and government offices that observe the holiday, altering the designated day for closures and observances. The bill maintains the same date (the second Monday in October) but changes the holiday's name and historical reference. It does not alter other holiday schedules or create new state obligations beyond the holiday designation.

Board of Education; Child Care Subsidy Program; maximum reimbursement rate; vendors providing care outside of normal business hours. Directs the Board of Education to amend its regulations relating to the Child Care Subsidy Program to permit payment over the maximum reimbursable rate for any vendor that provides child care outside of normal business hours, provided that such rate may not exceed twice the maximum reimbursable rate for child care provided within normal business hours.