Rep. Kim Taylor

Sex offenses prohibiting proximity to children; state parks; penalty. Provides that every adult who is convicted of an offense prohibiting proximity to children, when the offense occurred on or after July 1, 2025, shall as part of his sentence be forever prohibited from going, for the purpose of having any contact whatsoever with children who are not in his custody, within 100 feet of the premises of any area of a state park that he knows or has reason to know is a playground, athletic field or facility, or gymnasium. A violation is a Class 6 felony.

Study; Autism Advisory Council; establishment of an autism data dashboard in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Autism Advisory Council to study and advise the General Assembly on the establishment of an autism data dashboard for the purpose of promoting greater public transparency and access to information and resources on autism spectrum disorders. The Council is directed to submit a report with recommendations for such dashboard's development, including the types of data and resources that should be included, to the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on Education and Health no later than November 1, 2025.

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers, animal control officers, and municipal park rangers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to (i) full-time salaried 911 dispatchers, (ii) full-time animal control officers, and (iii) sworn municipal park rangers qualifying as conservators of the peace. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned in such positions on or after July 1, 2026, but allows an employer, as that term is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned in such positions before July 1, 2026, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Department of Conservation and Recreation; Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; work group to examine use of Johnsongrass in the Commonwealth. Directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation (the Department), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to convene a work group to examine measures to reduce, mitigate, and eliminate the continued sale and use of Johnsongrass in the Commonwealth. The bill requires such work group to (i) conduct a risk assessment on the use of such plant to evaluate its effect on crops, livestock, public health, and the environment; (ii) identify measures to support education and outreach to reduce the use of such plant and promote the use of noninvasive or native species as a substitute; and (iii) make recommendations regarding potential statutory and regulatory changes relating to the use of such plant, including the creation of guidance documents from relevant agencies. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and any recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by December 1, 2026.

Assisted conception; certain medical treatments; written contract required. Provides that the laws governing abortion shall not be construed to prohibit or limit the access to and use of (i) in vitro fertilization or any other method of assisted conception or (ii) any other medical treatment or intervention used to assist in the conception of a pregnancy or to maintain such a pregnancy. The bill further provides that, beginning the in vitro fertilization process, the genetic parents, if known to each other, shall enter into a written contract stipulating to the disposition of any embryo created for the intended use in such process. The bill specifies that such contract shall include provisions regarding the cryopreservation, disposal, and control of any such embryo in the event of the death or incarceration of one or more of the genetic parents or the divorce of the genetic parents, if applicable.

Attorney General; distribution of 599 funding to distressed localities with high crime and poverty rates; advisory work group. Directs the Attorney General to convene a work group for the purpose of advising on the distribution of 599 funding to distressed localities with high crime and poverty rates. The work group shall include legislators and local elected officials who represent distressed localities and other persons with relevant experience and expertise.

Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program established; incorporation into National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund. Establishes the Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program and incorporates such program into the existing National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program. The bill also renames the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program Fund as the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program Fund (the Fund) and expands the purpose for which disbursements may be made from the Fund to include the award of incentive grants to school psychologists obtaining national certification from the National Association of School Psychologists consisting of an initial state-funded award of $5,000 and a subsequent award of $2,500 each year for the life of the certificate.

Virginia taxable income; standard deduction; sunset. Removes the sunset on elevated standard deduction amounts for single individuals and married persons that is scheduled to expire for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2026.

Authority of Attorney General; criminal cases; criminal sexual assault and commercial sex trafficking committed against children. Authorizes the Attorney General to institute or conduct criminal prosecutions in cases involving a violation of criminal sexual assault or commercial sex trafficking when such crimes are committed against children.

Department of Veterans Services; powers and duties of Commissioner; identification of incarcerated veterans. Provides that the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services shall utilize, in consultation with the Department of Corrections, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans Re-Entry Search Services system to identify veterans incarcerated in state, local, or community correctional facilities to prepare such veterans for release and reentry, reduce recidivism and homelessness, provide behavioral health resources, and refer eligible veterans to behavioral health dockets. This bill was incorporated into HB 2071.