Del. Nadarius Clark

Virginia Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention; creation. Creates the Virginia Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention within the Department of Criminal Justice Services. The bill states that the Center will serve as the primary resource for research, best practices, and strategies for the implementation of firearm violence intervention, community-based intervention, and group violence intervention programs designed to reduce violence in communities. The bill also requires that the Center evaluate state and community based violence intervention programs and policies that receive funding through the Center, apply for and accept federal grants, and provide technical assistance. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity; Small SWaM Business Procurement Enhancement Program established. Establishes the Small SWaM Business Procurement Enhancement Program with a statewide goal of 42 percent of certified small SWaM business, as such term is defined in the bill, utilization in all discretionary spending by executive branch agencies and covered institutions in procurement orders, prime contracts, and subcontracts, as well as a target goal of 50 percent subcontracting to small SWaM businesses in instances where the prime contractor is not a small SWaM business for all new capital outlay construction solicitations that are issued. The bill provides that executive branch agencies and covered institutions are required to increase their small SWaM business utilization rates by three percent per year until reaching the 42-percent target or, if unable to do so, to implement achievable goals to increase their utilization rates. In addition, the bill provides for a small SWaM business set-aside for executive branch agency and covered institution purchases of goods, services, and construction, requiring that purchases up to $100,000 be set aside for award to certified small SWaM businesses.The bill creates the Division of Procurement Enhancement within the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity for purposes of collaborating with the Department of General Services, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, the Department of Transportation, and covered institutions to further the Commonwealth's efforts to meet the goals established under the Small SWaM Business Procurement Enhancement Program, as well as implementing initiatives to enhance the development of small businesses, microbusinesses, women-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses, and service disabled veteran-owned businesses in the Commonwealth.Finally, the bill requires the Director of the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to conduct, or contract with an independent entity to conduct, a disparity study every five years, with the next disparity study due no later than January 1, 2026. The bill specifies that such study shall evaluate the need for enhancement and remedial measures to address the disparity between the availability and the utilization of women-owned and minority-owned businesses. The provisions of the bill other than those requiring such study have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026, and apply to covered institutions beginning July 1, 2026.

Disposable plastic bag tax; distribution to towns. Provides that any town located within a county that has imposed a disposable plastic bag tax shall receive a distribution of revenues collected by the county based on the local sales tax distribution formula for appropriations to towns. The bill requires that towns use such revenues for the same purposes allowable for a county or city.

Payment of costs when proceedings deferred and defendant placed on probation. Provides that a circuit or district court that has deferred proceedings pursuant to relevant law and imposed costs shall not enter a judgment of guilty against a defendant solely for his failure to pay such costs or other fees but shall comply with the terms agreed upon for the deferral if all other terms and conditions of such agreement are satisfied, provided that such costs or other fees remain due. Current law requires such costs to be paid prior to dismissal.

Paid family and medical leave insurance program; notice requirements; civil action. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to establish and administer a paid family and medical leave insurance program with benefits beginning January 1, 2028. Under the program, benefits are paid to covered individuals, as defined in the bill, for family and medical leave. Funding for the program is provided through premiums assessed to employers and employees beginning January 1, 2027. The bill provides that the amount of a benefit is 80 percent of the employee's average weekly wage, not to exceed 120 percent of the state weekly wage, which amount is required to be adjusted annually to reflect changes in the statewide average weekly wage. The bill caps the duration of paid leave at 12 weeks in any application year and provides self-employed individuals the option of participating in the program.

Department of Taxation; accounts receivable; collection. Directs the Department of Taxation, Department of Accounts, and Office of the Attorney General to analyze the pervasiveness of outstanding accounts receivable due to the Commonwealth and collection efforts related to such receivables. The Department of Taxation shall report on the findings and recommendations of such analysis and submit such report to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations and House Committee on Appropriations by November 1, 2025.

Custodial interrogations; false statements to a child prohibited; inauthentic replica documents. Prohibits law-enforcement officers from knowingly and intentionally making false statements about any known material fact, including by use of inauthentic replica documents, prior to or during a custodial interrogation of a child to secure the cooperation, confession, or conviction of such child. The bill defines "inauthentic replica documents" as any documents, including computer-generated documents, created by any means, including artificial intelligence, by a law-enforcement officer or his agent that (i) contain a false statement, signature, seal, letterhead, or contact information or (ii) materially misrepresent any fact. The bill provides that if a law-enforcement officer knowingly violates such prohibition, any statements made by such child shall be inadmissible in any delinquency proceeding or criminal proceeding against such child, unless the attorney for the Commonwealth proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the statement was made knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; solar photovoltaic equipment and facilities. Prohibits state and local agencies from including a provision in any request for proposal, procurement agreement, contract, ordinance, policy, permit, or accompanying document that directs the exclusion from use of any materials contained in or products associated with solar photovoltaic equipment and facilities that are manufactured in the United States. This bill is identical to SB 1165.

Child abuse and neglect; custody and visitation; possession or consumption of authorized substances. Provides that a child shall not be considered an abused or neglected child, and no person shall be denied custody or visitation of a child, based only on the fact that the child's parent or other person responsible for his care, or the person petitioning for custody or visitation of the child, possessed or consumed legally authorized substances. The bill directs the Board of Social Services to amend its regulations, guidance documents, and other instructional materials to ensure that such regulations, documents, and materials comply with, and that investigations and family assessments are conducted by local departments of social services in accordance with, the provisions of the bill.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; enforcement by localities. Provides that if a condition exists in a rental dwelling unit that constitutes a material noncompliance by the landlord with the rental agreement or with any provision of law that, if not promptly corrected, constitutes a fire hazard or serious threat to the life, health, or safety of tenants or occupants of the premises, a locality may institute an action for injunction and damages to enforce the landlord's duty to maintain the rental dwelling unit in a fit and habitable condition, provided that (i) the property where the violation occurred is within the jurisdictional boundaries of the locality and (ii) the locality has notified the landlord who owns the property, either directly or through the managing agent, of the nature of the violation and the landlord has failed to remedy the violation to the satisfaction of the locality within a reasonable time after receiving such notice.