Del. Bonita Anthony

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; algorithmic device services or products prohibited; civil penalty. Prohibits the sale of algorithmic device services or products, as defined in the bill, for the purpose of setting or recommending the amount of rent to be charged to a tenant for the occupancy of a dwelling unit. The bill also prohibits a person engaged in the business of providing algorithmic device services or products for the purpose of advising a landlord of the amount of rent that such landlord may consider charging a tenant for the occupancy of a dwelling unit from using nonpublic competitor data, defined in the bill, pertaining to residential properties in the Commonwealth in algorithmic calculations. A violation of such prohibited practices is considered an unfair deceptive trade practice for which the Attorney General may cause an action to be brought in the name of the Commonwealth.

Independent Pharmacy Support Program established; report; sunset. Directs the Department of Health to establish the Independent Pharmacy Support Program to fund independent pharmacies, as defined by the bill, that operate in rural and medically underserved areas. The bill specifies the requirements for pharmacies to receive funds through the Program and the purposes for which funds can be used. The bill requires the Department to administer the Program and compile and submit an annual report to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1 of each year. The provisions of the bill will expire in 2035 unless renewed by an act of the General Assembly.

Prohibition on procurement and use of insecure uncrewed aircraft systems; report. Prohibits, beginning on July 1, 2025, any public body from purchasing, leasing, or otherwise procuring an insecure uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), as that term is defined in the bill. The bill further prohibits, beginning on July 1, 2029, any public body from using, whether directly or through work with or on behalf of another public body, an insecure UAS. The bill directs the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) to establish cybersecurity standards for the certification of secure UAS and maintain a list of approved UAS manufacturers and models on its website. The bill also requires the Joint Commission on Technology and Science, in collaboration with stakeholders, to review cybersecurity standards and make recommendations every two years to ensure alignment with emerging UAS technologies, evolving cybersecurity threats, the operational and safety needs of public bodies, and public safety priorities within the Commonwealth. Finally, the bill establishes the Uncrewed Aircraft Replacement Grant Program, to be administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to award grants to aid public bodies with the transition from insecure UAS to secure UAS.

Extreme Weather Relief Act established. Establishes the Extreme Weather Relief Program, administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, for the purpose of holding parties responsible for covered greenhouse gas emissions between the covered period of January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2024, for the parties' share of the Commonwealth's costs due to climate change. The bill defines responsible parties as fossil fuel extractors or crude oil refiners causing emissions of one billion metric tons or more of covered greenhouse gases during the covered period. Under the bill, responsible parties are strictly liable for cost recovery payments to the Commonwealth. The bill requires the State Treasurer to conduct an assessment of the costs to the Commonwealth and its residents of the emissions of covered greenhouse gases during the covered period. The bill establishes the Extreme Weather Relief Fund into which the cost recovery payments from responsible entities are deposited and used to pay for extreme weather relief projects, as defined in the bill.

Health care credentialing and billing oversight; Hospital Oversight Fund established; Independent Credentialing Review Board established; Medicaid Billing Oversight Task Force established; reports. Establishes a Hospital Oversight Fund, Independent Credentialing Review Board, and Medicaid Billing Oversight Task Force to fund and carry out oversight of credentialing, as that term is defined in the bill, for health care providers and Medicaid billing. The bill establishes protections for whistleblowers that report unsafe medical practices, fraudulent billing, or noncompliance with credentialing standards to the Department of Health; directs the Department to establish and maintain a statewide database for health care provider credentialing; and authorizes the Department to enter into public-private partnerships to conduct compliance audits.

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.

Consumer Data Protection Act; social media platforms; addictive feed prohibited for minors. Prohibits a person that operates a social media platform that has knowledge that a user of the social media platform is a child under the age of 18 from using an addictive feed, defined in the bill, unless the operator of such social media platform obtains verifiable parental consent.

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.

Consumer Data Protection Act; user-generated content protected; civil penalty. Requires controllers and processors to provide consumers with a privacy notice that applies to the consumers' user-generated content, defined in the bill, under the Consumer Data Protection Act and requires that any secondary use, defined in the bill, of personal data or user-generated content be consented to by the consumer. The bill requires a controller or processor, upon request by a consumer, to provide such consumer with a report that describes how the consumer's personal data or user-generated content was processed over the prior 12 months. The bill increases from $7,500 to $15,000 the maximum civil penalties for violations and allows civil penalties of up to $22,500 per violation for repeated noncompliance or egregious violations. The bill also allows a consumer who suffers a loss due to a violation to bring a private right of action against a controller or processor.

Average teacher salary in the Commonwealth; national average. Requires the Governor's introduced budget bills for the 2026 and 2027 Regular Sessions of the General Assembly to propose funding for, and state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act enacted during any regular or special session of the General Assembly during 2026 or 2027 to fund, the Commonwealth's share of compensation supplement incentives for Standards of Quality-funded instructional and support positions sufficient to increase the average teacher salary in the Commonwealth to at least the national average teacher salary by the end of the 2026-2028 biennium and establishes a detailed timeline and process for satisfying such requirement.