Rep. Alex Askew

Tax exemptions; Confederacy organizations. Eliminates the exemption from state recordation taxes for the Virginia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and eliminates the tax-exempt designation for real and personal property owned by the Virginia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the General Organization of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society, the Stonewall Jackson Memorial, Incorporated, the Virginia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the J.E.B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust, Inc. The bill contains technical amendments.

Sickle cell disease education and screening program; cancer risk. Requires the sickle cell screening and treatment program to include the offering of educational resources to health care providers on the increased risks for certain cancers among individuals with sickle cell disease or the sickle cell trait.

Superintendent of Public Instruction; reverse certain recent actions and restore certain rescinded resources. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to reverse all actions previously taken by the Superintendent of Public Instruction on or after January 15, 2022, pursuant to the then-current Governor's Executive Order One of January 15, 2022, to rescind certain policies, programs, and resources that promoted cultural competency, encouraged inclusion and belonging, educated about the history of slavery and the civil rights movement, and continued work to combat racism in the Commonwealth and to restore all such policies, programs, and resources, including the Department of Education's EdEquityVA website and all included and associated resources and certain other enumerated resources, including certain Superintendent's memos.

Prevailing wage rate for public works contracts; localities. Requires each state agency or locality, when procuring services or letting contracts for public works paid for in whole or in part by state or local funds, or when overseeing or administering such contracts for public works, to ensure that its bid specifications or other public contracts applicable to the public works require bidders, offerors, contractors, and subcontractors to pay wages, salaries, benefits, and other remuneration to any mechanic, laborer, or worker employed, retained, or otherwise hired to perform services in connection with the public contract for public works at a rate no less than the prevailing wage rate. The bill also amends the definition of "public works" to include work performed at certain institutions of higher education and to exclude work performed at a non-governmental property or facility used to provide broadband or other telecommunications services. Under the bill, a contractor or subcontractor may be liable to the Commissioner of Labor and Industry for liquidated damages for violating the prevailing wage requirements in the bill. Under the bill, any interested party shall have standing to challenge bid specifications, project agreements, or other public contracts for public works that violate the provisions of the bill. The bill requires institutions of higher education to expressly agree to comply with the public works contract requirements. Under the bill, the Commissioner shall determine the prevailing wage based on a survey of wages and benefits paid in each area, as defined in the bill, conducted every two years. The bill includes factors for the Commissioner to consider in determining a prevailing wage rate. The bill directs the Commissioner to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to SB 518.

Collective bargaining by public employees; individual home care providers; Virginia Home Care Council established; Public Employee Relations Board established; exclusive bargaining representatives. Repeals the existing prohibition on collective bargaining by public employees. The bill creates the Public Employee Relations Board, which shall determine appropriate bargaining units and provide for certification and decertification elections for exclusive bargaining representatives of state employees and local government employees. The bill requires public employers and employee organizations that are exclusive bargaining representatives to meet at reasonable times to negotiate in good faith with respect to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. The bill establishes the Virginia Home Care Council within the Department of Medical Assistance Services to promote the stability of the individual provider workforce in the Commonwealth and tasks the Council with serving as the public employer of individual providers, as defined in the bill, for purposes of collective bargaining pursuant to the bill's provisions. The bill repeals a provision that declares that in any procedure providing for the designation, selection, or authorization of a labor organization to represent employees the right of an individual employee to vote by secret ballot is a fundamental right that shall be guaranteed from infringement. The bill directs the Department of Labor and Industry to promulgate any regulations necessary to effectuate the bill's provisions by July 1, 2028, and provides that upon the establishment of the Public Employee Relations Board, such regulations shall be transferred to the Board. The bill provides that until such regulations are adopted, no petitions or elections shall take place pursuant to the bill's provisions except pursuant to an ordinance or resolution adopted under current law. This bill is identical to SB 378.

Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security; evaluation of emergency management needs in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to establish a work group to evaluate existing emergency management needs, analyze sustainability of current funding of such needs, and review alternative funding models for such needs in other states, and to report the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and General Laws and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and General Laws and Technology on or before October 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 98.

Secretary of Public Safety; firearm violence. Directs the Secretary of Public Safety to convene a work group to develop policy and legislative recommendations to establish the Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Center. The bill allows the work group to (i) meet both in-person and virtually, (ii) have small group breakouts for the purpose of advancing work in a timely and efficient manner, and (iii) collaborate with experts and other representatives as needed. The bill requires the work group to report its findings and any legislative and policy recommendations to the General Assembly by December 15, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 364.

Charitable gaming; regulations; predetermined percentage of receipts. Amends charitable gaming law to allow, as a condition of receiving a charitable gaming permit or authorization to conduct electronic gaming, an organization established on or before December 31, 1977, that is qualified under § 501(c)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code and is incorporated, in part, to raise funds for donation to organizations whose missions include promoting early detection of and public education about and supporting research and treatment options for heart disease and various cancers, to use a predetermined percentage of its receipts for expenses related to the rental of real property where such real property is involved in the operation of the organization and used for lawful religious, charitable, community, or educational purposes.

Medical cannabis program; product labels; delivery. Changes the requirements for what is included on medical cannabis product labels affixed by pharmaceutical processors to include (i) the total milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) included in the edible cannabis product or topical cannabis product, both defined in the bill; (ii) the number of milligrams of THC and CBD in each serving of the edible cannabis product or topical cannabis product; and (iii) the total percentage of THC and CBD included in the inhalable cannabis product, defined in the bill. Under current law, the product label of any medical cannabis product is required to include the total percentage and milligrams of THC and CBD included in the product and the number of milligrams of THC and CBD in each serving.The bill also allows a pharmaceutical processor or cannabis dispensing facility to dispense or deliver cannabis products in person to a patient or such patient's registered agent, parent, or legal guardian at any residence, including a temporary residence or business. However, the bill prohibits dispensing or delivering cannabis products to (a) any military base, child day center, school, or correctional facility; (b) the State Capitol; or (c) any public gathering places, including sporting events, festivals, fairs, races, concerts, and terminals of public transportation companies. The bill also specifies that all transportation or delivery of usable cannabis, botanical cannabis, cannabis oil, or cannabis products, whether by an employee or delivery agent, shall comply with all relevant laws and regulations and provides that the Board of Directors of the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority may suspend or revoke the privileges of any employee or delivery agent to transport or deliver such products for failure to comply. The bill also provides that the 12-month stability testing period for medical cannabis products begins on the date the cannabis product is tested, rather than the date of product registration approval and that any medical cannabis product with an expiration date exceeding 12 months shall be supported by stability testing measured from the testing date, rather than the date of product registration approval. The bill contains technical amendments.

Motor vehicle glass repair and replacement; emissions inspection; penalties. Establishes various notice requirements for motor vehicle glass repair shops, defined in the bill, and provides that a violation of such requirements is a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill permits a motor vehicle to qualify for an emissions inspection waiver if such vehicle has failed an inspection and the vehicle's onboard diagnostic system is in a not-ready condition to be tested when presented for reinspection. This bill is identical to SB 767.