Del. Kelly Fowler

Electric utilities; rate increases during certain months; biennial rate reviews. Provides that Appalachian Power Company shall not be required to file a case for fuel recovery in 2025 and that commencing in 2026, it shall make annual filings by January 15 with interim rates effective March 1 of each year. The bill prohibits certain rate adjustments from being applied during the months of November through February. The bill also changes from March 31 to April 30 the date on which biennial rate review proceedings shall commence each biennial review year, from November 20 to December 31 the date for final orders to be granted, and from no later than January 1 of the subsequent year to no later than March 1 of the subsequent year the date by which any rate revisions shall take effect.

Health insurance; coverage for cancer follow-up testing; report. Requires health insurers and other carriers to provide coverage for cancer follow-up testing, as defined in the bill, and prohibits the imposition of deductibles, coinsurance, or any other cost-sharing requirements specifically on cancer follow-up testing. The bill directs the Bureau of Insurance to annually report to the General Assembly on (i) the number of individuals benefiting from the removal of copayments for cancer follow-up testing, (ii) the financial impact on health insurance premiums as a result of the provisions of the bill, and (iii) recommendations for further policy adjustments.

Transportation infrastructure and projects; noise analysis. Requires the Commonwealth Transportation Board or the Department of Transportation to begin a noise analysis within one year of receipt of a valid petition for a noise analysis. The bill also requires a noise analysis for any retrofit noise abatement project undertaken or considered by the Board or the Department.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 59.1-200, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Title 59.1 a chapter numbered 58, consisting of sections numbered 59.1-607 through 59.1-610, relating to Fair Voice Purchasing Act established; penalties.

Short-term rentals; compliance; civil penalty. Authorizes localities to notify an accommodations intermediary that a short-term rental on its platform is not lawfully authorized to be offered on its platform. The accommodations intermediary shall remove any such listing from its platform within seven days of receiving notice and shall provide a refund to any customer reserving such listing. Under the bill, any accommodations intermediary who does not remove such a listing from its platform shall be subject to a civil penalty of $1,000, to be paid into the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. Any such listing required to be removed shall remain unlisted until the accommodations intermediary has been notified by the locality that the short-term rental has been brought into compliance. Once the locality determines that a delisted short-term rental has been brought into compliance, the locality shall have seven days to notify the accommodations intermediary of the change in status.

Domestic and Sexual Assault Conviction Database. Requires the Superintendent of State Police to establish a Domestic and Sexual Assault Conviction Database that would include information on persons who were convicted of certain offenses against a family or household member, defined in the bill. The Database will be available to the public on the Department of State Police website. Persons whose information is on the Database may petition for removal of their information from the Database if certain requirements are met, and the State Police shall include such petition information on the Database website. Under the bill, the Superintendent of State Police is required to complete the Database by July 1, 2026.

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.

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.

Unlawful dissemination of intimate images of another; penalties. Creates a tiered system of penalties for the unlawful dissemination of intimate images of another person, an offense formerly known as the unlawful dissemination or sale of videographic or still images of another person.

Retail sales and use tax exemption; motor vehicle child restraint device. Creates an exemption from the retail sales and use tax for the purchase of a child restraint device for personal use in a passenger car beginning July 1, 2025.