Sen. Kannan Srinivasan

Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial Senate resolution (SJ 132) honoring the late Charles Douglas Poindexter. It does not create new laws, allocate funds, or affect any policies or individuals. The resolution simply expresses the Senate's recognition of Poindexter's life and contributions. It was passed unanimously by the Senate on March 5, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill (SJ 141) proposes holding a commemorative session at the Colonial Capitol in Williamsburg, Virginia. It would authorize the use of this historic site for a special legislative session to honor local history. The bill is currently referred to the Committee on Rules for further consideration. As a procedural resolution, it does not create new laws or affect policy.

Elections; political campaign advertisements; synthetic media; penalty. Prohibits electioneering communications containing synthetic media, as those terms are defined in the bill, from being published or broadcast without containing the following conspicuously displayed statement: "This message contains synthetic media that has been altered from its original source or artificially generated and may present conduct or speech that did not occur." The bill creates a civil penalty not to exceed $25,000 for a violation of such prohibition and a Class 1 misdemeanor for a willful violation. The bill permits any registered voter who receives an electioneering communication in violation of this requirement to institute an action for preventative relief to prohibit the publication or dissemination of such electioneering communication, including an application for a permanent or temporary injunction.

Zoning; by-right multifamily development. Requires local zoning ordinances to permit, on any parcel with an existing tree canopy coverage of at less than 60 percent, located within a city or town having a population of more than 20,000 or within a designated metropolitan planning area, multifamily and mixed-use residential development as a by-right use on at least 75 percent of all land contained in commercial or business zoning district classifications, including any land contained in commercial or business zoning district classifications that allow for the by-right development and construction of single-family residential uses. The bill stipulates that any application for a proposed development authorized pursuant to the bill shall be reviewed and acted upon administratively by a locality. The bill prohibits a locality from (i) requiring that a special exception, special use, or conditional use permit be obtained for such development or (ii) imposing more stringent land use requirements, enumerated in the bill, for such development than would otherwise be required. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Income tax credit; braille labeling program. Creates a nonrefundable individual and corporate income tax credit, as applicable, for taxable years 2026 through 2030 for up to $50,000 of expenditures incurred in the development and implementation of a braille labeling program on products, items, or packages sold in or shipped within the Commonwealth. The bill specifies that the aggregate amount of such credits allowed for all taxpayers in a taxable year is $500,000 and that any credit not usable for the taxable year in which it is first allowed shall not be carried over for credit in any succeeding taxable year.

Electric utilities; certificate of operation for high-load facilities. Prohibits any person from operating a high-load facility, defined in the bill as a facility whose electricity demand exceeds 90 megawatts that was not operating before January 1, 2027, without first having obtained a certificate of operation from the State Corporation Commission. The bill includes factors for the Commission to consider in reviewing a petition to operate a high-load facility. The bill establishes a presumption that a high-load facility shall be considered to have met certain requirements if the high-load facility has secured sufficient contracts for energy storage resources or zero-carbon electric generating resources or that the high-load facility has a plan to implement sufficient demand reduction measures. The bill also requires the Commission to consider certain factors in a review of a petition for a certificate to operate a high-load facility, including whether there is sufficient energy, capacity, and grid infrastructure to support the operation of the high-load facility and whether the operation of the high-load facility would create an unreasonable cross-subsidy across customers served by the incumbent electric utility.

Virginia African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and Indigenous Education Advisory Board established; report. Creates the Virginia African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and Indigenous Education Advisory Board (the Board) to advise the Governor and General Assembly on current ways that history for such populations is described in relevant Standards of Learning and curriculum frameworks, how such content is taught in classrooms, and strategies to develop African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and Indigenous history and social studies elective courses. The bill requires the Board to submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly. Additionally, the bill requires the Board to meet at least once prior to December 31, 2027. Finally, the bill contains a sunset date of July 1, 2030.

Board of Education; feasibility of establishing Virginia African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and Indigenous Education Advisory Board; evaluation; report. Directs the Board of Education to evaluate and submit a report to the Governor and the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education by November 1, 2026, a report on the feasibility and most appropriate manner of establishing a Virginia African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and Indigenous Education Advisory Board to advise the Governor and the General Assembly on describing in the relevant Standards of Learning framework, providing instruction on, and developing elective courses in African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and Indigenous history.

Study; Virginia Department of Transportation; alternatives to use of Sodium Chloride to treat and pretreat roadways for winter weather; report. Directs the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to conduct a study on safe and environmentally sensitive alternatives to using Sodium Chloride, or rock salt, to treat and pretreat roadways for winter weather. Such study shall measure the impact of current treatment and pretreatment substances on infrastructure and the environment and their corrosive effects on personal property and compare such impacts with those of potential alternatives, including nonchemical substances and new technologies. VDOT is directed to submit a report to the chairs of the House and Senate Committees on Transportation by November 15, 2026, on its findings and include in such report an accounting of the annual spending by the state and local governments since 2020 on treating and pretreating activities and the amounts budgeted for 2026-2028.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (SJ 130) honors the life and legacy of Eddie L. Radden, Jr., a specific individual. It is a non-binding commemorative measure passed by both the Senate and House in 2026, expressing collective recognition for his contributions. The resolution does not create new laws or affect any policies or groups.