Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy

Discovery; methods of delivery; report. Requires the Commonwealth, upon request by the accused or his counsel, to copy or photograph any discovery materials or evidence the accused is permitted to inspect and review, including relevant police reports, criminal records, dashboard camera footage, and body-worn camera footage, and requires the Commonwealth to provide copies to the accused or his counsel, subject to the redaction, restricted dissemination, and protective order provisions of the relevant Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia and unless such material is prohibited from being distributed by law. The bill also directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to evaluate and report, no later than November 1, 2026, the feasibility, costs, and other impacts with requiring the attorney for the Commonwealth to provide counsel of record for the accused a copy of any relevant police report at least 10 days prior to trial or preliminary hearing.

Land development; solar canopies in parking areas. Provides that any locality may include in its land development ordinances a provision that requires that an applicant must install a solar canopy over designated surface parking areas. Such provisions shall apply only to nonresidential parking areas with 100 or more new off-street contiguous parking spaces and may require coverage of up to 50 percent of the surface parking area. The bill provides that an ordinance adopted pursuant to this bill shall be subject to various additional requirements and shall allow for deviations, in whole or in part, from the requirements of the ordinance when its strict application would prevent the development of uses and densities otherwise allowed by the locality's zoning or development ordinance or when a property owner shows that the solar canopy, if installed as otherwise required under the ordinance, will generate less than 75 percent of the electricity that would be expected, given the nameplate capacity of the solar modules installed on such canopy, if the canopy were to be installed at another location in the locality without surrounding impediments to insolation such as buildings or shading vegetation. Finally, the bill provides that the applicant or owner may use the electric energy generated from such solar canopy to offset the consumption of the parking lot or adjoining building served under the same account. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 1234.

Health insurance; coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices. Requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage, under any health insurance contract, policy, or plan that includes coverage for prescription drugs on an outpatient basis, for contraceptive drugs and contraceptive devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including those available over-the-counter. The bill prohibits a health insurance carrier from imposing upon any person receiving prescription contraceptive benefits pursuant to the provisions of the bill any copayment, coinsurance payment, or fee, except in certain circumstances. Additionally, the bill requires any health benefit plan that provides coverage for hormonal contraceptives to provide point-of-sale coverage without cost-sharing at in-network pharmacies for hormonal contraceptives available over-the-counter. This bill is identical to HB 1182.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; additional public works contract requirements; report. Provides that public bodies shall require the contractor and its subcontractors for any construction contract, as defined in the bill, to complete certain safety training programs and maintain records of compliance with applicable laws. The bill requires written authorization from a state public body before any party to a construction contract provides remuneration to more than one independent contractor when such contract is valued at greater than $5 million. If a construction contract with a local public body is valued at greater than $5 million the prime contractor shall provide written notification to the local public body justifying remuneration to any independent contractor. The foregoing provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. Effective in due course, the bill requires the Secretary of Labor to conduct an 18-month evaluation regarding the feasibility of requiring public bodies to hire apprentices on public works contracts. The bill also directs the Department of General Services and the Department of Labor and Industry to develop guidelines to assist state public bodies in making the determinations required to issue an authorization allowing a contractor, subcontractor, or other party to a public works contract to provide remuneration to an independent contractor in connection with such contract. The Department of General Services shall publish such guidelines on its website no later than July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 1046.

Electric utilities; surplus interconnection service sites. Directs Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia to undertake a comprehensive assessment of available interconnection capacity at each such utility's existing and planned intermittent electric generation facilities located in the Commonwealth. The bill directs such utilities to establish pilot programs for energy storage resources and solar generation facilities that utilize surplus interconnection service, as defined in the bill, including a request for proposals. The bill requires such utilities to submit the results of such requests for proposals as part of their 2027 plans and petitions for approval for the development of new solar and onshore wind generation capacity, which plans are required under existing law. This bill is identical to HB 1065.

Elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; locally elected offices; report. Expands the option to use ranked choice voting from only elections for county board of supervisors and city councils to any local governing body. The bill requires the State Board of Elections to provide standards and to approve vote tabulating software for use with existing voting systems in elections conducted by ranked choice voting. The bill provides for copying damaged or defective ballots that cannot be properly counted by electronic voting systems. The bill allows localities to request risk-limiting audits of elections conducted using ranked choice voting and provides that no such election may be included in any random drawing required to satisfy the general requirements for risk-limiting audits. The bill specifies that the State Board is required to produce generalized voter education materials on ranked choice voting and is also permitted to create and modify recount procedures to the extent necessary to accommodate a recount of an election. The bill directs the Department of Elections to review the testing and approval framework for voting equipment in the Commonwealth and submit a report of such review no later than the first day of the 2027 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Finally, the bill repeals the 2031 expiration of the option to use ranked choice voting in elections, making such option permanent. This bill is identical to HB 630.

Firearm industry members; standards of responsible conduct; civil liability. Creates standards of responsible conduct for firearm industry members and requires such members to establish and implement reasonable controls regarding the manufacture, sale, distribution, use, and marketing of the firearm industry member's firearm-related products, as those terms are defined in the bill. Such reasonable controls include reasonable procedures, safeguards, and business practices that are designed to (i) prevent the sale or distribution of a firearm-related product to a straw purchaser, a firearm trafficker, a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law, or a person who the firearm industry member has reasonable cause to believe is at substantial risk of using a firearm-related product to harm themselves or unlawfully harm another or of unlawfully possessing or using a firearm-related product; (ii) prevent the loss of a firearm-related product or theft of a firearm-related product from a firearm industry member; (iii) ensure that the firearm industry member complies with all provisions of state and federal law and does not otherwise promote the unlawful manufacture, sale, possession, marketing, or use of a firearm-related product; (iv) prevent the installation and use of an auto sear on firearm-related products; and (v) ensure that the firearm industry member does not engage in an act or practice in violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill also provides that a firearm industry member may not knowingly create, maintain, or contribute to a public nuisance, as defined in the bill, through the sale, manufacturing, importing, or marketing of a firearm-related product. The bill creates a civil cause of action for the Attorney General or a local county, city, or town attorney to enforce the provisions of the bill or for any person who has been injured as a result of a firearm industry member's violation to seek an injunction and to recover costs and damages. The bill also allows the Attorney General to issue a civil investigative demand if he has reasonable cause to believe that any person has engaged in, is engaging in, or is about to engage in any violation of such standards of responsible conduct.

Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial resolution (HJ 185) honoring Jane Pasolli Edmondson, recognizing her contributions to the community. It does not create new laws or affect any policies, programs, or individuals through legislative action. The resolution passed both chambers of the legislature in March 2026 as a formal tribute. It serves solely to commemorate her life and legacy without any substantive policy impact.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (HJ 182) honors the life and contributions of Jane Kamps Strauss through a formal legislative expression of respect. It does not create any new laws, policies, or obligations, nor does it affect any individuals or groups beyond the ceremonial recognition. The measure passed unanimously in both the House and Senate in March 2026, as documented in its legislative actions. It is a standard commemorative resolution with no substantive policy impact.

Maddy summaryHJ 128 is a commemorative resolution honoring Claudia Hantman Arko, recognizing her life and contributions. It does not create new policies or affect any individuals or groups through legislative action. The bill simply expresses the legislature's collective tribute through a formal resolution. As a procedural measure, it has no binding effect or practical impact beyond the symbolic gesture.