Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker

Maddy summaryHR 812 is a commemorative resolution honoring Dr. Franklin Jay Pepper, a physician. It does not create new laws or affect any policies, people, or programs. The resolution formally recognizes Dr. Pepper's life and contributions, as passed by the House of Representatives on April 2, 2025. This is a non-binding tribute, not a substantive legislative measure.

Department of Health; waterworks; mandatory reporting. Requires owners of waterworks to report any critical equipment failure or malfunction or contaminant release to the Department of Health's Office of Drinking Water as soon as practicable but no more than two hours after discovery. The bill also requires owners of waterworks that are required to submit a monthly operating report to the Office to include any noncritical equipment failure or malfunction that could adversely affect water quality, public health, or service continuity in such report. This bill incorporates HB 2407 and is identical to SB 1408.

Department of Energy; workforce development in offshore wind industry. Directs the Director of the Department of Energy to identify and develop training resources to advance workforce development in the offshore wind industry in the Commonwealth.

Minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees; temporary foreign workers. Eliminates the exemptions from Virginia's minimum wage requirements for (i) persons employed as farm laborers or farm employees and (ii) certain temporary foreign workers.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; material noncompliance by landlord; rent escrow; relief. Removes the requirement that, prior to the granting of any relief, a tenant shall pay into escrow any amount of rent called for under the rental agreement. The bill requires the tenant, during the pendency of the action, to pay into escrow the amount of rent that becomes due within five days of the date due under the rental agreement, unless or until such amount is modified by a subsequent order of the court. The bill also provides that a failure of the tenant to make timely payments into escrow shall not be grounds for dismissal of the underlying action but may be considered by the court when issuing an order.

Affordable housing; assisted living facilities. Allows localities that have adopted an affordable housing program to negotiate that in an application for a special exception or special use permit affordable rental units be included for any proposed development of an assisted living facility. Such ordinance shall apply to applications approved on or after January 1, 2026.

Department of Motor Vehicles; driver communication improvement program. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to develop and implement a program for the promotion, printing, and distribution of envelopes for use by drivers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, as that term is defined in relevant law, to provide to a law-enforcement officer for the purpose of easing communication during a traffic stop or upon such law-enforcement officer's arrival at the scene of a traffic accident.

Department of Housing and Community Development; Income-Qualified Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Task Force established; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to establish, in collaboration with the Department of Energy, and with assistance from the Department of Social Services, the Income-Qualified Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Task Force to determine barriers to access and enrollment in the current energy efficiency programs for income-qualified energy customers and to evaluate and develop a plan to address any necessary improvements regarding coordination among state and federal government agencies for utility services and resources to more effectively deliver energy-efficient housing, weatherization resources, and energy efficiency upgrades for income-qualified individuals and households in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Task Force to meet at least six times between July 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026, and to submit a report of its findings and recommendations no later than September 30, 2026. The bill specifies that such report shall include policy recommendations and a plan to ensure that weatherization-ready repairs and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits are provided to all eligible income-qualified individuals and households in the Commonwealth residing in multifamily buildings, single-family dwellings, and manufactured homes by December 31, 2033. This bill is identical to SB 777.

Prisoners; Department of Corrections-issued identification; report. Requires that prior to the release or discharge into the community of any prisoner who has been confined for at least 90 days and does not possess a government-issued identification card, birth certificate, or social security card, the Department of Corrections, in conjunction with the Department of Motor Vehicles, the State Registrar of Vital Records, and any other relevant government agency, shall provide such prisoner with a certified copy of his birth certificate, his social security card, or a government-issued identification card, unless such provision of a government-issued identification card is not possible, in which case, the Department of Corrections shall provide the prisoner with a Department of Corrections Offender Identification form. The bill also specifies what identifying information must be included on such form and provides that such form shall be verified by the Department of Corrections and provided to the Department of Motor Vehicles in a secured format and by a means mutually agreed upon by both and shall serve as proof of identity and proof of Virginia residency and may serve as proof of legal presence in the United States or proof of a social security number, if one is available, as required to obtain a government-issued identification card for the 120 days immediately following the release or discharge of the prisoner identified on such form. The bill also requires the Department of Corrections and the Department of Motor Vehicles to cooperatively establish procedures for verifying a Department of Corrections Offender Identification form and all information contained therein and prohibits the Department of Motor Vehicles from accepting such form if the form or any of the information contained on the form cannot be verified. These provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026. The bill also directs the Department of Corrections, in coordination with the State Board of Local and Regional Jails, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the State Registrar of Vital Records, to (i) identify the number of prisoners released with and without identification cards; (ii) review the processes involved in assisting a prisoner in applying for and obtaining a government-issued identification card, birth certificate, or social security card; (iii) identify any obstacles that may interfere with a prisoner obtaining such identification or documents prior to such prisoner's release or discharge; and (iv) issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2025.

Preservation of affordable housing; definitions; civil penalty. Creates a framework for localities to preserve affordable housing by exercising a right of first refusal on publicly supported housing, defined in the bill. The bill authorizes localities to implement an ordinance that requires an owner to accept a right of first refusal offer by the locality or qualified designee, defined in the bill, in order to preserve affordable housing for at least 15 years. The bill requires that any locality adopting such an ordinance to preserve affordable housing submit an annual report to the Department of Housing and Community Development pursuant to existing law.