Sen. Bill Stanley

Safety and Health Codes Board; THC impairment standard for certain work sites. Directs the Safety and Health Codes Board to promulgate regulations to establish a THC impairment standard and testing protocol to be used exclusively on manufacturing and utility work sites and to commence the rulemaking process no later than October 1, 2025.

New College Institute; duties. Requires the New College Institute to design and implement, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Virginia Community College System, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, and other relevant agencies and organizations, any workforce development programs necessary to support the initiatives of the Office of the Governor, including adult education and workforce training programs.

Companion Animal Surgical Sterilization Program and Fund established. Establishes the Companion Animal Surgical Sterilization Program and Fund to reimburse participating veterinarians for the surgical sterilizations they perform on eligible cats or dogs. The bill provides that a surcharge of $50 per ton of pet food distributed in the Commonwealth be deposited in the Fund and such pet food be exempted from the existing litter tax. An animal will be eligible for sterilization under the Program if it is a feral or free-roaming cat or is owned by a low-income individual or a releasing agency such as an animal shelter.

Special education; Parental Behavior Technician Registration and Participation Pilot Program; established. Establishes the Parental Behavior Technician Registration and Participation Pilot Program (the Pilot Program), to be developed and administered by the Board of Education in collaboration with the Department of Health and the Advisory Board on Behavioral Analysis, for the purpose of assisting parents of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with becoming a registered behavior technician (RBT) in order to provide assistance to their children both in the classroom as a volunteer under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst or other qualified Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) individual and outside the classroom in the home environment. The bill provides that the Pilot Program shall assist any eligible parent, defined as any parent of a child with ASD who is enrolled in a public school in the Commonwealth and receives special education, by (i) providing assistance, resources, and support to any eligible parent in meeting the requirements to receive an RBT credential and (ii) coordinating with the school board of the school division in which the child of an RBT-credentialed parent is enrolled to set up a volunteer position for the parent to provide assistance as an RBT in his child's special education program under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst or other qualified ABA individual. The bill provides that funds appropriated for the at-risk add-on or for support services from basic school aid, pursuant to relevant law, may be used to fund the Pilot Program. Finally, the bill requires the Board of Education to report annually to the Governor and the Generally Assembly by October 1 of each year for the duration of the Pilot Program on the progress of the Pilot Program. The provisions of the bill expire on July 1, 2027.

Maddy summarySB 694 clarifies that skill-based games (like certain arcade or online games) are considered illegal gambling under state law unless specific existing statutes explicitly permit them. This bill directly affects businesses operating skill-based games by confirming they must comply with current legal exceptions rather than assuming broader permission. The key provision is a straightforward clarification of the existing legal framework, stating that skill games remain illegal unless a specific law already authorizes them. The bill does not create new exceptions but reinforces that authorization must come from existing statutes.

Online Children's Safety Protection Act established; civil penalties. Creates the Online Children's Safety Protection Act, which requires certain duties of covered entities, defined in the bill, to protect the best interests of children who use online services, products, or features. The bill requires any covered entity that provides an online service, product, or feature likely to be accessed by a child to complete a data protection impact assessment, the details of which are described in the bill, within two years before any new online service, product, or feature is offered to the public on or after July 1, 2024. The bill also prohibits certain actions by covered entities and authorizes the Attorney General to impose penalties and initiate actions against any covered entity that violates the provisions of the bill.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; procurement of electric vehicles; forced and child labor prohibition. Prohibits public bodies from awarding contracts to acquire an electric vehicle or electric vehicle component from a business unless such business provides a sworn declaration from the manufacturer of such electric vehicle or electric vehicle component certifying that every person involved in the production of such electric vehicle or electric vehicle component and every person involved in the sourcing, manufacturing, or mining of the material used in such electric vehicle or electric vehicle component did not use forced labor or oppressive child labor, both terms defined in the bill, in the sourcing, manufacturing, or mining of such electric vehicle or electric vehicle component.

Recognition of the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe of Virginia. Extends state recognition to the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe of Virginia within the Commonwealth.

Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures; report. Directs the State Health Commissioner to reestablish the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures for the purpose of evaluating maternal health data collection processes to guide policies in the Commonwealth to improve maternal care, quality, and outcomes for all birthing people in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Task Force to report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1 of each year regarding its activities. This bill reestablishes the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures that concluded on December 1, 2023.

Income tax; contributions to Virginia College Savings Plan accounts; report. Increases the maximum individual income tax deduction for amounts paid or contributed to a prepaid tuition contract or college savings trust account entered into with the Virginia College Savings Plan from $4,000 to $7,500 in taxable year 2024, $11,000 in taxable year 2025, and $15,000 for taxable year 2026 and thereafter. Such amount shall be adjusted for changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) beginning in taxable year 2024. The deduction is limited to $4,000 for taxpayers with federal adjusted gross income that is greater than $100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for married persons filing a joint return. The bill also creates an individual or corporate deduction, as applicable, of up to $4,000 for the amount a child day center or child day program paid or contributed to a customer's or client's prepaid tuition contract or college savings trust account entered into with the Virginia College Savings Plan. The bill also provides a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2024 through 2028 for 35 percent of expenses incurred by a business during the taxable year for contributions into a Virginia College Savings Plan account owned by an employee of the business. If the employee receiving the contribution is a qualified employee, as defined in the bill, the bill specifies that the credit shall not exceed $500 annually for each such employee. If the employee receiving the contribution is a qualified employee who is not highly compensated, as defined in the bill, the bill specifies that the credit shall not exceed $1,000 annually for each such employee. The bill provides that the total amount of tax credits available for a calendar year shall not exceed $5 million and that any unused tax credit may be carried over for five years.