HB 888 – Zoning; minimum off-street parking requirements in certain areas.
Status:
In Senate
SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE
Minimum off-street parking requirements in certain areas. Provides that a locality shall not require, as a condition of zoning approval, minimum off-street parking for residential, multifamily, or mixed-use development located within a designated area, as defined in the bill, in amounts exceeding (i) 0.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit for multifamily or mixed-use residential development and (ii) one parking space per dwelling unit for one-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses. The bill also provides that no locality shall adopt or enforce any provision of a zoning ordinance that imposes minimum off-street parking requirements for residential, multifamily, or mixed-use development located within a designated area in excess of such limitations. The bill further provides that any locality with a population greater than 20,000 shall, by ordinance, provide for administrative reduction of minimum off-street parking requirements of not less than 20 percent for residential, multifamily, or mixed-use development proposed on parcels not located within a designated area. This bill incorporates HB 262.
HB 899 – Small renewable energy projects; agrivoltaics definition, advisory panel.
Status:
Incorporated
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Small renewable energy projects; agrivoltaics definition; advisory panel. Defines under the provisions relating to small renewable energy projects the term “agrivoltaics” to mean the intentional co-location of agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land that (i) is designed to prioritize and sustain agricultural productivity while integrating renewable energy; (ii) allows the ongoing production and sale of agricultural products throughout the solar array’s life; (iii) is a part of an existing farm business; and (iv) ensures flexibility for farmers to adapt to market conditions and support operational needs. The bill also directs the Virginia Cooperative Extension, in consultation with the Department of Energy, to convene a stakeholder advisory panel to develop recommendations to (i) establish criteria to determine qualifying agrivoltaic projects that are eligible for grant funding through the Virginia Power Innovation Fund and Program, (ii) identify how to monitor and sustain the integrity of agrivoltaic projects, and (iii) consider permitting or provide other incentives that may be effective in promoting agrivoltaic projects in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the stakeholder advisory panel to submit a report on its recommendations to the Secretaries of Agriculture and Forestry and Natural and Historic Resources by November 1, 2026.
HB 923 – Protection of employees; stay or pay contracts prohibited, civil penalty.
Status:
In Committee
SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE
Protection of employees; stay or pay contracts prohibited; civil penalty. Prohibits an employer from entering into, enforcing, or threatening to enforce a stay or pay contract, as defined in the bill, with any employee, with certain exceptions described. An employer that violates the bill’s provisions is subject to a civil penalty of $1,000. The bill allows an employee to bring a civil action against an employer or other person that attempts to enforce a stay or pay contract and to seek appropriate relief, including enjoining the conduct of any person or employer, ordering payment of liquidated damages, and awarding lost compensation, damages, and reasonable attorney fees and costs. The bill provides that if the court finds a violation of the bill’s provisions, the plaintiff is entitled to recover reasonable costs, including reasonable fees for expert witnesses, and attorney fees.
HB 938 – Publicly owned treatment works; monitoring of PFAS.
Status:
In Senate
SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE
Department of Environmental Quality; industrial wastewater; publicly owned treatment works; PFAS monitoring. Directs every publicly owned treatment works (POTW) to require certain new or industrial users of such POTW to perform and report to such POTW no later than 30 days after receipt from a laboratory the results as received of quarterly discharge monitoring for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for an initial characterization period of one year, provided, however, that such POTW may discontinue remaining quarterly monitoring by an industrial user with proper monitoring results that are below the method detection level for the first two quarters. If an industrial user detects PFAS in any amount above the detection method limit in its initial year of quarterly monitoring, the bill requires such industrial user to continue to perform and report to the POTW no later than 30 days after receipt from the laboratory the results as received of quarterly discharge monitoring for PFAS. The bill requires a POTW that receives PFAS monitoring results to report such results to the Department of Environmental Quality on a quarterly basis. Finally, the bill directs any POTW to notify an owner or operator of an industrial user subject to the monitoring requirements of the bill of the requirement to submit the initial quarterly monitoring results for PFAS within 30 days of the effective date of the bill.
HB 951 – Housing and Community Development, Board of; ad hoc committees.
Status:
In Senate
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Board of Housing and Community Development; ad hoc committees. Requires the Board of Housing and Community Development to evaluate and vote on all proposals brought forth in an ad hoc committee convened by the Board to advise on proposed changes to statewide building and fire regulations during a regular meeting of the Board, including proposals for which the ad hoc committee did not reach a consensus.
HB 1046 – Virginia Public Procurement Act; additional public works contract requirements.
Status:
In Committee
SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE
Virginia Public Procurement Act; additional public works contract requirements. 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, maintain records of compliance with applicable laws, and employ at least one apprentice per construction contract. The bill also requires a public institution of higher education that enters into a memorandum of understanding for restructured operational authority on or after July 1, 2027, shall include in such memorandum an express agreement to comply with the public works contract requirements as described by the bill. The bill states that any such memorandum already in effect on July 1, 2027 that is renegotiated or amended at a later date shall be amended to include such agreement.
HB 1164 – Prospective employer; prohibited from seeking wage or salary history of prospective employees.
Status:
Incorporated
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Prohibiting employer seeking wage or salary history of prospective employees; wage or salary range transparency; cause of action. Prohibits a prospective employer from (i) seeking the wage or salary history of a prospective employee; (ii) relying on the wage or salary history of a prospective employee in considering the prospective employee for employment; (iii) relying on the wage or salary history of a prospective employee in determining the wages or salary the prospective employee is to be paid upon hire; (iv) refusing to interview, hire, employ, or promote or otherwise retaliating against a prospective or current employee for not providing wage or salary history or requesting a wage or salary range; (v) failing or refusing to disclose in each public and internal posting for each job, promotion, transfer, or other employment opportunity the wage, salary, or wage or salary range; and (vi) failing to set a wage or salary range in good faith. The bill establishes a cause of action for an aggrieved prospective employee or employee and provides that an employer that violates such prohibitions is liable to the aggrieved prospective employee or employee for statutory damages between $1,000 and $10,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater, reasonable attorney fees and costs, and any other legal and equitable relief as may be appropriate.
HB 1234 – Land development; solar canopies in surface parking areas, definitions.
Status:
Passed Senate
SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE
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. 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. This bill incorporates HB 457 and has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
HB 1491 – Electric utilities; construction of new overhead transmission lines, siting requirements.
Status:
In Committee
SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE
Electric utilities; construction of certain electrical transmission lines; siting requirements. Requires the State Corporation Commission, in order to approve the construction of an electrical transmission line of 138 kilovolts or more, to determine that the corridor or route chosen for the line will avoid or reasonably minimize adverse impact to the greatest extent reasonably practicable on dwelling houses. For overhead transmission lines of 500 kilovolts or more constructed by Dominion Energy Virginia, the bill directs the Commission to prioritize approving corridors or routes for construction for which the center is located further than 150 feet from any dwelling house, public or private school building, day care, or place of worship unless no other practicable alternative exists.
SB 26 – Land development; definitions, solar canopies in surface parking areas, delayed effective date.
Status:
Pending Governor’s Communication
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
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 was 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. This bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
SB 29 – Budget Bill.
Status:
In Committee
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Budget Bill. Amends and reenacts Chapter 725 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025, which appropriates the public revenues for two years ending, respectively, on June 30, 2025, and June 30, 2026.
SB 30 – Budget Bill.
Status:
In Committee
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Budget Bill. Provides for all appropriations of the Budget submitted by the Governor of Virginia in accordance with the provisions of § 2.2-1509, Code of Virginia, and to provide a portion of the revenues for the two years ending respectively on the thirtieth day of June, 2027, and the thirtieth day of June, 2028.
SB 43 – Demand response programs; evaluation and assessment by Department of Energy, report.
Status:
In House
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Department of Energy; demand response programs; evaluation and assessment; report. Directs the Department of Energy to evaluate and assess the benefits and impacts of and best practices and implementation recommendations for demand response programs in the Commonwealth and to submit a report of such evaluation and assessment by November 1, 2026.
SB 49 – “Appointed and qualified;” definition, reference to term of office of person appointed by Governor.
Status:
In Committee
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Rules of construction and definitions; “appointed and qualified.” Defines “appointed and qualified,” whenever used in reference to the term of office of any person appointed by the Governor for which confirmation by the General Assembly is required, to mean that the appointee has satisfied all statutory requirements, taken the oath of office, and been confirmed by the General Assembly. The bill adds this definition to Title 1, giving it applicability throughout the Code of Virginia.
SB 72 – Electric utilities; energy efficiency upgrades, report.
Status:
Passed
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
Phase I and Phase II Utilities; energy efficiency upgrades; low-income residents; report. States that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to reduce, wherever feasible and cost-effective, heating-related costs of living for low-income residents. The bill requires Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power to make best, reasonable efforts to provide by December 31, 2031, prescriptive efficiency measures, as defined in the bill, and related efficiency improvements to at least 30 percent of the qualifying households, as defined in the bill, identified by such utilities, provided that the State Corporation Commission determines that such measures and improvements are in the public interest. The bill requires such utilities to report to the Commission its activities, plans, and filings regarding the bill’s provisions no later than January 1, 2028, annually thereafter, and in any recurring filing that the Commission deems appropriate. The bill also requires that Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power make reasonable efforts to incorporate recommendations or feedback provided by the task force that evaluates barriers to access and enrollment in programs for income-qualified energy customers.
SB 74 – Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority.
Status:
In Conference
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority. Authorizes any locality in the Commonwealth to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program by amending the zoning ordinance of such locality. Current law restricts such authorization to counties with an urban county executive form of government or county manager plan of government and certain other localities. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.
SB 77 – Repairs or maintenance of property; entering adjoining property, petition for entry.
Status:
Pending Governor’s Communication
SUMMARY AS PASSED
Repairs or maintenance of property; entering adjoining property; petition for entry. Allows an owner of real property who seeks to repair or maintain the exterior of his property to petition the circuit court for a right of entry to an adjoining property for the purpose of performing the repairs or maintenance when the property is so situated that it is impossible to perform the repairs or maintenance without entering such adjoining property and permission to enter such adjoining property has been denied. The bill requires the petition and affidavits to contain specific information including the nature of the repairs and what efforts were made by the owner to obtain permission. The bill also provides that the petitioner shall be required to return the adjoining property to its previous condition and shall be liable to the adjoining owner or his lessee for actual damages occurring as a result of the entry. This bill is identical to HB 803.
SB 130 – Data centers; site assessment, definition of high energy use facility.
Status:
Incorporated
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Siting of data centers; site assessment; high energy use facility. Provides that prior to any approval of a rezoning application, special exception application, or special use permit for the siting of a new high energy use facility (HEUF), as defined in the bill, a locality shall require that an applicant perform and submit a site assessment to examine the sound profile of the HEUF on residential units and schools located within 500 feet of the HEUF property boundary. The bill also allows a locality to require that a site assessment examine the effect of the proposed HEUF facility on (i) ground and surface water resources, (ii) agricultural resources, (iii) parks, (iv) registered historic sites, and (v) forestland on the HEUF site or immediately contiguous land. The provisions of the bill do not apply to a site with an existing legislative or administrative approval where an applicant is seeking an expansion or modification of an already existing or approved facility and such expansion does not exceed an additional 100 megawatts or more of electrical power. Finally, the bill provides that its provisions shall not be construed to prohibit, limit, or otherwise supersede existing local zoning authority. This bill was incorporated into SB 94.
SB 138 – PFAS monitoring; DEQ to require for industrial wastewater source, publicly owned treatment works.
Status:
Passed
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
Department of Environmental Quality; industrial wastewater; publicly owned treatment works; PFAS monitoring. Directs every publicly owned treatment works (POTW) to require certain new or industrial users of such POTW to perform and report to such POTW no later than 30 days after receipt from a laboratory the results as received of quarterly discharge monitoring for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for an initial characterization period of one year, provided, however, that such POTW may discontinue remaining quarterly monitoring by an industrial user with proper monitoring results that are below the method detection level for the first two quarters. If an industrial user detects PFAS in any amount above the detection method limit in its initial year of quarterly monitoring, the bill requires such industrial user to continue to perform and report to the POTW no later than 30 days after receipt from the laboratory the results as received of quarterly discharge monitoring for PFAS. The bill requires a POTW that receives PFAS monitoring results to report such results to the Department of Environmental Quality on a quarterly basis. Finally, the bill directs any POTW to notify an owner or operator of an industrial user subject to the monitoring requirements of the bill of the requirement to submit the initial quarterly monitoring results for PFAS within 30 days of the effective date of the bill.
SB 170 – Protection of employees; covenants not to compete, discharged employees.
Status:
Passed
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
Protection of employees; covenants not to compete; discharged employees. Provides that no covenant not to compete, as such term is defined in existing law, between an employer and an employee is enforceable if such employer discharges such employee from employment without providing severance benefits or other monetary payment to such employee that is disclosed upon execution of the covenant not to compete, unless the employee is discharged for cause. This bill incorporates SB 569.
SB 324 – Virginia Public Procurement Act; additional public works contract requirements.
Status:
In Conference
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
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, maintain records of compliance with applicable laws, and demonstrate in writing that at least one apprentice has been hired and internal policies have been created that track and increase apprentice labor hours. The bill also provides specifications regarding the provision of remuneration to independent contractors by contractors, subcontractors, or any other party on a construction contract. The provisions of the bill shall not apply to transportation-related construction projects. The bill directs the Department of General Services to (i) evaluate the feasibility of requiring public bodies of the Commonwealth, and contractors and subcontractors of public bodies, to hire apprentices beyond the requirements set forth in this bill and (ii) submit a report on any findings to the Chairs of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology by November 1, 2026.
SB 454 – Zoning; by-right multifamily residential development.
Status:
In Committee
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
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.
SB 531 – Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units, delayed effective date.
Status:
Passed
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units. Requires a locality to include in its zoning ordinances for single-family residential zoning districts accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as defined in the bill, as a permitted accessory use. The bill requires a person to seek a permit for an ADU from the locality, requires the locality to issue such permit if the person meets certain requirements enumerated in the bill, and restricts the fee for such permit to $500 or less. The bill prohibits the locality from requiring (i) setbacks for the ADU that are greater than the setback required for the primary dwelling or the setback required for accessory structures on the residential lot, whichever is less; (ii) conditions for ADUs that are more restrictive than those for single-family dwellings within the same zoning area with regard to height, rear, or side setbacks, lot size or coverage, or building frontage; or (iii) consanguinity or affinity between the occupants of the ADU and the primary dwelling. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
SB 569 – Protection of employees; covenants not to compete, involuntarily separated employees.
Status:
Incorporated
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Protection of employees; covenants not to compete; involuntarily separated employees. Prohibits the enforcement of a covenant not to compete, as such term is defined in existing law, between an employer and an employee if such employee is involuntarily separated from employment, as defined in the bill. The bill provides that for its purposes, an employee that is separated from employment shall be presumed to be involuntarily separated from employment unless the employer provides documentation establishing that such separation is voluntary or due to the employee’s inadequate job performance or misconduct.
SB 575 – Virginia Public Procurement Act; joint and cooperative procurement, construction exception.
Status:
In House
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
Virginia Public Procurement Act; joint and cooperative procurement; construction exception. Excludes certain intergovernmental support agreements pursuant to federal law from provisions of law under the Virginia Public Procurement Act that provide an exception for construction where a public body may purchase from another public body’s contract if the request for proposal or invitation to bid specified that the procurement was a cooperative procurement being conducted on behalf of other public bodies.
SB 589 – Trees; conservation during land development process in Planning District 8 (Northern Virginia), etc.
Status:
In Conference
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Conservation of trees during land development process; Planning District 8; minimum tree canopy or cover percentages requirements after development. Allows any locality within Planning District 8 belonging to an eight-hour nonattainment area for air quality standards to require, by ordinance, that a subdivision or development provide for the preservation or replacement of trees on the development site such that the minimum tree canopy or cover 10 years after development is projected to meet specified coverage criteria. Under current law, the criteria apply to tree canopy coverage 20 years after development.
SB 605 – Accountancy, Board of; licensing requirements, inactive and emeritus status.
Status:
Pending Governor’s Communication
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
Board of Accountancy; licensing requirements; inactive and emeritus status. Directs the Board of Accountancy to establish “Inactive” and “Emeritus” CPA license statuses for licensees who no longer provide services to the public or services to or on behalf of an employer. The bill requires the Board to develop guidelines to provide active and inactive licensees additional clarity governing the manner in which such licensees should reference autobiographical and biographical information with respect to their CPA licensure to remain historically accurate and compliant with the law and relevant regulations. The bill directs the Board of Accountancy to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.
SB 619 – Electric utilities; certificate of operation for high-load facilities.
Status:
In Committee
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
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.
SB 644 – Minimum wage and overtime wages; payment, misclassification of workers, civil actions.
Status:
Passed House
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE
Labor and employment; payment of wages; minimum wage and overtime wages; misclassification of workers; prevailing wage rate; civil actions. Provides that an employer that violates provisions relating to minimum wage, overtime wages provisions, the misclassification of workers, or the prevailing wage rate is liable to the employee for the applicable remedies, damages, or other relief available in an action brought pursuant to the civil action provisions currently available for the nonpayment of wages. Such provisions currently available provide that an employee may bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover payment of the wages, and the court is required to award the wages owed, an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, plus prejudgment interest thereon, and reasonable attorney fees and costs. Under current law, if the court finds that the employer knowingly failed to pay wages to an employee, the court is required to award the employee an amount equal to triple the amount of wages due and reasonable attorney fees and costs.
SB 716 – Commissioner of Highways; certain agreements with U.S. Department of Transportation.
Status:
Pending Governor’s Communication
SUMMARY AS PASSED
Commissioner of Highways; certain agreements with the U.S. Department of Transportation; National Environmental Policy Act. Authorizes the Commissioner of Highways to enter into agreements for a term of five years with the U.S. Department of Transportation, as provided for in federal law, regarding state assumption of responsibility for categorical exclusions and the Surface Transportation Project Delivery Program. The bill authorizes the Department of Transportation to assume certain responsibilities of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation pursuant to such agreement. Under the bill, the Commonwealth waives its immunity from civil suit in a federal court under certain circumstances. The bill contains an expiration date of five years after the date on which the first agreement is entered into. This bill is identical to HB 411.
SB 802 – Clean energy and community flood preparedness; market-based trading program.
Status:
Pending Governor’s Communication
SUMMARY AS PASSED
Clean energy and community flood preparedness; market-based trading program. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality and the State Air Pollution Control Board to establish and maintain a market-based trading program consistent with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative program, as defined in existing law, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generating units in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to HB 397.
Counts: HB: 9 HJ: 0 SB: 22 SJ: 0
