Invasive plant species; retail sales. Requires, for the retail sale of certain invasive plant species for outdoor use, a retail establishment to post in a conspicuous manner on the property located in proximity to each invasive plant signage identifying such plant as invasive, educating consumers regarding invasive plant species, and encouraging consumers to ask about alternatives. The bill requires the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to designate the format, size, and content of such signage no later than October 1, 2025, and requires the Commissioner to issue a stop sale order and mark or tag a plant in a conspicuous manner when an invasive plant is for sale at a retail establishment without appropriate signage. In such case, the bill requires the Commissioner to give written notice of a finding made to the owner, tenant, or person in charge of such retail establishment and requires the stop sale order issued to remain in effect until the required signage is posted. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 1166.

Local school boards; powers and duties; binding arbitration agreements. Permits any school board to enter into a written agreement to submit any existing controversy to binding arbitration and to execute a contract, including a collective bargaining agreement, that contains a provision to submit to binding arbitration any controversy arising thereunder.

Firearms-related offenses; mandatory minimum sentence; penalty. Increases from five to 10 years for a second or subsequent offense the mandatory minimum sentence for use or display of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies.

Virginia Retirement System; return to work for law-enforcement officers. Allows a retired law-enforcement officer to return to work full time as a law-enforcement officer and continue to receive his pension under the Virginia Retirement System. Such person shall be required to have a break in service of at least six calendar months before reemployment. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Charter; City of Danville. Establishes a new charter for the City of Danville and repeals the current charter, which was created in 1982. The proposed charter sets out the organization of the city's government and contains powers typically granted to cities. Changes in the new charter include (i) replacing the current borrowing process with the process established by state law, (ii) eliminating the city council supermajority required to pass certain ordinances related to revenue and spending in conformance with state law, (iii) clarifying that certain council actions require a majority vote of those members present and voting rather than an absolute majority, (iv) eliminating the requirement that organizational changes to city departments and divisions be by ordinance, (v) reducing the maximum dollar limit required to be approved by ordinance to reflect a mandatory requirement of state law, and (vi) reducing from three to two the number of council members who can request a special meeting to reflect a mandatory requirement of state law. The bill makes numerous other clarifying and technical changes. This bill is identical to SB 1206.

Alcoholic beverage control; illegal advertising; exceptions; charitable sales promotion. Allows a licensed distillery, winery, or brewery to advertise in or send any advertising matter into the Commonwealth about or concerning alcoholic beverages for the purposes of a charitable sales promotion to benefit (i) a charitable or civic organization, (ii) an organization exempt from taxation under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or (iii) any public or private elementary or secondary school or institution of higher education, regardless of whether such charitable sales promotion advertises that a percentage of each sale or per product sold will benefit such organization, school, or institution.

Wills, trusts, and fiduciaries; Consumer Price Index adjustments. Increases various dollar amounts relating to wills, estates, trusts, fiduciaries, guardianships of minors, and guardianships of incapacitated persons to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. This bill incorporates HB 1644.

Compensating victims of crime. Extends, for the purpose of compensating victims of crime, the time for filing a claim by the claimant to not later than three years after the occurrence of the crime upon which such claim is based, or not later than three years after the death of the victim. Under current law, such time frame is not later than one year after either instance. The bill removes the prohibition on the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission (the Commission) making an award where the police records show that a crime was reported more than 120 hours after the occurrence of the crime unless the Commission, for good cause shown, finds the delay to have been justified. Also, the bill requires the Commission, in determining if a report was promptly reported to the proper authorities, to consider (i) any police records; (ii) the victim's physical, emotional, mental, and family situation; and (iii) the existence of a permanent protective order, issued pursuant to relevant law, for the victim or other persons eligible for awards from the person responsible for the qualifying crime. The bill also removes the ability of the Commission to deny, reduce, or withdraw any award upon finding that any claimant or award recipient has not fully cooperated with all law-enforcement agencies, unless the law-enforcement agency certifies that the claimant or award recipient was willing but unable to cooperate due to a good faith belief that such cooperation would have endangered such claimant or award recipient and such claimant or award recipient was not provided with any victim or witness protection services when such protection services were requested by a law-enforcement agency. This bill is identical to SB 1200. 

Public schools; student support services; student personal information and data security; registration; requirements; grants; report. Requires any student support agency, as defined by the bill, to register with the Department of Education (the Department) in order to provide any student support programs, as defined by the bill, to students enrolled in any public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth. The bill establishes several requirements for the registration of any student support agency relating to the protection of any student personal information collected by the student support agency, including (i) requiring such agencies to adopt certain policies, procedures, and protocols designed to ensure the continued security, integrity, and confidentiality of student personal information; (ii) requiring the Department to ensure any student support agency obtains informed consent from the parent of any student or, if such student is 18 years of age or older, the student prior to collecting or using any student personal information; (iii) requiring the Department to develop a standard memorandum of understanding and each student support agency and school board to execute a memorandum of understanding establishing authorizations and limitations relating to the transmission, collection, and use of student personal information; (iv) requiring the Department to establish and administer a grant program for the purpose of awarding grants to certain student support agencies for data security upgrades, training for staff, and third-party audits; (v) prohibiting any student support agency from using or sharing student personal information for certain purposes set forth in the bill, including sharing any such student personal information for use in targeted advertising; (vi) requiring the Department to establish certain programs and provide certain resources to support certain registered student support agencies and school boards in effectively and efficiently providing student support programs in compliance with the provisions of the bill; and (vii) requiring the Department to conduct an annual audit of a certain percentage of registered student support agencies to ensure compliance with the provisions of the bill and establishing provisions relating to consequences for failure of the audit or otherwise being found in violation of the provisions of the bill.

Time zone of the Commonwealth. Provides that the Commonwealth shall observe Eastern Daylight Time (Eastern Standard Time, advanced one hour) year-round upon the enactment by Congress of a law allowing states to observe Eastern Daylight Time year-round.

Electric utilities; regional transmission entities; annual report. Requires each incumbent electric utility that is a member of or has established a regional transmission entity for purposes of management and control of its transmission system as required under current law to submit an annual report by February 1 of each year. Such report shall include all recorded votes cast by the utility during the immediately preceding calendar year, all votes cast by an affiliate of the utility, and a brief description explaining how each vote cast by the utility or its affiliate is in the public interest.

Department of Education; English language learner students; data collection on expenditures. Requires the Department of Education to develop and implement a data collection process related to English language learner expenditures and student English proficiency levels and identify other options to support English language learners and provide a status report to the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding on its implementation and data collection efforts by September 1, 2025.

Disclosures in land use proceedings; statewide application. Alters certain land use disclosure requirements applicable to officials in any county with the urban county executive form of government (Fairfax County) by replacing "relationship of employee-employer, agent-principal, or attorney-client" with the broader phrase of "business or financial relationship." The bill makes the same change to existing provisions that currently apply only to Loudoun County and applies the change statewide.

Charter; City of Roanoke. Amends the charter for the City of Roanoke to allow for the appointment of the City's director of real estate valuation by city council. Currently, the director of real estate valuation is appointed by the city manager. This bill is identical to SB 1176.

Celebrating the life of Dorothy Belle Scates Langmack.