Virginia Freedom of Information Act; FOIA officer training. Provides that any legal counsel for a public body who is also designated as the public body's Freedom of Information Act officer (FOIA officer) shall complete a training session or online course offered or approved by the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council.

Electric utilities; electric vehicle charging stations; transportation electrification. Permits Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company to develop, own, maintain, and operate public-facing fast-charging stations, as defined in the bill, at or beyond a radial distance from privately owned fast-charging stations, which radial distance shall be determined by the Commission in a rulemaking proceeding initiated by June 1, 2027, with a final order entered no later than December 31, 2027. The bill repeals current law related to the recovery of costs associated with investment in transportation electrification on December 31, 2027, to coincide with such final order. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2030.

Immunizations; authority of the Commissioner of Health; religious exception. Exempts a person, including a parent or guardian on behalf of a child, who objects to administration of a vaccine on religious grounds from mandatory immunization requirements issued by the State Health Commissioner during an epidemic. Currently, exemption from mandatory immunization requirements during an epidemic is available only to those persons to whose health the administration of a vaccine would be detrimental, as certified in writing by a licensed physician.

Imposition of income tax. Establishes a new income tax bracket beginning on and after January 1, 2025, that taxes income in excess of $1 million at a rate of 10 percent. Currently, all income in excess of $17,000 is taxed at the rate of 5.75 percent. The bill provides that, from the additional revenue generated from such increased tax rate upon income in excess of $1 million, 50 percent will be dedicated to providing additional basic aid funding for public schools, 30 percent will be dedicated to the Child Care Subsidy Program, and 20 percent will be dedicated to the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. The bill contains technical amendments.

Kill permits for deer, elk, or bear; local authority. Clarifies that the Director of the Department of Wildlife Resources or his designee has the exclusive authority to provide written authorization to kill deer, elk, or bear and prohibits a locality from amending, abridging, or limiting such authorization.

Office of the Public Utility Ombudsman; established. Requires the State Corporation Commission to establish the Office of the Public Utility Ombudsman to protect the interests of residential customers of public utilities. The Office of the Public Utility Ombudsman shall serve (i) residential customers of public utilities that are jurisdictional or of limited jurisdiction and (ii) residential customers who cannot be assisted by other Commission staff due to a potential conflict of interest. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Study; JLARC; methodology used to determine judicial allocations; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study the methodology used to determine judicial allocations to state courts within the Commonwealth. JLARC is directed to submit its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2027 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Speed safety cameras; placement and operation. Changes the terms "photo speed monitoring device" to "speed safety camera" and "high-risk intersection segment" to "high-risk speed corridor" in provisions related to vehicle speed violations. The bill authorizes localities to provide by ordinance for the placement and operation of a speed safety camera by the law-enforcement agency of such locality in certain locations. The bill authorizes any locality without its own law-enforcement agency to, by ordinance, authorize officers of the law-enforcement agency with jurisdiction within such locality to issue a summons and swear to or affirm a certificate for a vehicle speed violation. For any new speed safety camera placed, the bill provides for a warning by mail instead of a summons and no civil penalty for alleged vehicle speed violations within the first 30 days of such camera's operation. The bill makes various other changes to the requirements for the use of speed safety cameras, including changes related to signs indicating the use of such cameras; the use of funds collected from civil penalties; requirements for private vendors; the periodic review of the use of such cameras; the provision of information to the public related to the use and placement of such cameras; the creation of advisory groups; and consultation with certain entities prior to placement and operation of such cameras.

School boards; employee criminal history records checks and applications; penalty for noncompliance. Clarifies that certain school board employees who are (i) employed in an in-person or remote capacity or some combination thereof or (ii) fully licensed, provisionally licensed, or unlicensed are subject to the requirements in existing law to undergo a criminal history records check and a search of the registry of founded complaints of child abuse and neglect and to disclose certain criminal history information at the employment application stage and upon arrest. The bill provides that in the event that any school board fails or refuses to perform its duty to require any employee to undergo a criminal history records check as set forth in relevant law, each individual member of such board is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor and his position on such school board shall be deemed vacant.

Department of Education; public school accountability; delayed implementation and review of revised public school accountability system; report; emergency. Directs the Department of Education to delay for a period of one year the implementation of the revised public school accountability system adopted pursuant to applicable Board of Education regulations in order to conduct a review of and establish a stakeholder advisory committee to solicit input on such revised public school accountability system for the purpose of ensuring that such accountability system is designed to achieve fair, transparent, and actionable results aimed at improving student growth and learning outcomes across the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Department to, by April 1, 2026, (i) publish a report on the process and findings of the review conducted in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (ii) submit to the Governor, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the House Committee on Education a plan for modifying and implementing the revised public school accountability system that incorporates the findings of the review conducted and the input from the stakeholder advisory committee established in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Health insurance; pharmacy override for enrollee with sickle cell disease; prohibited. Prohibits a health insurance carrier from requiring a pharmacy to override a denial code or to request an override in order to dispense a prescription drug for the treatment or management of pain to an enrollee who has been diagnosed with sickle cell disease.

Portable changeable message signs; certain vehicles. Authorizes certain towing, traffic management, and highway maintenance vehicles to be equipped with a portable changeable message sign that may be used without prior authorization from the Department of Transportation, provided that certain conditions are met.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; appeals of agency determinations. Allows health care providers to appeal any adverse action or determination by the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) or a DMAS contractor. Under current law, such appeal is allowed for a determination of overpayment to a provider by DMAS. The bill adds provisions allowing for DMAS and an appealing provider to stay the deadline for their appeal decision to facilitate settlement discussions. The bill further specifies that DMAS contractors are required to represent themselves during appeal proceedings. This bill is identical to SB 1237.

Sales and use tax; exemption for electric utility equipment. Exempts from the retail sales and use tax, beginning July 1, 2025, and ending July 1, 2030, tangible personal property used directly in the initiation, production, generation, transmission, or distribution of electricity by Appalachian Power.

School breakfasts; availability at no cost to students. Requires each school board to require each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to make breakfast available to any student who requests such a meal at no cost to the student, unless the student's parent has provided written permission to the school board to withhold such a meal from the student. The bill requires the Department of Education to reimburse each public elementary and secondary school for each school breakfast served to a student, with a maximum of one breakfast per student per school day and provides the formula for determining the state reimbursement rate for such meals. Finally, the bill repeals a provision of law relating to the federal School Breakfast Program that is rendered obsolete by the provisions of the bill.