Prohibition on procurement and use of insecure uncrewed aircraft systems; report. Prohibits, beginning on July 1, 2025, any public body from purchasing, leasing, or otherwise procuring an insecure uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), as that term is defined in the bill. The bill further prohibits, beginning on July 1, 2029, any public body from using, whether directly or through work with or on behalf of another public body, an insecure UAS. The bill directs the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) to establish cybersecurity standards for the certification of secure UAS and maintain a list of approved UAS manufacturers and models on its website. The bill also requires the Joint Commission on Technology and Science, in collaboration with stakeholders, to review cybersecurity standards and make recommendations every two years to ensure alignment with emerging UAS technologies, evolving cybersecurity threats, the operational and safety needs of public bodies, and public safety priorities within the Commonwealth. Finally, the bill establishes the Uncrewed Aircraft Replacement Grant Program, to be administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to award grants to aid public bodies with the transition from insecure UAS to secure UAS.

Board of Education; support services personnel; annual collection of certain staffing data required; report. Requires (i) each school board to, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, annually collect and submit to the Department of Education a report on data on the average salaries of support services personnel, as that term is defined in the bill, employed by the school board and (ii) the Department to, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, annually compile such data, include it in the Annual School Report, and publicly post it on the Department's website. The bill requires each school board and the Department to disaggregate the data by career categories of support services personnel and specialized student support personnel as set forth in applicable law. This bill is identical to HB 1983. 

Study; Department of Transportation; taxation of hybrid and electric trucks; report. Requests the Department of Transportation to study options for taxation of hybrid and electric trucks to account for the shortfall in gas and diesel tax revenues that will result from the use of such vehicles.

Study; Department of Housing and Community Development; tax implications of allowing localities to implement a land value tax; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to study the potential tax implications that may result from each of the governing bodies of the Cities of Fairfax, Poquoson, Richmond, and Roanoke levying a land value tax and the potential tax implications that may result from allowing all local governing bodies to implement a land value tax.

Elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; report. Makes the decision to conduct an election by ranked choice voting subject to a determination of feasibility by the State Board of Elections. The bill provides procedures for tabulating and reporting results of elections conducted using ranked choice voting, including procedures for duplicating damaged or defective ballots. The bill requires the State Board of Elections to provide standards for and to approve vote tabulating software for use with existing voting systems in elections conducted by ranked choice voting and to produce generalized voter education materials on ranked choice voting. The bill permits the State Board of Elections to create and modify recount procedures to the extent necessary to accommodate a recount of an election conducted by ranked choice voting. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Elections to review the testing and approval framework for voting equipment in the Commonwealth and submit a report of such review no later than the first day of the 2026 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Constitutional amendment (first reference); right to work. Proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia that declares that any agreement or combination between any employer and any labor union or labor organization whereby persons not members of such union or organization are denied the right to work for the employer, or whereby such membership is made a condition of employment or continuation of employment by such employer, or whereby any such union or organization acquires an employment monopoly in any enterprise, constitutes an illegal combination or conspiracy and is void.

Affirmative defense or reduced penalty for a neurocognitive disorder or intellectual or developmental disability. Provides an affirmative defense to prosecution of a person for assault or assault and battery against certain specified persons for which the enhanced Class 6 felony and six-month mandatory minimum apply if such person proves, by a preponderance of the evidence, that at the time of the assault or assault and battery (i) the person's behaviors were a result of (a) mental illness or (b) a neurocognitive disorder, including dementia, or an intellectual disability or a developmental disability such as autism spectrum disorder, as defined in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association, or (ii) the person met the criteria for issuance of an emergency custody order.The bill requires such person or his counsel to give notice in writing to the attorney for the Commonwealth at least 60 days prior to his trial in circuit court, or at least 14 days if the trial date is set within 21 days of his last appearance, of his intention to present such evidence. Additionally, if such notice is not given, and the person proffers such evidence at his trial as a defense, then the court may in its discretion either allow the Commonwealth a continuance or, under appropriate circumstances, bar such person from presenting such evidence; any such continuance shall not be counted for speedy trial purposes pursuant to relevant law.Lastly, the bill provides that if such person does not prove that his behaviors were a result of his mental illness, intellectual disability, developmental disability, or neurocognitive disorder but the evidence establishes that his mental illness, intellectual disability, developmental disability, or neurocognitive disorder otherwise contributed to his behaviors, the finder of fact may find such person guilty of a misdemeanor assault or assault and battery. The bill also provides that such affirmative defense shall not be construed to allow an affirmative defense for voluntary intoxication.

Certificate of public need program; phased elimination. Creates a three-phase process to eliminate the certificate of public need requirements for many categories of medical care facilities and projects, with elimination of the requirement for a certificate of public need (i) for all medical care facilities other than nursing homes or specialized centers or clinics or that portion of a physician's office developed for the provision of outpatient or ambulatory surgery, cardiac catheterization, computed tomographic (CT) scanning, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomographic (PET) scanning, radiation therapy, certain stereotactic radiotherapy, or proton beam therapy effective July 1, 2025; (ii) for all such services as described in clause (i) at any existing medical care facility other than nursing homes or specialized centers or clinics or that portion of a physician's office developed for the provision of outpatient or ambulatory surgery, cardiac catheterization, computed tomographic (CT) scanning, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomographic (PET) scanning, radiation therapy, certain stereotactic radiotherapy, or proton beam therapy located outside of a metropolitan statistical area or in a rural census tract within a metropolitan statistical area effective July 1, 2026; and (iii) for all medical care facilities effective July 1, 2027.

Income tax; subtraction; retirement income of certain federal employees. Establishes, beginning in taxable year 2025, an individual income tax subtraction for 20 percent of the retirement income of retirees covered under the federal Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).

Retail sales and use tax; aircraft components. Extends the sunset date for the sales and use tax exemption for parts, engines, and supplies used for maintaining, repairing, or reconditioning aircraft or any aircraft's avionics system, engine, or component parts to July 1, 2030. This bill is identical to HB 1729.

State Police Officers' Retirement System; membership for Department of Wildlife Resources conservation police officers. Provides membership in the State Police Officers' Retirement System (SPORS) to conservation police officers in the Department of Wildlife Resources for service earned on or after July 1, 2026. The bill directs the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) to assess the administrative and financial impacts of the bill and provide recommendations for implementing the bill to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2025. Except for the assessment and recommendations to be made by VRS, the provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Zoning; data centers; water use. Authorizes a locality to include in its zoning ordinance provisions for (i) requiring proposed data center developments to submit water use estimates and (ii) considering water use when making rezoning and special use permit decisions related to data center development.

Carrying assault firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty. Prohibits the carrying of certain semi-automatic center-fire rifles and shotguns on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, or public right-of-way or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public, with certain exceptions. Under current law, the current prohibition on carrying certain shotguns and semi-automatic center-fire rifles and pistols applies to a narrower range of firearms, only in certain localities, and only when such firearms are loaded.

Aerial pesticide application; Virginia Pollinator Protection Strategy; civil penalty. Requires any commercial or private pesticide applicator performing an aerial pesticide application, as defined in the bill, to submit certain relevant information to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and to certain beekeepers located within a five-mile radius no less than five days prior to such application. The bill provides that any commercial applicator or private applicator who violates the provisions of the bill is subject to a civil penalty of $500 for a first offense and $2,500 for each additional offense. The bill requires the Department to post and maintain on its website certain information related to aerial pesticide applications and allows any aggrieved person to institute a proceeding for injunction or mandamus against any person or agency that has engaged, is engaged, or is about to engage in any acts or practices in violation of the provisions of the bill. The bill also requires the Virginia Pollinator Protection Strategy plan to support awareness among beekeepers and the general public of proposed aerial pesticide applications submitted to the Department and posted on its website.

Casino gaming; set-off of debts to the Commonwealth from prizes. Directs the Virginia Lottery Board to adopt regulations to establish and implement a set-off debt collection program in accordance with the provisions of the Setoff Debt Collection Act, wherein certain casino gaming prizes shall be subjected to delinquent debts of agencies and institutions of the Commonwealth.