Eminent domain; condemnation proceedings. Makes various changes to provisions governing eminent domain, primarily relating to procedures in condemnation proceedings and the transfer of a defeasible title by certificate. The bill specifies that, in a condemnation proceeding initiated by an authorized condemnor or the Commissioner of Highways, a certificate transferring a defeasible title shall include certain information describing the property and any rights to the property being taken or damaged. Finally, the bill repeals the requirement that the court refer a matter initiating a condemnation proceeding to a dispute resolution orientation.

Office of Medicaid Financial Oversight established. Establishes the Office of Medicaid Financial Oversight as an independent agency to provide financial oversight and fiscal accountability for the Commonwealth's Medicaid and children's health insurance programs.

Labor and employment; portable benefit accounts; income tax; deduction. Authorizes a Virginia resident who has worked as an independent contractor to establish a portable benefit account. Under the bill, a portable benefit account offered through and administered by a bank, credit union, or other depository institution and distributions from the account may be used for the payment of various health-related costs. The bill also creates a temporary deduction for the amount of contributions made to a portable benefit account by an independent contractor for the 2025 and 2026 taxable years.

Fingerprints, palm prints, and photographs of juveniles. Requires law-enforcement officers to obtain, electronically when possible, fingerprints, palm prints with accompanying distal prints, if available, and photographs of any juvenile taken into custody and charged with a delinquent act. The bill also requires such fingerprints, palm prints, or photographs to be both filed with the Central Criminal Records Exchange and submitted electronically, when possible, to the State Police to be maintained in a confidential and secure area within the system in which the record is maintained that is inaccessible during routine use of such system. The bill further requires any electronic record of such fingerprints, palm prints, or photographs to be destroyed as soon as possible after the State Police have been notified that a petition or warrant has not been filed against the juvenile. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 2472.

Department of Conservation and Recreation; Virginia Land Conservation Fund; land conservation goals and needs assessment. Establishes as a goal of the Commonwealth the achievement of permanent conservation of 20 percent of the land area of Virginia by 2035 and requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation to monitor progress toward such goal and, every five years beginning in 2030, establish additional goals for 2040, 2045, and 2050. The bill requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation to consult with relevant state agencies in establishing such goals and to submit an annual land conservation goals and needs assessment report including certain enumerated information no later than November 1 of each year to relevant committees of the General Assembly. The bill also removes the requirement (i) that the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation develop a needs assessment for future expenditures from the Virginia Land Conservation Fund and maintain such assessment on an annual basis and (ii) that the Virginia Land Conservation Board of Trustees report with an estimate of the funds needed to achieve certain goals established by the Board.

Sales and use tax exemption; data centers. Requires data center operators to meet certain energy efficiency standards in order to be eligible for the sales and use tax exemption for data center purchases. Under the bill, a data center operator shall be eligible for the exemption only if such operator demonstrates that (i) its facilities either have a power usage effectiveness score of no greater than 1.2 or, for data centers co-located in buildings with other commercial uses, achieve an energy efficiency level of no less than the most efficient 15 percent of similar buildings constructed in the previous five years and (ii) by January 1, 2028, it will procure carbon-free renewable energy and associated renewable energy certificates equal to 90 percent of its electricity requirements or its electricity will be otherwise derived from non-carbon-emitting, renewable sources.

State Corporation Commission; time frame for completion of certain transmission lines proceedings. Requires the State Corporation Commission to complete proceedings regarding the approval of certain transmission lines of 138 kilovolts or more within nine months.

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

Extreme Weather Relief Act established. Establishes the Extreme Weather Relief Program, administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, for the purpose of holding parties responsible for covered greenhouse gas emissions between the covered period of January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2024, for the parties' share of the Commonwealth's costs due to climate change. The bill defines responsible parties as fossil fuel extractors or crude oil refiners causing emissions of one billion metric tons or more of covered greenhouse gases during the covered period. Under the bill, responsible parties are strictly liable for cost recovery payments to the Commonwealth. The bill requires the State Treasurer to conduct an assessment of the costs to the Commonwealth and its residents of the emissions of covered greenhouse gases during the covered period. The bill establishes the Extreme Weather Relief Fund into which the cost recovery payments from responsible entities are deposited and used to pay for extreme weather relief projects, as defined in the bill.

Dissemination of criminal history record information. Requires an attorney for the Commonwealth to provide a physical or electronic copy of a person's criminal history record information, including criminal history record information maintained in the National Crime Information Center and the Interstate Identification Index System that is in his possession, pursuant to the rules of court for obtaining discovery or for review by the court. The bill also provides that no criminal history record information provided shall be disseminated further.Current law provides that nothing shall preclude the dissemination of a person's criminal history record information pursuant to such rules of court but does not require the attorney for the Commonwealth to provide the copy nor identify specific types of information. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. This bill is identical to HB 1627.

Elections; primary dates; presidential year primaries. Provides that all primaries for offices to be filled at the November election in presidential election years shall be held on the date of the presidential primary. With respect to candidates for election in November of a presidential election year, the bill also lifts the requirement that petition signatures must be collected after January 1 of the presidential election year. The bill adjusts campaign finance filing deadlines for candidates in presidential year elections to account for the March primary date. This bill is identical to HB 1794.

Transportation network companies; minimum compensation. Establishes minimum compensation rates for TNC partners. The bill also prohibits gratuities from passengers from being included in TNC partner compensation calculations, authorizes TNC partners to collect gratuity in cash or electronically, and prohibits transportation network companies from limiting the amount that can be paid as gratuity through such companies' digital platforms.

Virginia Private College Week. Designates the week of July 13, 2025, and the third week of July in each succeeding year, as Virginia Private College Week in Virginia.

Financial institutions; loans and legal rate of interest. Provides that for the purposes of provisions governing usury and the legal rate of interest, (i) "loan" means a loan or forbearance of money lent at interest or for a fee or other charge and includes open-end and closed-end loan transactions and recourse and nonrecourse loans and (ii) make" or "making," when used in reference to a loan, means advancing, offering to advance, or making a commitment to advance funds to a borrower for a loan.The bill provides that the prohibition against a contract for the payment of interest on a loan at a rate that exceeds 12 percent per year applies to any person who seeks to evade its application by any device, subterfuge, or pretense whatsoever, including (a) making loans disguised as personal property sale and leaseback transactions; (b) disguising loan proceeds as a cash rebate for the pretextual installment sale of goods or services; and (c) making, offering, assisting, or arranging a debtor to obtain a loan with a greater rate of interest, consideration, or charge than permitted through any method, including mail, telephone, Internet, or any electronic means, regardless of whether the person has a physical location in the state.Finally, the bill provides that for any contract entered into on or after July 1, 2025, pursuant to which a person receives a cash advance for an amount that is based on the wages, compensation, or other income that an individual has earned but that has not been paid to the individual, and for which repayment to the cash advance provider will be made by some automatic means, at the end of the pay cycle is considered a loan and any additional funds such person is obligated to pay under the terms of the contract are considered interest. The bill specifies that such a contract is subject to the 12 percent per year maximum.

Trespass with an unmanned aircraft system; penalties. Creates a Class 4 felony for any person who knowingly and intentionally, and without authorization, causes an unmanned aircraft system to enter the airspace over any public services or utilities or critical infrastructure, as defined in relevant law, including any military base authorized by the U.S. Department of Defense. The bill also adds that the offenses related to trespass with an unmanned aircraft system shall not apply to any person who causes an unmanned aircraft system to enter any prohibited property if such person is (i) an employee of the property and is conducting official business or (ii) an employee of a public service or utility or critical infrastructure and is conducting official business.