Public campaign financing; counties and cities may establish for certain offices. Authorizes the governing body of a county or city to establish by ordinance a system of public campaign financing for elected local offices. The bill specifies certain requirements for a system of public campaign financing established by a governing body, including the provision of a public election fund to be administered by the treasurer of the county or city. A system of public campaign financing established by a county or city is permitted to more stringently regulate the campaign finance activity of participating candidates and shall be subject to regulation and oversight by the State Board of Elections to ensure its conformity with state law and policy to the extent practicable.

Prescription Drug Affordability Board established; drug cost affordability review. Establishes the Prescription Drug Affordability Board for the purpose of protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth and other stakeholders within the health care system from the high costs of prescription drug products. The bill requires the Board to meet in open session at least four times annually, with certain exceptions and requirements enumerated in the bill. Members of the Board are required to disclose any conflicts of interest, as described in the bill. The bill also creates a stakeholder council for the purpose of assisting the Board in making decisions related to drug cost affordability. The bill tasks the Board with identifying prescription, generic, and other drugs, as defined in the bill, that are offered for sale in the Commonwealth and, at the Board's discretion, conducting an affordability review of any prescription drug product. The bill lists factors for the Board to consider that indicate an affordability challenge for the health care system in the Commonwealth or high out-of-pocket costs for patients. The bill also provides that any person aggrieved by a decision of the Board may request an appeal of the Board's decision and that the Attorney General has authority to enforce the provisions of the bill. The bill provides that the Board shall establish no more than 12 upper payment limit amounts annually between July 1, 2026, and January 1, 2029.The bill requires the Board to annually report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly, beginning on December 31, 2026. Provisions of the bill apply to state-sponsored and state-regulated health plans and health programs and obligate such policies to limit drug payment amounts and reimbursements to an upper payment limit amount set by the Board, if applicable, following an affordability review. The bill specifies that Medicare Part D plans are not bound by such decisions of the Board.The bill also requires the nonprofit organization contracted by the Department of Health to provide prescription drug price transparency to provide the Board access to certain data reported by manufacturers. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

State plan for medical assistance services; violence prevention services benefit; work group. Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for payment of medical assistance for violence prevention services, defined in the bill, provided by a qualified violence prevention professional to an individual who receives medical treatment for an injury sustained as a result of community violence, defined in the bill, and who is determined by a health care provider to be at risk of repeat injury or retaliation. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to convene a work group to advise the Board on the design and implementation of the violence prevention services benefit and to post on its website the date upon which violence prevention services may be provided and billed pursuant to the provisions of the bill.

School crossing zones. Increases the maximum boundaries of a school crossing zone from 750 feet to 1,500 feet from the limits of school property.

Chronic Absenteeism Task Force; examination of chronic student absenteeism; report. Directs the Chronic Absenteeism Task Force convened by the Department of Education, in consultation with such interested stakeholders as it deems appropriate, to (i) examine chronic student absenteeism and its effects on local school divisions and (ii) make recommendations to the Board of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2025, on the feasibility and advisability of amending the Board of Education's regulations to exclude certain student absences from the calculation of chronic student absenteeism for the purpose of balancing the importance of student attendance with the need for administrative flexibility for local school divisions. This bill incorporates HB 1788.

Divorce; adultery; filing; parties living separate and apart. Specifies that a divorce may be decreed on the grounds of adultery, provided that such adultery occurred prior to the final separation of the parties. The bill further allows for a divorce from bed and board to be decreed on the application of either party upon the parties living separate and apart; under current law, a divorce from bed and board may only be decreed for cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodily hurt, willful desertion, or abandonment. The bill specifies that no waiting period is required for the filing of such a divorce, but the decree of such a divorce may only be decreed pursuant to certain requirements otherwise specified in the law.

Unemployment compensation; increase weekly benefit amounts; report. Provides that, for unemployment compensation claims effective on or after January 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly benefit amount shall be $52 higher than the current weekly benefit amount, as denoted in the table in the printed bill. The bill directs the Commission on Unemployment Compensation, in consultation with the Virginia Employment Commission, to convene a work group to study making annual adjustments to individual weekly benefit amounts based on the average weekly wage. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Unemployment Compensation. This bill is identical to SB 1056.

Disposable plastic bag tax; distribution to towns. Provides that any town located within a county that has imposed a disposable plastic bag tax shall receive a distribution of revenues collected by the county based on the local sales tax distribution formula for appropriations to towns. The bill requires that towns use such revenues for the same purposes allowable for a county or city.

Unemployment benefits; maximum duration. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2025, for claims effective on or after July 1, 2025, an eligible individual's weekly unemployment compensation benefit amount shall be paid for a maximum duration of 26 weeks.

Board of Education; Standards of Learning assessments; availability in commonly spoken languages other than English. Requires the Board of Education to prioritize the incorporation of Standards of Learning assessments in commonly spoken languages in the Commonwealth other than English into its statewide student assessment system, and in any contract that it enters into with a third party for the development, establishment, and maintenance of such system.

Real estate appraisers; educational requirements for licensure; fair housing and appraisal bias course. Requires applicants for licensure as a certified residential real estate appraiser, a certified general real estate appraiser, or a licensed residential real estate appraiser to successfully complete a minimum of two hours of education on fair housing and appraisal bias administered or approved by the Real Estate Appraiser Board prior to licensure. The bill requires any such educational course on fair housing and appraisal bias to be audited annually by the Fair Housing Board. This bill is identical to SB 995.

Provision of county services within towns. Requires counties to provide their standard county services to towns located within county boundaries at the same level such services are provided in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Undesignated sex or gender designation option. Requires all forms, reports, applications, or other documents used by state agencies to offer the option of "male," "female," or "X" when designating sex or gender. The bill contains technical amendments.

Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act; Real Estate Board; residential property disclosure statement form. Requires the residential property disclosure statement form developed by the Real Estate Board and maintained on its website to include a statement to be signed by the parties to a real estate transaction acknowledging that the purchaser has been advised of the disclosures listed in such form. Under current law, such statement is not required to be included in the residential property disclosure statement form.

Charter; City of Virginia Beach. Amends the charter for the City of Virginia Beach to reflect the City's transition to a city council consisting solely of single-member districts and the mayor.