School board policies; unpaid educational leave for certain employee association officers; purchase of service credit. Requires each school board to adopt a policy that requires the school board to approve unpaid educational leave for school board employees who are state employee association officers and for at least two school board employees who are local employee association officers for a maximum of four years per officer. The bill permits employee association officers approved for such leave to purchase service credit with the Virginia Retirement System for such period of leave.

Absentee voting in person; available beginning 14 days prior to primary election. Limits the availability of absentee voting in person for primary elections to beginning 14 days prior to such election. Under current law, absentee voting in person is available beginning 45 days prior to any election.

Local sales and use tax; capital projects for schools; Pulaski County. Adds Pulaski County to the list of localities that are authorized to levy an additional general retail sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent to provide revenue solely for capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools within such locality. This bill was incorporated into SB 1307.

School boards; private institutions of higher education; industry and trade dual-enrollment, education, and training opportunities; partnerships permitted. Permits any school board, upon approval of a plan submitted to the Board of Education (the Board) in accordance with the provisions of the bill, to enter into a partnership with a private institution of higher education, as that term is defined by the bill, for the purpose of expanding industry and trade training and education opportunities for high school students by (i) establishing or expanding dual enrollment programs through which high school students may earn credit toward completion of undergraduate course credit or a degree relating to industry or trade, an industry-recognized credential, a career certificate, or a state licensure examination; (ii) expanding available course offerings relating to industry or trade; (iii) providing internship, externship, or job-shadowing opportunities for high school students in industry and trade; and (iv) establishing any other plan for such a partnership as may be approved by the Board. The bill directs the Board to develop and make available to each school board guidelines and policies for the (a) submission and approval of such plans to enter into partnerships with a private institution of higher education pursuant to the bill and (b) implementation and administration of any such partnerships.

Virginia Business Ready Sites Program Fund; eligible site for site development grant. Provides that the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority may determine a site of at least 25 contiguous acres to be an eligible site to receive a site development grant from the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program Fund if such site is located in a locality with an area of 35 square miles of land area or less.

Virginia Public-Private Safety Communications Infrastructure Fund; established. Establishes the Virginia Public-Private Safety Communications Infrastructure Fund (the Fund), to be managed by the Virginia Resources Authority, for the purpose of making loans and awarding grants to local governments for the purpose of assisting with improvement projects relating to public safety radio and communications infrastructure.

Additional local sales and use tax to support schools; referendum. Authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent with the revenue used only for public school capital projects, defined in the bill, if such levy is approved in a voter referendum. The bill removes the requirement that such a tax must have an expiration date on either (i) the date of the repayment of any bonds or loans used for such capital projects or (ii) a date chosen by the governing body. Under current law, only Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danville are authorized to impose such a tax. This bill incorporates SB 874.

General district courts; jurisdictional limits. Increases from $25,000 to $50,000 the maximum civil jurisdictional limit of general district courts for all civil actions. Under current law, only civil actions for personal injury or wrongful death have a maximum jurisdictional limit of $50,000. This bill is a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.

Health insurance; coverage requirements for prostate cancer screenings. Updates existing mandated coverage requirements for prostate cancer screenings to reflect updated tests and guidelines from the American Cancer Society while also removing certain references to American Cancer Society Guidelines. Updated coverage requirements apply to health care coverage companies, the health care coverage plan for state employees, and the state plan for medical assistance services. The bill's provisions apply only to contracts, policies, or plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on or after January 1, 2026. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Health Insurance Reform Commission. This bill is identical to HB 2097.

Use of profane, threatening, etc., language over the telephone; repeated telephone contact; penalty. Creates a Class 6 felony for any person who uses obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language, or makes any suggestion or proposal of an obscene nature, or threatens any illegal or immoral act with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass any person, over any telephone to (i) the same person 50 or more times within a 48-hour period or (ii) two or more family or household members of a person 50 or more times within a 48-hour period.

Corrections Private Management Act; name change; private management prohibited. Removes the authority of the Director of the Department of Corrections, pursuant to the Corrections Private Management Act (the Act), or a regional jail authority to enter into contracts with contractors for the operation of prison facilities or regional jails, including management, custody of inmates, and provision of security, unless approved by the General Assembly. The bill does not affect the Director's authority pursuant to the Act, renamed by the bill as the Corrections Private Services Act, or a regional jail authority's ability to enter into private contracts for other correctional services, including those related to food service, medical care, transportation, sanitation, information systems, education and training programs, recreational or religious activities, financing, construction, or maintenance. The bill also removes provisions stating that (i) a site proposed by a contractor for the construction of a prison facility shall not be subject to certain approval procedures and (ii) no construction and operation of a private correctional facility shall be entered into nor shall any funds be expended for the contract unless the local governing body consents to the siting and construction of such facility within the bounds of the locality.

Virginia Retirement System; return to work. Allows a retired sworn law-enforcement officer who returns to employment as an instructor at a regional criminal justice academy to continue receiving his service retirement allowance. Such employment shall not increase, decrease, or affect in any way his retirement benefits before, during, or after such employment. Under current law, a retired law-enforcement officer may return to full-time employment without impact on his retirement benefits only if he is employed as a school security officer. The bill has a sunset date of July 1, 2028.

Virginia coordinate systems; federal updates. Updates several references in Code to the Virginia Coordinate System of 2022 and aligns state law with federal changes with respect to measurement standards. The bill replaces the U.S. survey foot with the international foot. The provisions of the bill become effective upon the official release by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Geodetic Survey of the State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 and certification in writing to the Virginia Code Commission that such contingency has been met. This bill is identical to HB 2503.

Educational opportunities for children of certain federal employees; expansion of policies to students transferring from foreign countries. Expands the provisions of law relating to educational opportunities for students of certain federal employees to include students of certain federal employees who are transferring from a school in a foreign country to a school division in the Commonwealth by establishing definitions for the terms "foreign education agency" and "sending country" and utilizing such terms throughout such provisions of law.

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 HB 1971.