Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund. Increases from $100 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields to $200 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields the grant amount a project developer can receive from the Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund.

Study; Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security; feasibility of establishing a centralized Continuity of Operations framework across all state agencies; work group; report. Directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to convene a work group to study the feasibility of establishing a centralized Continuity of Operations framework across all state agencies mandating the creation and regular updating of agency-specific continuity plans. In conducting its study, the work group shall include consideration of standardized guidelines for digital infrastructure upgrades, remote work capabilities, and staff training on emergency procedures. The bill directs the work group to complete its work and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than November 30, 2025. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth.

Chief Information Officer and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency; development of an emergency resource management system for the Commonwealth. Directs the Chief Information Officer and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, in cooperation with the Department of Emergency Management, to develop an emergency resource management system for use by the Commonwealth during a declared state of emergency. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth.

Virginia Consumer Protection Act; food labeling. Prohibits the sale of any food required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to have a nutrition label when such food is not labeled in accordance with federal law.

Ignition interlock system; duration. Increases the period of time during which a person, as a condition of a restricted license, is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle that is not equipped with an ignition interlock system from not less than six consecutive months to not less than 12 consecutive months without alcohol-related violations of the interlock requirements. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program.

Inhaling drugs or other noxious chemical substances or causing, etc., others to do so; distribution of nitrous oxide to persons under 18 prohibited; penalties. Prohibits the sale or distribution of a device that is designed or intended to deliver a gas containing nitrous oxide to persons under 18 years of age with exceptions as defined in the bill. Any person who fails to make diligent inquiry as to whether the person trying to obtain such a device is 18 years of age or older or sells, distributes, or attempts to sell or distribute such a device to a person under 18 years of age is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill also adds nitrous oxide to the list of noxious chemical substances for which it is unlawful to deliberately smell or inhale with the intent to become intoxicated, inebriated, excited, or stupefied or to dull the brain or nervous system, or to deliberately cause another person to do so. This bill is identical to HB 2308.

Department of Education; mental health first aid training program. Directs the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, to develop a mental health first aid training program consisting of an adult component and an adolescent and youth component. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth.

Commending the Marion Senior High School girls' tennis team.

Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education; members. Expands from 31 to 32 the minimum number of members of the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education by adding one representative of the Department of Veterans Services to the nonlegislative citizen members of the Commission. This bill is identical to SB 1391.

Celebrating the life of Rafael Torrech III.

Office of the Children's Ombudsman; foster youth's right to receive information. Requires the Department of Social Services or a local department of social services, a children's residential facility, or any child-placing agency to provide certain information along with the contact information for the Office of the Children's Ombudsman to a biological parent, prospective adoptive parent, or foster parent, as well as to any child in foster care age 12 or older upon the opening of a foster care case for such child. The bill also provides that, in relation to complaints made to the Ombudsman, if such child is the complainant, the Ombudsman need not gain the consent of the Department or local department of social services, the children's residential facility, the child-placing agency, or the foster parent or guardian of the child or other person having custody or care of the child to receive information from or communicate with the child. This bill is identical to HB 1777.

Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center Board of Trustees; authority to permit campus security officers to carry firearms in performance of official duties; conditions. Authorizes the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center Board of Trustees to permit campus security personnel employed in its campus security department to carry firearms in the performance of their official duties, provided that such campus security personnel are considered armed security officers, as such term is defined in relevant law, and comply with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements attendant to such designation, including registration and training. This bill is identical to HB 2441.

Certified nurse midwives; licensed certified midwives; independent practice; organized medical staff. Permits licensed certified midwives who have completed 1,000 hours of practice under a practice agreement to practice without a practice agreement upon receipt of an attestation from the licensed physician or midwife with whom they entered into a practice agreement. The bill also permits certified nurse midwives and licensed certified midwives to enter into practice agreements with certified nurse midwives or licensed certified midwives who are authorized to practice independently. The bill directs the Department of Health to amend its regulations to clarify that an organized medical staff may include other practitioners, including independent practice midwives, in addition to physicians and dentists. This bill is identical to HB 1635.

Petitions for relief of care and custody of a child; investigation by local department of social services; Office of the Children's Ombudsman work group; report. Requires a local department of social services, as a part of its investigation after the referral of a request for a petition for relief of the care and custody of a child, to (i) refer the parent to the local family assessment and planning team and (ii) create a written report. The bill directs the Department of Social Services, in coordination with the Virginia League of Social Services Executives, to create a template for and provide guidance on what should be included in such written report.The bill also directs the Office of the Children's Ombudsman to convene a work group composed of relevant stakeholders to (a) determine the factors a court should consider when determining whether there is good cause shown for a petitioner's desire to be relieved of the care and custody of a child and (b) explore the potential benefits and considerations of raising the standard of evidence for granting temporary relief of custody from the current standard of preponderance of the evidence to clear and convincing evidence. The bill directs the work group to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice and the Virginia Commission on Youth by November 1, 2025. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Commission on Youth. This bill is identical to HB 1733.

Charitable gaming; use of proceeds; charitable gaming adjusted gross receipts. Amends charitable gaming law to allow certain organizations, as a condition of receiving a charitable gaming permit or authorization to conduct electronic gaming, to use (i) with respect to charitable gaming, other than electronic gaming, a predetermined percentage of its charitable gaming adjusted gross receipts, not to exceed 25 percent, and (ii) with respect to electronic gaming, a predetermined percentage of its electronic gaming adjusted gross receipts, not to exceed 25 percent; however, at no time shall such predetermined percentage be calculated at an amount equal to less than 10 percent of its gross receipts derived from electronic gaming less the amount of prize money paid out to players. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.