SB454 - Electric utilities; recovery of development costs associated with small modular reactor.

1 Co-Sponsor

Electric utilities; recovery of development costs associated with small modular reactor. Permits Dominion Energy Virginia to petition the State Corporation Commission at any time for the approval of a rate adjustment clause for the recovery of small modular reactor project development costs for up to one small modular reactor facility. The bill also permits the utility to petition the Commission for project development cost recovery along separate development phases. The bill has an expiration date of December 31, 2029. Electric utilities; recovery of development costs associated with small modular reactor. Permits Dominion Energy Virginia to petition the State Corporation Commission at any time for the approval of a rate adjustment clause for the recovery of small modular reactor project development costs for up to one small modular reactor facility. The bill also permits the utility to petition the Commission for project development cost recovery along separate development phases. The bill has an expiration date of December 31, 2029.

SB729 - Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank; created, report.

1 Co-Sponsor

Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank; established; report. Creates the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank to finance clean energy projects, greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects, and other qualified projects through the strategic deployment of public funds in the form of grants, loans, credit enhancements, and other financing mechanisms. The Bank is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors, consisting of nine nonlegislative citizen members and three ex officio members with voting privileges, who include the Director of the Department of Energy, the Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority, and the State Treasurer or their designees. The bill provides that the nonlegislative citizen members are to be appointed as follows: four members by the Senate Committee on Rules, four members by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and one member by the Governor, each of whom are required to have expertise in real estate, finance, or project development or legal expertise in zero-emission or low-emission energy generation, infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, storm water management, or housing. The bill contains provisions for (i) the appointment of a president and the hiring of staff, (ii) the powers and duties of the Bank, (iii) lending practices, (iv) a strategic plan, (v) an investment strategy, (vi) public outreach requirements, (vii) audits, (viii) exemptions from taxes and from personnel and procurement procedures, and (ix) reporting requirements. Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank; established; report. Creates the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank to finance clean energy projects, greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects, and other qualified projects through the strategic deployment of public funds in the form of grants, loans, credit enhancements, and other financing mechanisms. The Bank is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors, consisting of nine nonlegislative citizen members and three ex officio members with voting privileges, who include the Director of the Department of Energy, the Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority, and the State Treasurer or their designees. The bill provides that the nonlegislative citizen members are to be appointed as follows: four members by the Senate Committee on Rules, four members by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and one member by the Governor, each of whom are required to have expertise in real estate, finance, or project development or legal expertise in zero-emission or low-emission energy generation, infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, storm water management, or housing. The bill contains provisions for (i) the appointment of a president and the hiring of staff, (ii) the powers and duties of the Bank, (iii) lending practices, (iv) a strategic plan, (v) an investment strategy, (vi) public outreach requirements, (vii) audits, (viii) exemptions from taxes and from personnel and procurement procedures, and (ix) reporting requirements.

SB85 - Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definition of "caregiver," remote participation in meetings.

1 Co-Sponsor

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definition of "caregiver"; remote participation in meetings by persons with disabilities and caregivers; remote voting. Provides that for purposes of determining whether a quorum is physically assembled, an individual member of a public body who is a person with a disability or a caregiver, defined in the bill, and uses remote participation counts toward the quorum as if the individual was physically present. The bill also provides that the participation policy adopted by a public body, as required by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, shall not prohibit or restrict any individual member of a public body who is participating in an all-virtual meeting or who is using remote participation from voting on matters before the public body. As introduced, the bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council.

SB684 - Online Children's Safety Protection Act; established, civil penalties.

1 Co-Sponsor

Online Children's Safety Protection Act established; civil penalties. Creates the Online Children's Safety Protection Act, which requires certain duties of covered entities, defined in the bill, to protect the best interests of children who use online services, products, or features. The bill requires any covered entity that provides an online service, product, or feature likely to be accessed by a child to complete a data protection impact assessment, the details of which are described in the bill, within two years before any new online service, product, or feature is offered to the public on or after July 1, 2024. The bill also prohibits certain actions by covered entities and authorizes the Attorney General to impose penalties and initiate actions against any covered entity that violates the provisions of the bill.

SR80 - Commending Kevin Harvick.

2 Co-Sponsors

SR76 - Commending Matt Hagan.

2 Co-Sponsors

SJR115 - Celebrating the life of Douglas Durrell Monroe, Jr.

2 Co-Sponsors

SB215 - FOIA; removal of Virginia residency requirement for access to certain criminal investigation files.

2 Co-Sponsors

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; removal of Virginia residency requirement for access to certain criminal investigation files. Removes the requirement that persons to whom non-ongoing criminal investigation files shall otherwise be disclosed be citizens of the Commonwealth. Current law limits disclosure of public records to individuals who are citizens of the Commonwealth unless a clear exception applies.

SR158 - Celebrating the life of Samuel Lee Green.

1 Co-Sponsor

SB242 - Virginia Public Procurement Act; competitive negotiation, exceptions to contractual terms.

1 Co-Sponsor

Virginia Public Procurement Act; competitive negotiation; exceptions to contractual terms and conditions of the Request for Proposal. Removes the prohibition on a public body from requiring an offeror to state in a proposal any exception to any liability provisions contained in a Request for Proposal for information technology. The bill also requires an offeror to state any exception to any contractual terms or conditions in writing at the time of responding to such Request for Proposal, if so requested by the public body, which exception shall be considered during negotiations, but prohibits the public body from basing the scoring or evaluation on such exceptions when selecting offerors for negotiations. Current law only prohibits a public body from requiring an offeror to state in a proposal any exception to the liability provisions of the Request for Proposal. As introduced, the bill was a recommendation of the Public Body Procurement Work Group.

SJR189 - Commending the Community Development Block Grant Program.

4 Co-Sponsors

SR163 - Commending Asha-Jyothi.

1 Co-Sponsor

SB260 - Va. Public Procurement Act; preference for goods produced in Virginia, U.S., & Va. resident bidders.

4 Co-Sponsors

Virginia Public Procurement Act; Virginia resident preference. Provides preference as it relates to procurement for a bidder who is a resident of Virginia and then a bidder whose goods are produced in the United States. For the procurement of goods by manufacturers, when the lowest responsive and responsible bidder is not a resident of Virginia and the bid of any Virginia resident is within 10 percent of such bid, the bill gives the lowest responsive and responsible bidder that is a Virginia resident the option to match the price of the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Furthermore, if the lowest responsive and responsible bidder is a resident of another state and such state allows a resident a percentage preference or price-matching preference for the procurement of goods, the bill grants a like preference to responsive and responsible bidders who are residents of Virginia. Under the bill, an eligible bidder that is a Virginia resident shall be granted the greater of either preference. The bill exempts a public body from the provisions of the bill if such public body is rendered ineligible to receive federal funding due to the provisions of the bill. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2027. Virginia Public Procurement Act; Virginia resident preference. Provides preference as it relates to procurement for a bidder who is a resident of Virginia and then a bidder whose goods are produced in the United States. For the procurement of goods by manufacturers, when the lowest responsive and responsible bidder is not a resident of Virginia and the bid of any Virginia resident is within 10 percent of such bid, the bill gives the lowest responsive and responsible bidder that is a Virginia resident the option to match the price of the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Furthermore, if the lowest responsive and responsible bidder is a resident of another state and such state allows a resident a percentage preference or price-matching preference for the procurement of goods, the bill grants a like preference to responsive and responsible bidders who are residents of Virginia. Under the bill, an eligible bidder that is a Virginia resident shall be granted the greater of either preference. The bill exempts a public body from the provisions of the bill if such public body is rendered ineligible to receive federal funding due to the provisions of the bill. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2027. Finally, the bill directs the Department of General Services to report to the General Assembly regarding the bill's efficacy, including any retaliatory action taken by other states, no later than the first day of the 2025 Regular Session.

SB565 - Energy efficiency programs; definitions, incremental annual savings.

2 Co-Sponsors

Energy efficiency programs; incremental annual savings. Provides that for the 2029 program year and all subsequent years, "in the public interest" for the purpose of assessing energy efficiency programs means that the State Corporation Commission determines that the program is cost-effective. The bill directs the Commission to promulgate regulations no later than September 30, 2025, establishing a single, consistent cost-effectiveness test for use in evaluating proposed energy efficiency programs. The bill requires Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power Company to track, quantify, and report to the Commission the incremental annual savings, as defined in the bill, achieved by such utility's energy efficiency programs.

SB571 - Synthetic media; expands applicability of provisions related to defamation, etc., penalty.

2 Co-Sponsors

Synthetic media; penalty. Expands the applicability of provisions related to defamation, slander, and libel to include synthetic media, defined in the bill. The bill makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to generate, create, or use or cause to be generated, created, or used any deceptive audio or visual media, defined in the bill, for the purpose of committing a criminal offense involving fraud. The bill creates a rebuttable presumption that such deceptive audio or visual media was generated or created for the purpose of committing such criminal offense if such deceptive audio or visual media is subsequently used as part of a plan or course of conduct to commit such criminal offense. The bill also authorizes the individual depicted in the deceptive audio or visual media to bring a civil action against the person who violates such prohibition to recover actual damages, reasonable attorney fees, and such other relief as the court determines to be appropriate. The bill directs the Attorney General to convene a work group to study and make recommendations on the current enforcement of laws related to the use of deceptive audio or visual media, including deepfakes, and any further action needed to address the issue of such use in fraudulent acts.