Covenants not to compete; includes health care professionals, civil penalty.
In plain English Prohibits employers from enforcing non-compete agreements with health care professionals and imposes a $10,000 civil penalty per violation.
Official synopsis: Covenants not to compete; health care professionals; civil penalty. Adds health care professionals as a category of employee with or upon whom no employer shall enter into, enforce, or threaten to enforce a covenant not to compete. The bill defines "health care professional" as any…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1114) · 2026-05-14
Electric utilities; comprehensive assessments, surplus interconnection service.
In plain English Requires two electric utilities to assess available capacity at their generation facilities and establish pilot programs for energy storage and solar projects using surplus interconnection service.
Official synopsis: Electric utilities; surplus interconnection service sites. Directs Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia to undertake a comprehensive assessment of available interconnection capacity at each such utility's existing and planned intermittent electric generation facilities located in the Commonwealth. The bill directs such utilities to establish pilot…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1013) · 2026-04-22
Mixed-income housing; creating a two-year pilot program that provides loan origination, etc.
In plain English Creates a two-year pilot program for loans to build mixed-income housing and requires annual reports on the program's findings.
Official synopsis: Department of Housing and Community Development; loans for the construction of mixed income housing; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development, in collaboration with the Virginia Housing Development Authority, to create a two-year pilot program that would provide loan origination and servicing activities…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1012) · 2026-04-22
Solar facilities; local regulation, permits, special exceptions.
In plain English Requires localities to set standards for ground-mounted solar facilities of one megawatt or more and report decisions to the state starting July 1, 2026.
Official synopsis: Local regulation of solar facilities; special exceptions. Provides that a ground-mounted solar energy generation facility to be located on property zoned agricultural, commercial, industrial, or institutional shall be considered pursuant to various criteria to be included in a local ordinance, such as specifications for setbacks,…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1005) · 2026-04-22
Recovery residences; regulations.
In plain English Requires the state to establish minimum certification standards for recovery residences and prohibits them from requiring residents to use services they financially benefit from.
Official synopsis: Recovery residences; regulations. Establishes certain requirements for recovery residences and directs the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Board) to promulgate regulations to establish minimum certification standards for recovery residences. The bill also requires that the regulations promulgated by the Department of…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1000) · 2026-04-22
Distributed Energy Resources Task Force; created, membership, reports, sunset.
In plain English Creates a Distributed Energy Resources Task Force to develop a strategy for advancing distributed energy resource markets and requires reports to state and federal officials before sunset on July 1, 2027.
Official synopsis: Distributed Energy Resources Task Force established; reports; sunset. Establishes the Distributed Energy Resources Task Force as an advisory commission within the executive branch with the purpose of developing a comprehensive strategy to advance the Commonwealth's transition toward integrated distributed energy resource markets and to support the Commonwealth's…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0997) · 2026-04-22
Elections; ranked choice voting, locally elected offices, report.
In plain English Allows any local governing body to use ranked choice voting, requires state election standards and software approval for it, and makes the option permanent instead of expiring in 2031.
Official synopsis: Elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; locally elected offices; report. Expands the option to use ranked choice voting from only elections for county board of supervisors and city councils to any local governing body. The bill requires the State Board of Elections to provide…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0993) · 2026-04-22
Public Recreational Facilities Authorities Act; grants to localities, etc.
In plain English Allows recreational facilities authorities to make grants to localities, the state, other government entities, federal agencies, and private parties to support their purposes, including tourism development.
Official synopsis: Public Recreational Facilities Authorities Act. Authorizes authorities established under the Public Recreational Facilities Authorities Act to make grants to any participating locality, the Commonwealth or any other political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, any federal agency, and any person to promote the purposes of the…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0952) · 2026-04-13
Electric utilities; pilot program for electric energy conservation, solar energy generation.
Electric utilities; pilot program for electric energy conservation, generation, and storage. Requires American Electric Power and Dominion Energy Virginia to each petition the State Corporation Commission by December 31, 2026, to conduct a pilot program for electric energy conservation, solar energy generation, and energy storage…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0728) · 2026-04-13
Exemptions from garnishment; minimum protected account balance, certain benefit payments.
In plain English Requires financial institutions to automatically protect up to $1,000 and certain benefit payments deposited within two months from garnishment, except for child or spousal support debts.
Official synopsis: Exemptions from garnishment; minimum protected account balance; certain benefit payments; procedure for financial institutions. Requires certain financial institutions to automatically exempt from garnishment (i) a minimum protected account balance, defined in the bill as the combined total of not more than $1,000 in a judgment…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0638) · 2026-04-13
Electric utility infrastructure; Dept. of Energy & SCC to conduct comprehensive analysis, report.
In plain English Directs the Department of Energy and State Corporation Commission to analyze electric utility infrastructure for cost-saving opportunities that improve reliability, with a report due by December 1, 2026, if sufficient funding is received.
Official synopsis: State Corporation Commission; electric utility infrastructure; report. Directs the Department of Energy (the Department), in consultation with the State Corporation Commission (the Commission), Appalachian Power, and Dominion Energy Virginia, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of existing electric utility infrastructure to identify cost-saving opportunities that improve…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0886) · 2026-04-13
Renewable energy portfolio standard program; requirements, power purchase agreements.
In plain English Requires Dominion Energy Virginia to meet renewable energy requirements with more in-state resources by 2027 and removes minimum size requirements for certain power purchase agreements.
Official synopsis: Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements; power purchase agreements. Amends certain renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements for Dominion Energy Virginia, including the annual percentage of program requirements to be met with solar, wind, or anaerobic digestion resources of one megawatt or less located in…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0646) · 2026-04-13
Voter registration; requiring membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).
In plain English Requires Virginia to join and maintain membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center for voter registration and list maintenance.
Official synopsis: Voter registration; list maintenance; data sharing; requiring membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Requires the Commissioner of Elections to apply for, enter into, and maintain membership for the Commonwealth in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0876) · 2026-04-13
Repairs or maintenance of property; entering adjoining property, petition for entry.
In plain English Allows property owners to petition a court for the right to enter an adjoining property to repair or maintain their own property's exterior when necessary and permission is denied.
Official synopsis: Repairs or maintenance of property; entering adjoining property; petition for entry. Allows an owner of real property who seeks to repair or maintain the exterior of his property to petition the circuit court for a right of entry to an adjoining property for the purpose…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0429) · 2026-04-08
SOL assessments and related assessment methods; development, administration, scoring, and release.
In plain English Clarifies exemptions for students with disabilities from certain Standards of Learning assessment requirements and repeals the requirement for a through-year growth assessment system.
Official synopsis: Board of Education; Standards of Learning assessments and related assessment methods; development, administration, scoring, and release. Makes several clarifying revisions to applicable law relating to the development, administration, and scoring of Standards of Learning assessments and related assessment methods for determining the level of achievement…
Became lawActs of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0103) · 2026-04-06
“In plain English” lines are written by ThePolitibase with AI (Claude), from the official synopsis only; the synopsis is the authoritative text. Descriptions are the legislature’s own synopsis. Bill data from LegiScan, CC BY 4.0.