Among the changes: mail theft will be classified as a felony, all passengers in cars must buckle up, and drivers will face stiffer penalties for street racing or stunt driving.
For the full list of legislation from this year’s session, visit the Virginia Legislative Information System website.
Child protections and parental rights
- Child influencer protections (HB 2401 / SB 998): Requires earnings from monetized online videos featuring children under 16 to be set aside in trust accounts for their benefit.
- Foster youth must be informed of their rights (HB 1777 / SB 1406): Foster kids age 12+ and their caregivers must be given contact info for the Children’s Ombudsman when a case opens.
Health care and family services
- Medicaid coverage for doula care (HB 1614 / SB 1418): Covers up to 10 doula visits during pregnancy and postpartum for Medicaid recipients in Virginia.
- Menstrual health awareness program (HB 1918): Launches a statewide education program for providers and the public on recognizing and managing menstrual health conditions.
- Postpartum patient rights expanded (SB 1384): Requires hospitals to allow doulas and companions during childbirth and prioritize bonding between newborns and families.
Education & changes in Virginia schools
- Cell phone limits in schools (HB 1961 / SB 738): Requires public schools to adopt policies that restrict student phone use during school hours, with exceptions for health or learning needs.
- Overdose notification rule (HB 2774 / SB 1240): Requires schools to notify parents within 24 hours of any confirmed or suspected student overdose that happens on or near school grounds.
- Standards of Learning reforms (HB 1957): Overhauls Virginia’s SOL assessments to use a 100-point scale, improve design, and reduce instructional time lost to testing.
- Physical exam rules for student-athletes (SB 1320): Requires middle and high school athletes to submit a completed physical evaluation form within 14 months before tryouts.
Consumer protections and digital rights
- Food vendors banned from using polystyrene, an ingredient in Styrofoam HB (§ 10.1-1424.3.): No food vendor of any type shall dispense prepared food to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container.
- Transparent pricing rules (HB 2515 / SB 1212): Businesses must clearly show the full price of goods and services, including mandatory fees, at the time of display or checkout.
- Gift card fees limited (SB 1371): Prohibits most dormancy or inactivity fees on gift cards unless clear terms and disclosures are provided at the time of purchase.
- Reproductive data privacy (SB 754): Bans the sale, disclosure, or misuse of reproductive or sexual health data without a consumer’s explicit consent.
- Disclosure of identity of Virginia lottery winners (HB 1799): The law prohibits the Virginia Lottery from disclosing the identity of any individual who wins a prize of $1 million or more, unless the winner provides written consent. Previously, this confidentiality only applied to prizes exceeding $10 million.
Alcohol and tobacco changes
- Cocktails-To-Go Made Permanent (HB 2058 / SB 811): This law removes the pending sunset for the delivery of wine, beer, and cocktails-to-go by licensed third-party delivery providers. These bills, in conjunction with prior legislation, continue the same public safety protections, including those related to packaging and labeling, that have been in place.
- Serving Canned Cocktails (SB 868): Mixed beverage licensees can serve the entire contents of a canned cocktail to a single patron if the container is 16 ounces or less and the cocktail’s alcohol by volume content is no greater than 15 percent.
- Human Trafficking Training (HB 2033): The Virginia ABC will now include a human trafficking training module, created by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, in the Authority’s Responsible Sellers & Servers: Virginia’s Program (RSVP) training program.
- Underage Tobacco and Hemp Sales (HB 1946 / SB 1060): A working group will be created to address enforcement of underage sales of tobacco, liquid nicotine, and hemp products. Virginia ABC’s Bureau of Law Enforcement, which conducts an underage buyer program focused on alcohol and tobacco retailers, will contribute to this working group.
- Tied House Exceptions (HB 1703 and SB 834): This new law clarifies the existing statutory exception to allow a manufacturer, bottler or wholesaler to obtain a retail license if the manufacturer, bottler or wholesaler does not sell or otherwise furnish, directly or indirectly, alcoholic beverages or other merchandise to the retail licensee.
Traffic and transportation
- Photo speed enforcement must show active school zone (HB 2718): Photo speed tickets in school zones must clearly show a flashing, blinking, or tilt-over sign indicating the zone was active at the time of the violation.
- Drivers must stop for vulnerable road users (SB 1416): Makes it a traffic infraction not to stop for pedestrians; becomes a Class 1 misdemeanor if it results in serious injury or death to a vulnerable road user.
- All adults must buckle up (HB 2475): Expands Virginia’s seat belt law to require all adult passengers, including those in the back seat, to wear a seat belt while a vehicle is moving.
- New penalties for allowing unlicensed teen drivers (SB 750 / HB 1549): Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to knowingly allow an unlicensed person or unlicensed minor to drive if it results in a crash causing injury or death.
- DMV materials for autistic drivers (HB 2501): Directs the DMV to create communication tools, such as envelopes, for drivers with autism to use during traffic stops to ease interactions.
- Higher towing fees (SB 1332): Increases the maximum hookup and towing fee for standard passenger vehicles from $150 to $210 under Virginia towing regulations.
- Farm trailer lighting exemptions (HB 2458): Allows some farm-use trailers to operate without brake or tail lights on certain rural roads, if equipped with proper reflectors and markings.
- Lupus Awareness plate created (HB 1722): Authorizes a new specialty license plate to raise awareness and funds for the Social Butterflies Foundation.
- Washington Commanders plate replaces Redskins (HB 2721): Updates the previous Washington Redskins specialty plate to reflect the team’s new name and foundation.
- Court may dismiss violations for licensing compliance (HB 1643): Allows judges to dismiss certain traffic violations, like driving without a license, if the driver proves compliance with the law and pays court costs.
(Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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