Many laws that were passed by the General Assembly during the 2025 legislative session take effect in Virginia on Tuesday, July 1. A few are highlighted below with links that provide additional details. Use the General Assembly's Legislative Information System, which allows you to search for bills and resolutions by subject, time period and bill number.
New Seatbelt Laws
This change requires all adult passengers in a vehicle to wear seat belts while the vehicle is in motion on a public highway. (Current law only requires adult passengers to wear safety belts when occupying the front seat.) HB 2475
Pedestrian Safety
This law makes it a traffic infraction if a driver fails to stop for pedestrians and makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor if failure to stop results in the serious bodily injury or death of a vulnerable road user lawfully crossing a highway. SB 1416
DMV Requirements for Residents with Special Needs
The DMV will now be required to add non-apparent disabilities on a driver’s license when requested by an applicant and upon presentation of a signed statement confirming the condition. HB 2116
The DMV will also be required to implement a program for the promotion, printing and distribution of envelopes that will assist officers communication with drivers with autism. Envelopes shall contain information about how to best communicate with the person as well as space for the vehicle registration, insurance and emergency contact along with directions for the driver on what to do with the envelope. HB 2501
Student Cell Phone Policies
School Boards are now required to create and implement a policy regarding the possession and use of cell phones on school property. These policies must restrict use deemed as disruptive to the learning environment with limited exceptions, such as need due to a medical condition as dictated in a child’s IEP or 504 plan. This law prohibits any student from being suspended or expelled as a consequence of any violation of such policies. HB 1961/SB 738
Student Overdoses
The law requires public school principals and heads of private schools to report certain information to the parents of enrolled students within 24 hours of a confirmed or suspected school-connected student overdose. HB 2774/SB 1240
Media Protections for Minors
Any social media app must now provide age verification for accounts and, for any account holder under 16, limit use of the application to one hour with a parental consent option to override said limit. SB 854
Another law requires that a child under the age of 16 who meets certain criteria must be compensated when taking part in content creation. HB 2401/SB 998
Fee Visibility
This law prohibits a supplier, in connection with a consumer transaction, from advertising or displaying a price for goods or services without clearly and conspicuously displaying the total price, which shall include all mandatory fees or surcharges. HB 2515/SB 1212
Child Support Changes
The law updates the amounts in the schedule of basic child support obligations based upon gross monthly income from $35,000 to $42,500. SB 805
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