2025 General Assembly Session

HB 1715 (Watts) / SB 939 (Salim) Mail Theft Penalty

Creates a state-level felony crime for the theft of mail, packages or mail keys. In an effort to reduce the instances of checks obtained through stolen mail and used to commit fraud, the bill would authorize local law enforcement and prosecutors to go after these criminals. The VBA has worked with the US Postal Inspector for Virginia on the bills and supports their passage. Both bills have been assigned their respective chambers’ Courts Committees.

 HB 2120 (Maldonado) / SB 825 (Favola) Elder Financial Abuse Asset Seizure

Allows law enforcement officers to request a warrant issued by the court to seize accounts during the investigation or arrest in connection with suspected elder financial exploitation. This would allow law enforcement to quickly stem the outflow of money and assets fraudulently obtained through elder financial exploitation. The VBA supports these bills and both have been assigned to their respective chambers’ Courts Committees.

HB 2094 (Maldonado) AI Regulation

Creates comprehensive anti-discrimination regulations over the development and deployment of artificial intelligence including requiring disclosure, impact assessments and adverse decision appeals when AI is used for consequential decisioning, including for financial services. Banks are already subject to anti-discrimination laws and regulation regardless of the use of AI and subject to existing and evolving regulatory and supervisory regulation and guidance on the use of AI. The VBA is concerned about this bill.

HB 2073 (Garrett) Debanking

This would prohibit banks from discriminating against customers based on their political opinions, religious beliefs and affiliations, and any other factor other than a quantitative, impartial, and risk-based standard. It also prohibits the use of “social credit scores” based on gun ownership, fossil fuel business, position on illegal immigration and other ESG and DEI subjective measures. This is government intrusion into the decision-making by a bank on the customers it chooses to serve or not based on their risk assessment, which is why the VBA is opposed.