Summary: Virginia Commission to End Hunger established;report. Establishes the Virginia Commission to End Hunger. Thebill states that the purpose of the Commission is to develop anaction plan every two years for ending hunger in the Commonwealth,review the progress of such plan, and ensure cross-collaborationamong government entities and community partners toward the goalof ending hunger in the Commonwealth.

Summary: Virginia Sports and Entertainment Authority and Financing Fund established; report. Establishes the Virginia Sports and Entertainment Authority as a political subdivision charged with financing the construction of a sports and entertainment campus. The Authority is composed of nine members, six of whom are appointed by the Governor and three of whom are appointed by the governing body of the City of Alexandria. Each appointed member is subject to specific criteria for appointment. The bill authorizes the Authority to hire independent contractors, enter contracts, acquire property, borrow money, and exercise other similar powers and exempts it from the Personnel Act and the Public Procurement Act. Under the bill, the Authority may issue bonds with a maximum maturity date of 40 years.The bill entitles the Authority to the following revenues: (i) sales tax revenues from construction and transactions on the campus, defined in the bill, but certain revenues that current law dedicates to transportation and education are excluded; (ii) all pass-through entity tax revenues and corporate income tax revenues from income generated by the company, defined in the bill, or any professional sports team or any affiliates as well as in the development and construction of the campus; and (iii) all personal income tax revenues from income generated through employment and business activity on the campus. It also authorizes the City of Alexandria to appropriate tax revenues to the Authority.The revenues shall be deposited in the Virginia Sports and Entertainment Authority Financing Fund, created in the bill, from which the Authority will deposit revenues into priority accounts for Authority revenues, debt service, subordinate debt service, reserves, and capital expenditures and maintenance. If the Authority determines that all such accounts are sufficiently funded, the bill directs the Authority to issue the excess to the Commonwealth and the City of Alexandria if so provided for in any bond or financing agreements.

Summary: Employment; paid sick leave; civil penalties. Expandsprovisions of the Code that currently require one hour of paid sick leave forevery 30 hours worked for home health workers to cover all employees of privateemployers and state and local governments. The bill requires that employees whoare employed and compensated on a fee-for-service basis accrue paid sick leavein accordance with regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Labor andIndustry. The bill provides that employees transferred to a separate divisionor location remain entitled to previously accrued paid sick leave and thatemployees retain their accrued sick leave under any successor employer. Thebill allows employers to provide a more generous paid sick leave policy thanprescribed by its provisions. Employees, in addition to using paid sick leavefor their physical or mental illness or to care for a family member, may usepaid sick leave for their need for services or relocation due to domesticabuse, sexual assault, or stalking.The bill provides that certain health care workers who work nomore than 30 hours per month may waive the right to accrue and use paid sickleave. The bill also provides that employers are not required to provide paidsick leave to certain health care workers who are employed on a pro re nata, oras-needed, basis, regardless of the number of hours worked. The bill requiresthe Commissioner to promulgate regulations regarding employee notification andemployer recordkeeping requirements.The bill authorizes the Commissioner, in the case of a knowingviolation, to subject an employer to a civil penalty not to exceed $150 for thefirst violation, $300 for the second violation, and $500 for each successiveviolation. The Commissioner may institute proceedings on behalf of an employeeto enforce compliance with the provisions of this bill. Additionally, anaggrieved employee is authorized to bring a civil action against the employerin which he may recover double the amount of any unpaid sick leave and theamount of any actual damages suffered as the result of the employer'sviolation. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

Summary: Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; discharge pilot program; report. Directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to develop and implement a pilot program relating to the discharge of individuals at one state hospital. The bill requires the Department to submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Behavioral Health Commission no later than November 1, 2025.

Summary: Prescription Drug Affordability Board established; drug cost affordability review. Establishes the Prescription Drug Affordability Board for the purpose of protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth and other stakeholders within the health care system from the high costs of prescription drug products. The bill requires the Board to meet in open session at least four times annually, with certain exceptions and requirements enumerated in the bill. Members of the Board are required to disclose any conflicts of interest, as described in the bill. The bill also creates a stakeholder council for the purpose of assisting the Board in making decisions related to drug cost affordability. The bill tasks the Board with identifying prescription, generic, and other drugs, as defined in the bill, that are offered for sale in the Commonwealth and, at the Board's discretion, conducting an affordability review of any prescription drug product. The bill lists factors for the Board to consider that indicate an affordability challenge for the health care system in the Commonwealth or high out-of-pocket costs for patients. The bill also provides that any person aggrieved by a decision of the Board may request an appeal of the Board's decision and that the Attorney General has authority to enforce the provisions of the bill. The bill provides that the Board shall establish no more than 12 upper payment limit amounts annually between January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2028.The bill requires the Board to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly twice annually, beginning on July 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025. Provisions of the bill shall apply to state-sponsored and state-regulated health plans and health programs and obligate such policies to limit drug payment amounts and reimbursements to an upper payment limit amount set by the Board, if applicable, following an affordability review. The bill specifies that Medicare Part D plans shall not be bound by such decisions of the Board.The bill also requires the nonprofit organization contracted by the Department of Health to provide prescription drug price transparency to provide the Board access to certain data reported by manufacturers. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025, and is identical to SB 274.

Summary: Department of Medical Assistance Services; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers; state plan amendments; program rule modifications. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to seek federal authority through the necessary state plan amendments under Titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to modify the program rules for certain 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers to (i) modify the 40-hour-per-week work limit to allow legally responsible individuals with more than one waiver-receiving child to receive reimbursement for 40 hours of work per week per child receiving a waiver; (ii) eliminate the requirement that, in order for a legally responsible individual to receive reimbursement for personal care services, no one else be available to provide services to the member; and (iii) modify the program rules to allow a legally responsible individual or stepparent to be the employer of record. The bill directs DMAS to evaluate the possibility of allowing for respite services under certain 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers and submit its recommendations, cost estimate, and methodology used for obtaining the cost estimate to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2024. This bill is identical to SB 488.

Summary: Board of Health; Department of Health Professions; Prescription Monitoring Program; overdose information. Directs the Board of Health to report Admit, Transfer, and Discharge data elements on patients who overdose on opioids to the Department of Health Professions for use in the Prescription Monitoring Program. The bill requires practitioners to obtain such data when prescribing opioids.

Summary: Virginia Center on Aging; Virginia Memory Project established. Establishes the Virginia Memory Project in the Virginia Center on Aging at Virginia Commonwealth University to collect and analyze data on Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and other neurodegenerative disorders; provide assistance to individuals with Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and other neurodegenerative disorders and their families and physicians; and assist in the development of relevant public policy. The bill provides that no publication of information shall be made that identifies any patient by name. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

Summary: Health insurance; coverage for diabetes.Requires that each insurer providing coverage for diabetes shallinclude benefits for FDA-approved insulin, continuous blood glucosemonitoring, and regular foot care and eye care exams in additionto equipment, supplies, and self-management training and education.The bill allows for such self-management training and education tobe provided either in-person outpatient or through telemedicine. Under the bill, such coverage for self-management training and educationshall include up to three outpatient visits upon an individual receivingan initial diagnosis of diabetes and up to two medically necessaryvisits to a qualified provider upon a significant change in the patient'ssymptoms or medical condition. The bill also repeals certain provisionsof law related to cost-sharing for insulin and provides that thecoverage required by the bill shall be exempt from any deductibleor cost-sharing payment requirement. The provisions of the bill applyto insurance policies, contracts, and plans issued for delivery,reissued, extended, or amended on and after January 1, 2025.

Summary: Workers' compensation benefits; post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters. Removes the provision in the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act requiring that benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters acting in the line of duty be provided for a maximum of 52 weeks from the date of diagnosis.

Summary: Health insurance; coverage for autism spectrumdisorder; cost-sharing requirements prohibited for certain individuals.Prohibits a health carrier from imposing any copayment, coinsurance,or deductible for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and thetreatment of autism spectrum disorder for individuals who are age18 or younger.

Summary: Health insurance; health care provider panels; continuity of care. Requires a provider to continue to render health care services to any of the carrier's enrollees who have an existing provider-patient relationship with the provider for a period of at least 90 days from the date of a provider's termination from the carrier's provider panel, except when a provider is terminated for cause. The bill provides that for an enrollee who has an existing provider-patient relationship with a provider, and, at the time of the provider's termination, (i) has been medically confirmed to be pregnant, the provider is required to continue care through the postpartum period; (ii) is determined to be terminally ill, the provider is required to continue care for the remainder of the enrollee's life; (iii) has been determined by a medical professional to have a life-threatening condition, the provider is required to continue care for up to 180 days; and (iv) is admitted to and receiving treatment in an inpatient facility, the provider is required to continue care until the enrollee is discharged from the inpatient facility. Under current law, the carrier is required to permit the provider to provide such continuity of care. The bill provides that the continuity of care provisions also apply to plans administered by the Department of Medical Assistance Services that provide benefits pursuant to Title XIX or Title XXI of the Social Security Act.

Summary: Administrative Process Act; exemptions; limitations; appeals of case decisions regarding benefits sought. Provides that in appeals of case decisions regarding the grant or denial of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, general relief, auxiliary grants, or state-local hospitalization, the review shall be based upon the agency record and the court may enter intermediate relief. The bill also provides that in such appeals, unless an error of law appears, the court shall enter judgment by dismissing the review action or affirming the agency regulation or decision.

Summary: Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; Virginia Health Care Career and Technical Training and Education Fund created; psychological practitioner defined; educational requirements for nursing faculty. Modifies the enabling legislation for the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority by adding four additional ex officio members to the Authority's Board of Directors, adding setting priorities for and managing graduate medical education programs to the duties of the Authority, specifying additional recipients of the Board's biennial report, and authorizing the Authority to partner with other agencies and institutions to obtain and manage health workforce data. The bill establishes the Virginia Health Care Career and Technical Training and Education Fund. The bill directs the Board of Nursing to add or remove certain educational requirements for members of the nursing faculty in specified nursing education programs and establishes a licensing procedure by the Board of Psychology for a psychological practitioner, as defined by the bill. The bill directs the Board of Nursing and the Board of Psychology to adopt regulations to implement relevant provisions of the bill to be effective no later than January 1, 2025. This bill is identical to SB 155.

Summary: Study; Joint Commission on Health Care; policy solutions to the Commonwealth's fentanyl crisis; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care (JCHC) to study policy solutions to the Commonwealth's fentanyl crisis. The resolution directs JCHC to (i) study the causes of the rise in fentanyl prevalence and fentanyl overdoses in the Commonwealth, (ii) study the impact of the rise in fentanyl prevalence and fentanyl overdoses in the Commonwealth on Virginians and the Commonwealth's health care system, (iii) study and provide insight into the fentanyl crisis within the context of other drug crises and addiction trends in recent history, and (iv) establish and make policy recommendations related to reducing the prevalence of fentanyl in the Commonwealth and reducing the number of fentanyl overdoses in the Commonwealth. The resolution requires JCHC to complete its meetings by November 30, 2025, and to submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly for each year.

Summary: Consecutive terms of imprisonment. Eliminates the required imposition of mandatory consecutive sentences of imprisonment.

Summary: Insurance; Fire Programs Fund; purposes. Provides that the portion of the Fire Programs Fund allocated to localities may be used for the additional purposes of (i) constructing, improving, or expanding fire station facilities, (ii) providing mental health resources, or (iii) hiring additional fire personnel and funding recruitment and retention programs. The bill also prohibits such funds from being used, except as provided, for the purposes of investments, operating expenses, debt repayment, taxes, or fees.

Summary: Purchase, possession, and sale of retail tobacco products; retail tobacco products and liquid nicotine tax; penalties. Prohibits Internet sales of liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor products, except to a retail dealer, and prohibits the sale of retail tobacco products from vending machines. The bill updates, for the purpose of the crime of selling or distributing tobacco products to a person younger than 21 years of age, the definition of "retail tobacco products" by including in such definition products currently defined as "nicotine vapor products" or "alternative nicotine vapor products." The bill also removes provisions prohibiting the attempt to purchase, the purchase, or the possession of tobacco products by persons younger than 21 years of age.The bill provides that the punishment of a retail dealer that sells, gives, or furnishes a tobacco product to a person younger than 21 years of age or to a person who does not demonstrate that such person is at least 21 years of age is (i) a civil penalty of $1,000 for a first offense within a 36-month period, (ii) a civil penalty of $5,000 for a second offense within a 36-month period such retail dealer shall become subject to specific age-verification requirements, (iii) a civil penalty of $10,000 and a 30-day suspension of such retail dealer's distributor's license for a third offense within a 36-month period, and (iv) revocation of such license and such retail dealer shall be ineligible to hold a license for a period of three years following the most recent violation for a fourth offense within a 36-month period. The bill requires the Department of Taxation, in collaboration with the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority and local law enforcement, to conduct a compliance check every 24 months on any retail dealer selling retail tobacco products and to use a person younger than 21 years of age to conduct such checks.The bill also imposes a tax upon liquid nicotine in closed systems, as defined in the bill, at the rate of $0.066 per milliliter and upon liquid nicotine in open systems, as defined in the bill, at the rate of 20 percent of the wholesale price for purchases on and after July 1, 2024. The bill applies licensing requirements to manufacturers, distributors, and retail dealers of liquid nicotine and creates new safety requirements related to the advertising, marketing, and labeling of liquid nicotine and nicotine vapor products. This bill is identical to SB 582.

Summary: Electronic communication systems within state correctional facilities; telephone calls and communication services; lowest available rates. Requires the Department of Corrections to provide telephone systems and web-based or electronic communications systems and that such systems shall be established at the lowest available rates. The maximum number of telephone numbers permitted on an approved call list must be no fewer than 20.

Summary: Vehicle exhaust systems; inspection and administrative fee. Prohibits passenger car exhaust systems from emitting noise in excess of 95 decibels in Planning District 8 on any highway; driveway or premises of a church, school, recreational facility, or business; any governmental property open to the public; any industrial establishment providing parking space for customers, patrons, or employees; and any highway under construction or not yet open to the public. The bill allows, in Planning District 8, a law-enforcement officer to stop a passenger car he determines is emitting exhaust system noise in excess of such limit and issue a notice of an administrative fee of $250 to be assessed at the time of the vehicle's next registration renewal and establishes a process for inspecting such vehicle. The bill has a contingent effective date of January 1, 2025, provided that the Department of Environmental Quality has received the necessary funding to supply the necessary equipment for such vehicle exhaust system inspections to inspection stations. The bill sunsets on July 1, 2027.

Summary: Liquid nicotine and nicotine vapor products; certification and directory; penalties. Requires every manufacturer of liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor products that are sold for retail sale in the Commonwealth to certify to the Attorney General that (i) the manufacturer has received a marketing authorization or similar order for the liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or (ii) (a) the liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product was marketed in the United States as of August 8, 2016, or (b) the manufacturer submitted a premarket tobacco product application for the liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product to the FDA on or before September 9, 2020, and such application either remains under review by the FDA or a final decision on the application has not otherwise taken effect. The bill requires a manufacturer to submit such a form for each liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product that such manufacturer sells for retail sale in the Commonwealth. Under the bill, any manufacturer that falsely represents any of the information required by the certification requirement is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor for each false representation.The bill requires the Attorney General to establish and maintain a directory that lists all liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product manufacturers and liquid nicotine and nicotine vapor products for which current and accurate certification forms have been submitted. The bill requires the Attorney General to remove or exclude from such directory any such product that is not in compliance and to notify the manufacturer of such noncompliance. The bill allows a 10-business-day period for a manufacturer to establish compliance. The bill requires that any such products that are removed from the list be sold or removed from retail sale within 30 days or become subject to seizure and requires a manufacturer, wholesaler, or retail dealer to notify each purchaser of a removed product that it has been removed from the directory at the time of delivery of such product. The bill entitles such a purchaser to a refund of the purchase price and creates a cause of action to recover such refund.The bill prohibits the sale, distribution, importation, or offer for sale of any liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product that is not listed in the directory. The bill provides for a civil penalty of $1,000 per day for each product offered for sale in violation of the bill's provisions until the offending product is removed from the market or until the offending product is properly listed on the directory.The bill requires any person that receives, stores, sells, handles, or transports liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor products to preserve all records relating to the purchase, sale, exchange, receipt, or transportation of all liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor products for a period of three years. The bill provides that all such records are subject to audit or inspection at any time by any duly authorized representative of the Attorney General. Any person who violates the recordkeeping provisions of the bill is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.Additionally, the bill provides that the Department of Taxation, the Attorney General, any other law-enforcement agency of the Commonwealth, or any federal law-enforcement agency conducting a criminal investigation involving the trafficking of liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor products may access at any time such records. The bill requires the Department of Taxation to impose a penalty of $1,000 for each day that a person fails or refuses to allow or cooperate with an audit, inspection, or investigation of such records.The bill authorizes the Attorney General and, with the concurrence of the Attorney General, any attorney for the Commonwealth, or the attorney for any city, county, or town to cause an action to enjoin any violation of the provisions of the bill. The circuit courts are authorized by the bill to (a) issue temporary or permanent injunctions to restrain and prevent violations of the provisions of the bill and (b) order forfeiture of any property seized for such a violation. The bill authorizes the Attorney General to issue a civil investigative demand.Under the bill, any retailer and wholesaler that sells or distributes any liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product in the Commonwealth is subject to scheduled or unscheduled compliance checks carried out by the Attorney General, or an agent thereof, for enforcement purposes.The bill requires the Attorney General to provide an annual report to the General Assembly regarding the status of the directory, manufacturers and products included in the directory, and revenues and expenditures related to and enforcement activities undertaken pursuant to the requirements of the bill.Finally, the bill makes a violation of its provisions a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. This bill is identical to SB 550.

Summary: Law-enforcement training; individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish compulsory minimum and in-service training standards for law-enforcement officers on communicating with individuals with an intellectual disability or a developmental disability, such as autism spectrum disorder, which shall include (i) an overview and behavioral recognition of autism spectrum disorder, (ii) best practices for crisis prevention and de-escalation techniques, (iii) an objective review of any relevant tools and technology available to assist in communication, and (iv) education on law-enforcement agency and community resources for the autism community on future crisis prevention. The bill requires that such training standards be established in consultation with at least one individual with autism spectrum disorder, one family member of an individual with autism spectrum disorder, one specialist who works with individuals with autism spectrum disorder, one representative from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and one representative from a state or local law-enforcement agency. The bill requires the Department to establish such training standards by January 1, 2027, and requires any person employed as a law-enforcement officer prior to July 1, 2024, to complete the compulsory in-service training by July 1, 2028. This bill is identical to SB 547.

Summary: Electronic sales by dealers; titling. Authorizes certain motor vehicle dealers to choose to sell a motor vehicle electronically by obtaining a title in the dealer's name for resale. This bill has a contingent effective date of the earlier of (i) July 1, 2025, or (ii) receipt of proper notification that a secure power of attorney prescribed by federal law and in a form approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles is available to motor vehicle dealers to be electronically signed by a purchaser.

Summary: Surveillance technology reporting by state and local law-enforcement agencies and sheriff's departments. Requires all state and local law-enforcement agencies and sheriff's departments to provide to the Department of Criminal Justice Services (the Department) a list of surveillance technologies, defined in the bill, procured by such agencies and departments on an annual basis by November 1 of each year. The bill requires the Department to provide such information to the Virginia State Crime Commission and the Joint Commission on Technology and Science.

Summary: Active-duty status for any service member injured while in the line of duty. Provides that the Adjutant General may maintain state active-duty status for any service member injured while in the line of duty during the course of a state active-duty mission who is unable to return to civilian employment for a period of up to 90 days after the date of the service member's injury.

Summary: Virginia Recycling Development Center established; report. Establishes the Virginia Recycling Development Center for the purposes of furthering the development of markets and processing for recycled commodities and products, to be run by a Director appointed and supervised by the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources. The bill creates the Virginia Recycling Development Center Advisory Committee, establishes reporting requirements, and creates the Recycling Market Development Fund to be used to fund the Center. The bill requires the Advisory Committee to make recommendations on the sources of potential funding for and detailed qualifying uses of the Fund and report its recommendations to the Secretary no later than October 1, 2024. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2038.

Summary: Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Department of Forestry; Office of Farmland Preservation transferred. Transfers from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to the Department of Forestry the Office of Farmland Preservation and its powers and duties and reporting requirements, the Virginia Farm Link Program, the Century Farm Program, and the Virginia Farmland and Forestland Preservation Fund. The bill renames the Office as the Office of Working Lands Preservation. The bill makes technical amendments to effectuate the transfer and requires the Department of Environmental Quality to report to the Department of Forestry by July 1 of each year certain enumerated information about nonpoint source nutrient credits certified in the previous year that involve land use conversion. This bill is identical to SB 616.

Summary: Hazardous Substance Facility Response Plans; civil penalties. Requires any person that is required to submit a facility response plan under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Water Act Hazardous Substance Worst Case Discharge Planning Regulations to submit evidence of an EPA-approved facility response plan to the Department of Environmental Quality within a certain time period and to comply with such plan. The bill provides certain requirements for reporting, recordkeeping, and inspection and authorizes the Department to initiate a civil action to obtain certain equitable relief for violations of the bill's provisions. The bill imposes civil penalties for any person that negligently, willfully, or knowingly (i) discharges or causes to discharge a hazardous substance from a facility or (ii) fails to implement or comply with an EPA-approved facility response plan. Finally, the bill provides a delayed effective date of the next fiscal year immediately following the effective date of the EPA's final rule on Clean Water Act Hazardous Substance Worst Case Discharge Planning and requires the Department to develop guidance to implement the provisions of the bill in the six months preceding such effective date.

Summary: Virginia Business Ready Expedited Permitting Program established; report. Establishes the Virginia Business Ready Expedited Permitting Program and directs the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to designate up to two sites and four projects for participation in the Program. Sites and projects eligible for the Program shall include only (i) sites eligible for a site development grant under the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program or (ii) projects with significant local, regional, or statewide economic impact that the governing body of the locality in which the project is located has either (a) approved following a public meeting or hearing or (b) submitted, by resolution, for consideration to be included in the Program. No more than two eligible sites or projects shall be designated as part of the Program within any locality annually. The Authority shall complete a review process within 45 days of designating a site to reduce permitting conflicts and provide relevant guidance to applicants. The bill also provides that no project shall be considered eligible to enter the Program after December 31, 2027, and requires annual reporting from the Authority. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025, and expires on June 30, 2028. This bill is identical to SB 217.

Summary: Department of Conservation and Recreation; two-year pilot program; all-terrain power wheelchairs in state parks. Provides that the Department of Conservation and Recreation shall establish a two-year pilot program beginning October 1, 2024, and ending October 30, 2026, to enhance accessibility for individuals with limited mobility in Virginia's state parks by providing all-terrain power wheelchairs that may be used by such persons during their visits. The bill permits the Department to choose the locations for the pilot program and enter into a contract for the purchase of all-terrain power wheelchairs to be used in the pilot program. The bill allows the Department to adopt guidelines to administer the pilot program and requires the Department to make a report available to the public regarding the outcome of the pilot program on its website by November 1, 2026.

Summary: Unemployment compensation; continuation of benefits; repayment of overpayments. Reinstates provisions of the Code that expired on July 1, 2022, relating to unemployment compensation. The bill provides that when a claimant has had a determination of initial eligibility for unemployment benefits, as determined by the issuance of compensation or waiting-week credit, payments shall continue, subject to a presumption of continued eligibility, until a determination is made that provides the claimant notice and an opportunity to be heard. The bill requires the Virginia Employment Commission to waive the obligation to repay any overpayment if (i) the overpayment was made without fault on the part of the individual receiving benefits and (ii) requiring repayment would be contrary to equity and good conscience. Conditions for when overpayments are considered "without fault on the part of the individual" are outlined in the bill. The bill further provides that the Commission shall notify each person with an unpaid overpayment of benefits that he may be entitled to a waiver of repayment and provide 30 days to request such a waiver. This applies to outstanding overpayments established for claim weeks commencing on or after March 15, 2020. Finally, the bill adds overpayments that the Commission has waived the requirement to repay to the list of situations where specific employers are not responsible for benefit charges. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2028. This bill is identical to SB 536.

Summary: Virginia Verified Meat certification. Prohibits any person from labeling any product as Virginia Verified Meat if it does not meet the definition of that term in the bill and allows any person not employed by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to be eligible to certify Virginia Verified Meat claims if approved by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Summary: Compensation of court-appointed counsel. Raises the limitation of fees that court-appointed counsel can receive for representation on various offenses in district and circuit courts. The bill also limits the fees charged for the cost of court-appointed counsel or public defender representation to persons determined to be indigent to an amount no greater than the amount such person would have owed if such fees had been assessed on or before June 30, 2024. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025. This bill is identical to SB 356.

Summary: Maximum number of judges in each judicial district and circuit. Increases by one the maximum number of authorized juvenile and domestic relations district court judges in the Twentieth and Thirty-first Judicial Districts. The bill also increases by one the maximum number of authorized circuit court judges in the First, Ninth, Fifteenth, and Twenty-fifth Judicial Circuits. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and the Judicial Council of Virginia. This bill incorporates HB 154 and HB 717 and is identical to SB 710.

Summary: Nonbinary sex or gender designation option.Requires all forms or applications to offer any applicant the optionof "male," "female," or "nonbinary" when designating the applicant'ssex or gender. The bill contains technical amendments.

Summary: Community service work in lieu of payment of fines and costs; work performed while incarcerated. Requires a court to establish a program and allow any person upon whom a fine and costs have been imposed to discharge all or part of the fine or costs by earning credits for the performance of community service work or work performed while incarcerated, defined in the bill as any work done on or after July 1, 2020, by a person confined in any penal or corrective institution of the Commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions who is paid a wage that is less than the Virginia minimum wage. The bill requires such program be available during imprisonment in a local, regional, or state correctional facility. The bill provides that a person who is performing work while incarcerated shall be credited at the same rate as the community service work rate less any wages received. Under current law, a court is required to establish a program for providing an option for community service work in lieu of payment of fines and costs but offering such option is not mandatory. The bill also requires the local, regional, or state correctional facility to provide confirmation of the hours worked and the credits earned for such work upon request of any person who has performed work while incarcerated or his representative.

Summary: Rate of fees; legal representation of indigent defendant. Limits the fees charged for the cost of court-appointed counsel or public defender representation to persons determined to be indigent to an amount no greater than the amount such person would have owed if such fees had been assessed on or before June 30, 2024.

Summary: Fines and costs; period of limitations on collection; deferred payment agreement. Changes the period of limitations for the collection of court fines and costs from within 60 years from the date of the offense or delinquency giving rise to imposition of such penalty if imposed by a circuit court or within 30 years if imposed by a general district court to within 10 years from the date of the judgment whether imposed by a circuit court or general district court. The bill provides that upon the expiration of the period of limitations, no action shall be brought to collect the debt.The bill also provides that for any defendant sentenced to an active term of incarceration and ordered to pay any fine, cost, forfeiture, or penalty related to the charge that such defendant is incarcerated for, or any other charge for which such defendant was sentenced on the same day, the court shall enter such defendant into a deferred payment agreement for such fines, costs, forfeitures, or penalties. The bill requires the due date for such deferred payment agreement to be set no earlier than the defendant's scheduled release from incarceration on the charge for which such defendant received the longest period of active incarceration. This bill is identical to SB 514.

Summary: Standards for attorneys appointed to represent parents or guardians; child dependency cases; compensation; multidisciplinary law offices or programs; report. Requires the Judicial Council of Virginia, in conjunction with the Virginia State Bar, beginning July 1, 2026, to adopt standards for the qualification and performance of attorneys appointed to represent a parent or guardian of a child when such child is the subject of a child dependency case, as defined in the bill. The bill also requires the Judicial Council of Virginia, beginning July 1, 2026, to maintain a list of attorneys admitted to practice law in Virginia who are qualified to be appointed to represent indigent parents involved in a child dependency case. Prior to July 1, 2026, counsel must be appointed from the list of attorneys qualified to serve as guardians ad litem. The bill provides that beginning January 1, 2025, court-appointed counsel for a parent, guardian, or other adult in a child dependency case will be compensated in an amount no greater than $330, or in a case for the termination of residual parental rights, $680.The bill authorizes the establishment of up to two multidisciplinary law offices or programs in localities, jurisdictions, or judicial districts that affirm they have met specified criteria for the purpose of representing parents in a child dependency court proceeding or in a child protective services assessment or investigation prior to such proceeding. During any calendar year that such an office or program is in effect for at least six months, the office or program must submit a report on program outcomes, expenses, recommendations, and other pertinent information to the Office of the Children's Ombudsman and the Chairmen of the House Committees for Courts of Justice and on Health and Human Services and Appropriations and the Senate Committees for Courts of Justice and on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations by November 1.

Summary: Virginia Public Procurement Act; additional public works contract requirements. Provides that public bodies shall require the contractor and its subcontractors for any capital outlay project, as defined in the bill, to complete certain safety training programs, maintain records of compliance with applicable laws, and participate in approved apprenticeship training programs. The bill provides exemptions from such requirements for reasons related to lack of availability of apprentices and high costs. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.

Summary: Department of General Services; Office of PharmaceuticalServices; report. Establishes in the Department of General Servicesan Office of Pharmaceutical Services to develop and execute a planto consolidate state agency prescription drug purchasing and pharmacy benefit management programs to increase efficiency in prescriptiondrug purchasing and constrain spending on prescription drugs. Thebill directs the Department to provide to the Governor and the GeneralAssembly an interim report on the development of the plan by November1, 2024, and a final report on the plan by November 1, 2025.

Summary: Information Technology Access Act; digital accessibility. Makes numerous organizational changes to the Information Technology Access Act. The bill defines "information and communications technology" as it relates to digital accessibility, defined in the bill, for all persons with disabilities. The bill permits the head of each covered entity, defined in the bill, to designate an employee to serve as such covered entity's digital accessibility coordinator and provides that such digital accessibility coordinator is responsible for developing and implementing such covered entity's digital accessibility policy. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.