Summary: Energy upgrade programs; Phase I and Phase II Utilities; State Corporation Commission to study feasibility; work group; report. Directs the State Corporation Commission to convene a work group to study the feasibility of the implementation of an energy upgrade program for eligible customers opting to participate by each Phase I and Phase II Utility, which program would permit such utility to (i) install one or more energy projects, as defined in the bill, at a participant's location and (ii) collect a special rate, as defined in the bill, to repay the costs of such installation. The bill requires the Commission to report the findings and recommendations of the work group to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Labor and Commerce, the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation by January 1, 2025.

Summary: Study; JLARC; effects of gun violence on communities; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the social, physical, emotional, and economic effects of gun violence on communities across the Commonwealth.

Summary: Joint Commission on Technology and Science analysis; blockchain, digital asset mining, and cryptocurrency; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Technology and Science to conduct an analysis of and make recommendations regarding the use of blockchain technology, digital asset mining, and cryptocurrency in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Commission to submit its findings to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations and Communications, Technology and Innovation and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and General Laws and Technology no later than December 1, 2024.

Summary: Autism Advisory Council; reestablished. Reestablishes the Autism Advisory Council, which expired July 1, 2022. The bill also increases from eight to 25 the number of Council members, establishes eligibility criteria for nonlegislative citizen members, and provides that no recommendation of the Council shall be adopted if a majority of the legislative members appointed to the Council vote against the recommendation and for the recommendation to fail notwithstanding the majority vote of the Council. The law prior to expiration of the Council provided that no Council recommendation could be adopted if a majority of the House members or Senate members voted against the recommendation and for the recommendation to fail notwithstanding the majority vote of the Council. The bill has a sunset date of July 1, 2027. 

Summary: Joint Commission on Technology and Science; analysis of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS) to conduct an analysis of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency in the Commonwealth and the creation of a Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Commission. JCOTS shall submit a report of its findings to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations and Communications, Technology and Innovation and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and General Laws and Technology no later than December 1, 2024.

Summary: Regulation of towing fees; State CorporationCommission; report. Directs the State Corporation Commission to examine the existing regulation of fees charged for the removal ofvehicles and identify policy options for the Commission to assumeall or part of such regulation. The bill requires the Commissionto report its findings to the General Assembly by November 30, 2024.

Summary: Joint Commission on Technology and Science; analysis of the use of artificial intelligence by public bodies; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS), in consultation with relevant stakeholders, to conduct an analysis of the use of artificial intelligence by public bodies in the Commonwealth and the creation of a Commission on Artificial Intelligence. JCOTS shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations and Communications, Technology and Innovation and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and General Laws and Technology no later than December 1, 2024. This bill incorporates SB 621.

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 HB 857.

Summary: Behavioral Health Commission; behavioral health and crisis response services; civil admissions laws and processes; work group; report. Directs the Behavioral Health Commission to convene a work group to study how to effectively align current civil admissions laws and processes with new behavioral health and crisis response services and resources in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Behavioral Health Commission to make recommendations for any statutory, regulatory, licensing, training, and reimbursement changes related to Virginia's current civil admissions process and to report such recommendations by July 1, 2025.

Summary: Virginia Crime Commission; surveillance technology;report. Adds to the powers and duties of the Virginia Crime Commission(the Commission) the power to conduct an annual study on surveillancetechnology, defined in the bill, utilized by local and state law-enforcementagencies throughout the Commonwealth, including (i) the technology'spotential impact on privacy rights and civil liberties, with particularattention to potential disparate impacts on different communitiesand populations; (ii) the technology's effectiveness for law or regulatoryenforcement purposes, and the likelihood that evidence collectedthrough such technology will be considered inadmissible in a courtof competent jurisdiction; (iii) the potential for the misuse ofthe technology or any data that is collected through the use of suchtechnology and safeguards to prevent such misuse; (iv) existing lawsand regulations governing the technology and whether additional legislationis necessary to regulate its use; and (v) any recommendation as towhether technology utilized by a locality should be implemented throughoutthe Commonwealth. The bill provides that the Commission shall submita report of its findings to the Chairmen of the House Committee forCourts of Justice, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and theGovernor within six months of beginning the study and shall makesuch report available to the public on the website of the Commission.

Summary: Study; JLARC; salaries and expenses of legislators; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the salaries, expense allowances, retirement benefits, and other emoluments received by members of the General Assembly and to make recommendations for any adjustments to such salaries or expenses. As part of this study, JLARC will review the current salaries, expense allowances, retirement benefits, and other emoluments of the members of the General Assembly; examine the Commonwealth's history of legislative compensation; review the compensation, expenses, and benefits for legislative service in other states; assess various state methodologies in determining reasonable legislative compensation, including the tying of salaries to certain indexes or economic indicators; and make recommendations for any adjustments to such salaries, expenses, benefits, or other emoluments.

Summary: Study; JLARC; creation of Secretariat of RuralAffairs; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and ReviewCommission to study the need for and feasibility of creating a Secretariatof Rural Affairs in the Commonwealth.

Summary: Study; State Corporation Commission; electric utilities; performance-based regulatory tools; competitive service providers; report. Requests the State Corporation Commission, in consultation with the Department of Energy, to study performance-based regulatory tools for investor-owned electric utilities and competitive service providers in the Commonwealth.

Summary: Temporary detention; certified evaluators; report. Authorizes hospitals with a psychiatric emergency department located in the City of Hampton to employ certain trained individuals to perform evaluations to determine whether a person meets the criteria for temporary detention for behavioral health treatment. The bill requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to annually report the length of time between when a person who is the subject of an emergency custody order arrives at the psychiatric emergency department of a participating hospital and when the temporary detention order evaluation is completed and (ii) the number of (a) admissions, (b) psychiatric emergency department visits, (c) temporary detention order evaluations completed, (d) temporary detention orders executed, (e) individuals under temporary detention admitted to the participating hospital, and (f) individuals transferred from the psychiatric emergency department of the participating hospital to a state facility to the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Behavioral Health Commission. The bill requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to report monthly to the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services the number of (a) crisis evaluations conducted each month; (b) temporary detention orders executed as a result of such evaluations and the percentage of evaluations such temporary detention orders represent; (c) reportable events associated with such temporary detention orders and the percentage of temporary detention orders that such reportable events represent; (d) certain reportable events; and (e) other events. The bill requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to submit by October 1, 2026, to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health and Human Services an evaluation of the overall effectiveness of certified evaluators conducting temporary detention order evaluations pursuant to the bill. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2026.

Summary: Department of Social Services; task force; application for and use of foster care benefits; report. Directs the Department of Social Services to establish a task force with relevant stakeholders to assess the feasibility of (i) requiring local departments of social services to apply for benefits administered by the U.S. Social Security Administration or the Department of Veterans Affairs on behalf of children in foster care, (ii) prohibiting the use of federal benefits to pay for the care and support of children in foster care that the Commonwealth is otherwise obligated to pay for, and (iii) requiring local departments of social services that are representative payees for children in foster care to conserve such federal benefits in an appropriate trust instrument or protected account that is exempt from federal asset and resource limits. The bill requires the Department of Social Services to report its findings to the Chairmen of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Rehabilitation and Social Services and the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services by November 1, 2024.

Summary: SNAP; employment and training. Requires all local departments of social services to offer a voluntary employment and training program for SNAP benefits program participants from funds so appropriated.

Summary: Virginia Commission for the Arts; membership. Reduces the membership of the Virginia Commission for the Arts from 13 to nine members and requires at least one member to be appointed from each of the eight superintendent's regions. Current law requires at least one but no more than two members to be appointed from each congressional district in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to HB 832.

Summary: State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; regulations; crisis receiving centers; appropriate and safe use of seclusion; work group; report. Directs the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to amend its regulations to ensure that its licensing and human rights regulations support high-quality crisis services, including by authorizing the appropriate and safe use of seclusion in crisis receiving centers and crisis stabilization units. The bill exempts the Board's initial adoption of such regulations from the provisions of the Administrative Process Act. The bill also directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to convene a work group to propose additional regulations to allow for the use of (i) evidence-based and recovery-oriented seclusion and restraint practices and (ii) alternative behavior management practices that may limit or replace the use of seclusion and restraint in hospitals, residential programs, and licensed facilities. The bill requires the Department to submit a report of its findings, recommendations, and proposed regulations to the General Assembly by November 1, 2025.

Summary: Transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment; pilot program. Directs the Department of Veterans Services to establish a pilot program with two locations to make electroencephalogram (EEG) combined transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment available for certain military members, veterans, first responders, law-enforcement officers, and certain agents of federal agencies, and family members of the aforementioned individuals. The bill requires the Department to establish regulations for administration of the pilot program.

Summary: Decreasing probation period; criteria for mandatory reduction; report. Establishes criteria for which a defendant's supervised probation period shall be reduced, including completing qualifying educational activities, maintaining verifiable employment, and complying with or completing any state-certified or state-approved mental health or substance abuse treatment program. The bill provides that a court may decrease a defendant's probation period if warranted by the defendant's conduct and in the interests of justice and may do so without a hearing. The bill also directs the Department of Corrections to meet with relevant stakeholders and provide to the General Assembly by November 1, 2024, a report regarding certain probation practices. The provisions of the bill, other than the requirement that the Department submit a report to the General Assembly, are subject to reenactment by the 2025 Session of the General Assembly. This bill is identical to HB 457.

Summary: Misdemeanor; maximum term of confinement. Reduces from 12 months to 364 days the maximum term of confinement in jail for a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill contains technical amendments. The bill also requires the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission to revise all labels on Sentencing Guidelines worksheets and instructions in the Sentencing Guidelines manual so that any conviction for an offense defined as a Class 1 misdemeanor or any other misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of 364 days of incarceration, as provided by the bill, shall be scored as if the maximum penalty were 12 months for the purposes of preparing and using the discretionary sentencing guidelines.

Summary: Task Force on Fentanyl and Heroin Enforcement established. Creates the Task Force on Fentanyl and Heroin Enforcement whose purpose is to study ways to enhance the ability of law-enforcement officers throughout the Commonwealth to combat the illegal manufacturing, importation, and distribution of fentanyl, heroin, and other similar controlled substances. The bill requires the Task Force to meet at least annually and to report to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1 of each year regarding its activities and any recommendations.

Summary: Carnal knowledge and sexual battery; persons detained or arrested by a law-enforcement officer; confidential informants, pretrial defendants or posttrial offenders; penalty. Provides that an accused is guilty of carnal knowledge of a person serving as a confidential informant, defined in the bill, if he (i) is a law-enforcement officer; (ii) knows that such person is serving as a confidential informant for the law-enforcement agency where such officer is employed; and (iii) carnally knows, without use of force, threat, or intimidation, such confidential informant while such person is serving as a confidential informant or is expected to testify in a criminal case for which the confidential informant assisted the law-enforcement agency with its investigation. The bill provides that such offense is a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides that an accused is guilty of sexual battery if he sexually abuses (a) a person detained or arrested by a law-enforcement officer and the accused is a law-enforcement officer, (b) a pretrial defendant or posttrial offender and the accused is an owner or employee of the bail company that posted the pretrial defendant's or posttrial offender's bond, or (c) a person serving as a confidential informant and the accused is a law-enforcement officer. Current law provides that sexual battery is a Class 1 misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class 6 felony for a third or subsequent offense.

Summary: Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; blue catfish work group; report. Requires the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders in order to support and encourage coordination regarding efforts to create a robust and resilient market for blue catfish. The work group shall (i) review past and ongoing efforts to promote the creation of a market for blue catfish, (ii) identify and explore potential sectors for the blue catfish market, and (iii) identify any actions that the Commonwealth can take to promote and expand the market for blue catfish. The Department shall submit a report of the findings and recommendations of the work group to the Governor, the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, and relevant committees of the General Assembly no later than September 1, 2025. This bill is identical to HB 1135.

Summary: Petition for modification of a sentence; eligibility; procedures. Provides procedures for individuals serving a sentence for certain felony convictions or a combination of such convictions who remain incarcerated in a state or local correctional facility or secure facility and meet certain criteria to petition the circuit court that entered the original judgment or order to (i) suspend the unserved portion of such sentence or run the unserved portion of such sentence concurrently with another sentence, (ii) place such person on probation for such time as the court shall determine, or (iii) otherwise modify the sentence imposed. Depending on the type of conviction, the bill allows the court to grant a hearing on such petition after an individual has served at least 25 years for certain offenses, after 20 years for certain other offenses, and after 15 years for any other felony conviction not specified. The bill does not allow an individual convicted of a Class 1 felony to petition for modification of his sentence. The bill requires the attorney for the Commonwealth and the victim to agree to hearing the petition in order for a court to conduct the hearing.

Summary: Office of the Department of Corrections Ombudsman; created. Creates, within the Office of the State Inspector General, the Office of the Department of Corrections Ombudsman (the Office) headed by an Ombudsman who is selected by a Corrections Oversight Committee (the Committee), also created by the bill. The bill provides that the Committee is made up of eight members of the General Assembly and 11 nonlegislative citizen members who monitor the activities of the Ombudsman and the Department of Corrections (the Department). The bill provides the Office with authority to conduct inspections at least once every three years and more often when warranted of Department or Board of Local and Regional Jails facilities and requires the Office to establish a confidential telephone hotline and paper and electronic forms for the submission of concerns, complaints, and inquiries by inmates, their family members and friends, and advocates. In addition, the bill requires the Committee to hold at least one public hearing per year and requires the Office to submit an annual report to the Governor, the Attorney General, the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice, the House Committee on Public Safety, the Committee, and the Director of the Department.

Summary: Department of Forestry; Forestland and Urban Tree Canopy Conservation Plan required. Requires the Department of Forestry, in coordination with a Technical Advisory Committee composed of stakeholders, to develop a Forestland and Urban Tree Canopy Conservation Plan no later than November 1, 2026, and update such plan at least once every five years thereafter. The bill requires the Department to post and maintain on its website the most recent version of the Plan and to submit the Plan to the Governor and Chairmen of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources no later than November 30, 2026, and following any update to such plan. This bill is identical to HB 309.

Summary: Controlled substances; manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, etc.; adulterated or misbranded drugs; penalties. Makes it a Class 6 felony for any person, except for permitted manufacturers, to possess, purchase, sell, give, distribute, or possess with intent to sell, give, or distribute an encapsulating machine or a tableting machine that manufactures, compounds, converts, produces, processes, prepares, or otherwise introduces into the human body a controlled substance. The bill makes it a Class 5 felony if such person knows, intends, or has reasonable cause to believe that such action will result in the unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance or counterfeit controlled substance that contains (i) a controlled substance classified in Schedule I or Schedule II of the Drug Control Act or (ii) a controlled substance analog as defined in relevant law.The bill also makes it a felony punishable by imprisonment for not less than 10 nor more than 40 years for any person 18 years of age or older to knowingly allow a minor or a mentally incapacitated or physically helpless person of any age to be present during the manufacture or attempted manufacture of any substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.The bill also increases from a Class 2 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony the penalty for violations related to adulterated or misbranded drugs and cosmetics.

Summary: Expungement of police and court records. Provides that, for the purposes of expungement of police and court records, the term "otherwise dismissed" means to render a legal action out of consideration in a different way or manner than a nolle prosequi or formal dismissal by the trial court. The bill specifies that the term "otherwise dismissed" also includes those circumstances when a person is charged with the commission of a crime, a civil offense, or any offense defined in relevant law and the initial charge is reduced or amended to another offense, including a lesser included offense or the same offense with a lesser gradient of punishment, so that such person is not convicted of the initial charge and may file a petition requesting expungement of the police and court records relating to the initial charge. Under the bill, unless the subject of the criminal record requests otherwise, any person who files an appeal of a petition for an expungement that was denied shall be allowed to proceed under a pseudonym, and such designation shall apply in the trial court and on any appeal. The bill also allows for the expungement of any emergency or preliminary protective order that was attached or factually related to an expunged charge or offense, provided that a permanent protective order was not ordered as a result of such emergency or preliminary protective order. The bill also provides that if a court finds that the continued existence and possible dissemination of information relating to an arrest may cause circumstances that constitute manifest injustice, including any hindrance to obtain employment, an education, or credit, it shall enter an order requiring the expungement of the police and court records. Under current law, a court shall enter an order of expungement when information relating to an arrest causes or may cause circumstances that constitute a manifest injustice to the petitioner. The bill requires a business screening service, defined in the bill, to destroy all expunged records, as defined in the bill, and to follow reasonable procedures to ensure that it does not maintain or sell expunged records. The bill also provides that an indigent person may file a petition for expungement without the payment of fees and costs and can request court-appointed counsel, who shall be paid from the Sealing Fee Fund. Except for the provisions regarding the filing of an appeal under a pseudonym and the circumstances that constitute manifest injustice, the bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Summary: Department of Criminal Justice Services; prioritytreatment for incarcerated women who are pregnant and in need ofsubstance abuse treatment; work group; report. Directs the Departmentof Criminal Justice Services, in collaboration with the Departmentof Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Departmentof Health, to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to studyand make recommendations related to prioritizing treatment for incarceratedwomen who are pregnant and in need of substance abuse treatment.The bill requires the work group to report its findings and recommendationsto the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutionsand the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2024.

Summary: Department of Fire Programs; work group; options for local government employees who respond to emergencies with toxic material exposure. Directs the Department of Fire Programs to convene a work group to identify and analyze options to help ensure that local government employees who respond to emergencies that expose them to toxic materials have appropriate preemptive and ongoing health care and are able to pay any health expenses related to such emergency and its aftereffects that are not covered by relevant health insurance plans. The work group is directed to report its findings to the General Assembly by November 1, 2024. This bill is identical to HB 133.

Summary: Modification of sentence for marijuana-related offenses. Creates a process by which persons convicted of certain felony offenses involving the possession, manufacture, selling, giving, distribution, transportation, or delivery of marijuana committed prior to July 1, 2021, who remain incarcerated or on community supervision on July 1, 2024, may receive an automatic hearing to consider modification of such person's sentence. The provisions of this bill sunset on July 1, 2027.

Summary: Production, publication, sale, financing, etc., of child pornography; penalty. Amends the definition of "child pornography" to include sexually explicit visual material that depicts a minor in a state of nudity or engaged in sexual conduct where such depiction is obscene and specifies that such minor does not have to actually exist.

Summary: Study; Board of Veterinary Medicine; shortage of large animal veterinarians; report. Directs the Board of Veterinary Medicine, in consultation with the State Veterinarian, to complete a two-year study of the shortage of large animal veterinarians, with technical assistance provided by relevant stakeholders, including a member of the House of Delegates and a member of the Senate of Virginia, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the Senate Committee on Rules, respectively.

Summary: Study; Department of Environmental Quality;groundwater supply in the Commonwealth; report. Requeststhat the Department of Environmental Quality complete a one-year study of the groundwater supply in the Commonwealth with technicalassistance provided by the State Water Control Board. The Departmentshall complete its meetings by November 30, 2024, and submit to theGovernor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a reportof its findings and recommendations no later than the first day ofthe 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Summary: Board of Housing and Community Development; stakeholder advisory group; report. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development (the Board) to convene a stakeholder advisory group including fire code officials to evaluate and recommend revisions to the Uniform Statewide Building Code to permit Group R-2 occupancies to be served by a single exit, provided that the building has not more than six stories above grade plane. The bill requires the stakeholder advisory group to submit its findings and recommendations to the Board and to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology no later than December 1, 2024. This bill is identical to HB 368.

Summary: Virginia First Manufacturing Incentive Program. Directs the Manufacturing Development Commission (the Commission) to develop a budget and business plan to establish a Virginia First Manufacturing Incentive Program (the Program). The bill provides that the business plan shall identify existing manufacturers in the Commonwealth that are potential candidates for reshoring, near-shoring, or in-shoring manufacturing jobs and capital investments. The bill directs that the Program focus on expanding and recruiting manufacturing operations that produce products identified as critical infrastructure by providing discretionary incentive funding for trade adjustment assistance. Finally, the bill requires that the Commission present the budget and business plan to the Secretary of Commerce and Trade and the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology by October 1, 2024. 

Summary: Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations similar to those promulgated by the Federal Election Commission to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections.

Summary: Department of Housing and Community Development; Virginia residential development infrastructure fund; work group; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to convene a work group to assess the feasibility of and options for establishing a Virginia residential development infrastructure fund. The bill directs the work group to submit a report of its assessment to the General Assembly no later than the first day of the 2025 Regular Session.

Summary: Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank; established; report. Creates the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank to finance clean energy projects, greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects, and other qualified projects through the strategic deployment of public funds in the form of grants, loans, credit enhancements, and other financing mechanisms. The Bank is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors, consisting of nine nonlegislative citizen members and three ex officio members with voting privileges, who include the Director of the Department of Energy, the Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority, and the State Treasurer or their designees. The bill provides that the nonlegislative citizen members are to be appointed as follows: four members by the Senate Committee on Rules, four members by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and one member by the Governor, each of whom are required to have expertise in real estate, finance, or project development or legal expertise in zero-emission or low-emission energy generation, infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, storm water management, or housing. The bill contains provisions for (i) the appointment of a president and the hiring of staff, (ii) the powers and duties of the Bank, (iii) lending practices, (iv) a strategic plan, (v) an investment strategy, (vi) public outreach requirements, (vii) audits, (viii) exemptions from taxes and from personnel and procurement procedures, and (ix) reporting requirements.

Summary: Department of Motor Vehicles; highway use fee;tiered flat rate system; work group; report. Directs the Departmentof Motor Vehicles to convene a work group to determine the feasibilityof implementing a tiered flat rate system to accurately determine the correct amount of highway use fee to be charged at the pointof sale of a motor vehicle. The bill directs the work group to completeits work and report its findings and recommendations to the Chairsof the Senate and House Committees on Transportation no later thanNovember 15, 2024.

Summary: Individual income tax subtraction; income earned in certain localities. Directs the Department of Taxation and the Commission on Local Government to assess the need for income tax relief in double distressed localities in the Commonwealth that have experienced significant loss of population since 2013. The Department and the Commission must report on their recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations and the House Committees on Finance and Appropriations by November 1, 2024.

Summary: Study; Department of Transportation; roadway and pedestrian improvements in Gainesville; report. Requests the Department of Transportation to study the feasibility of implementing certain roadway and pedestrian improvements in Gainesville in Prince William County, particularly along Somerset Crossing Drive.

Summary: Study; Department of Taxation; reducing economicstress on retired Virginia State Police; report. Directs theDepartment of Taxation to study tax policy solutions for reducingeconomic stress on retired Virginia State Police.

Summary: Study; joint subcommittee; funding needs in certaintransit systems; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to studylong-term, sustainable, dedicated funding and cost-containment controlsand strategies to ensure the Washington Metropolitan Area TransitAuthority, the Virginia Railway Express, and the public transit systemsthat serve the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and Potomacand Rappahannock Transportation Commission transportation districtsmeet the growing needs of public transit in the region.

Summary: Department of Medical Assistance Services; Medicaid Works access and utilization work group; report. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to study and make recommendations to improve access to and successful utilization of the federal Medicaid Works program. The bill requires the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services and the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations by November 1, 2024. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Disability Commission.

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 HB 1499.

Summary: Secretary of Health and Human Resources; work group; wholesale prescription drug importation programs; report. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a work group to investigate wholesale prescription drug importation programs in other states and evaluate best practices for the establishment and application of such a program in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to provide a report to the Governor, the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services, and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health by November 1, 2024.

Summary: Comprehensive children's health care coverage program. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to establish a program to provide state-funded comprehensive health care coverage for individuals in the Commonwealth who (i) are under 19 years of age, (ii) are not covered under a group health plan or health insurance coverage, and (iii) but for their immigration status would be eligible for medical assistance services through the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance services established pursuant to Title XIX or XXI of the Social Security Act. The bill also requires the Department to ensure that all program information is made available in a manner that is accessible to individuals with limited English proficiency and individuals with disabilities through the provision of language access services, including oral interpretation and written translations, free of charge and to ensure that information obtained by the program remains confidential and is not disclosed for any purpose not related to the administration of the program or any purpose related to civil immigration enforcement unless the subject of the information consents to such disclosure or the requesting agency presents a valid judicial order, subpoena, or warrant.The bill also requires the Department to (a) consult with individuals with direct and lived experience with the program eligibility criteria established by the bill and individuals with experience conducting outreach to individuals who are eligible for the program established by the bill to advise and assist the Department in carrying out marketing and outreach activities required by the bill and (b) seek all federal waivers and other approvals necessary to maximize federal financial participation in the cost of carrying out the program established by the bill. The provisions of the first, second, and third enactments of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

Summary: State Health Services Plan Task Force; certificate of public need; recommendations. Directs the Board of Health to convene the State Health Services Plan Task Force to make recommendations on expedited review of projects subject to certificate of public need requirements.

Summary: Board of Medical Assistance Services; investigate violence prevention services benefit programs.  Requires the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to (i) investigate violence prevention services benefits in other states, including evidence-based, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive preventative services provided to reduce the incidence of violent injury or reinjury, trauma, and related harms and to promote trauma recovery, stabilization, and improved health outcomes; (ii) evaluate best practices for the establishment and application of such a program, considering the costs and effectiveness of such programs in other states; and (iii) consider the practicalities of amending the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for payment of medical assistance for such violence prevention services. DMAS shall report its findings to the General Assembly by November 1, 2024.

Summary: Donor human milk banks, health insurance; coverage for donor human milk; penalty; emergency. Prohibits any person from establishing or operating a donor human milk bank, as defined in the bill, without first obtaining a license from the State Health Commissioner and makes it a Class 6 felony for any person to establish or operate a donor human milk bank in the Commonwealth without obtaining such license. The bill directs the State Board of Health to establish a regulatory and statutory scheme for the licensure and regulation of donor human milk banks operating or doing business in the Commonwealth. The bill also directs the Commissioner to implement and enforce numerous regulations relating to the issuance, renewal, denial, suspension, and revocation of such licenses. The bill specifies procedures relating to disciplinary actions, application fees, and inspections and interviews related to such donor human milk banks. The bill requires health insurers, corporations providing health care coverage subscription contracts, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for expenses incurred in the provision of pasteurized donor human milk. The bill specifies that the requirement applies if the covered person is an infant younger than the age of six months and a licensed medical practitioner has issued an order for such infant who satisfies certain criteria enumerated in the bill. The bill applies to policies, contracts, and plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026. The bill also requires the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for payment of medical assistance services incurred in the provision of pasteurized donor human milk. The bill specifies that certain provisions will not become effective until the State Board promulgates regulations for the licensure of donor human milk banks and directs the State Board to adopt emergency regulations to implement certain provisions of the bill.

Summary: Department of Health; Office of Emergency Medical Services EMS Advisory Board; emergency medical personnel; career fatigue and wellness program. Directs the Department of Health's Office of Emergency Medical Services EMS Advisory Board to examine the eligibility requirements for emergency medical personnel to join a professional program addressing career fatigue and wellness. The bill requires the Board to report its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by October 1, 2024.

Summary: Department of Medical Assistance Services; community health worker services benefit; work group; report. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to convene a work group of stakeholders to design a community health worker services benefit for Medicaid-enrolled and CHIP-enrolled beneficiaries. The bill requires the work group to complete its work and submit a report to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health by December 1, 2024.

Summary: Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; work group to evaluate and make recommendations on improving long-term viability; report. Directs the Secretary of Finance, in collaboration with the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs and the Secretary of Education, to convene a stakeholder work group for the purpose of evaluating the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program and making recommendations on legislative actions and budgetary modifications that could improve the stability, strength, and long-term viability of the Program. The bill requires the Secretary of Finance to submit the work group's recommendations to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2024.

Summary: Task Force on Transparency in Publicly Funded Animal Testing Facilities; report. Requires the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to convene a Task Force on Transparency in Publicly Funded Animal Testing Facilities, consisting of legislators and stakeholders, for the purpose of identifying potential deficiencies in publicly funded animal testing facilities in the Commonwealth and recommending methods and context for making certain information about such animal testing facilities publicly available. The bill requires the Task Force to report its findings to certain committees of the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2024. This bill is identical to HB 580.