Commissioner of Highways; prequalification program for self-bonding program; certain reports; repealed. Removes (i) the biennial report requirement for the Commissioner of Highways regarding the use of funds in the Innovation and Technology Transportation Fund; (ii) the requirement for a prequalification program agreed upon by the Commissioner of Highways and the Department of the Treasury for the self-bonding program for transportation-related construction projects; and (iii) reporting requirements for the Department of Transportation regarding certain information related to performance or payment bonds, waivers, and self-bonding program enrollment.
Christopher Newport University Board of Visitors; annual meetings at the University. Reduces from four to one the minimum number of annual meetings that the Christopher Newport University Board of Visitors is required to hold at the University. This bill is identical to SB 771.
Charter; Town of Richlands. Amends the charter for the Town of Richlands in Tazewell County by requiring that proposed ordinances be presented, rather than read, at two regular meetings prior to adoption. The bill also requires the town manager to reside within the town within a contractually stated grace period, rather than during the tenure of office. This bill is identical to HB 2199.
Fishing with trawl nets and drag nets; shrimp and horseshoe crab; license fee; penalty. Allows the Marine Resources Commission to issue licenses or permits to any person to take or catch fish, shellfish, or marine organisms with a trawl net, drag net, or similar device within the three-mile limit of the Virginia Atlantic shoreline for the shrimp and horseshoe crab fisheries. The bill specifies that such license or permit shall be accompanied by a fee of $100 or as subsequently revised by the Commission for each boat so employed. Current law allows any person to fish with trawl nets and drag nets for fish, shellfish, or marine organisms, provided such person has a license issued by the Commission to trawl within the three-mile limit from Cape Charles north to the Maryland line, except during September and October and from 36° 40' north latitude south to the North Carolina line at any time, and from Cape Henry south to 36° 40' north latitude between October 1 and May 1. This bill is identical to HB 1697.
Child in need of services; definition. Expands the definition of a "child in need of services" for purposes of juvenile and domestic relations district courts to include a child who remains away from, deserts, or abandons his family or lawful custodian during one occasion and is demonstratively at risk of coercion, exploitation, abuse, or manipulation or has been lured from his parent or lawful custodian by means of trickery or misrepresentation or under false pretenses.
Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Advisory Committee; extension of sunset date. Extends from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2030, the sunset date of the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Advisory Committee to assist the State Water Commission and the Department of Environmental Quality in the management of groundwater in the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area.
Compensation of court-appointed counsel. Clarifies that, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, no person found indigent, or child's parents or other persons responsible for the care of a child found indigent, and who is represented by a public defender or court-appointed counsel shall have fees assessed against him for legal representation in an amount greater than the amount such person or such child would have owed if the assessment took place on or before June 30, 2024. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. This bill is identical to SB 901.
Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority; operational plan submission. Requires the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to include in the annual report on its operational plan the most recent available audit report from the Auditor of Public Accounts' annual examination of the accounts and books of the Authority and removes the requirement that such report contain the audited financial statements of the Authority for the year ending the previous June 30. This bill is identical to SB 1089.
Charter; City of Roanoke. Amends the charter for the City of Roanoke to allow for the appointment of the City's director of real estate valuation by city council. Currently, the director of real estate valuation is appointed by the city manager. This bill is identical to HB 2005.
License to teach dentistry; foreign dental program graduates; repeal sunset. Repeals the July 1, 2025, sunset on the current provision of law allowing the Board of Dentistry to grant, without examination, a faculty license to teach dentistry in an accredited dental program to a graduate of a dental school or college or the dental department of an institution of higher education in a foreign country who has been granted a certification letter from the dean or program director of an accredited dental program confirming that the applicant has clinical competency and clinical experience that meet the credentialing standards of the dental school with which the applicant is to be affiliated. This bill is identical to HB 1899.
Limitation on prosecution of felony due to lapse of time after finding of probable cause; certified misdemeanors. Provides that the existing statutory speedy trial protections applicable to a felony prosecution also apply to a misdemeanor certified to circuit court pursuant to relevant law. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Criminal Justice Conference.
Death by wrongful act; suspension of limitations. Provides that the statute of limitations for an action for death by wrongful act shall be tolled during the pendency of any criminal prosecution that arises out of the same facts as such action. The bill's provisions apply only to causes of action accruing on or after July 1, 2025. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.
