Emergency Vehicles and Housing for Emergency Services Volunteers Grant Programs established; reports. Establishes the Emergency Vehicles Grant Program (the EV Program) and the Housing for Emergency Services Volunteers Grant Program (the ESV Program). The EV Program authorizes the Department of Fire Programs to provide grants to assist eligible localities in acquiring emergency vehicles to be used in the performance of volunteer emergency services, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly in amounts of up to $10,000 per eligible locality, on a first-come, first-served basis. The ESV Program authorizes the Department to provide grants to assist eligible localities in providing emergency services volunteers who are currently enrolled in an eligible educational institution with living quarters at no charge to such volunteers, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly. Grant recipients of the EV Program and the ESV Program are required to submit a report to the Department no later than October 1 of any year in which the recipient receives available funds. The Department is directed to submit a summarized report of the information received from grant recipients to the House Committee on General Laws, the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology, the House Committee on Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations.
Imposition of income tax. Establishes a new income tax bracket beginning on and after January 1, 2025, that taxes income in excess of $1 million at a rate of 10 percent. Currently, all income in excess of $17,000 is taxed at the rate of 5.75 percent. The bill provides that, from the additional revenue generated from such increased tax rate upon income in excess of $1 million, 50 percent will be dedicated to providing additional basic aid funding for public schools, 30 percent will be dedicated to the Child Care Subsidy Program, and 20 percent will be dedicated to the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. The bill contains technical amendments.
Domestic and Sexual Assault Conviction Database. Requires the Superintendent of State Police to establish a Domestic and Sexual Assault Conviction Database that would include information on persons who were convicted of certain offenses against a family or household member, defined in the bill. The Database will be available to the public on the Department of State Police website. Persons whose information is on the Database may petition for removal of their information from the Database if certain requirements are met, and the State Police shall include such petition information on the Database website. Under the bill, the Superintendent of State Police is required to complete the Database by July 1, 2026.
Access to Housing Task Force; report. Establishes the Access to Housing Task Force for the purpose of evaluating short-term and long-term access to housing in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Task Force to report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and General Assembly no later than November 1, 2025, regarding its activities and recommendations.
Wrongful death action; who may bring. Allows an immediate family member of a deceased person, as defined in the bill, to bring a wrongful death action on behalf of the deceased. Under current law, such action may only be brought by the deceased person's personal representative.
Virginia Aircraft Sales and Use Tax Act; credit for tax paid on aircraft purchased from broker for noncommercial use. Provides that a credit shall be granted against the tax imposed by the Virginia Aircraft Sales and Use Tax Act with respect to a person's use in the Commonwealth of an aircraft purchased from any broker, defined in the bill, for noncommercial use in an amount equal to the tax paid by such person to such broker.
Governor; chief of staff and Governor's Secretaries. Provides that no chief of staff appointed by the Governor and no Secretary appointed by the Governor shall be members of each other's immediate family when each is serving in his appointed capacity at the same time.
Certain applicants for employment in public schools; certain official documentation required. Directs each school board to require on its application for employment for any individual whose position will involve the provision of direct instruction or support to elementary school students or students with disabilities, whether on a full-time or part-time or on a permanent or temporary basis, official documentation of the individual's criminal, educational, and employment history for at least the immediately preceding three years.
Department of Transportation; maintenance on components of the Interstate System. Authorizes the Department of Transportation to perform nonemergency work on the Interstate System with its own employees or agents. Current law requires nonemergency maintenance on components of the Interstate System to be carried out by contractors unless the Commissioner of Highways provides good and sufficient reasons for not doing so.
Refund by localities of certain land use application fees. Provides a method whereby an applicant who fails to receive approval of a land use application due to failure to meet a statutory deadline for a completed application may seek an application fee refund from a locality that is at least partially responsible for the delay that caused the applicant to miss the deadline.
Department of Social Services; foster care; new luggage; report. Directs the Department of Social Services (the Department) to establish and maintain a decentralized supply of new luggage to be used to transport the personal belongings of a child in foster care. The bill requires the Department to provide new luggage to a child who is entering or exiting foster care or moving from one foster care placement to another and prohibits the Department from using disposable bags or trash bags to transport any items for a child in foster care. The bill requires the Commissioner of the Department to report certain information related to new luggage to the General Assembly by no later than December 1 of each year.
A BILL to direct the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to study the efficacy of expanding the School of Dentistry of Virginia Commonwealth University; report.
