Consultation with federally recognized Tribal Nations in the Commonwealth; permits and reviews with potential impacts on environmental, cultural, and historic resources. Requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Historic Resources, and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to establish policies and procedures for consulting with federally recognized Tribal Nations in the Commonwealth when evaluating certain permits and reviews relating to environmental, cultural, or historic resources that potentially impact those federally recognized Tribal Nations in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Secretary of the Commonwealth to designate an Ombudsman for Tribal Consultation to facilitate communication and consultation with federally recognized Tribal Nations in the Commonwealth and requires the Ombudsman to develop by September 1, 2024, a list of localities in which federally recognized Tribal Nations in the Commonwealth shall be consulted to effectuate the provisions of the bill. The bill codifies Executive Order 82 (2021).
Public elementary and secondary schools; programs of instruction; mental health education; curriculum guidelines; instruction required. Requires each public elementary, middle, and high school to provide at each grade level, in addition to health instruction, an additional age-appropriate course of instruction on mental health. The bill directs the Board of Education to develop mental health curriculum guidelines for an age-appropriate, sequential mental health curriculum for each grade level and requires such curriculum guidelines to include instruction on (i) general themes of social and emotional learning, including self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and social awareness; (ii) the signs and symptoms of common mental health challenges; (iii) mental health wellness and healthy strategies for coping with stress and negative feelings, including conflict resolution skills; (iv) the importance of and guidance on seeking assistance from an adult or mental health professional, including information on services offered within the school or the local school division; (v) the prevalence of mental health challenges and the importance of overcoming common stigmas surrounding such mental health challenges; (vi) the importance of mental health to a student's overall well-being, including physical health and academic success; and (vii) at such grade levels as the Board deems appropriate, the connection between mental health and substance use disorders and the safe use of and risks of abuse of prescription drugs. The bill permits the Board to consult with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and other mental health experts in developing such curriculum guidelines and requires the Board to submit such guidelines to the State Board of Health for approval. The bill requires the Board to review and update by the beginning of the 2025–2026 school year the health Standards of Learning for each grade level to include such instruction on the mental health curriculum guidelines.
Motor vehicle dealers; sale of franchise. Changesthe deadline for a vehicle manufacturer, factory branch, distributor,or distributor branch to reject the sale or transfer of a dealershipfrom 30 days prior to the effective date of the sale or transferto 60 days from the receipt of notice from the dealer of the proposedsale or transfer and lists requirements for such notice from thedealer. The bill provides that an objection to a sale or transferbased on an applicant's years of motor dealer management experienceis a reasonable objection but removes the right to object based onother applicant qualifications. The bill further provides that a franchisor's consent to a relocation of a business cannot be unreasonably withheld. Finally, the bill entitles dealers and applicants forsale or transfer to damages if a manufacturer, factory branch, distributor,or distributor branch willfully engages in prohibited conduct.
Public education; community schools; Officeof Community Schools at Department of Education; Community SchoolDevelopment and Implementation Planning Grant; Community School CoordinatorProgram; state goal. Requires the Department of Education toestablish the Office of Community Schools as an office within theDepartment for the purpose of supporting the development and growthof community schools throughout the Commonwealth in accordance withthe Virginia Community School Framework and requires the Office toestablish and administer (i) the Community School Development andImplementation Planning Grant for the purpose of providing grantsto school boards that seek to designate any school within the local school division as a community school to assist with the planningand implementation of such designation and (ii) the Community SchoolCoordinator Program for the purpose of providing funding to school boards that previously completed a planning grant and now seek toemploy or hire through contracted services with a qualified nonprofitorganization a community school coordinator to oversee any communityschool designated in the local school division. The bill also establishesa state goal of prioritizing funding for such initiatives and grantprograms to enable their expansion to serve the top 33 percent ofpublic elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth for highestidentified student percentage, as defined in the bill, based on datafrom the immediately preceding school year.
Department of Housing and Community Development;Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fee disclosure statement;work group. Requires landlords subject to the Virginia ResidentialLandlord and Tenant Act, prior to collecting any fee, deposit, orinformation from an applicant, to provide such applicant a fee disclosurestatement containing the amount and purpose of each fee or depositthat may be charged to an applicant. The bill requires the Directorof the Department of Housing and Community Development to developa sample fee disclosure statement that may be used by landlords forsuch purpose, explaining in plain language the amount and purposeof fees that may be charged to an applicant for tenancy. The billrequires the Department to convene a work group to make recommendationsfor the development of such sample fee disclosure statement.
Public service companies; pole attachments;cable television systems and telecommunications service providers. Requires a public utility, as defined in the bill, to establish and adhere to pole attachment practices and procedures that comply with certain requirements, including determining whether an attachment request is complete before reviewing such request on its merits, complying with certain timelines, and providing notice of a rearrangement to affected existing attachers. The bill provides that a public utility shall not apportion to a telecommunications service provider or cable television system the cost of replacing a red-tagged pole, as defined in the bill, provided that such utility may apportion to such provider or system the incremental cost of a taller or stronger pole that is necessitated solely by the new facilities of such provider or system. The bill authorizes the State Corporation Commission to enforce its provisions and requires the Commission to resolve disputes involving pole access within 90 days and concerning certain other matters within 120 days. This bill is identical to HB 800.
Motor vehicle dealers; sale of franchise. Changesthe deadline for a vehicle manufacturer, factory branch, distributor,or distributor branch to reject the sale or transfer of a dealershipfrom 30 days prior to the effective date of the sale or transferto 60 days from the receipt of notice from the dealer of the proposedsale or transfer and lists requirements for such notice from thedealer. The bill provides that an objection to a sale or transferbased on an applicant's years of motor dealer management experienceis a reasonable objection but removes the right to object based onother applicant qualifications. The bill further provides that a franchisor's consent to a relocation of a business cannot be unreasonably withheld. Finally, the bill entitles dealers and applicants forsale or transfer to damages if a manufacturer, factory branch, distributor,or distributor branch willfully engages in prohibited conduct.
Energy efficiency programs; incremental annualsavings. Provides that it is in the public interest and the policyof the Commonwealth to deploy demand-side management programs andenergy efficiency measures throughout the Commonwealth to achievethe greatest possible reductions in energy consumption. The billpermits the State Corporation Commission to increase or decreasean investor-owned electric utility's combined rate of return basedon the utility's success in complying with energy efficiency programtargets in existing law. Additionally, the bill states that "in thepublic interest," for the purpose of assessing energy efficiencyprograms, means that the Commission determines that the program is cost-effective. The bill directs the Commission to promulgate regulationsno later than December 31, 2024, establishing a single, consistentcost-effectiveness test for use in evaluating proposed energy efficiencyprograms. Finally, the bill requires the Commission to consider,as a factor in establishing performance based adjustments to thecombined rate of return for an electric utility, the utility's compliancewith energy efficiency standards and to update ongoing proceedings to consider this factor no later than December 31, 2024. The provisionsof the bill apply to any Commission proceeding that commenced onor after January 1, 2024.
Casino gaming; eligible host cities. Amends the list of cities eligible to host a casino in the Commonwealth by replacing Richmond with Petersburg. The bill also provides that the governing body of any eligible host city that holds a local referendum on the question of whether casino gaming should be permitted in such city that subsequently fails shall be prohibited from holding another local referendum on the same question for a period of three years from the date of the last referendum. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the General Assembly at a subsequent regular or special session.
Contract actions; medical debt. Provides that in any action, including those brought by the Commonwealth, upon any contract to collect medical debt, as defined in the bill, such an action is barred if not commenced within three years from the due date applicable to the first invoice for a health care service unless the contract with a hospital or health care provider is for a payment plan that allows for a longer period of time for the collection of debt by the hospital or health care provider. The bill specifies that such limitation shall not apply to medical debt arising from services provided by programs administered by the Department of Medical Assistance Services.
Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act;Department of Housing and Community Development; mandatory fees.Requires advertisements for rental units and rental agreements toinclude any mandatory fees that will be charged to a tenant in excessof the rent. The bill directs the Department of Housing and CommunityDevelopment to collect data regarding the type and amount of mandatoryfees tenants are required to pay and to include such data in itsannual report to the General Assembly.
Public utilities; municipal utilities; disconnectionof service; limitations; report; consumer protections. Suspendselectric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities subject to the regulation of the State Corporation Commission from disconnecting service toa residential customer for nonpayment of bills or fees during a stateof emergency declared by the Governor and provides that such suspensionlasts for 30 days after such declaration of the state of emergency.The bill suspends such electric and gas utilities from disconnectingservice to a residential customer for nonpayment of bills or feeswhen the forecasted temperature low is at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheitand suspends electric utilities from disconnecting any such customer from service when the forecasted temperature high is at or above95 degrees Fahrenheit within the 24 hours following the scheduleddisconnection. The bill further suspends electric, gas, water, andwastewater utilities from disconnecting residential customers fromservice on Fridays, weekends, state holidays, and the day immediatelypreceding a state holiday. The bill also creates similar requirementsfor utilities owned or operated by a locality of the Commonwealthand provides customers a civil cause of action if the municipallyowned or municipally operated utility fails to comply with the requirementsof the bill.
