Trial by jury; contact with jurors after trialprohibited; penalty. Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any party,other than counsel for any party to the litigation or the press, whoknowingly and intentionally contacts a juror after a jury trial unlesssuch party has received an order from the court that oversaw suchtrial permitting such contact. The bill provides that a pro se defendant must obtain such order, and that the court shall prescribe the mannerof contact that any such party is allowed to have with a juror.The bill also provides that a violation of such court order is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
School meals; availability at no cost to students. Provides that each school board shall require each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) as provided in relevant law, if applicable, and to make lunch and breakfast available to any student who requests such a meal at no cost to the student, unless the student's parent has provided written permission to the school board to withhold such a meal from the student. The bill also requires the Department of Education to reimburse each public elementary and secondary school for each school breakfast and lunch served to a student, with a maximum of one breakfast and one lunch per student per school day and provides the formula for determining the state reimbursement rate for such meals. The bill contains provisions directing each school board to adopt policies and procedures aimed at maximizing access to federal funds available for the cost of participating in school breakfast and lunch programs and maximizing determinations of student eligibility for federal free or reduced cost meal reimbursements rates and participation in CEP. The bill also lowers the minimum identified student percentage for a school to be eligible to participate in CEP from 40 to 25 percent in accordance with the updated federal CEP regulations (7 C.F.R. § 245.9(f)(3)(i)). The bill also requires the Secretary of Education, in coordination with the Secretary of Finance, to convene a stakeholder work group to study and make recommendations on ways to avoid or mitigate the impact of offering statewide free school breakfast and lunches on other state-funded programs and to submit a report on such findings and recommendations by January 15, 2025, to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education. The bill also repeals provisions of law relating to the federal School Breakfast Program and to school meal debt that are rendered obsolete by the provisions of the bill.
Issuance of restricted driver's license for multiple convictions of driving while intoxicated; completion of specialty dockets. Provides that a person whose driver's license has been revoked for multiple convictions of driving while intoxicated may file a petition for the issuance of a restricted driver's license without having to wait for the expiration of three years from the date of his last conviction, regardless of the date of such conviction, when such person's last conviction resulted from a final order being entered by a court after the successful completion of a Veterans Treatment Court Program, behavioral health docket, or other specialty docket. This bill is identical to SB 6.
Charter; City of Martinsville. Amends thecharter for the City of Martinsville by (i) allowing notice of specialmeetings to council members to be given by electronic mail, textmessage, or telephone call; (ii) providing for compensation to membersof the city council to be in accordance with general law; (iii) providing for action by resolution of the city council to make appropriationsor contract indebtedness; and (iv) requiring the city manager tobecome a resident of the City or reside within a certain distanceof the City. The bill makes numerous technical changes and repealsseveral outdated sections.
Appointment of counsel; public defenders; caseload exception. Exempts the public defender, in counties and cities where public defender offices are established, from providing defense services for indigent clients if the public defender, with the concurrence of the executive director of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission or his designee, determines that the public defender's current active caseload would preclude the public defender from providing adequate representation to new clients.
Local government powers; regulation of tobacco, nicotine, and hemp product retail sale locations. Allows a locality to regulate the retail sale locations of tobacco products, nicotine vapor products, alternative nicotine products, or hemp products intended for smoking for any such retail sale location and may prohibit a retail sale location on property within 1,000 linear feet of a child day center or a public, private, or parochial school.
Firearm safety device tax credit; definition of firearm safety device. Expands the definition of "firearm safety device" as it relates to the firearm safety device tax credit to include any device that, when installed on a firearm, is designed to prevent the firearm from being operated without first deactivating the device. The provisions of the bill are effective for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2024. This bill incorporates HB 945.
Workers' compensation; notice of right to disputeclaim. Requires that when an employee's workers' compensationclaim is denied, an employer or insurer shall include in its letterdenying benefits a notice that the employee has a right to disputethe claim denial through the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission.
Search warrants, subpoenas, court orders, or other process; menstrual health data prohibited. Prohibits the issuance of a search warrant, subpoena, court order, or other process for the purpose of the search and seizure or production of menstrual health data, as defined in the bill, including data stored on a computer, computer network, or other device containing electronic or digital information. This bill is identical to HB 78.
Virginia Employment Commission; appeals proceedings; appeal tribunals and Board of Review; repeal. Specifies that any determination made by the Virginia Employment Commission in regard to any amount required to be deducted and withheld from unemployment compensation for purposes of child support obligations is final. The bill contains a number of technical amendments related to the Commission's appeals proceedings. The bill also repeals provisions related to appeal tribunals and the Commission-appointed Board of Review and contains technical amendments. This bill is identical to SB 655.
License suspensions due to driving during aperiod of suspension or revocation; period of suspension. Prohibitsany license suspensions due to driving during a period of suspensionor revocation from extending beyond 10 years from the date of conviction for such violation.
Dissemination of criminal history record information; Department of Social Services. Authorizes the Department of Social Services to obtain criminal history record information for the purpose of screening individuals as a condition of licensure, employment, volunteering, or providing services on a regular basis in a licensed child welfare agency or foster or adoptive home approved by a child-placing agency.
