Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; police power; primary law-enforcement agency for certain larceny-related offenses. Provides that special agents of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board shall serve as the primary law-enforcement agency for enforcing and investigating certain larceny and fraud-related crimes that occur in government stores.
Local regulation of solar facilities; special exceptions. Provides that a ground-mounted solar energy generation facility to be located on property zoned agricultural, commercial, industrial, or institutional shall be permitted pursuant to various criteria to be included in a local ordinance, such as specifications for setbacks, fencing, solar panel height, visual impacts, and grading, and a decommissioning plan for solar energy equipment and facilities.
Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; police power; primary law-enforcement agency for certain crimes against property and involving fraud. Provides that special agents of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board shall serve as the primary law-enforcement agency for enforcing, reporting, and investigating certain crimes against property and crimes involving fraud that occur on property owned or leased by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority.
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 for 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 dependent 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. This bill was incorporated into HB 2165.
Collective bargaining; individual home care providers. Establishes within the Department of Medical Assistance Services the Virginia Home Care Authority to ensure the effectiveness and quality of the services of home care programs in the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes individual providers, as defined in the bill, to select an exclusive bargaining representative and to collectively bargain with the Virginia Home Care Authority regarding matters including wages, benefits, and all terms and conditions of employment that are within the Authority's control. The bill's provisions do not become effective unless legislation is enacted in the Commonwealth authorizing public employees to engage in collective bargaining. This bill was incorporated into SB 917.
Board of zoning appeals; petition for appeal; emergency. Clarifies the procedure by which a person aggrieved by a decision of the board of zoning appeals may appeal the decision to the circuit court by changing the manner in which a petition is styled. The bill also (i) changes instances of \"board\" to \"board of zoning appeals\" to clarify that \"board\" does not refer to a county's board of supervisors, (ii) provides that service of process is to be obtained as in other actions at law, and (iii) contains a retroactive savings clause that is intended to prevent dismissal of certain appeals that have not yet been finally adjudicated. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Opioid antagonists; dispensing and administration by person acting on behalf of an organization. Permits persons acting on behalf of an organization that provides services to individuals at risk of experiencing an opioid overdose or training in the administration of naloxone or other opioid antagonists to dispense other opioid antagonists. The bill also allows persons to whom other opioid antagonists are dispensed to possess and administer such opioid antagonists. Under current law, persons acting on behalf of such organizations may only dispense naloxone.
Energy Innovation Pilot Program established. Establishes the Energy Innovation Pilot Program to foster the development of innovative energy projects by allowing Program participants to provide grid services or other beneficial energy measures. Under the Program, a participant, after obtaining State Corporation Commission approval, is not required to comply with specific state statutes and regulations pertaining to the generation, transmission, or distribution of electric energy for sale, except for those laws and regulations that are required for worker safety, public safety, or environmental protection, for a period of five years. The bill includes provisions for application requirements, an approval process, Program exit procedures, a test period extension process, suspension or revocation of Commission approval, consumer protections, Commission investigations, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
Southwest Regional Recreation Authority; powers. Provides for the board of the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority to adopt policies for the procurement of goods and services and requires such policies to incorporate certain provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act. In addition, the bill authorizes the Director of the Department of General Services to lease vehicles and construction and forestry equipment to the Authority.
Provider contracts; pharmacies; refusal to fill certain prescriptions. Requires a provider contract between a health carrier or its pharmacy benefits manager and a pharmacy or its contracting agent to contain a specific provision allowing the pharmacy to refuse to fill a prescription for a drug that is reimbursed below the actual cost of the medication.
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; civil penalties. Increases the minimum and maximum civil penalties that may be imposed upon an officer, employee, or member of a public body for violations of certain provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The bill also adjusts the minimum and maximum civil penalty for such second and subsequent violations, in addition to increasing the minimum and maximum civil penalties that can be imposed on a public body for violations related to certifying a closed meeting.
HOT lanes; high-occupancy requirement; law-enforcement vehicles. Expands the currently permitted uses of high occupancy lanes by law-enforcement vehicles regardless of the number of occupants in the vehicle to include responding to a call for law-enforcement services and patrolling HOT lanes within the law-enforcement officer's jurisdiction while such law-enforcement officer is on duty. Current law limits such use to when (i) responding to an emergency incident and (ii) patrolling HOT lanes pursuant to an agreement by a state agency with the HOT lanes operator. The bill does not change certain other authorized uses in current law.
