State Health Services Plan Task Force; certificate of public need; recommendations. Directs the Board of Health to convene the State Health Services Plan Task Force to make recommendations on expedited review of projects subject to certificate of public need requirements.
Bonds for public institutions of higher learning; emergency. Authorizes issuance of bonds in an amount up to $124,285,000 for revenue-producing capital projects at James Madison University, Virginia State University, and The College of William and Mary in Virginia. The bill contains an emergency clause and is identical to SB 599.
Alternative onsite sewage systems; approval of treatment units. Requires the Department of Health to approve treatment units for alternative onsite sewage systems if they meet certain NSF/ANSI standards or certain testing requirements.
Department of Labor and Industry; workplaceposter for veterans benefits and services. Directs the Departmentof Labor and Industry, in consultation with the Department of VeteransServices, to create a poster describing benefits and services availableto veterans and allows employers to request and display such poster in the workplace. The bill enumerates a minimum group of resourcesthe poster shall include, including (i) Department of Veterans Services'programs, contact information, and website address; (ii) substanceabuse and mental health treatment resources; (iii) educational, workforce,and training resources; (iv) tax benefits; (v) eligibility for unemploymentinsurance benefits; (vi) legal services; and (vii) the U.S. Departmentof Veterans Affairs Veterans Crisis Line.
Toll facilities; vehicle owner. Providesthat, in the context of automated toll enforcement, the exemptionfrom the definition of "owner" for vehicle rental or vehicle leasingcompanies applies only if such companies meet existing requirementsrelated to handling toll invoices on rented or leased vehicles.
Elections administration; duties of the Departmentof Elections; required election and voter participation informationon the Internet. Requires the Department of Elections to provide information for voters on its website, including (i) the role ofand contact information for the State Board of Elections, the Departmentof Elections, local electoral boards, and general registrars and(ii) information about absentee voting, polling hours, Virginia'svoter identification requirements and acceptable forms of identification,the casting of ballots, and a means for voters to find their pollingplace. The bill requires such website to allow a voter to reviewany information about himself that is kept in the statewide voterregistration database. The bill also requires that the Departmentprovide a version of its website in which all parts are translatedinto any language that is spoken by a language minority group, includingthat any page linked to a translated page also be translated.
Controlled substances; manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, etc.; adulterated or misbranded drugs; penalties. Makes it a Class 6 felony for any person, except for permitted manufacturers, to possess, purchase, sell, give, distribute, or possess with intent to sell, give, or distribute an encapsulating machine or a tableting machine that manufactures, compounds, converts, produces, processes, prepares, or otherwise introduces into the human body a controlled substance. The bill makes it a Class 5 felony if such person knows, intends, or has reasonable cause to believe that such action will result in the unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance or counterfeit controlled substance that contains (i) a controlled substance classified in Schedule I or Schedule II of the Drug Control Act; (ii) cocaine, coca leaves, or any salt, compound, derivative, or preparation thereof as described in Schedule II of the Drug Control Act; or (iii) a controlled substance analog as defined in relevant law.The bill also makes it a felony punishable by imprisonment for not less than 10 nor more than 40 years for any person 18 years of age or older to knowingly allow a minor or a mentally incapacitated or physically helpless person of any age to be present during the manufacture or attempted manufacture of any substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.The bill also increases from a Class 2 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony the penalty for violations related to adulterated or misbranded drugs and cosmetics.
Virginia Public Procurement Act; construction management and design-build contracting. Requires state public bodies, covered institutions, and local public bodies to provide documentation of the processes used for the final selection of a construction contract to all the unsuccessful applicants upon request. The bill adds certain requirements for covered institutions, including posting all documents that are open to public inspection exchanged between the Department of General Services and the covered institution on the central electronic procurement website eVA. The bill requires approval by a majority vote of the covered institution's board of visitors or governing board if the covered institution chooses to proceed with construction management or design-build against the recommendation of the Department for (i) projects funded by funds other than those provided from the state general fund or (ii) projects of $65 million or more funded in whole or in part from state general funds. For projects under $65 million funded in whole or in part by state general funds, the bill provides that the covered institution shall obtain approval from the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, or their designees, and a representative of the Department.The bill requires a local public body to adopt a resolution or motion to use construction management or design-build, if required by its local governing body, prior to issuing a Request for Qualifications and to publish notice of such resolution or motion on its website or eVA. The bill provides that the Department shall report annually, for any construction management or design-build project, on the qualifications that made such project complex. Finally, the bill requires the Department, with the assistance of staff of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, to assess the implementation and administration of construction management and design-build projects and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by November 1, 2029. This bill incorporates HB 965 and is identical to SB 18.
Virginia Public School Construction Grants Programand Fund; career and technical education programs eligible. Directsthe Board of Education to revise the guidelines on the administrationof the Virginia Public School Construction Grants Program to explicitlyclarify that grants provided to a qualifying school division underthe Program may be used for construction, additions, infrastructure,site acquisition, and renovations for buildings and facilities usedfor career and technical education programs provided at a regionalcomprehensive school. The bill also provides that "public schoolbuildings and facilities" or "public school buildings" for the purposesof the Program includes any school building or facility used forcareer and technical education programs provided at any regionalcomprehensive school.
Electronic sales by dealers; titling. Authorizes certain motor vehicle dealers to choose to sell a motor vehicle electronically by obtaining a title in the dealer's name for resale. This bill has a contingent effective date of the earlier of (i) July 1, 2025, or (ii) receipt of proper notification that a secure power of attorney prescribed by federal law and in a form approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles is available to motor vehicle dealers to be electronically signed by a purchaser.
Xylazine; manufacturing; selling; giving; distributing; possessing; veterinary use exemption; penalties. Provides that any person who knowingly manufactures, sells, gives, distributes, or possesses with the intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute the substance xylazine, when intended for human consumption, is guilty of a Class 5 felony. Under the bill, any person who knowingly possesses xylazine, when intended for human consumption, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Under the bill, it is not an offense to (i) manufacture xylazine for legitimate veterinary use; (ii) distribute or sell xylazine for authorized veterinary use; (iii) possess, administer, prescribe, or dispense xylazine in good faith for use by animals within the course of legitimate veterinary practice; or (iv) possess or administer xylazine pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed veterinarian. This bill is identical to SB 614.
Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); real property tax exemption; surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty. Provides for a referendum at the November 5, 2024, election to approve or reject an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia that would expand the real property tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action to be available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty with a Line of Duty determination from the U.S. Department of Defense. This bill is identical to HB 558.
