Residential development in certain areas; affordable housing. Provides that any type of residential use that is permitted in a locality shall be considered a conforming residential use on any parcel other than parcels zoned for (i) agriculture, (ii) conservation, or (iii) a different residential use. The bill states that no local ordinance shall require that a special exception, special use, or conditional use permit be obtained for a conforming residential use and that rights under existing zoning shall be considered vested pursuant to existing vesting provisions. The bill further provides that any residential development pursuant to the authority granted in the bill shall dedicate a minimum of 10 percent of the total number of housing units to housing affordable to households making at or below 120 percent of the area median income.
Prohibited acquisition of residential land; restrictions; civil penalty. Restricts any partnership, corporation, or real estate investment trust that manages funds pooled from investors, is a fiduciary to such investors, and has $50 million or more in net value or assets under management on any day during a taxable year from acquiring any interest in residential land, as defined in the bill, in the Commonwealth and requires registration with the Secretary of the Commonwealth on or after July 1, 2024. The bill requires the Secretary to report annually by December 1 on the registrations and any penalties assessed for failure to register and to submit such report to the Governor and the General Assembly. The bill also requires all real property tax bills to contain notice of such prohibited business ownership restrictions and registration requirements.
State plan for medical assistance services; fertility preservation treatments; genetic material misuse; penalty. Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for payment of medical assistance for coverage of fertility preservation for individuals diagnosed with cancer who need treatment for that cancer that may cause a substantial risk of sterility or iatrogenic infertility, as defined in the bill, including surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The bill also establishes that it is a Class 3 felony for a health care provider to provide assisted conception treatment to a patient and use the health care provider's own gamete without the written consent of the patient.
Joint Commission on Technology and Science; study; advancements in artificial intelligence; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Technology and Science to study advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), including assessing (i) the impacts of deep fakes, data privacy implications, and misinformation; (ii) measures to ensure these technologies do not indirectly or directly lead to discrimination; (iii) strategies to promote equity in AI algorithms; and (iv) ways in which AI can be utilized to improve government operations and services, and to make recommendations on any appropriate legislation for consideration by the General Assembly.
A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 2.2-208, 2.2-2905, and 23.1-101 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 32 of Title 23.1 an article numbered 8, consisting of sections numbered 23.1-3229 through 23.1-3232, relating to Virginia Museum of Transportation; established. 24101498D
Paid sick leave; health care providers and grocery store workers. Requires employers to provide paid sick leave to health care providers and grocery store workers. Under current law, employers are only required to provide paid sick leave to certain home health workers. The bill removes requirements that workers work on average at least 20 hours per week or 90 hours per month to be eligible for paid sick leave. The bill provides that certain health care providers may waive their right to accrue and use paid sick leave and provides an exemption for employers of certain other health care providers. The bill requires the Department of Labor and Industry to develop guidelines for retail employers that sell groceries to provide sick leave and to publish such guidelines by December 1, 2024. The provisions of the bill other than the requirement for the Department of Labor and Industry to develop guidelines have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.
Guardianship and conservatorship; duties and powers of guardian and conservator; self-dealing prohibited. Provides that a guardian and conservator shall avoid all conflicts of interest and self-dealing, including all appearances of conflicts of interest and self-dealing, when addressing the needs of the incapacitated person to whom the guardian or conservator owes a fiduciary duty. The bill provides that a conflict of interest arises when the guardian or conservator has a personal or agency interest that can be perceived as self-serving or adverse to the position or best interest of the incapacitated person, and self-dealing arises when the guardian or conservator seeks to take advantage of his position as guardian or conservator and acts for his own interests rather than for the interests of the incapacitated person. The bill further provides that any sale or transaction that constitutes self-dealing shall be voidable by the court.
Vehicle exhaust systems; inspection and administrative fee. Prohibits passenger vehicle exhaust systems from emitting noise in excess of 95 decibels in Planning District 8 on a highway; any driveway or premises of a church, school, recreational facility, or business; any governmental property open to the public; any industrial establishment providing parking space for customers, patrons, or employees; and any highway under construction or not yet open to the public. The bill allows, in Planning District 8, a law-enforcement officer to stop a passenger vehicle he determines is emitting exhaust system noise in excess of such limit and issue a notice of an administrative fee of $250 to be assessed at the time of the vehicle's next registration renewal and establishes a process for inspecting such vehicle. The bill has a contingent effective date of January 1, 2025, provided that the Department of Environmental Quality has received the necessary funding to supply the necessary equipment for such vehicle exhaust system inspections to inspection stations. The bill sunsets on July 1, 2027.
Study; joint committee of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health to study fair school funding reform; report. Establishes a joint committee consisting of five members of the House Committee on Education and three members of the Senate Committee on Education and Health to study fair school funding reform by, among other things, utilizing the recommendations from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission in its July 2023 report, "Virginia's K-12 Funding Formula," and any stakeholder input and feedback received by the joint committee to produce and submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Services by the first day of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly an executive summary of its findings and recommendations.
Virginia College Savings Plan; Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund. Directs the board of the Virginia College Savings Plan to deposit $250 million per year of surplus moneys from the Plan's fund into the Virginia College Opportunity Fund, established by the bill. The bill provides that such deposit shall not be made or shall be reduced in any year in which the College Opportunity Investment Advisory Committee determines that certain conditions relating to the Plan's funded status are not met. The Committee is established by the bill as an advisory committee for the Plan, for the purpose of determining the amount of deposits to be made to the Fund. The bill provides that financial management of the Fund is the responsibility of the board of the Plan but authorizes the board of the Virginia College Opportunity Endowment, also established by the bill, to manage a scholarship program funded by the Fund. The bill establishes an individual and corporate income tax subtraction for donations to the Fund. Under the bill, the Endowment provides scholarships to students who attend or plan to attend one of 12 eligible universities named in the bill. The bill provides that only such students who meet the eligibility requirements for a Federal Pell Grant and commit to being employed in Virginia, or being enrolled in postgraduate education in Virginia, for at least eight years after graduation from an eligible university are eligible for such scholarships.
Companion Animal Surgical Sterilization Program and Fund established. Establishes the Companion Animal Surgical Sterilization Program and Fund to reimburse participating veterinarians for the surgical sterilizations they perform on eligible cats or dogs. The bill provides that a surcharge of $50 per ton of pet food distributed in the Commonwealth be deposited in the Fund and such pet food be exempted from the existing litter tax. An animal will be eligible for sterilization under the Program if it is a feral or free-roaming cat or is owned by a low-income individual or a releasing agency such as an animal shelter.
Chief Resilience Officer of the Commonwealth; Office of Commonwealth Resilience; Interagency Resilience Working Group; Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund; Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund; Advisory Review Committee. Moves the position of Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) from under the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources to under the Governor and creates an Office of Commonwealth Resilience to support the CRO in his functions and duties. The bill requires the CRO to convene an Interagency Resilience Working Group to support the coordination of planning and implementation of resilience efforts, eliminates the position of Special Assistant to the Governor for Coastal Adaptation and Protection, and requires the Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation to convene an Advisory Review Committee to assist in the distribution of loans and grants from the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund. The bill also requires the Director to convene an Advisory Review Committee to assist in the distribution of loans and grants from the Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund and adds the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources and the CRO to the list of those with whom the Virginia Resources Authority is required to consult in directing the distribution of loans or grants from the Fund. The bill requires the Department to make available for public inspection at the office of the Department and on a publicly accessible website records of each application for grants and loans from the two Funds and the actions taken thereon. The Virginia Flood Resilience Advisory Committee replaces the Virginia Coastal Resilience Technical Advisory Committee effective February 1, 2025.
