Assistance for certain voters outside of the polling place; definition of "person with a disability"; training. Amends the definition of "person with a disability" for purposes of the Elections title to mean any person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of his major life activities or who has a record of such impairment. The bill provides that any qualified voter who is a person with a disability shall be eligible for assistance outside of the polling place and makes technical amendments for consistency. The bill requires the training required for all officers of election to include specific training on voting outside of a polling place and directs the Department of Elections to incorporate into guidance documents for election officials the processes and procedures for voting outside of the polling place, including best practices for providing assistance for voters with disabilities. This bill is identical to HB 441.
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 HB 711.
Commonwealth information security requirements. Requires state public bodies, defined in the bill, to (i) complywith the Commonwealth's security policies and standards, (ii) ensureeach of its employees completes information security training, (iii)conduct regular security audits, and (iv) report the results of suchaudits to the appropriate entity. The bill directs the Chief InformationOfficer of the Commonwealth to (a) publish and maintain a list ofthe Commonwealth's security policies and standards with which statepublic bodies are required to comply, (b) ensure that transitionmeetings with state public bodies occur, and (c) document such transitionsand any exemptions from the requirements of the bill.
Persons other than ministers who may perform rites of marriage; former statewide legislators and officials; clerk of a circuit court. Adds any (i) former member of the General Assembly; (ii) former Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General of the Commonwealth; or (iii) current or former clerk of a circuit court of the Commonwealth who is a resident of the Commonwealth to the list of persons who may perform the rites of marriage in the Commonwealth without the necessity of bond or order of authorization.
Decertification of law-enforcement officers and jail officers. Makes various changes to the provisions related to decertification of law-enforcement officers and jail officers. The bill provides that the Department of Criminal Justice Services, rather than the Criminal Justice Services Board as provided under current law, shall oversee decertification proceedings, including receiving notice of an event requiring decertification from the sheriff, chief of police, or agency administrator or their designee, immediately decertifying a law-enforcement officer or jail officer upon receiving such notice, and initiating a review of the decertification upon request by the decertified officer. The bill specifies that the Department shall initiate such a review of the decertification in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Process Act. The bill provides that the findings and decision of the Department may be appealed to the Board and that the final administrative decision of the Board may be then appealed and reviewed by a court. The bill also allows the Department to grant a continuance of any informal fact-finding conference or formal hearing upon motion by the decertified officer or his counsel or the Attorney General for good cause shown. The bill specifies when the Department is permitted or required to continue any informal fact-finding conference or formal hearing under different circumstances involving pending criminal charges or pending appeals. The bill requires an officer to remain decertified during a period of continuance of any informal fact-finding conference or formal hearing for a pending criminal charge unless the Department finds the officer's continued decertification may cause circumstances that constitute a manifest injustice to the officer, in which case the officer's certification may be reinstated during the period of continuance until the conviction becomes final. Current law allows the Board, when an officer's conviction has not become final, to decline to decertify such officer after considering the likelihood of irreparable damage to the officer if such officer is decertified during the pendency of an ultimately successful appeal, the likelihood of injury or damage to the public if the officer is not decertified, and the seriousness of the offense. Additionally, the bill allows decertification of an officer who is terminated or resigns for an act committed while in the performance of his duties that compromises an officer's credibility, integrity, or honesty or that constitutes exculpatory or impeachment evidence in a criminal case. Current law allows decertification of an officer who is terminated or resigns for an act committed while in the performance of his duties that compromises an officer's credibility, integrity, honesty, or other characteristics that constitute exculpatory or impeachment evidence in a criminal case. The bill also specifies that the required notification to the Department related to an officer being terminated or resigning (i) for engaging in serious misconduct; (ii) while such officer is the subject of a pending internal investigation involving serious misconduct; or (iii) for an act committed while in the performance of his duties that compromises an officer's credibility, integrity, or honesty or constitutes exculpatory or impeachment evidence in a criminal case shall be within 48 hours of completion of an internal investigation. Under current law, such notification is required to be within 48 hours of the termination or resignation. The bill also requires the Department to establish standards and procedures for when the Department may grant a petition for reinstatement of certification of a decertified officer. The bill directs the Department to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.
Collections of fines, costs, forfeitures, penalties, etc.; duty of attorneys for the Commonwealth; consultation with clerk. Requires that at least 30 days prior to the execution of a contract with a private attorney or private collection agency to undertake the collection of fines, costs, forfeitures, penalties, and restitution, the attorney for the Commonwealth shall consult with the clerk of the circuit court.
Department of Housing and Community Development; Virginia residential development infrastructure fund; work group; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to convene a work group to assess the feasibility of and options for establishing a Virginia residential development infrastructure fund. The bill directs the work group to submit a report of its assessment to the General Assembly no later than the first day of the 2025 Regular Session.
Board of Medicine; Board of Dentistry; Board of Optometry; Boards of Medicine and Nursing; patient counseling; treatment with opioids. Directs the Board of Medicine, the Board of Dentistry, the Board of Optometry, and the Boards of Medicine and Nursing to amend their regulations to require the provision of certain information to patients being prescribed an opioid for the treatment of acute or chronic pain. The bill requires that the regulations include an exception to the required provision of such information for patients who are (i) in active treatment for cancer, (ii) receiving hospice care from a licensed hospice or palliative care, (iii) residents of a long-term care facility, (iv) being prescribed an opioid in the course of treatment for substance abuse or opioid dependence, or (v) receiving treatment for sickle cell disease. The bill directs the Boards to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.
Department of Education; guidelines for individualized education program teams relating to certain age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate instruction; availability and posting. Requires theDepartment of Education to make available to each school board andpost on its website by the beginning of the 2024-2025 school yearthe guidelines established in accordance with relevant law for individualizededucation program (IEP) teams to use in developing IEPs for childrenwith disabilities relating to the need for age-appropriate and developmentallyappropriate instruction.
Historic rehabilitation tax credit; increase.Increases from $5 million to $10 million, beginning in taxable year2024, the maximum amount of the historic rehabilitation tax credit,including amounts carried over from prior taxable years, that maybe claimed by a taxpayer in any taxable year. In addition, shouldthe taxpayer incur expenses toward the rehabilitation of a certifiedhistoric structure in a locality that has a designated enterprise zone, as defined in relevant law, the taxpayer may claim up to anadditional $10 million in any taxable year.
Elections; candidates for office; petition ofqualified voters; start date. Clarifies the date from which validsignatures for petitions of qualified voters can be collected forpersons seeking to become candidates in certain elections.
Charitable gaming. Amends charitable gaming law to allow, as a condition of receiving a charitable gaming permit or authorization to conduct electronic gaming, certain organizations to use a predetermined percentage of its receipts for expenses related to the rental of real property where such real property is involved in the operation of the organization and used for lawful religious, charitable, community, or educational purposes. The bill prohibits the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from promulgating electronic gaming regulations that prohibit (i) devices that display spinning, rotating, or rolling reels or animations or flashing lights; (ii) devices that accept vouchers; or (iii) the purchase and play of an electronic pull tab with a single press or touch of a button. The bill also requires qualified organizations and electronic gaming manufacturers to pay one-quarter of one percent of its gross receipts or adjusted gross receipts, as appropriate, to be deposited by the Department into the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund and prohibits any qualified social organization that is subject to Department regulations from conducting electronic gaming in a separately demised premises that has a direct or indirect means of ingress to or egress from any adjacent space unless such space is used exclusively by members or guests of such qualified organization.
