Custody and visitation arrangements; best interests of the child; expert testimony; history of abuse. Requires a court to consider any history of family abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, or an act of violence, force, or threat in determining best interests of a child for purposes of determining custody or visitation arrangements. Under current law, only such history that occurred no earlier than 10 years prior to the filing of a custody or visitation petition is required to be considered. The bill also requires that any expert evidence from a court-appointed or outside professional relating to any alleged abuse of a child subject to such petition shall only be admitted if such professional possesses demonstrated expertise and clinical experience in working with victims of the type of such abuse alleged that is not solely of a forensic nature. The bill further directs the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia to provide mandatory judicial training on trauma-informed practices in proceedings involving domestic violence to magistrates and judges of the juvenile domestic relations district courts, general district courts, circuit courts, and the Court of Appeals of Virginia, the justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia, and court personnel.
Interstate Massage Compact. Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Interstate Massage Compact. The Compact allows massage therapists who (i) possess an active, unencumbered license in the compact member state in which they reside; (ii) have completed at least 625 hours of massage therapy education; (iii) have passed the national licensing examination; and (iv) have no disqualifying criminal history to be granted a multistate license that authorizes them to practice in all compact member states. The Compact takes effect when it is enacted by a seventh member state.
Net energy metering; solar interconnection; cost recovery. Provides that an electric distribution company shall pay $1 per kilowatt per day for the costs of lost electricity production for any and all delays beyond the regulatory notice period required by State Corporation Commission related to net energy metering. The bill requires that, for the purposes of net energy metering, an eligible customer-generator shall bear all reasonable costs of equipment required at the eligible customer-generator's side of the meter for the interconnection to the supplier's electric distribution system, including reasonable and prudent costs of additional controls, tests, or liability insurance. Additionally, the bill allows for cost recovery by Phase I and Phase II Utilities for electric distribution grid transformation projects that support the interconnection of generating facilities using energy derived from sunlight that are owned or contracted by eligible customer-generators, subject to the Commission finding those costs to be reasonable and prudent in accordance with existing law.
Housing opportunity tax credit. Increases, for calendar years 2023 through 2025, the amount of housing opportunity tax credits that may be claimed from $60 million per calendar year to $100 million per calendar year.
Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources; work group; report. Directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a work group to study and make recommendations on procedures for requiring health care providers or facilities to report to a law-enforcement officer in order to initiate procedures for the issuance of a substantial risk order. The bill requires the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2024.
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.
Department of Corrections; online educational courses. Requires the Director of the Department of Corrections to establish, develop, and implement an educational program with the Online Virginia Network Authority for the purposes of providing a means for prisoners to earn degrees and postsecondary education credentials through accessing online degree and credential programs that are offered by George Mason University, Old Dominion University, James Madison University, and comprehensive community colleges.
Highway Corporation Act of 1988; reports. Requires a roadway operator under the Highway Corporation Act of 1988 to quarterly file with the State Corporation Commission, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees on Transportation a complete financial report and provide any additional current and historical financial information as requested by any of the same such entities.
Expeditious resolution of complaints relating to certain student transportation safety issues. Requires each locality and the Department of Transportation, as applicable, to expeditiously respond to and assist in the resolution of, to the maximum extent practicable, any complaint received by or on behalf of any public elementary or secondary school student relating to such student's safety on the streets, roads, sidewalks, and crosswalks surrounding school property as such student arrives to or departs from school and permits, for the purposes of complying with such requirement, any school board to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the locality or the Department, as applicable, for the establishment of a protocol or the designation of an ombudsman for the resolution of such complaints.
Department of Medical Assistance Services; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; Medicaid Waivers; program rule modifications. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to modify the program rules for certain Medicaid waivers to eliminate the requirement that certain visits for individuals enrolled in Family and Individual Support Waivers, Community Living Waivers, Building Independence Waivers, and CCC Plus Waivers be conducted face-to-face.
Virginia Human Rights Act; prohibits discrimination on the basis of citizenship or immigration status. Adds citizenship or immigration status to the classes protected from unlawful discrimination in the Virginia Human Rights Act.
Elections; candidates for office; electronic filing of forms, petitions, and notifications with Department of Elections. Requires the Department of Elections to develop and implement an online filing system to accept any form, petition, or notification filed by electronic means by a party official or candidate. The bill requires the State Board of Elections to develop standards for the electronic preparation, production, submission, and transmittal of all forms required of party officials and candidates. The bill also requires the State Board to prescribe all candidate and party forms in both paper and electronic formats. The bill allows for the collection of petition signatures by electronic means and provides formal requirements for signatures on electronic petitions. The bill makes technical amendments to provide uniformity in requirements for all such electronic filings.
