Local government; standardization of public notice requirements for certain meetings, hearings, or intended actions. Standardizes the frequency with which and length of time in which notices of certain meetings, hearings, and other intended actions of localities must be published. The notice provisions included in the bill are organized into three groups: (i) publication required at least seven days before the meeting, hearing, or intended action; (ii) publication required twice, with the first notice appearing no more than 28 days before and the second notice appearing no less than seven days before the meeting, hearing, or intended action; and (iii) publication required three times, with the first notice appearing no more than 35 days before and the third notice appearing no less than seven days before the meeting, hearing, or intended action. The bill also standardizes descriptive information in such notices related to (a) proposing, amending, or repealing ordinances; (b) local budget adoption; and (c) zoning ordinances and planning-related actions. This bill is identical to SB 413.
Pharmacy technicians; expansion of allowable duties. Allows pharmacy technicians to clarify quantity or refills for a prescription issued for a Schedule VI drug. Current law only allows pharmacy technicians to accept refill authorizations. The bill also allows pharmacy technicians to accept electronic transfer of a refill for a Schedule VI drug upon order of the pharmacist-in-charge or pharmacist on duty if the refill is not an on-hold prescription. The bill defines "on-hold prescription" as a valid prescription that is received and maintained at the pharmacy for initial dispensing on a future date.
Institute for Advanced Learning and Research; Roanoke Higher Education Authority; board of trustees; powers and duties; specialized noncredit workforce training. Requires the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research to encourage and coordinate the development and delivery of noncredit courses with a focus on statewide and regional critical shortage areas and the needs of industry that include needed adult education and workforce training. The bill requires the board of trustees of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research and the Roanoke Higher Education Authority to seek opportunities to collaborate with local comprehensive community colleges to meet specialized noncredit workforce training needs identified by industry but provides that if local comprehensive community colleges are unable to meet identified industry needs, then the board of trustees may seek to collaborate with other education providers or other public or private organizations to provide, or itself may provide, specialized noncredit workforce training independent of local comprehensive community colleges. The bill's directives are subject to the availability of funding other than from general funds.
Institutions of higher education; campus safety and emergency preparedness training; first-year completion and biennial review. Requires the governing board of each public institution of higher education to develop and implement policies requiring that a campus safety and emergency preparedness training program be provided to and completed by all first-year students by the last day of each student's first academic term and reviewed biennially by each returning student at such institution. The bill provides that such training program will focus on active shooter event preparedness and may be offered in any format and include any supplementary materials as the governing board of each such institution deems appropriate. Finally, the bill directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to encourage private institutions of higher education to develop and implement policies requiring a campus safety and emergency preparedness training program be provided to each first-year student by the last day of each student's first academic term and reviewed biennially by each returning student at such institution.
Early childhood care and education; child day programs; use of office buildings; waiver of zoning requirements. Permits any locality to by ordinance provide for the waiver of any requirements for zoning permits for the operation of a child day program in an office building, as defined by the bill, provided that such facility satisfies the requirements for state licensure as a child day program. This bill is identical to SB 13.
Special license plates; United States Air Force. Authorizes the issuance of special license plates for active duty members with, honorably discharged veterans with six months of active duty service in, and retirees from the United States Air Force and unremarried surviving spouses of such service members. This bill incorporates HB 1489.
Department of Motor Vehicles; release of privileged information. Permits the Department of Motor Vehicles to release to a party that is subject to an administrative proceeding conducted by the Department nonmedical privileged information necessary to participate in such administrative proceeding. The bill limits such information to matters of fact and law asserted or questioned by the Department and prohibits the dissemination of such information to any third party that is not a party to the administrative proceeding.
Mineral mines; farm pond construction or expansion. Provides that, for laws relating to mineral mines, the definition of mining shall not be construed to limit a one-time construction or expansion of a farm pond for agricultural irrigation or provision of water for livestock to beneficially reuse the soil or sand, provided that such pond construction or expansion project (i) is a one-time activity on that parcel of land, (ii) is completed within six months, (iii) results in a pond that is less than three acres in total, and (iv) has all necessary permits and local approvals in place before such activity begins.
Physical examination of prisoner; licensed nurse practitioner; licensed physician assistant. Provides that each person received by the Department of Corrections shall be examined by a licensed physician, licensed nurse practitioner, or licensed physician assistant upon his arrival, within 30 days prior to any work assignment in food services, medical services, or cosmetological services or a change in work assignment, and at such other times thereafter as may be deemed necessary. Under current law, such examination may be performed only by a licensed physician.
Agricultural best management practices tax credit;agricultural equipment purchase tax credit; sunset date. Extendsfrom January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2030, the sunset date of theindividual and corporate agricultural best management practices incometax credit and extends from January 1, 2026, to January 1, 2030, the sunset date of the individual and corporate income tax credit forthe purchase of conservation tillage and precision agricultural applicationequipment.
Auto recyclers; database search. Clarifies the databases to be searched by the Department of Motor Vehicles upon notification by an auto recycler that he possesses a motor vehicle to be demolished but does not possess a certificate of title, salvage certificate, or nonrepairable certificate for such motor vehicle. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025, and is identical to SB 545.
Early childhood care and education; publiclyfunded providers; exemption from licensure for certain child day programs. Excepts military child care fee assistance or any childcare subsidy paid by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United Statesfrom the federal funds that would otherwise render a child day programas a "publicly funded provider," as that term is defined and usedin relevant law relating to early childhood care and education. Thebill also exempts from licensure by the Superintendent of PublicInstruction any child day program that (i) serves only dependentchildren of military personnel and (ii) (a) is located on a militarybase or federal property or (b) is certified as a family child careprovider by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States and provides that any branch of the Armed Forces of the United Statesor its agent, including an installation commander of a military baseon which a child day program is located, may assume responsibilityfor approving or determining which children may be served by theprogram that is so exempted from licensure.
