Campaign finance; campaign contribution limits;civil penalty. Prohibits persons from making any single contribution,or any combination of contributions, that exceeds $20,000 to anyone candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General,or the Senate of Virginia or $10,000 to any one candidate for theHouse of Delegates in any one election cycle. The bill does not place any limits on in-kind contributions to such candidates frompolitical party committees. The bill establishes thresholds for anycandidates making contributions to their own campaign in excess of$400,000 in a race for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General,or the Senate of Virginia or $200,000 in a race for House of Delegates.The bill also prohibits persons from making any single contribution,or any combination of contributions, that exceeds $10,000 to anyone political committee in any calendar year. Civil penalties forviolations of the limits established by the bill may equal up totwo times the excess contribution amounts.
Sales tax; additional local tax for schools;Stafford County. Adds Stafford County to the list of localitiesthat are authorized to impose an additional local sales tax at arate not to exceed one percent in order to provide revenue for theconstruction or renovation of schools.
Child victims and witnesses using two-way closed-circuit television; standard. Expands the age range during which a childmay testify using two-way closed-circuit television in a criminalcase to include any child younger than 18 years of age at the timeof the trial. Under current law, an alleged victim must be 14 yearsof age or younger at the time of the alleged offense and 16 yearsof age or younger at the time of the trial to testify by two-wayclosed-circuit television, and a child witness must be 14 years ofage or younger at the time of the trial to so testify. The bill alsoprovides that the court may order that the testimony of a child betaken by two-way closed-circuit television if it finds that the childis unavailable to testify in open court in the presence of the defendant,the jury, the judge, and the public if the court finds, by a preponderanceof the evidence, based upon expert opinion testimony, that the childwill suffer emotional trauma that is more than de minimis as a resultof testifying in the defendant's presence and not the courtroom generally.Under current law, the court may order such testimony be taken bytwo-way closed-circuit television if there is a substantial likelihood,based upon expert opinion testimony, that the child will suffer severeemotional trauma from so testifying.
Required voting districts in certain cities.Requires every city with a population of 250,000 or greater to electits council members by individual districts or wards, beginning withmunicipal elections held after January 1, 2025. The provisions ofthis bill supersede any contrary provisions of a city charter orany other provision of law.
Prostitution; solicitation; penalties. Increasesfrom a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony the penalty for athird or subsequent offense of solicitation of prostitution from an adult. The bill also makes it a Class 5 felony to solicit prostitutionfrom any minor. Under current law, any person who solicits prostitutionfrom a minor is guilty of a Class 6 felony if the minor is 16 yearsof age or older or a Class 5 felony if the minor is younger than16 years of age. Finally, the bill increases the fines for certainoffenses related to sex trafficking from $100 to $1,000 and from$500 to $2,500, respectively.
School boards; school resource officers; employment; participation in development and review of school crisis, emergencymanagement, and medical emergency response plans. Requires eachschool board to (i) seek, to the maximum extent practicable, to employschool resource officers in each public elementary and secondaryschool in the local school division in accordance with the memorandumof understanding entered into with the local law-enforcement agencyand (ii) include school resource officers employed in the local schooldivision in the development and annual review of its written schoolcrisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plan.
Certification of ancillary traffic infractionsand civil offenses. Allows the court to certify any ancillarytraffic infraction or civil offense to the clerk of the circuit courtupon certification of any felony offense, provided that the attorneyfor the Commonwealth and the accused consent to such certification.Current law only allows ancillary misdemeanor offenses to be certified.
Medical Ethics Defense Act established. Establishes the right of a medical practitioner, health care institution,or health care payer not to participate in or pay for any medicalprocedure or service that violates such medical practitioner's, health care institution's, or health care payer's conscience, as those termsand conditions are defined in the bill. The bill provides protectionsfor medical practitioners who disclose violations of the bill or reportviolations of laws or ethical guidelines for the safe provision ofany medical procedure or service. The bill also provides a privateright of action for any party harmed by violations of the bill.
Virginia Health Workforce Innovation Fund; established.Establishes the Virginia Health Workforce Innovation Fund tobe administered by the Board of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority. The Board shall use the Fund to provide grants to facilitate regional collaboration on health care innovation and workforce developmentand, in particular, the formation of regional, employer-led partnershipsthat prioritize workforce growth and training. The bill provides for the formation across the Commonwealth of regional councils, definedin the bill, consisting of representatives from the government, health care, and education sectors. Under the bill, regional councils maysubmit applications for collaborative projects in their regions thatenhance private-sector growth, competitiveness, and workforce development.A portion of the grant funds will be awarded on a population basisand a portion on a competitive basis.
Additional local sales and use tax to supportschools; referendum. Authorizes all counties and cities to imposean additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed onepercent with the revenue used only for capital projects for the constructionor renovation of schools if such levy is approved in a voter referendum.Under current law, only Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg,Northampton, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danvilleare authorized to impose such a tax.
Siting of data centers; parks, schools, andresidential areas. Requires that any local government land use application required for the siting of a data center, as definedin the bill, be approved only for areas that are one-quarter mileor more from federal, state, or local parks, schools, and propertyzoned or used for residential use.
Carrying a firearm or explosive material intoa building owned or leased by the Commonwealth; exception for highwayrest areas. Provides that the prohibition on carrying a firearmor explosive material in any building owned or leased by the Commonwealthshall not apply to any highway rest area.
