Persons employed to perform forensic science duties; training and certification; policies for reporting wrongdoing or misconduct. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish a comprehensive framework, in coordination with the Department of Forensic Science and with the approval of the Forensic Science Board, for the employment, job entry training, and certification requirements for any person employed by any state or local law-enforcement agency to perform forensic laboratory services or forensic science duties, including a forensic specialist or forensic analyst, which training and certification shall be administered by the Department of Forensic Science. The bill provides that the comprehensive framework shall include (i) developing policies and procedures for such employees to report instances of wrongdoing or misconduct committed by another such employee, a law-enforcement officer, or an attorney for the Commonwealth; (ii) establishing and publishing a model policy for the employment, job entry training, and certification for such employees; and (iii) establishing compulsory minimum training standards for basic training and recertification of such employees.Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to appoint a policy and curriculum review committee to assist the Department in carrying out its duties in establishing the comprehensive framework and requires that such establishment shall require approval of the majority of the members of the policy and curriculum review committee and is subject to final approval of the Forensic Science Board. The bill requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish the comprehensive framework by January 1, 2025, and all law-enforcement agencies to adopt the policies and procedures by July 1, 2025. The bill also requires any person employed by any state or local law-enforcement agency to perform forensic laboratory services or forensic science duties, including a forensic specialist or forensic analyst prior to July 1, 2024, to complete the training required by the bill by January 1, 2026.The bill also requires the Forensic Science Board to develop policies and procedures for employees of the Department of Forensic Science to report instances of wrongdoing or misconduct committed by another employee of the Department of Forensic Science or an employee of an entity for which the Department of Forensic Science has the responsibility to perform forensic laboratory services.
Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy; protocol; information; training. Requires the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to take certain actions upon the finding that an individual died from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), defined in the bill. The bill directs the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to publish information on SUDEP and a SUDEP death investigation form on its website. Additionally, the bill requires the Chief Medical Examiner and local medical examiners to complete training in the investigation of SUDEP on a triennial basis. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.
Comprehensive children's health care coverage program. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to establish a program to provide state-funded comprehensive health care coverage for individuals in the Commonwealth who (i) are under 19 years of age, (ii) are not covered under a group health plan or health insurance coverage, and (iii) but for their immigration status would be eligible for medical assistance services through the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance services established pursuant to Title XIX or XXI of the Social Security Act. The bill also requires the Department to ensure that all program information is made available in a manner that is accessible to individuals with limited English proficiency and individuals with disabilities through the provision of language access services, including oral interpretation and written translations, free of charge and to ensure that information obtained by the program remains confidential and is not disclosed for any purpose not related to the administration of the program or any purpose related to civil immigration enforcement unless the subject of the information consents to such disclosure or the requesting agency presents a valid judicial order, subpoena, or warrant.The bill also requires the Department to (a) establish a work group composed of individuals with direct and lived experience with the program eligibility criteria established by the bill and individuals with experience conducting outreach to individuals who are eligible for the program established by the bill to advise and assist the Department in carrying out marketing and outreach activities required by the bill and (b) seek all federal waivers and other approvals necessary to maximize federal financial participation in the cost of carrying out the program established by the bill.
Actions against real estate appraisers or appraisal management companies; statute of limitations. Provides that no action for damages or other relief alleging that a certified general real estate appraiser, a certified residential real estate appraiser, a licensed residential real estate appraiser, or an appraisal management company committed malpractice or negligence or an error, mistake, omission, or breach in an appraisal or appraisal report, whether based on contract or tort, shall be brought unless it is filed in a court of competent jurisdiction and proper venue within five years from the date of the alleged malpractice, negligence, error, mistake, omission, or breach. The bill provides exceptions for actions alleging fraud and proceedings initiated by the Real Estate Appraiser Board. The bill provides that any action for damages or other relief alleging that a certified general real estate appraiser, a certified residential real estate appraiser, a licensed residential real estate appraiser, or an appraisal management company committed malpractice or negligence or an error, mistake, omission, or breach in an appraisal or appraisal report before July 1, 2024, shall be filed in a court of competent jurisdiction and proper venue within two years of the occurrence of such malpractice, negligence, error, mistake, omission, or breach, regardless of the date of discovery of such occurrence.
Real property tax; notice of summary budget. Directs the governing body of every locality to send by mail, along with the annual property tax bill, a summary of the locality's budget for each of the two previous fiscal years. If the property tax bill is not ordinarily sent to the taxpayer, the budget summary may be mailed to the taxpayer separately.
Virginia Firefighting Personnel and Equipment Grant Program. Establishes the Virginia Firefighting Personnel and Equipment Grant Program for the purpose of providing grants to localities to hire additional firefighters and to improve their firefighting and emergency medical services. The Department of Fire Programs shall administer the Program, and two types of grants shall be made from the Program. The first shall provide grants to localities to increase the number of firefighters. Such grants shall be made for up to three years and shall be used by localities for programs to (i) hire new, additional full-time firefighters; (ii) convert part-time or volunteer firefighters to full-time firefighters; or (iii) recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. The other type of grant shall be provided to localities for improving firefighting and emergency medical services. Authorized uses of grant funds include acquiring firefighting and emergency medical services vehicles and equipment and modifying facilities. For both grants, the funds shall not be used to supplant any funds currently provided by the Commonwealth or by the locality and shall be used to increase the total amount of funds available for the provision of firefighting or emergency medical services.The Department shall report annually, beginning November 1, 2025, to the Governor and the General Assembly information regarding a list of grants, the amount of each approved grant, information on the performance assessment system that the bill directs the Department to create, an evaluation of each grant based on such system, and any other criteria deemed relevant by the Department.
Department of Conservation and Recreation; variances to general permit requirements for certain impounding structures; hazard potential classifications study; report. Requires the Soil and Water Conservation Board to develop a process by which an owner may submit a request only to the Department of Conservation and Recreation for a temporary or permanent variance to the general permit requirements for certain impounding structures for its review and consideration. The bill directs the Department to study issues relating to hazard potential classifications for impounding structures in the Commonwealth and report its findings to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources by December 1, 2024. The bill also directs the Department to advise the Governor and the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources of any variances to the general permit requirements granted by the Department.
Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections.
Department of Medical Assistance Services; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers; state plan amendments; program rule modifications. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to seek to modify the program rules for 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers to disregard Social Security Disability Insurance in calculating eligibility for 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers.
Controlled substances; manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, etc.; adulterated or misbranded drugs; penalties. Makes it a Class 6 felony for any person, except for permitted manufacturers, to possess, purchase, sell, give, distribute, or possess with intent to sell, give, or distribute an encapsulating machine or a tableting machine that manufactures, compounds, converts, produces, processes, prepares, or otherwise introduces into the human body a controlled substance. The bill makes it a Class 5 felony if such person knows, intends, or has reasonable cause to believe that such action will result in the unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance or counterfeit controlled substance that contains (i) a controlled substance classified in Schedule I or Schedule II of the Drug Control Act; (ii) cocaine, coca leaves, or any salt, compound, derivative, or preparation thereof as described in Schedule II of the Drug Control Act; or (iii) a controlled substance analog as defined in relevant law.The bill also makes it a felony punishable by imprisonment for not less than 10 nor more than 40 years for any person 18 years of age or older to knowingly allow a minor or a mentally incapacitated or physically helpless person of any age to be present during the manufacture or attempted manufacture of any substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.The bill also increases from a Class 2 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony the penalty for violations related to adulterated or misbranded drugs and cosmetics.
Virginia Public Safety Communications Infrastructure Fund and Program; established. Establishes the Virginia Public Safety Communications Infrastructure Fund and Program, to be administered by the Department of Emergency Management and financially managed by the Virginia Resources Authority, for the purpose of making loans and awarding grants to local governments to assist with improvement projects relating to public safety radio and communications infrastructure.
Board of Education; creation and maintenance of Virginia Parent Data Portal. Requires the Board of Education, on or before July 1, 2025, to create and maintain the Virginia Parent Data Portal that, among other things, (i) displays individualized student assessment data on all state-supported assessments, defined in the bill, (a) in a format that shows both current and cumulative data over time and (b) within 45 days of a state-supported assessment window closing for each state-supported assessment; (ii) provides (a) a description of the purpose of each state-supported assessment, (b) an explanation of how to interpret student data on each state-supported assessment, (c) a comparison of a student's performance on each state-supported assessment with the performance of the student's school, the student's school division, and the Commonwealth, and (d) guidance to support parents in understanding and addressing the specific academic needs of their students; (iii) is viewable from a mobile device in addition to a desktop computer; (iv) leverages existing school division user management to restrict user access to students and their parents; and (v) is compatible with each local school division's existing student information system to enable direct integration of state-supported assessment data into local school division parent portals.The bill requires the Board and the Department of Education to develop professional development for principals and teachers in encouraging and supporting parents to engage with, interpret, and use student assessment data available through the Portal to support their student's learning and requires each school board to annually provide such professional development to principals and teachers.
