Elections; form of ballot; party identificationof candidates; constitutional offices. Provides that any candidatefor a constitutional office who is nominated by a political partyor at a primary election shall be identified on the ballot by thename of his political party. Currently, only candidates for federal,statewide, and General Assembly offices are so identified. The constitutionaloffices are those of the treasurer, sheriff, attorney for the Commonwealth,clerk of court, and commissioner of the revenue.
Department of General Services; Office of PharmaceuticalServices; report. Establishes in the Department of General Servicesan Office of Pharmaceutical Services to develop and execute a planto consolidate state agency prescription drug purchasing and pharmacy benefit management programs to increase efficiency in prescriptiondrug purchasing and constrain spending on prescription drugs. Thebill directs the Department to provide to the Governor and the GeneralAssembly an interim report on the development of the plan by November1, 2024, and a final report on the plan by November 1, 2025.
Electric utilities; electric distribution infrastructure serving data centers. Prohibits the costs associated with theconstruction or extension of any electric distribution infrastructurethat primarily serves the load of a data center from being recoveredfrom any other customer.
Elections; form of ballot; party identificationof candidates; constitutional offices. Provides that any candidatefor a constitutional office who is nominated by a political partyor at a primary election shall be identified on the ballot by thename of his political party. Currently, only candidates for federal,statewide, and General Assembly offices are so identified. The constitutionaloffices are those of the treasurer, sheriff, attorney for the Commonwealth,clerk of court, and commissioner of the revenue.
Constitutional amendment (first reference);fundamental right to reproductive freedom. Provides that everyindividual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom andthat the right to make and effectuate one's own decisions about allmatters related to one's pregnancy cannot be denied, burdened, orotherwise infringed upon by the Commonwealth, unless justified bya compelling state interest and achieved by the least restrictive means. The amendment prohibits the Commonwealth from penalizing,prosecuting, or otherwise taking adverse action against an individualfor exercising the individual's right to reproductive freedom or foraiding another individual in the exercise of such right, unless justifiedby a compelling state interest.
Unfunded mandates; delay of implementation.Allows a county, city, or town, in its discretion, to delay implementingan unfunded mandate until the next fiscal year after the fiscal yearin which any unfunded mandate became effective. The locality shalldo so by ordinance that states with specificity the unfunded mandatethat the locality seeks to delay implementing and the date on whichthe unfunded mandate shall become effective after the delay. The bill defines "unfunded mandate" as an act that imposes on a localitythe responsibility of providing funding for new programs or increasedlevels of service under existing programs and for which the Commonwealthdoes not provide sufficient funding to cover the required costs of such new programs or increased services, whether by appropriationor other means.
Nonbinary sex or gender designation option.Requires all forms or applications to offer any applicant the optionof "male," "female," or "nonbinary" when designating the applicant'ssex or gender. The bill contains technical amendments.
Elections; absentee voting; counting ballotsprior to the close of polls. Allows officers of election at acentral absentee precinct to begin ascertaining and recording thenumber of votes cast by absentee ballots at any time after noon onthe day of the election. Under current law, absentee ballots thatare counted by hand may be tallied, but not counted, at any timeafter noon on the day of the election, and no ballot totals for anyabsentee ballots shall be ascertained until after polls close. Thebill also clarifies that vote totals for absentee ballots cast inperson on voting systems cannot be determined until the day of the election. The bill also requires that general registrars begin processing absentee ballots on the fourteenth day prior to the day of the election.Under current law such processing is not required until the seventhday prior to the day of the election.
Health professions; universal licensure; requirements. Requires health regulatory boards within the Department of HealthProfessions to recognize licenses or certifications issued by otherUnited States jurisdictions, as defined in the bill, as fulfillmentfor licensure or certification in the Commonwealth if certain conditionsare met. The bill also requires such health regulatory boards torecognize work experience as fulfillment for licensure or certificationin the Commonwealth if certain conditions are met. The bill does not apply to licensure for physicians or dentists.
Employment; paid sick leave; civil penalties. Expandsprovisions of the Code that currently require one hour of paid sick leave forevery 30 hours worked for home health workers to cover all employees of privateemployers and state and local governments. The bill requires that employees whoare employed and compensated on a fee-for-service basis accrue paid sick leavein accordance with regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Labor andIndustry. The bill provides that employees transferred to a separate divisionor location remain entitled to previously accrued paid sick leave and thatemployees retain their accrued sick leave under any successor employer. Thebill allows employers to provide a more generous paid sick leave policy thanprescribed by its provisions. Employees, in addition to using paid sick leavefor their physical or mental illness or to care for a family member, may usepaid sick leave for their need for services or relocation due to domesticabuse, sexual assault, or stalking.The bill provides that certain health care workers who work nomore than 30 hours per month may waive the right to accrue and use paid sickleave. The bill also provides that employers are not required to provide paidsick leave to certain health care workers who are employed on a pro re nata, oras-needed, basis, regardless of the number of hours worked. The bill requiresthe Commissioner to promulgate regulations regarding employee notification andemployer recordkeeping requirements.The bill authorizes the Commissioner, in the case of a knowingviolation, to subject an employer to a civil penalty not to exceed $150 for thefirst violation, $300 for the second violation, and $500 for each successiveviolation. The Commissioner may institute proceedings on behalf of an employeeto enforce compliance with the provisions of this bill. Additionally, anaggrieved employee is authorized to bring a civil action against the employerin which he may recover double the amount of any unpaid sick leave and theamount of any actual damages suffered as the result of the employer'sviolation. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.
Presidential electors; National Popular VoteCompact. Enters Virginia into an interstate compact known asthe Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by NationalPopular Vote. Article II of the Constitution of the United Statesgives the states exclusive and plenary authority to decide the mannerof awarding their electoral votes. Under the compact, Virginia agreesto award its electoral votes to the presidential ticket that receivesthe most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.The compact goes into effect when states cumulatively possessinga majority of the electoral votes have joined the compact. A statemay withdraw from the compact; however, a withdrawal occurring withinsix months of the end of a President's term shall not become effectiveuntil a President or Vice President has qualified to serve the next term.
Constitutional amendment (first reference);qualifications of voters; right to vote; persons not entitled tovote. Provides that every person who meets the qualificationsof voters set forth in the Constitution of Virginia shall have thefundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth and that such rightshall not be abridged by law, except for persons who have been convictedof a felony and persons who have been adjudicated to lack the capacityto understand the act of voting. A person who has been convictedof a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarcerationfor such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration forthat felony conviction and without further action required of him,such person shall be invested with all political rights, includingthe right to vote. Currently, in order to be qualified to vote a personconvicted of a felony must have his civil rights restored by theGovernor or other appropriate authority. The amendment also providesthat a person adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction aslacking the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitled to vote during this period of incapacity until his capacityhas been reestablished as prescribed by law. Currently, the Constitutionof Virginia provides that a person who has been adjudicated to bementally incompetent is not qualified to vote until his competencyis reestablished.
