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.
Prisoners; Department of Corrections-issuedand jailer-issued identification. Provides that the Departmentof Corrections may establish a procedure for securing a government-issuedidentification card, birth certificate, or Social Security card throughthe Department of Motor Vehicles and that the Department of MotorVehicles shall expedite the processing of an application submittedby a prisoner for such government-issued identification card andthe issuance of such identification. The bill also requires the Departmentof Corrections, in coordination with the State Board of Local andRegional Jails, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the State Registrarof Vital Records, to (i) review the processes involved in assistinga prisoner in applying for and obtaining a government-issued identificationcard, birth certificate, or Social Security card; (ii) identify anyobstacles that may interfere with a prisoner obtaining such identificationor documents prior to such prisoner's release or discharge; and (iii)issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2024.
Elections; political campaign advertisements; advertisements sponsored by a person or political committee that is not a party committee.
Civilian deaths in custody; report. Requires every law-enforcement agency and correctional facility to report to the Department of Criminal Justice Services certain information regarding the death of any person who is detained, under arrest or in the process of being arrested, en route to be incarcerated, incarcerated, or otherwise in the custody of such law-enforcement agency or correctional facility. The bill provides that any law-enforcement agency or correctional facility that fails to comply may, at the discretion of the Department, be declared ineligible for state grants or funds. The bill also requires the Department to analyze the submitted data to (i) determine the means by which such information can be used to reduce the number of such deaths and (ii) examine the relationship, if any, between the number of such deaths and the actions of management of such law-enforcement agencies and correctional facilities. Finally, the bill requires the Director of the Department to annually report the findings and recommendations resulting from the analysis and interpretation of the data to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Attorney General beginning on or before July 1, 2025, and each July 1 thereafter. This bill was incorporated into HB 611.
Recording of proceedings in district courts; juvenile and domestic relations district court. Allows an audio recording of proceedings in a juvenile and domestic relations district court to be made by a party or his counsel.
Public institutions of higher education; dutiesof governing boards; acceptance and use of donations. Providesthat the governing board of each public institution of higher educationmay receive, take, hold, and enjoy any donation or gift made to suchinstitution or governing board and may use and administer any suchdonation or gift for the uses and purposes designated by the donoror, if no such specific designation is made, for the general purposesof the institution. The bill provides that in the event that a donorspecifically designates any particular use or purpose for a donationor gift, each governing board is required to appropriate such donationor gift and any resulting interest, income, and profits only to suchspecifically designated use or purpose, provided, however, that ifsuch specifically designated use or purpose fails by any means suchthat the specifically designated use or purpose is permanently frustrated,the whole donation or gift, including unexpended principal and interest,will revert to and be vested in the donor or his legal representatives.
Charitable gaming; definition of "organization." Modifies the definition of "organization" for the purposes of charitablegaming in the Commonwealth to include an organization that is exempt from income tax pursuant to § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Codeand that is a revitalization organization that is operated, and hasalways been operated, exclusively for the purposes of revitalizingthe Downtown Harrisonburg Historic District as the economic and socialhub of the City of Harrisonburg.
Study; State Council of Higher Education forVirginia; $10,000 per year baccalaureate degree; report. Requeststhat the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (i) studythe feasibility of implementing the option for students to pay $10,000annually for tuition and mandatory fees to earn a degree at a baccalaureatepublic institution of higher education in the Commonwealth by surveyingeach baccalaureate public institution of higher education to determinethe likely impact of such an option on enrollment, revenue, costs,services, staffing, and such other factors as the institution deemsrelevant and (ii) report its findings to the Governor and the GeneralAssembly no later than November 30, 2024.
Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security;work group to study recruitment and professional development offirefighters and emergency medical services personnel; report. Requires the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, inconsultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, to convene a work group to (i) study the recruitment and professionaldevelopment of firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, (ii) make recommendations to ensure the uniformity of training for firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, and (iii)examine whether the state regulation of firefighters and emergencymedical services personnel should be consolidated under a singlesecretariat and if a new secretariat should be created to overseesuch regulation. The bill requires the work group to submit a reportto the relevant General Assembly committees by November 1, 2024.
Charitable gaming; use of proceeds. Allowsa qualified organization to use a predetermined percentage of itsreceipts for those expenses relating to facility maintenance andupkeep, such as any rent or mortgage payment and utility expenses,and used for lawful religious, charitable, community, or educationalpurposes.
Study; JLARC; creation of Secretariat of RuralAffairs; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the need for and feasibility of creating a Secretariatof Rural Affairs in the Commonwealth.
Study; joint subcommittee; Dillon Rule; report.Creates a 13-member joint subcommittee for a one-year study of theDillon Rule and its impact on Virginia's localities.
