Reduction of local law enforcement budget prohibited;exception. Provides that no local governing body shall approvea budget that will reduce the total funds appropriated for local law-enforcementpurposes from the preceding fiscal year except by unanimous voteof all members elected to the governing body.
Residential development in certain areas; affordable housing. Provides that any type of residential use that is permittedin a locality shall be considered a conforming residential use onany parcel other than parcels zoned for (i) agriculture, (ii) conservation,or (iii) a different residential use. The bill states that no localordinance shall require that a special exception, special use, orconditional use permit be obtained for a conforming residential useand that rights under existing zoning shall be considered vestedpursuant to existing vesting provisions. The bill further providesthat any residential development pursuant to the authority grantedin the bill shall dedicate a minimum of 10 percent of the total numberof housing units to housing affordable to households making at orbelow 120 percent of the area median income.
State psychiatric hospitals; temporary detentionorders; delayed admission to determine medical needs. Allowsstate psychiatric hospitals to delay admission of an individual undera temporary detention order until the state psychiatric hospitalhas determined that the individual does not have potentially life-threateningmedical needs that require immediate evaluation and treatment thatthe state psychiatric hospital is incapable of providing. This billis a recommendation of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commissionand the Behavioral Health Commission.
Electric utilities; retail competition; aggregatedcompetitive purchasers. Creates a limited exception to the requirementthat the State Corporation Commission must find that a petition for certain competitive purchasers to aggregate their demands to becomequalified to purchase retail electric energy is consistent with thepublic interest in order for the Commission to approve such petition.The bill provides that a customer seeking such approval may remuneratethe utility for any adverse effects to the incumbent utility or itsremaining utility customers contrary to the public interest as determined by the Commission. The bill also provides that such customers shallnot be denied permission to procure retail electric energy from acompetitive supplier and that such remuneration fee shall be recalculatedby the Commission on a triennial basis from when a customer commencesa competitive service agreement.
Child care; background checks. Allows applicantsfor employment and applicants to serve as volunteers to work in certainchild day centers, family day homes, and family day systems pendingthe results of a full background check, provided that (i) the applicanthas received qualifying results on a fingerprint-based backgroundcheck through the Central Criminal Records Exchange or the FederalBureau of Investigation and (ii) the applicant is supervised at alltimes by a person who received a qualifying result on a full backgroundcheck within the past five years.
Use, display, or concealment of firearm in committing certain felonies; penalty. Provides that a person is guilty ofa separate felony if he carries about his person any pistol, shotgun,rifle, or other firearm that is hidden from common observation whilecommitting or attempting to commit certain other felonies. The billalso increases from three to five years for a first offense and fromfive to 10 years for a second or subsequent offense the mandatoryminimum sentences for use or display of a firearm during the commissionof certain felonies.
Financial reports by retirement systems; annualdisclosures. Requires retirement systems to provide disclosuresdescribing the process and criteria used for selecting third-partyfund managers, advisers, or consultants and other persons providingservices to the retirement system. Such information shall be includedin a retirement system's annual report.
State parks; First Responder and Veteran Passport;discounted entry and parking. Establishes a First Responder andVeteran Passport that entitles a first responder or a veteran ofthe Armed Forces of the United States or other military service toreceive a 50 percent discount on parking and admission fees at stateparks in the Commonwealth.
Electric utilities; State Corporation Commission;energy policy of the Commonwealth. Requires the State CorporationCommission to ensure that the Commonwealth implements the energypolicy of the Commonwealth, as defined by relevant law, at the lowestreasonable cost, taking into account all cost-effective demand-sidemanagement options and the security and reliability benefits of theregional transmission entity that each incumbent electric utilityhas joined. The bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that plans,petitions, or proposals from utilities that do not ensure such implementationat the lowest reasonable cost are not in the public interest.
Local government actions related to comprehensiveplans, local planning commissions, subdivision plats and site plans,and zoning ordinances; approval process. Makes several changesto local government land use approval processes, including (i) prohibitinguse of the comprehensive plan as the basis, in whole or in part, for the disapproval of a site plan that is otherwise in conformitywith duly adopted standards, ordinances, and statutes and (ii) allowingautomatic approval of certain land use applications rather than aright to petition the circuit court, as provided under current law,if a locality does not approve or disapprove the application withinthe required timeframe. The bill also reduces from 12 months to fourmonths the time within which a locality must initially act upon certainproposed zoning ordinance amendments and requires a locality to acton all such proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance or map thatit has previously disapproved within 45 days after an amended proposalhas been resubmitted for approval.
Electric utilities; offshore wind generation facilities; competitive procurement process; Department of Energy. Provides that the purchase by a public utility of energy, capacity, and environmental attributes from offshore wind generation facilities owned by persons other than a public utility and located off the Commonwealth's Atlantic shoreline or in federal waters and interconnected directly into the Commonwealth is in the public interest. The bill states that, except for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, the purchase or development of offshore wind facilities or the purchase by a public utility of energy, capacity, and environmental attributes from such facilities shall include a competitive procurement process held by the Department of Energy. The bill specifies that Dominion Energy Virginia may submit a bid but shall not participate in evaluating bids or making selections in such process.
Virginia Retirement System; return to work for law-enforcement officers. Allows a retired law-enforcement officer to return to work full time as a law-enforcement officer and continue to receive his pension under the Virginia Retirement System. Such person shall be required to have a break in service of at least six calendar months before reemployment. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.
