Enterprise zones; renewal periods. Authorizes the Governor, upon the recommendation of the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, to renew enterprise zones for up to four five-year renewal periods for zones designated on or after July 1, 2005, and for up to two five-year renewal periods for zones designated before July 1, 2005. Under current law, zones designated on or after July 1, 2005, may be renewed for up to three such periods and zones designated before July 1, 2005, may be renew for up to one such period. This bill is incorporated into SB 679.
Location of assisted living facilities and grouphomes. Prohibits localities from allowing certain assisted livingfacilities and group homes with eight or fewer residents approvedby the locality on or after July 1, 2024, to be located within onemile of a similar pre-existing assisted living facility or group home,provided such enforcement is in compliance with applicable stateand federal fair housing laws.
Campaign advertisements; independent expenditures;electioneering communications; disclaimer requirements. Broadensthe scope of disclaimer requirements for campaign advertisements to include electioneering communications, as defined in the bill, andmessages advocating for the passage or defeat of a referendum. Thebill also requires an advertisement that is an independent expenditureor that expressly advocates for the passage or defeat of a referendumto contain a disclaimer providing the names of the advertisementsponsor's three largest contributors. The bill also requires independentexpenditure reports to be filed electronically. Current law allowssuch reports to be filed either electronically or in writing.
Divorce; cruelty, reasonable apprehension ofbodily hurt, or willful desertion or abandonment; divorce from bedand board. Eliminates the one-year waiting period for being decreeda divorce on the grounds of cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodilyhurt, or willful desertion or abandonment by either party. The billalso repeals the provision allowing for a divorce from bed and boardon the grounds of cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodily hurt,or willful desertion or abandonment. The provisions of the bill applyto suits for divorce filed on or after July 1, 2024.
Alcoholic beverage control; farm winery licenses; requirements and privileges. Exempts from certain requirementsimposed on farm winery licensees by prior legislation persons thathold a farm winery license that was granted on or before July 1,2020, and has continuously remained valid and active subsequent toits issuance if requested by such licensee. Such requirements relateto the characteristics of and tasks to be performed on the licensedpremises, license qualifications, manufacturing and sale requirementsand limitations, and utilization of contract winemaking services.
Health insurance; dental plans; approval ofrates and medical loss ratio. Requires the State CorporationCommission to review and approve premium rates applicable to dentalplans issued in the Commonwealth. Under the bill, benefits are deemedto be reasonable in relation to premiums, provided that the medicalloss ratio of the policy form, including riders and endorsements,is at least as great as 85 percent. The bill provides that if the Commission finds that the premium rate filed is not meeting or willnot meet a medical loss ratio of 85 percent, the Commission shall require appropriate rate adjustments, premium refunds, or premiumcredits as deemed necessary for the coverage to conform with themedical loss ratio standard of 85 percent.
Zoning; civil penalties; commercial uses.Allows enhanced civil penalties for zoning violations involving nonpermitted commercial uses. The bill also requires that for any violation involving nonpermitted commercial uses, a person who admitsliability shall be required to abate or remedy the nonpermitted commercialuse violation within a period of time specified by the locality thatis no less than 30 days but no more than 24 months from the dateof admission of liability.
Alcoholic beverage control; tied house exception.Allows a manufacturer, bottler, broker, importer, or wholesalerto sponsor or provide support, including equipment, staff, financial,and other support, for a special event for which a nonprofit organizationhas been issued a banquet license and partners with a governmentalentity that holds a mixed beverage caterer's license, provided thatthe mixed beverage caterer's license held by the governmental entityis not used in coordination with such special event.
C-PACE loans; residential dwellings and condominiums. Removes an exclusion for residential dwellings with fewer than fivedwelling units and condominium projects from certain requirementsrelated to a voluntary special assessment lien that secures a loanfor the initial acquisition and installation of clean energy, resiliency,or stormwater management improvements.
School board employees; civil cause of actionagainst principals, division superintendents, and school boards forworkplace injuries. Permits any school board employee who suffersbodily injury in the course of his employment on school board propertyafter notifying the appropriate school principal, division superintendent,or school board that a working condition or situation was reasonablylikely to lead to such bodily injury to bring a civil cause of actionin a court of competent jurisdiction for appropriate relief, includingdamages, against any such school principal, division superintendent, or school board that acted negligently, recklessly, or willfullyin failing to remedy the condition or situation that led to such bodily injury.
Cannabis control; retail market; penalties.Establishes a framework for the creation of a retail marijuana marketin the Commonwealth, to be administered by the Virginia CannabisControl Authority. The bill allows the Authority to begin issuingall marijuana licenses on July 1, 2025; however, the bill allows certainpharmaceutical processors to begin operations on July 1, 2024, andallows a limited number of other licensees to begin operations onJanuary 1, 2025.
Electric utilities; energy efficiency programs.Adds electrification to the definition of "energy efficiency program"for the purposes of the Virginia Electric Utility Regulation Act,provided that the electrification measures reduce total onsite energy consumption and, to the maximum extent practical, seek to utilizefederally authorized customer rebates for heat pump technology.
