Casino gaming; eligible host cities. Reducesfrom five to four the number of cities eligible to host a casinoin the Commonwealth by removing Richmond from the list of eligiblehost cities.
Faith in Housing for the Commonwealth Act. Permits a religious organization, defined in the bill, to constructaffordable housing on real estate owned by such religious organization(i) on or before January 1, 2024, or for a period of not less thanfive years, and (ii) for which the religious organization retainsa majority ownership interest.
Civil actions filed on behalf of multiple persons. Provides that a circuit court may enter an order joining, coordinating, consolidating, or transferring civil actions upon finding that separatecivil actions brought by a plaintiff on behalf of multiple similarlysituated persons involve common questions of law or fact and ariseout of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactionsor occurrences. Under current law, such order is permitted only wheresix or more plaintiffs have filed such actions. The bill furtherrequires the Supreme Court of Virginia to promulgate rules no laterthan November 1, 2024, governing such actions. The bill has a delayedeffective date of July 1, 2025, except that the provisions of thebill requiring the Supreme Court to promulgate rules are effectivein due course.
Department of Energy; potential benefits ofusing solar energy for certain residential, commercial, and governmentapplications; report. Directs the Department of Energy (Department)to produce a report that (i) quantifies the potential benefits ofusing solar energy for residential, commercial, and government building rooftops, parking lots, and brownfields across the Commonwealth;(ii) describes any incentives, in whole or in part, that would maximizesuch potential benefits from the use of such solar energy; and (iii)provides regulatory and legislative recommendations. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and any recommendations tothe Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, the SenateCommittee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources, theHouse Committee on Commerce and Energy, and the House Committee onAgriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by December 1, 2024.
High school graduation requirements; passingscore on select questions from the U.S. Naturalization Test. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing high school graduation requirements, to require, except in the case of a high school studentwhose individualized education program indicates otherwise, eachhigh school student to take and correctly answer at least 70 percentof the questions on a test composed of at least 50 but not more than60 of the questions on the civics portion of the U.S. NaturalizationTest in order to graduate high school with a standard or advancedstudies diploma, provided that such student may take such test atany time during grades nine through 12 and as many times during suchperiod as necessary to achieve the minimum 70 percent passing score.
Fleeing from a law-enforcement officer; penalty.Removes the requirement that a law-enforcement officer have the immediatephysical ability to place a person under arrest for the crime of fleeing from a law-enforcement officer.
Department of Environmental Quality; enforcementof regulations; Clean Water Act; cooling water intakes at power plants.Requires the Department of Environmental Quality to promptly enforcefederal regulations implementing a provision of the federal CleanWater Act for cooling water intakes at power plants to reduce negativeimpacts on fish populations in the waters of the Commonwealth.
Standards of Learning; programs of instruction;civics education; instruction on local government. Requires theBoard of Education to include in the Standards of Learning for Virginiaand United States Government for grade 12 and requires each schoolboard to provide as a part of any Virginia and U.S. Government courseor civic education course offered to students in grade 12 instructionon local government, including instruction on the types of localitiesin the Commonwealth and the structure and functions of local governmentsin the Commonwealth. The bill also requires the Board to considerin its criteria for awarding a diploma seal for excellence in civicseducation and understanding of the state and federal constitutionsand the democratic model of government the successful completionof government or civics courses that include instruction on the structuresand functions of local government.
Gaming; posting of illegal gaming tip line information. Requires those legally authorized to sell Virginia lottery tickets or conduct charitable gaming, horse racing with pari-mutuel wagering, and casino gaming in the Commonwealth to post in a conspicuous place on their premises a sign that bears the toll-free telephone number and website of the illegal gaming tip line established and administered by the Office of the Gaming Enforcement Coordinator in the Department of State Police for members of the public to report concerns about, or suspected instances of, illegal gaming activities. This bill was incorporated into SB 397.
Hate crimes and discrimination; ethnic animosity; penalties. Provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to safeguard all individuals within the Commonwealth from unlawful discrimination in employment and in places of public accommodation because of such individual's ethnic origin. The bill also adds victims who are intentionally selected because of their ethnic origin to the categories of victims whose intentional selection for a hate crime involving assault, assault and battery, or trespass for the purpose of damaging another's property results in a higher criminal penalty for the offense. The bill also provides that no provider or user of an interactive computer service on the Internet shall be liable for any action voluntarily taken by it in good faith to restrict access to material that the provider or user considers to be intended to incite hatred on the basis of ethnic origin. This bill was incorporated into SB 7.
Maximum number of judges in each judicial district. Increases from five to six the maximum number of authorized juvenile and domestic relations district court judges in the Thirty-first Judicial District. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and is incorporated into SB 710.
Public institutions of higher education; Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program; established. Establishes the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program to address student hunger at public institutions of higher education. The bill provides that the Program shall be managed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and available for participation by public institutions of higher education; however, participation in the Program shall be optional for such institutions. Under the bill, if a public institution of higher education satisfies certain criteria set out in the bill, including creating initiatives on campus to address student hunger, it shall be designated as a "Hunger-Free Campus" and the Council shall award a grant to such institution. A public institution of higher education that receives a grant under the bill shall utilize the funds to support on-campus efforts and initiatives to eliminate student hunger at such institution. The bill requires the Council to submit a report to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education no later than two years after the establishment of the Program that shall include (i) the total number and amounts of grant awards, (ii) information about the impact that the Program has had on establishing additional hunger-free campuses at public institutions of higher education and reducing the number of students experiencing food insecurity, and (iii) recommendations regarding the potential establishment of an annual appropriation for the Program.
