Civil actions; assignment as business litigation action; requirements. Allows counsel for any party or the judge of the circuit court initially assigned to certain civil actions to request to have such action assigned by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia to have such civil action assigned as a business litigation action. The bill provides that an action to be eligible to be considered a business litigation action, the action shall (i) have a minimum amount in controversy of $1,000,000, (ii) present special complexity, including specialized issues or acute litigation management needs, and (iii) fall into one or more of several enumerated categories of civil actions. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
Small claims court; jurisdictional limit. Allows a plaintiff to file a small claims civil warrant when the amount claimed does not exceed $25,000, exclusive of interest, up to two times in the Commonwealth in a calendar year. Under current law, the small claims court has jurisdiction when the amount claimed does not exceed $5,000, exclusive of interest.
Department of Education; division superintendents; Teacher Recruitment and Retention Mentorship Pilot Program established; administration; report. Directs the Department of Education (the Department), in coordination with the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, to establish and administer the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Mentorship Pilot Program (the Program) for the purpose of supporting division superintendents of school divisions with high teacher vacancy rates in improving teacher recruitment and retention in such school division by coordinating the establishment of mentorships whereby a division superintendent of a low vacancy-rate school division is connected with a division superintendent of a high vacancy-rate school division to provide mentorship in developing and implementing plans, strategies, and best practices for improving teacher vacancy rates in the high vacancy-rate school division. The bill directs the Department, in coordination with the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, to implement policies and procedures for the establishment and administration of the Program, including policies for coordinating such mentorships, encouraging participation of division superintendents in the Program, and for Program oversight. The bill directs each division superintendent mentorship pair participating in the Program to annually submit to the Department a report on their activities for the preceding school year and any recommendations relating to improving the effectiveness of mentorships under the Program. Finally, the bill directs the Department to submit to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1 of each year a report on the activities of the Program for the preceding school year. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2029.
Marijuana field test; testimony as to the results; consuming or possessing marijuana or marijuana products while in a motor vehicle or on public school grounds. Allows a law-enforcement officer to testify as to the results of any marijuana field test approved as accurate and reliable by the Department of Forensic Science regarding whether or not any plant material at issue is marijuana in a trial for a violation of using or consuming marijuana or marijuana products while in a motor vehicle being driven upon a public highway or consuming or possessing marijuana or marijuana products in or on public school grounds, provided the defendant has been given written notice of his right to request a full chemical analysis. Current law allows a law-enforcement officer to testify as to the results of a marijuana field test in a trial for underage possession or consumption of marijuana.
Long-term care insurance; premium rate increases; regulations. Requires regulations promulgated by the State Corporation Commission for long-term care insurance rates to (i) provide a cap on premium rate schedule increases; (ii) require any capped premium rate schedule increase to be spread by the insurer over a period of not less than five years, during which time no further rate schedule increases may be requested; and (iii) prohibit additional premium rate schedule increases after prior cumulative rate schedule increases amount to 250 percent of the original premium. Under the bill, no additional rate increases shall be approved for a long-term care insurance policy that has already reached or surpassed the limit of 250 percent of its original premium. The bill directs the Commission to adopt regulations to implement the provisions of this act, including by establishing a regulatory cap on premium rate schedule increase for long-term care insurance policies that is no more than 30 percent of the maximum amount of premium rate schedule increase permitted under current regulations, as calculated on the request date of the premium rate increase.
Precipitation design standards; non-stationary precipitation; climate-adjusted rainfall. Requires the State Water Control Board to serve as the lead agency responsible for establishing and maintaining precipitation design standards to be used by all state agencies, localities, and other political subdivisions and in transportation projects. The bill requires such precipitation design standards to include the most recent precipitation frequency estimates published in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration national precipitation frequency atlas to account for observed and projected increases in precipitation intensity, frequency, and duration. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Transportation, and any other state agency to update any relevant manuals and design standards consistent with the provisions of the bill by July 1, 2027. The bill also allows the State Water Control Board and the Department of Transportation to adopt interim guidance or regulations implementing the provisions of the bill consistent with the Administrative Process Act, ensuring that updated precipitation design standards take effect no later than July 1, 2027. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee on Recurrent Flooding.
State Board for Community Colleges; powers; Laurel Ridge Community College; acquisition and improvement of certain property; authorization. Authorizes the State Board of Community Colleges to acquire, by purchase, certain real property and improvements located adjacent to the Laurel Ridge Community College Campus and to execute and deliver such deeds, agreements, plats, and other instruments as necessary to carry out such acquisition in accordance with the provisions of the bill.
State-owned bottomlands; Marine Resources Commission; conveyance of certain easements to City of Norfolk; Coastal Storm Risk Management Program. Allows the Marine Resources Commission to convey to the City of Norfolk, in locations acceptable to the Commission, permanent easement interests, temporary construction easements, and fee simple interests in subaqueous land that are necessary for the City’s Phase I drawings, defined in the bill, pursuant to quitclaims. The bill also allows the Commission to quitclaim to the City any interest that the Commonwealth may have in and to the property known as Newton Canal, a/k/a Mahone's Canal, a/k/a Brambleton Canal, which property is located within the boundaries of City of Norfolk GPIN 1437339770.
Traffic regulation; bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, and motorized skateboards or scooters. Authorizes any person operating a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, or motorized skateboard or scooter to yield instead of stop at an intersection controlled by a stop sign if certain conditions are met. The bill also authorizes such a person to proceed through the intersection on a steady red light if the pedestrian control signal corresponding to the person's direction of travel and to the parallel crosswalk indicates "Walk" and if certain other conditions are met. The bill requires any such persons riding two abreast on roadways with only one travel lane in the direction of such persons and a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour or more to not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic. Under current law, such persons riding two abreast are required to not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and are required to move into a single-file formation when being overtaken from the rear by a faster moving vehicle, regardless of the type of road and posted speed limit.
Guardianship or conservatorship of incapacitated adult; right to request counsel; right to a jury trial. Provides that, upon the filing of a petition for the appointment of a guardian or conservator for an incapacitated person and where the incapacitated person is unable to communicate verbally, in writing, or with the assistance of any device to the extent that he is unable to request that he be represented by counsel or to have a jury trial, either an immediate family member of the incapacitated person or an agent under a power of attorney authorized to act on behalf of such incapacitated person, provided that such immediate family member or agent has become a party to the proceedings, may make such request on behalf of the incapacitated person.
Study; Department of Conservation and Recreation; state park in Washington County; report. Requests the Department of Conservation and Recreation to study the feasibility of establishing a state park in Washington County at the Mendota Trail and Abrams Falls located within the Holston River Watershed.
Noise ordinances; industrial property; civil penalties. Removes the exemption for noise generated in connection with the business being performed on industrial property from being subject to civil penalties for violations of local noise ordinances.
