Virginia Bills

Requires the Commonwealth Data Point website administered by the Auditor of Public Accounts to include information for major categories of spending for each state agency and institution, including each independent agency. Currently, the Commonwealth Data Point website includes such information for only secretariats and major state agencies. In addition, the bill provides that the database shall include the name, phone number, and email address for a contact at each agency or institution. This bill is identical to

Increases the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council from 12 members to 14 members by adding one additional member from the House of Delegates and one additional member from the Senate. The bill also provides that if any nonlegislative citizen member of the Council fails to attend a majority of meetings of the Council in a calendar year, the Council shall notify the member's appointing authority, who may, upon receipt of such notification, remove the member and appoint a successor as soon as practicable.

Requires the Department of General Services to conduct public sales or auctions of the surplus property, as defined in the bill, from the General Assembly Building replacement project. No provision of law shall be construed to restrict the purchase by any person of the surplus property at a public sale or auction. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Allows localities to authorize the chief law-enforcement officer in the locality to enforce a uniform schedule of civil penalties for violation of that locality's noise ordinance.

Includes under the Line of Duty Act a person with a recognized membership status with a fire company or department who is enrolled in a Fire Service Training course offered by the Virginia Department of Fire Programs or required to become a certified firefighter.

Provides that a search warrant for records pertaining to a customer of a financial institution, money transmitter, commercial business that provides credit reports, or credit card issuer may be executed in the Commonwealth by hand, mail, commercial delivery service, facsimile, or other electronic means. The bill requires the executing officer to file the warrant in the circuit court clerk's office where the warrant was executed within three days after receiving the ordered records. The bill eliminates the requirement that a copy of the warrant be filed where the warrant was issued for all search warrants. The bill provides that the search warrant will be considered executed in the jurisdiction where the entity on which the warrant is served is located. This bill is identical to

Extends to blood tests performed by the Department of Forensic Science pursuant to a search warrant the rebuttable presumption in civil cases for punitive damages for injuries caused by intoxicated drivers that provides that a person's blood alcohol level demonstrated by a test performed pursuant to the implied consent statute is at least as high as the driver's blood alcohol level at the time of the accident. The bill further establishes a rebuttable presumption applicable in a civil case for punitive damages for injuries caused by an intoxicated driver that a person who has consumed alcohol knew or should have known that his ability to drive was or would be impaired by such consumption.

Codifies the requirement that, for cases in which a guardian ad litem has been appointed to represent a child, a judge shall order a parent, or other party with a legitimate interest who has filed a petition in such case, to reimburse the Commonwealth for the costs of the guardian. The bill provides that if a party is unable to pay, the judge may reduce or eliminate the reimbursement. The bill further provides that the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court shall administer the guardian ad litem program and report semiannually to the money committees the amounts paid and the amounts reimbursed under the program. This bill incorporates