State Board of Local and Regional Jails; standards and regulations for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated persons in local and regional correctional facilities; report. Directs the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to set minimum standards and regulations regarding lactation policies for incarcerated persons and their infants by December 1, 2028. In developing such regulations and standards, the Board is directed to consider best practices related to lactation and how to incorporate such practices into the regulations and standards set by the Board.
Department of Health; Department of Corrections; peer recovery specialists. Directs the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Corrections to develop agency guidelines for hiring peer recovery specialists with previous criminal convictions for compensated employment. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to SB 608.
Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund; additional fee for certain offenses. Provides that the clerk shall assess a fee of $500 for conviction of certain offenses outlined in the bill. The bill requires such fees to be credited to the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund and designated for funding support services for eligible victims. This bill is identical to HB 1233.
Department of Health; Department of Corrections; peer recovery specialists. Directs the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Corrections to develop agency guidelines for hiring peer recovery specialists with previous criminal convictions for compensated employment. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to HB 209.
HB 223 allows counties and cities to fund public defender positions using local resources. It directly affects local governments and public defender offices by giving them the option to establish or expand these roles through municipal budgets. The bill's key provision is enabling governing bodies (like city councils or county commissions) to allocate funds for public defender staffing without requiring state financial support. The bill passed the House unanimously and is now under review by the Committee for Courts of Justice.
Jurors; exemptions from jury service upon request; competency to perform jury duty. Provides that no person shall be deemed incompetent to serve on any jury on the basis of disability if the person would otherwise be competent to serve if provided with reasonable accommodation. The bill also provides that any person under a disability that substantially impairs the person's ability to perform jury duty shall be exempt from jury duty upon such person's request.
Clerk fees; secure remote access to nonconfidential court records by certain attorneys. Provides that no clerk shall charge a fee to an attorney for secure remote access to nonconfidential court records when such attorney is certified by the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission in the jurisdiction served by such clerk, provided that such attorney is currently appointed to represent a defendant in such jurisdiction and agrees to continue accepting appointments in such jurisdiction. The bill also provides that if, after receiving secure remote access for nonconfidential court records, such attorney (i) is found to have abused such privilege of such secure remote access; (ii) is removed from the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission's court-appointed attorney list; or (iii) ceases to accept appointments for representation from the granting court, the clerk may terminate the agreement granting such secure remote access. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. This bill is identical to SB 82.
Crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information; hate crimes. Prohibits a law-enforcement agency from disclosing to the public information that directly or indirectly identifies the victim of a hate crime, defined in relevant law, except to the extent that disclosure is (i) of the site of the crime, (ii) required by law, (iii) necessary for law-enforcement purposes, or (iv) permitted by the court for good cause unless such victim, or his next of kin if he is a minor and his death results from any crime, provides written consent. The bill also prohibits, at the request of the victim, the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Supreme Court of Virginia from listing the first or last name of the victim of a hate crime in an appellate decision.
Credit for time spent in confinement while awaiting trial; extradition or fugitive warrant. Provides that if any person is extradited from another state pursuant to (i) an extradition warrant from the Commonwealth or (ii) a fugitive warrant issued from the state where such person is detained and such person is subsequently sentenced to a term of confinement in a correctional facility in the Commonwealth for an offense from the same act as the violation for which the extradition warrant or fugitive warrant was authorized, such person shall have deducted from any such term all time actually spent in confinement awaiting extradition from such other state, provided that he was solely held on the extradition warrant or fugitive warrant and not on any other offense that he allegedly committed in such other state. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Criminal Justice Conference.
Clerk fees; secure remote access to nonconfidential court records by certain attorneys. Provides that no clerk shall charge a fee to an attorney for secure remote access to nonconfidential court records when such attorney is certified by the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission in the jurisdiction served by such clerk, provided that such attorney is currently appointed to represent a defendant in such jurisdiction and agrees to continue accepting appointments in such jurisdiction. The bill also provides that if, after receiving secure remote access for nonconfidential court records, such attorney (i) is found to have abused such privilege of such secure remote access; (ii) is removed from the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission's court-appointed attorney list; or (iii) ceases to accept appointments for representation from the granting court, the clerk may terminate the agreement granting such secure remote access. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. This bill is identical to HB 520.
