Del. Holly Seibold

Compensation of court-appointed counsel. Raises the limitation of fees that court-appointed counsel can receive for representation on various offenses in district and circuit courts. The bill also limits the fees charged for the cost of court-appointed counsel or public defender representation to persons determined to be indigent to an amount no greater than the amount such person would have owed if such fees had been assessed on or before June 30, 2024. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025. This bill is identical to SB 356.

Prescription drugs; labels; blind and disabledusers. Requires pharmacies to notify any person receiving a prescription drug that an accessible prescription label is availableupon request at no cost and to provide to individuals who are blind,visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled accessible prescriptionlabels that meet specified accessibility requirements. The bill requiresthe Board of Pharmacy to promulgate regulations implementing theprovisions of the bill no later than April 1, 2025.

Law-enforcement training; individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish compulsory minimum and in-service training standards for law-enforcement officers on communicating with individuals with an intellectual disability or a developmental disability, such as autism spectrum disorder, which shall include (i) an overview and behavioral recognition of autism spectrum disorder, (ii) best practices for crisis prevention and de-escalation techniques, (iii) an objective review of any relevant tools and technology available to assist in communication, and (iv) education on law-enforcement agency and community resources for the autism community on future crisis prevention. The bill requires that such training standards be established in consultation with at least one individual with autism spectrum disorder, one family member of an individual with autism spectrum disorder, one specialist who works with individuals with autism spectrum disorder, one representative from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and one representative from a state or local law-enforcement agency. The bill requires the Department to establish such training standards by January 1, 2027, and requires any person employed as a law-enforcement officer prior to July 1, 2024, to complete the compulsory in-service training by July 1, 2028. This bill is identical to SB 547.

Declawing cats; prohibition; civil penalty.Makes unlawful the practice of declawing cats except as necessaryfor a therapeutic purpose, as defined in the bill, and creates acivil penalty of $500 for the first violation, $1,000 for the secondviolation, and $2,500 for the third or any subsequent violation. The bill also entitles any animal control officer, humane investigator,or state or local law-enforcement officer to bring a civil actionfor a violation of this section.

Firearm safety device tax credit; definition of firearm safety device. Expands the definition of "firearm safety device" as it relates to the firearm safety device tax credit to include any device that, when installed on a firearm, is designed to prevent the firearm from being operated without first deactivating the device. The provisions of the bill are effective for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2024. This bill incorporates HB 945.

Criminal justice training academies; curriculum. Provides that an approved criminal justice training academy may utilize an alternative curriculum and lesson plans that meet or exceed the compulsory minimum training standards without seeking a waiver from the Department of Criminal Justice Services. Under current law, the Department is required to develop a uniform curriculum to be used at all criminal justice training academies unless a waiver to the uniform curriculum is granted by the Department.

Virginia Minority Business Commission; report; sunset. Establishes the 13-member Virginia Minority Business Commission in the legislative branch of government for the purpose of promoting the growth and competitiveness of Virginia minority-owned businesses. The bill provides that the Commission sunsets on July 1, 2028.

Search warrants, subpoenas, court orders, or other process; menstrual health data prohibited. Prohibits the issuance of a search warrant, subpoena, court order, or other process for the purpose of the search and seizure or production of menstrual health data, as defined in the bill, including data stored on a computer, computer network, or other device containing electronic or digital information. This bill incorporates HB 1359 and is identical to SB 16.

Department of Labor and Industry; workplaceposter for veterans benefits and services. Directs the Departmentof Labor and Industry, in consultation with the Department of VeteransServices, to create a poster describing benefits and services availableto veterans and allows employers to request and display such poster in the workplace. The bill enumerates a minimum group of resourcesthe poster shall include, including (i) Department of Veterans Services'programs, contact information, and website address; (ii) substanceabuse and mental health treatment resources; (iii) educational, workforce,and training resources; (iv) tax benefits; (v) eligibility for unemploymentinsurance benefits; (vi) legal services; and (vii) the U.S. Departmentof Veterans Affairs Veterans Crisis Line.

Electronic communication systems within statecorrectional facilities; free telephone calls and communication services.Requires the Department of Corrections to provide telephone systemsand web-based or electronic communications systems free of chargeto any person, whether such person is initiating or receiving thecommunication. The bill also requires that a minimum ratio of onetelephone per every 10 inmates be available within each housing unitat each correctional facility and that a maximum number of telephonenumbers permitted on an approved call list must be no fewer than20. This bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.