Del. Kathy Tran

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 and prohibits such discrimination. 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 is identical to SB 7.

Virginia Commission to End Hunger established;report. Establishes the Virginia Commission to End Hunger. Thebill states that the purpose of the Commission is to develop anaction plan every two years for ending hunger in the Commonwealth,review the progress of such plan, and ensure cross-collaborationamong government entities and community partners toward the goalof ending hunger in the Commonwealth.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; annual review of medication and treatment for sickle cell disease; report. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to conduct an annual review of all medications and forms of treatment for sickle cell disease, and services for enrollees with a diagnosis of sickle cell disease, that are eligible for coverage under the state plan for medical assistance services. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and recommendations by November 15 each year to the Chairmen of the House Committee of Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health and to the Joint Commission on Health Care.

Notaries; fees. Raises from $5 to $10 theamount a notary may charge for taking and certifying the acknowledgmentof any writing, or administering and certifying an oath, or certifyingaffidavits and depositions of witnesses.

Cruelty to elephants; pain-inflicting training tools prohibited; actions for attachment; civil penalty. Prohibits using devices such as a bullhook, axe handle, or block and tackle or engaging in certain practices in order to discipline, train, or control the behavior of an elephant. The bill provides that any person who uses such devices or engages in certain practices that inflict fear or pain on or cause physical injury to an elephant is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $2,500 for the first offense and not to exceed $5,000 for subsequent violations. Finally, the bill provides that an action in equity may be brought to request an attachment for any devices prohibited by the bill against a person violating the provisions of the bill.

Department of Conservation and Recreation; two-yearpilot program; all-terrain power wheelchairs in state parks.Provides that the Department of Conservation and Recreation shall establish a two-year pilot program beginning October 1, 2024, andending October 30, 2026, to enhance accessibility for individualswith limited mobility in Virginia's state parks by providing all-terrainpower wheelchairs that may be used by such persons during their visits.The bill permits the Department to choose the locations for the pilotprogram and enter into a contract for the purchase of all-terrainpower wheelchairs to be used in the pilot program. The bill allowsthe Department to adopt guidelines to administer the pilot programand requires the Department to submit a report on the outcome ofthe pilot program to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Agriculture,Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Appropriations and the SenateCommittees on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources andFinance and Appropriations by November 1, 2026.

Department of Environmental Quality; Department of Health; PFAS; identification; monitoring; PFAS Expert Advisory Council established; report. Requires, for every public water system, as defined in the bill, the Department of Health (VDH) to assist the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department) by transferring to the Department quarterly all validated monitoring results available to VDH that indicate PFAS maximum containment level, as defined in the bill, exceedances. In such circumstances, the bill provides that the Department is required to develop and implement a plan to prioritize and conduct PFAS assessments for identifying significant sources of PFAS in such public water system's raw water source or sources. The bill requires any facility, if deemed by the Department to be a potentially significant source of PFAS in the public water system's raw water source, (i) to perform and promptly report the results of quarterly discharge monitoring for one year and (ii) to report to the Department, within 90 days after being directed by the Department, its manufacture or use of PFAS. The bill establishes a PFAS Expert Advisory Committee to assist the Department and VDH in its PFAS-related efforts and requires the Committee to meet at least two times per year through June 30, 2027. The bill requires the Department to annually report certain information to the Governor and the General Assembly by October 1. This bill incorporates HB 245 and is identical to SB 243.

Adult wellness screening; sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait. Provides that every adult resident of the Commonwealth may be offered screening tests for sickle cell disease or the sickle cell trait and requires that the health care professional in charge of an adult's annual health examination provide education and appropriate counseling regarding the results of any such test that is performed.

Early childhood care and education; child day programs; use of office buildings; waiver of zoning requirements. Permits any locality to by ordinance provide for the waiver of any requirements for zoning permits for the operation of a child day program in an office building, as defined by the bill, provided that such facility satisfies the requirements for state licensure as a child day program. This bill is identical to SB 13.

Unemployment compensation; employer failure to respond torequests for information; claim determination; notice requirements.Provides that an employer's failure to respond timely or adequately to a writtenrequest for information relating to an unemployment claim results in a waiverof all of such employer's rights in connection with the claim, includingparticipation and appeal rights, unless such employer demonstrates that goodcause exists for such failure. The bill requires the Virginia EmploymentCommission to provide written notice for each instance of untimely orinadequate employer response to such requests and specifies that such noticemay be delivered through the Employer Self-Service Tax System websitemaintained by the Commission. The bill also requires the Commission to provideeach employer with information regarding deadlines for timely and adequateresponses to such requests. Such provisions of the bill apply to erroneouspayments established on or after July 1, 2024. The bill also prohibits a deputydesignated by the Commissioner to adjudicate unemployment claims from examiningor considering facts contained within an employer's untimely or inadequateresponse and requires that information or evidence from an employer or thirdparty must be shared with the claimant, who must also be provided a reasonableopportunity to review and respond to such information or evidence. The billrequires such deputy to provide the reasoning behind the decision, as describedin the bill, and a short statement of case-specific facts material to thedetermination together with any notice of determination upon a claim. This billis a recommendation of the Commission on Unemployment Compensation.