Del. Alfonso Lopez

Local government powers; regulation of tobacco, nicotine, and hemp product retail sale locations. Allows a locality to regulate the retail sale locations of tobacco products, nicotine vapor products, alternative nicotine products, or hemp products intended for smoking for any such retail sale location and may prohibit a retail sale location on property within 1,000 linear feet of a child day center or a public, private, or parochial school.

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.

Towing violations; enforcement; fuel surcharge fee. Authorizes localities in Planning Districts 8 and 16 to require written authorization of the owner of the property from which the vehicle is towed at the time the vehicle is being towed and regulate the monitoring practices that may be used by towing and recovery operators. Current law authorizes localities other than those in Planning Districts 8 and 16 to require written authorization of the owner of the property from which the vehicle is towed at the time the vehicle is being towed. The bill changes the penalty for certain trespass towing offenses in Planning District 8 from $150 per violation paid to the Literary Fund to 10 times the total amount charged for such removal, towing, and storage to be paid to the victim of the unlawful towing. The bill also changes the expiration date of the authorization for towing and recovery operators to charge a fuel surcharge fee of no more than $20 for each vehicle towed or removed from private property without the consent of its owner and the prohibition on local governing bodies limiting or prohibiting such fee from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; construction management and design-build contracting. Requires state public bodies, covered institutions, and local public bodies to provide documentation of the processes used for the final selection of a construction contract to all the unsuccessful applicants upon request. The bill adds certain requirements for covered institutions, including posting all documents that are open to public inspection exchanged between the Department of General Services and the covered institution on the central electronic procurement website eVA. The bill requires approval by a majority vote of the covered institution's board of visitors or governing board if the covered institution chooses to proceed with construction management or design-build against the recommendation of the Department for (i) projects funded by funds other than those provided from the state general fund or (ii) projects of $65 million or more funded in whole or in part from state general funds. For projects under $65 million funded in whole or in part by state general funds, the bill provides that the covered institution shall obtain approval from the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, or their designees, and a representative of the Department.The bill requires a local public body to adopt a resolution or motion to use construction management or design-build, if required by its local governing body, prior to issuing a Request for Qualifications and to publish notice of such resolution or motion on its website or eVA. The bill provides that the Department shall report annually, for any construction management or design-build project, on the qualifications that made such project complex. Finally, the bill requires the Department, with the assistance of staff of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, to assess the implementation and administration of construction management and design-build projects and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by November 1, 2029. This bill incorporates HB 965 and is identical to SB 18.

Historic rehabilitation tax credit; maximum amount of tax credit. Increases from $5 million to $10 million the maximum amount of the historic rehabilitation tax credit, including amounts carried over from prior taxable years, that may be claimed by a taxpayer in any taxable year beginning in taxable year 2024. Beginning July 1, 2024, the aggregate amount of credits available shall not exceed $75 million per fiscal year.

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; public institutions of higher education; policies for establishing eligibility for accommodations; report. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, in consultation with representatives of public institutions of higher education, disability advocacy organizations, students enrolled at public institutions of higher education, higher education disability accommodation professionals, and a subject matter expert, to (i) study the processes by which each public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth determines the eligibility for accommodations of an admitted or enrolled student with a temporary or permanent disability, (ii) identify in such processes any potential barriers to establishing eligibility, and (iii) make recommendations on reducing any such barriers and on the development and establishment of a uniform accommodations eligibility determination in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to SB 21.

Child labor offenses; civil penalties. Increasesfrom $10,000 to $25,000 the civil penalty for each violation of childlabor laws that results in the employment of a child who is seriouslyinjured or dies in the course of employment. The bill also increasesfrom $1,000 to $2,500 the maximum civil penalty for each other violationof child labor laws and provides that such civil penalty shall notbe less than $500. The bill directs the Department of Labor and Industry to convene a stakeholder work group to develop education and outreach plans to inform young workers and employers about child labor laws.

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.

Agricultural best management practices tax credit;agricultural equipment purchase tax credit; sunset date. Extendsfrom January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2030, the sunset date of theindividual and corporate agricultural best management practices incometax credit and extends from January 1, 2026, to January 1, 2030, the sunset date of the individual and corporate income tax credit forthe purchase of conservation tillage and precision agricultural applicationequipment.