Del. Chris Runion

Retail sales and use tax; aircraft components. Removes the July 1, 2025, sunset for the retail sales and use tax exemption for parts, engines, and supplies used for maintaining, repairing, or reconditioning aircraft or any aircraft's avionics system, engine, or component parts. The bill also redefines a manned systems aircraft for purposes of the exemption to include aircraft with any maximum takeoff weight. Under current law, a manned systems aircraft is defined to include only aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of at least 2,400 pounds. This bill was incorporated into HB 1729.

Unlawful detainer actions; no rental agreement between owner and occupant; immediate execution of writ of possession. Provides that, at an emergency hearing on a summons for unlawful detainer filed by an owner of a residential single family dwelling unit where there is no rental agreement between an owner and occupant, if the court enters judgment in favor of such owner, and a writ of possession is issued, the owner may request that the 72-hour waiting period for execution of such writ be waived and that the sheriff immediately execute such writ.

Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind; authority to establish campus police department. Permits the Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind to establish a campus police department, in compliance with the provisions of law relating to campus police departments established by institutions of higher education, and to employ campus police officers therein.

Standards of Learning; programs of instruction; civics education; instruction on local government. Requires the Board of Education to include in the Standards of Learning for Virginia and United States Government for grade 12 and requires each school board to provide as a part of any Virginia and U.S. Government course or civic education course offered to students in grade 12 instruction on local government, including instruction on the types of localities in the Commonwealth and the structure and functions of local governments in the Commonwealth. The bill also requires the Board to consider in its criteria for awarding a diploma seal for excellence in civics education and understanding of the state and federal constitutions and the democratic model of government the successful completion of government or civics courses that include instruction on the structures and functions of local government.

Department of Criminal Justice Services; school resource officers; establishment of minimum employment qualifications prohibited. Prohibits the Department of Criminal Justice Services from establishing minimum qualifications for the employment of school resource officers, including any minimum age or experience requirement, or providing guidance or standards or adopting regulations relating to such minimum qualifications unless expressly authorized by law.

Certain school divisions; cost-savings agreements; requirements. Removes the limitation on any school board that enters into certain cost-savings agreements with a school board that governs a contiguous school division for the consolidation or sharing of educational, administrative, or support services and thus qualifies for adjustment of state share of basic aid computed annually on the basis of the composite index of local ability-to-pay of such contiguous school division that caps such adjusted basic aid payment at an amount equal to the basic aid payment appropriated to such locality by the 2007 Session of the General Assembly. The bill also permits, notwithstanding the requirement set forth in relevant law that a school division has 65 percent or more of its local taxes coming from real estate taxes in order for the school board that governs such school division to be eligible to enter into such cost-savings agreements with a contiguous school division, the Bath County School Board to enter into such cost-savings agreements with the Augusta County School Board, provided that all other conditions and limitations set forth in relevant law apply to any such agreement.

Study; State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; $10,000 per year baccalaureate degree; report. Requests that the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (i) study the feasibility of implementing the option for students to pay $10,000 annually for tuition and mandatory fees to earn a degree at a baccalaureate public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth by surveying each baccalaureate public institution of higher education to determine the likely impact of such an option on enrollment, revenue, costs, services, staffing, and such other factors as the institution deems relevant and (ii) report its findings to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than November 30, 2024.

Real property tax; assessment of real property used for affordable housing. Requires the duly authorized real estate assessor of a locality to appraise affordable rental housing in accordance with the income approach, as described by the bill. The bill provides that, should the duly authorized real estate assessor fail to follow generally accepted appraisal practices, the assessment will not be entitled to a presumption of correctness, and if the owner then successfully appeals such assessment, the locality shall reimburse the owner for attorney fees and costs incurred.

Health insurance; cost-sharing; pharmacy benefits managers' compensation and duties: civil penalty. Amends provisions related to rebates provided by carriers and health benefit plans to health plan enrollees by defining "defined cost-sharing," "price protection rebates," and "pharmacy benefits management services." The bill requires that an enrollee's defined cost-sharing for each prescription drug be calculated at the point of sale based on a price that is reduced by an amount equal to at least 80 percent of all rebates received or expected to be received in connection with the dispensing or administration of the prescription drug. The bill prohibits a pharmacy benefits manager from deriving income from pharmacy benefits management services provided to a carrier or health benefit plan except for income derived from a pharmacy benefits management fee. The bill requires the amount of any pharmacy benefits management fees to be set forth in the agreement between the pharmacy benefits manager and the carrier or health benefit plan and that such fee not be based on the acquisition cost or any other price metric of a drug; the amount of savings, rebates, or other fees charged, realized, or collected by or generated based on the activity of the pharmacy benefits manager; or the amount of premiums, deductibles, or other cost-sharing or fees charged, realized, or collected by the pharmacy benefits manager from enrollees or other persons on behalf of an enrollee. The bill requires a pharmacy benefits manager to annually certify to the State Corporation Commission that it has met certain requirements. The bill establishes a pharmacy benefits manager duty, which includes the duties of care and good faith and fair dealing, owed to any enrollee, provider, or health benefit plan that receives pharmacy benefits management services from the pharmacy benefits manager or that furnishes, covers, receives, or is administered a unit of a prescription drug for which the pharmacy benefits manager has provided pharmacy benefits management services. The bill requires the Commission to define by regulation the scope of such duty and provides for a private cause of action for any person aggrieved by the breach of such duty.

Drinking water; maximum contaminant levels; water treatment systems; Rural Water Supply Program and Fund established. Directs the State Board of Health to adopt regulations to utilize point-of-use or point-of-entry drinking water treatment or filtration to remove or significantly reduce concentrations of contaminants of concern that meet or exceed any maximum contaminant level or health advisory for the same contaminant adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The bill also establishes the Rural Water Supply Program and Fund to allow the Department of Health's Office of Drinking Water to test and treat contaminated drinking water for individuals on private wells and small rural public water systems.