Del. Sam Rasoul

Commending the Honorable Shirley F. Cooper.

Virginia Museum of Transportation; established. Establishes the Virginia Museum of Transportation as a public entityand educational institution under the Commonwealth. The bill providesthat the Museum is governed by a 15-member board of trustees.

Toll relief; maximum charges. Limits to$200 per month the tolls charged to residents of the Commonwealthvia electronic toll collection devices for the use of toll bridges,toll ferries, toll tunnels, or toll roads in the Commonwealth. Thebill prohibits misusing, sharing, or transferring an electronic toll collection device for the purpose of (i) generating tolls to reachthe toll limit or (ii) obtaining toll-free use of toll facilitiesin the Commonwealth. The bill authorizes the free use of all tollbridges, toll roads, and other toll facilities in the Commonwealthfor drivers who are recipients of Temporary Assistance for NeedyFamilies (TANF) benefits.

Transportation projects; highway safety.Prohibits the initiation of any transportation project in an establishedschool crossing zone unless a pedestrian safety-focused road safetyaudit is conducted and its recommendations are incorporated intothe project plan. The bill requires the Commonwealth TransportationBoard, in administering the Virginia Highway Safety Improvement Program,to prioritize infrastructure projects that address a hazardous roadlocation or feature or address an identified highway safety problemlocated in a school crossing zone.

Pneumatic guns; penalties. Makes it a Class6 felony to possess a pneumatic gun upon (i) the property of any child day center or public, private, or religious preschool or elementary,middle, or high school, including buildings and grounds; (ii) thatportion of any property open to the public and then exclusively usedfor school-sponsored functions or extracurricular activities whilesuch functions or activities are taking place; or (iii) any schoolbus owned or operated by any such school.

Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security; recruitment and development of volunteer firefighters; work group. Directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to establish a work group to study the recruitment and development ofvolunteer firefighters with a specific focus on providing trainingto volunteer fire departments, volunteer fire companies, and volunteerfirefighters in a cost-efficient and effective manner and to identifyand recommend eliminating any barriers to the recruitment and developmentof volunteer firefighters.

Water certificates or permits; compliance withwater quality standards. Requires the State Water Control Boardto ensure all activities allowed under any water certificate or permitare in compliance with the water quality standards promulgated bythe Board.

Electric utilities; regulation of rates; prohibited recovery; report. Provides that the State Corporation Commissionshall consider any rate, toll, charge, or schedule of a public utilityjust and reasonable only if the investor-owned public electric utilityhas demonstrated that no parts of such rates, tolls, charges, orschedules includes costs for activities as prohibited by the bill.The bill prohibits investor-owned electric utilities from recoveringthrough base rates any direct or indirect costs associated with certainprohibited recovery activities listed in the bill. The bill requireseach such utility to submit an annual report to the Commission startingJuly 1, 2025, of specific information related to the prohibited recoveryactivities listed in the bill. The bill also permits the Commissionto impose a fee on any utility acting in violation of the provisionsof the bill in an amount equal to the amount improperly recoveredby the utility through any prohibited recovery activity listed inthe bill.

State psychiatric hospitals; temporary detentionorders; delayed admission to determine medical needs. Allowsstate psychiatric hospitals to delay admission of an individual undera temporary detention order until the state psychiatric hospitalhas determined that the individual does not have potentially life-threateningmedical needs that require immediate evaluation and treatment thatthe state psychiatric hospital is incapable of providing. This billis a recommendation of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commissionand the Behavioral Health Commission.

Restrictions on the sale of nicotine vapor products containing liquid nicotine and hemp products intended for smoking;civil penalties. Provides restrictions and prohibitions on certainretail sales that include (i) restrictions on the number of nicotinevapor products containing liquid nicotine, liquid nicotine containers,and hemp products intended for smoking, as such terms are defined in the bill, that may be sold in one transaction to a consumer; (ii)packaging, labeling, and signage requirements for those selling anynicotine vapor products containing liquid nicotine or hemp productsintended for smoking; (iii) advertising and marketing requirementsfor those selling any nicotine vapor products containing liquid nicotineor hemp products intended for smoking; (iv) education requirementsfor employees at retail establishments selling nicotine vapor productscontaining liquid nicotine or hemp products intended for smoking;and (v) online delivery sale requirements of nicotine vapor productscontaining liquid nicotine or hemp products intended for smoking.The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority and the VirginiaDepartment of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as applicable, shallenforce such requirements and restrictions and shall impose civilpenalties on violations thereof.