Del. Sally Hudson

Public utilities; rate review by the State Corporation Commission. Provides that in any annual rate review of a publicutility by the State Corporation Commission, the Commission may findthat the rates of a public utility, including an investor-owned incumbentelectric utility, are not just and reasonable and may take correctiveaction. Under the bill, the Commission may conduct an investigationinto the rates of any public utility on its own initiative or uponapplication by an affected party. Additionally, when capped ratesof service for investor-owned incumbent electric utilities expireor terminate, the bill permits the Commission to find that the ratesare not just and reasonable and take corrective action.

Automatic renewal or continuous service offerto consumer; cancellation and online opt-out. Requires that the supplier of automatic renewals or continuous service offers thatinclude a free trial notify the consumer of the automatic renewalseven days prior to expiration of the free trial and obtain the consumer'saffirmative consent to the automatic renewal beyond the trial period.The bill also requires that exclusively online termination of thesubscription be permitted for automatic renewals or continuous serviceoffers accepted by a consumer online.

Violation of ordinances; schedule of civil penalties. Allows localities to create schedules of fines and penalties for violations of designated ordinances. The bill establishes limits on fine amounts and frequency, as well as guidance on separate offenses. The bill precludes prosecution as a criminal misdemeanor for aggregate penalties of all offenses from the same operative set of facts totaling less than $5,000. The bill allows prosecution as a criminal misdemeanor for violations arising from the same operative set of facts for penalties totaling $5,000 or more. The bill provides for civil summons, waiver of trial, admitting liability, and payment of the penalty. The bill provides trial procedure and abatement of the offense and it creates liens for unpaid penalties and enforcement guidelines for such liens.

Additional local sales and use tax to supportschools. Adds the City of Charlottesville to the list of localitiesthat, under current law, are authorized to impose an additional localsales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent, with the revenueused only for capital projects for the construction or renovationof schools.

Transient occupancy tax; supporting documentation. Requires accommodations providers to submit certain supporting documentation,upon request by a locality, when remitting transient occupancy taxescollected.

Commercial driver's license examinations. Authorizes school boards to issue a commercial driver's license skills test certificate to employees of other school boards. This bill is incorporated into HB 1146.

Stay of debt collection activities by health care providers; prohibited practice under Virginia Consumer Protection Act. Provides that any health care provider that undertakes any debt collection activities prior to either the issuance of an award from or the determination that a claim is noncompensable by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund has committed a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Department of Education; statewide strategic plan; speech-language pathologists. Requires the Department to develop and maintain a statewide strategic plan for recruiting and retaining speech-language pathologists that, at a minimum, (i) analyze data to determine the specific staffing needs of local school divisions on an ongoing basis; (ii) evaluates the potential effectiveness of strategies for addressing recruitment and retention challenges, including tuition assistance, differentiated pay for speech-language pathologists, and the expansion of speech-language pathologist mentorships; and (iii) estimates the costs of implementing each such strategy, including the extent to which federal funds could be used to support implementation. The bill requires the Department, no later than November 1 of each year, to update the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education on its progress in implementing such plan. The foregoing provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023. The bill also directs the Department of Education and the Board of Education, in consultation with each local school board, to (a) examine the caseloads and compensation of speech-language pathologists in each local school division, (b) compare such caseloads and compensation to those of speech-language pathologists in contiguous states, and (c) make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2022, for such amendments to relevant law and the general appropriations act as may be necessary to effectuate a reduction in caseloads and increase in compensation that would facilitate stronger recruitment and retention of speech-language pathologists in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth.

Interest on fines and costs in criminal casesand traffic infractions. Eliminates the accrual of interest onany fine or costs imposed in a criminal case or in a case involvinga traffic infraction. The bill provides that any such fine or coststhat have accrued interest prior to July 1, 2022, shall cease toaccrue interest on July 1, 2022, and any unpaid interest that hasaccrued on such fine or costs shall be automatically waived.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; releaseof probation and parole records. Provides for an exception tothe discretionary release of records of adult persons under investigationor supervision by state probation and parole services by requiringthe mandatory release of such records, upon request, to any criminaljustice agency, defined in the bill, located within the probationand parole district in which the public body that is the custodianof the requested records is located.