Del. James Edmunds

Government planning; wildlife corridors. Directs various agencies to consider and incorporate, where applicable, wildlife corridors and any recommendation of the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. The bill directs the Department of Wildlife Resources to publish the Plan and subsequent updates on its website and to assist state agencies and political subdivisions, and by request any federal agency, in considering and incorporating, where applicable, wildlife corridors and the recommendations of the Plan when developing any governmental strategic plan, map, or action.

Hospitals, nursing homes, and certified nursing facilities; regulations; patient access to intelligent personal assistant. Directs the Board of Health to amend regulations governing hospitals, nursing homes, and certified nursing facilities to require each hospital, nursing home, and certified nursing facility to establish and implement policies to ensure the permissible access to and use of an intelligent personal assistant provided by the patient while receiving inpatient services. "Intelligent personal assistant" is defined in the bill as a combination of an electronic device and a specialized software application designed to assist users with basic tasks using a combination of natural language processing and artificial intelligence, including such combinations known as "digital assistants" or "virtual assistants."

Library aid; former regional library system.Provides that former regional library systems that receive stateaid notwithstanding a loss of regional library status due to a cityreversion, shall receive such aid regardless of when a former cityreverted to town status.

Disposing of litter; penalty. Increasesthe fine for dumping or disposing of litter, trash, or other unsightlymatter on public or private property from a minimum of $250 and amaximum of $2,500 to a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $5,000. Thebill also increases the mandatory minimum period of community servicein lieu of confinement in jail from 10 hours to 40 hours.

Industrial hemp; federal hemp producer license; emergency. Updates Virginia's industrial hemp laws to address the new hemp producer license issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill changes drug laws to exclude the industrial hemp possessed by a federally licensed hemp producer from the definition of "marijuana" and to exclude certain amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in such industrial hemp from the prohibition on THC. The bill exempts federally licensed hemp producers from state industrial hemp registration requirements and adds such producers to the list of those eligible to receive funds from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund.The bill provides that no grower, agent of such grower, or federally licensed producer shall be prosecuted for possession of industrial hemp or Cannabis sativa with a THC concentration that does not exceed the concentration established in certain federal regulations and prohibits the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services from deeming a grower negligent if the grower makes reasonable efforts to grow industrial hemp but grows Cannabis sativa with a THC concentration that does not exceed the concentration established in federal regulations.The bill makes other changes to industrial hemp laws, including (i) limiting the application fee for registration of growers, dealers, and producers to $250; (ii) excluding from the definition of "dealer" any retail establishment that sells a completed product containing industrial hemp; (iii) making optional the monitoring and random testing of industrial hemp by the Commissioner and authorizing the random sampling of such hemp; (iv) removing the requirement that the Attorney General of the United States be notified when a Virginia grower, dealer, or processor exceeds the federal THC limit; and (v) directing the Commissioner to adopt regulations establishing a fee structure for registration.Finally, the bill exempts employees of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from prosecution for possession or distribution of industrial hemp when possession is necessary in the performance of their duties. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Industrial hemp; federal hemp producer license; emergency. Updates Virginia's industrial hemp laws to address the new hemp producer license issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill changes drug laws to exclude the industrial hemp possessed by a federally licensed hemp producer from the definition of "marijuana" and to exclude certain amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in such industrial hemp from the prohibition on THC. The bill exempts federally licensed hemp producers from state industrial hemp registration requirements and adds such producers to the list of those eligible to receive funds from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund.The bill makes other changes to industrial hemp laws, including (i) excluding from the definition of "dealer" any retail establishment that sells a completed product containing industrial hemp; (ii) making optional the monitoring and random testing of industrial hemp by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services and authorizing the random sampling of such hemp; (iii) removing the requirement that the Attorney General of the United States be notified when a Virginia grower, dealer, or processor exceeds the federal THC limit; and (iv) directing the Commissioner to adopt regulations establishing a fee structure for registration.Finally, the bill exempts employees of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from prosecution for possession or distribution of industrial hemp when possession is necessary in the performance of their duties. The bill contains an emergency clause.