Rep. Nick Freitas

Immunizations; authority of the Commissionerof Health; religious exception. Exempts a person, including aparent or guardian on behalf of a child, who objects to administrationof a vaccine on religious grounds from mandatory immunization requirementsissued by the Commissioner of Health during an epidemic. Currently,exemption from mandatory immunization requirements during an epidemicis available only to those persons to whose health the administration of a vaccine would be detrimental, as certified in writing by alicensed physician.

Assistant attorneys for the Commonwealth; Compensation Board. Provides that the Compensation Board shall provide foremploying at least one compensated assistant to the attorney forthe Commonwealth in every county and city where the attorney forthe Commonwealth devotes his full time to his duties and does notengage in the private practice of law. Under current law, the CompensationBoard has discretion in determining if a county or city needs toemploy any compensated assistants to the attorney for the Commonwealth.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; publicbody; revenue from public funds. Adds to the definition of "publicbody" any organization, corporation, or agency that received morethan 50 percent of its annual revenue, within any of the three precedingyears, from public funds.

Carrying a concealed handgun; permit not required. Allows any person who is otherwise eligible to obtain a concealedhandgun permit to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywhere he may lawfully carry a handgun openly within the Commonwealth.

State Air Pollution Control Board; motor vehicleemissions standards. Repeals the requirement that the State AirPollution Control Board implement a low-emissions and zero-emissionsvehicle program for motor vehicles with a model year of 2025 andlater. The bill prohibits the Board from adopting or enforcing anymodel year standards related to control of emissions from new motorvehicles or new motor vehicle engines, including low-emission vehicleand zero-emission vehicle standards pursuant to the federal CleanAir Act and prohibits the Commonwealth from requiring any new motorvehicle or new motor vehicle engine to be certified as compliantwith model year standards related to the control of emissions adoptedby California for which a waiver has been granted pursuant to thefederal Clean Air Act.

Virginia Education Success Account Program established. Permits the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill,to apply for a one-year, renewable Virginia Education Success Accountthat consists of an amount that is equivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the schooldivision in which the qualified student resides, including the perpupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and any per pupil share of state special education funding for which the qualifiedstudent is eligible. The bill permits the parent of the qualifiedstudent to use the moneys in such account for certain qualified expensesof the qualified student, including tuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private elementary school or secondary schoolthat is located in the Commonwealth. The bill also contains provisionsrelating to program and account administration by the Departmentof the Treasury and a third party that serves as program administratorpursuant to a contract with the Department of the Treasury.

Dangers and victims of communism; recognition;Standards of Learning and programs of instruction. Requires theGovernor to annually issue a proclamation setting the seventh dayof November as Victims of Communism Day and requiring such day tobe suitably observed in each public elementary and secondary schoolin the Commonwealth as a day honoring the approximately 100 millionindividuals who have fallen victim to communist regimes around theworld and to be suitably observed by a public exercise in the Capitoland elsewhere as the Governor may designate in such proclamation.The bill also requires the Board of Education to include in the historyand social science Standards of Learning in grades six through 12and each school board to emphasize in its Standards-aligned programof instruction in grades six through 12 the study of the dangersof communism.

Abortion; born alive infant; treatment and care;penalty. Requires every health care provider licensed by theBoard of Medicine who attempts to terminate a pregnancy to (i) exercisethe same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preservethe life and health of a human infant who has been born alive followingsuch attempt as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health carepractitioner would render to any other child born alive at the samegestational age and (ii) take all reasonable steps to ensure theimmediate transfer of the human infant who has been born alive toa hospital for further medical care. A health care provider who failsto comply with the requirements of the bill is guilty of a Class4 felony and may be subject to disciplinary action by the Board.The bill also requires every hospital licensed by the Departmentof Health to establish a protocol for the treatment and care of a human infant who has been born alive following an attempt to terminatea pregnancy and for the immediate reporting to law enforcement ofany failure to provide such required treatment and care.

Unauthorized creation of image of another; AI-generated image; penalties. Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who knowingly and intentionally creates any videographic or still image using artificial intelligence of any nonconsenting person if (i) that person is totally nude, performing sexual acts, clad in undergarments, or in a state of undress so as to expose the genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast and (ii) such videographic or still image appears to be or is intended to appear to be such nonconsenting person. The bill provides that if such nonconsenting person is under the age of 18, the offender is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

Sage's Law; minor students experiencing gender incongruence; parental notification of certain expressions and requests and parental permission for certain plans required; parental care. Requires each public elementary or secondary school principal or his designee to (i) as soon as practicable, inform at least one parent of a minor student enrolled in such school if such minor (a) expresses to any individual who is employed in such school that such minor is experiencing gender incongruence, as defined in the bill, or (b) requests that any such employee participate in social affirmation of such minor's gender incongruence or the transition of such minor to a sex or gender different from the minor's biological sex while at school and (ii) request and receive permission from at least one parent of a minor student enrolled at such school prior to the implementation at such school of any plan concerning any gender incongruence experienced by such minor, including any counseling of such minor at school. Any such plan shall include provision for parental participation to the extent requested by the parent. The bill also clarifies, in the definition of the term "abused or neglected child," that in no event shall referring to and raising the child in a manner consistent with the child's biological sex, including related mental health or medical decisions, be considered abuse or neglect.