Del. Chad Green

Department of Education; statewide anonymous student reporting mobile application. Requires the Department of Education, with such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose pursuant to the general appropriation act or provided from any other source, and alone or in partnership with another state agency or a nonprofit organization, or a combination thereof, to (i) develop or procure a multiplatform compatible mobile application that permits any public elementary and secondary school student to submit anonymous reports relating to the health or safety of self or others, including threats of violence that are made on social media; (ii) train or contract for the training of individuals to respond to each such anonymous report in a timely and effective manner, including responding to the student and notifying the appropriate school official, local law-enforcement agency, or public safety answering point (PSAP), as that term is defined in relevant law; (iii) train students, parents, PSAP responders, law-enforcement officials, and school officials throughout the Commonwealth on the proper use of such mobile application; and (iv) provide permissible users with access to such mobile application at no cost.

Maximum number of judges in each judicial district. Increases from three to four the maximum number of authorized general district court judges in the Ninth Judicial District. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts.

School-connected overdoses; policies relating to parental notification and response; requirements. Expands current law relating to school-connected overdose parental notification and response policies by, in addition to requiring the Board of Education to establish guidelines for school-connected overdose response and parental notification policies, requiring (i) each division superintendent or his designee to notify the parent of each student in the local school division of any suspected school-connected overdose, with school-connected overdose defined as any verified overdose that occurs on school premises during or after regular school hours or during school-sanctioned activities whether on or off school premises, within 24 hours of learning of the suspected overdose and requiring such notification to include as much information as is known about the circumstances surrounding the suspected overdose, to the extent that the disclosure of any such information is not prohibited by any applicable laws, rules, or regulations relating to the disclosure and protection of a minor's personal, confidential, or otherwise sensitive information, and (ii) each local school board to adopt, implement, and maintain policies consistent with the provisions of the bill and the guidelines developed by the Board of Education.

Possession of retail tobacco products and hemp products intended for smoking by a person younger than 21 years of age prohibited; penalty. Prohibits any person younger than 21 years of age from possessing any retail tobacco product or hemp product intended for smoking, as those terms are defined in relevant law. A violation of such prohibition is punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $100 for a first violation and a civil penalty not to exceed $250 for a second or subsequent violation. The bill also provides that a court may, as an alternative to the civil penalty, and upon motion of the defendant, prescribe the performance of up to 20 hours of community service for a first violation and up to 40 hours of community service for a second or subsequent violation, but if the defendant fails or refuses to complete the community service as prescribed, the court may impose the civil penalty. Additionally, upon such violation, the judge may enter an order suspending the motor vehicle and driver's license of such person pursuant relevant law.

Attorney General; instituting or conducting criminal prosecutions for violations of criminal sexual assault and commercial sex trafficking committed against children. Authorizes the Attorney General to institute or conduct criminal prosecutions in cases involving a violation of criminal sexual assault or commercial sex trafficking when such crimes are committed against children.

License plates; collector motor vehicles; penalty. Creates license plates for collector motor vehicles, defined in the bill, which the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles shall issue to any applicant who owns or has regular use of another passenger car, autocycle, or motorcycle and who owns at least a total of three collector motor vehicles. The bill designates the fee for such plates and registration as $50, specifies that the collector motor vehicles shall not be used for general transportation purposes and may only be used (i) for participation in shows, parades, charitable functions, and historical exhibitions for display, maintenance, and preservation; (ii) on the highways of the Commonwealth for the purpose of testing their operation or selling the vehicle, obtaining repairs or maintenance, transportation to and from events, and for occasional pleasure driving not exceeding 250 miles from the residence of the owner; and (iii) to carry or transport passengers and personal effects. The bill also prohibits such vehicles from being registered as antique vehicles or military surplus motor vehicles. Finally, the bill makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to violate any provision relating to the registration of collector motor vehicles.

Elections; voting equipment and systems; State Board approval process; printed receipt for cast ballot. Requires voting systems approved by the State Board of Elections to produce a printed receipt for each voter who has cast a ballot that shows the date and time the voter's ballot was cast, the voter's number corresponding to the order in which ballots were cast, and a list of all the voter's selections on the ballot as recorded by the voting system.

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.

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to full-time salaried 911 dispatchers. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher on or after July 1, 2025, but allows an employer, as that term is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher before July 1, 2025, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.

Animal control officers; additional training. Increases the number of hours of required additional training in animal control and protection from 15 to 24 every three years for all animal control officers and deputy animal control officers employed by a locality.