Del. Delores McQuinn

Contract actions; medical debt. Provides that in any action, including those brought by the Commonwealth, upon any contract to collect medical debt, as defined in the bill, such an action is barred if not commenced within three years from the due date applicable to the first invoice for a health care service unless the contract with a hospital or health care provider is for a payment plan that allows for a longer period of time for the collection of debt by the hospital or health care provider. The bill specifies that such limitation shall not apply to medical debt arising from services provided by programs administered by the Department of Medical Assistance Services.

Civil penalty for demolition of historic structures. Authorizes any locality to adopt an ordinance establishing a civil penalty for the razing, demolition, or moving of a building or structure that is located in a historic district or that has been designated by a governing body as a historic structure or landmark in violation of an ordinance that no such building or structure shall be razed, demolished, or moved without the approval of a review board. The bill provides that such civil penalty shall not exceed the market value of the property as determined by the assessed value of the property at the time of razing, demolition, or moving of the building or structure.

Civilian deaths in custody; report. Requires every law-enforcement agency and state or juvenile correctional facility to report to the Department of Criminal Justice Services and every local or regional adult correctional facility to report to the State Board of Local and Regional Jails certain information regarding the death of any person who is detained, under arrest or in the process of being arrested, en route to be incarcerated, incarcerated, or otherwise in the custody of such law-enforcement agency or correctional facility. The bill provides that any law-enforcement agency or state or juvenile correctional facility that fails to comply may, at the discretion of the Department, be declared ineligible for state grants or funds. The bill also requires the Department and the Board to analyze the submitted data to determine the means by which such information can be used to reduce the number of such deaths. The bill requires the Director of the Department and the Board to each annually report the findings and recommendations resulting from the analysis and interpretation of the data to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Attorney General beginning on or before July 1, 2025, and each July 1 thereafter. The bill also provides that upon request, the Board shall provide the submitted data to the Department to meet federal reporting requirements. This bill incorporates HB 423.

City council salaries. Increases the statutory salary caps for members of city councils and requires a public hearing prior to adopting an ordinance to set city council salaries. The bill also provides that the maximum salaries may be adjusted in any year by an inflation factor not to exceed five percent.

Public institutions of higher education; Hunger-FreeCampus Grant Program established; report. Establishes the Hunger-FreeCampus Grant Program (the Program) to address student food insecurityat public institutions of higher education. The bill provides thatthe Program shall be managed by the State Council of Higher Educationfor Virginia and available for participation by public institutions of higher education; however, participation in the Program shallbe optional for such institutions. Under the bill, if a public institutionof higher education satisfies certain criteria set out in the bill,including creating initiatives on campus to address student foodinsecurity, it shall be designated as a "Hunger-Free Campus" andthe Council shall award a grant to such institution. A public institutionof higher education that receives a grant under the bill shall utilizethe funds to support on-campus efforts and initiatives to eliminatestudent food insecurity at such institution. The bill requires theCouncil to submit a report to the Chairmen of the Senate Committeeon Education and Health and the House Committee on Education no laterthan two years after the establishment of the Program.

Uniform Statewide Building Code; violations; fines. Increases from $2,500 to $5,000 the minimum amount and from $5,000 to $10,000 the maximum amount that any person, firm, or corporation shall be fined when convicted of a third or subsequent offense of violating the provisions of the Uniform Statewide Building Code committed within 10 years of another such offense after having been at least twice previously convicted of such an offense. The bill also adds penalties for similar violations committed by owners of a blighted multifamily property. This bill is identical to SB 538.

Annual retail sales and use tax holiday. Establishes an annual retail sales and use tax holiday that takes place on the first full weekend in August beginning on July 1, 2025, through July 1, 2030. During such weekend, state retail sales and use tax will not apply to certain (i) school supplies, (ii) clothing and footwear, (iii) qualified products designated as Energy Star or WaterSense, (iv) portable generators, or (v) hurricane preparedness equipment. This bill is identical to SB 116.

Prescription of opioids; sickle cell anemia.Exempts prescribers from certain requirements of the PrescriptionMonitoring Program related to prescribing opioids if the opioid isprescribed to a patient for pain management related to sickle cellanemia.

Towing companies; local authority. Clarifies that the provisions of existing law authorizing localities in Planning District 8 to require towing companies that tow from the county, city, or town to a storage or release location outside of the locality to obtain a permit to do so do not restrict or modify the authority of the locality to require that towing companies that tow and store or release vehicles within the county, city, or town to obtain from the locality a permit to do so.

Conservation of trees during land developmentprocess in certain localities. Expands authority of certain localitiesto adopt an ordinance providing for the planting and replacementof trees during the development process by allowing a tree canopyfund that currently applies to the planting of trees on public propertyto include maintenance of trees on public property and planting andmaintenance of trees on private property. The bill removes a provisionthat requires that any funds collected for the purposes of the tree canopy fund be returned to the original contributor if not spentwithin five years but maintains the requirement that such finds be spent within five years. The bill also includes an expansion ofthe canopy credit and a provision that will require a local treeconservation ordinance to meet the standards set out in the statute.