Fishing license requirements; exemptions; freefishing days. Increases from three to six the maximum numberof days that the Board of Wildlife Resources may designate as freefishing days for a person to fish in any inland waters of the Commonwealth without a fishing license.
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.
Service Member Sentencing Act. Creates the Service Member Sentencing Act to provide service members, defined in the bill, a service member sentencing option, defined in the bill, if such service member satisfies the eligibility criteria. The bill explains the process and procedures associated with a service member sentencing option. The bill also provides sentencing mitigation for service members that are not eligible for the service member sentencing option, including criteria for a judge to consider prior to sentencing a service member for a criminal offense. The bill requires the Department of Veterans Services to assist in facilitating the provision of the Act.The bill also requires the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court to create a form to track and report the number of service members receiving, successfully completing, failing, declining, and denied a service member sentencing option and sentencing mitigation; such information shall be categorized by race, ethnicity, gender, age, military discharge characterization, and offense type.
Real property tax; notice of summary budget. Directs the governing body of every locality to send by mail, along with the annual property tax bill, a summary of the locality's budget for each of the two previous fiscal years. If the property tax bill is not ordinarily sent to the taxpayer, the budget summary may be mailed to the taxpayer separately.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable EdwardDeJarnette Berry.
Commending Virginia's forest products industry.
Celebrating the life of Karen Harrison Jones.
Celebrating the life of Karen Harrison Jones.
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 forall animal control officers and deputy animal control officers employedby a locality.
Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirementbenefits for 911 dispatchers. Allows local governments to provideenhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to full-time salaried 911 dispatchers. The bill provides that such enhanced retirementbenefits apply only to service earned as a full-time salaried 911dispatcher on or after July 1, 2025, but allows an employer, as thatterm is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcherbefore July 1, 2025, in addition to service earned on or after thatdate. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.
