Creates the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (the Act). The Act prohibits an abortion after 20 weeks' gestation unless, in reasonable medical judgment, the mother has a condition that so complicates her medical condition as to necessitate the abortion to avert her death or to avert serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. When an abortion is not prohibited post-20 weeks' gestation, and if the woman elects to have an abortion, the physician is required to terminate the pregnancy in a manner that would provide the unborn child the best opportunity to survive. The bill punishes performance of an abortion in violation of the Act as a Class 4 felony. The bill also provides for civil remedies against a physician who performs an abortion in violation of the Act.
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Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to conduct a two-year study of the Virginia Administrative Process Act exemptions. In its study, JLARC is directed to (i) assess whether exemptions for agencies, boards, commissions, and authorities are justified or should be discontinued or modified; (ii) assess whether criteria and a process should be established for determining if requests for exemptions should be granted; (iii) assess the extent of public participation and economic impact analysis provided as part of rulemaking conducted by exempt agencies, boards, commissions, and authorities; (iv) review other states' processes and criteria for exempting state agencies, boards, commissions, and authorities from the rulemaking process; and (v) review other issues and make recommendations as appropriate.