Sen. Chris Head

Celebrating the life of Janet Marie Brooking.

Commending Peter A. Blake.

Commending Scott McGeary.

Adult protective services; central registry.Creates a central registry of substantiated complaints of adult abuse,neglect, and exploitation to be maintained by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. The bill establishes (i) investigation requirements for local departments of social services related toreports of adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (ii) record retentionand disclosure requirements for the Department for Aging and RehabilitativeServices and local departments of social services; (iii) notice requirementsrelated to findings by local departments and central registry entries;and (iv) an appeals process to contest the findings of a local departmentrelated to substantiated reports of adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. The bill directs the Commissioner for Aging and Rehabilitative Servicesto adopt regulations to implement the provisions of the bill andexempts the Commissioner's initial adoption of such regulations from the provisions of the Administrative Process Act. The bill has adelayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

Election administration; deputy general registrars; recommended number. Requires the State Board of Elections toadopt guidance for determining the recommended number of deputy registrarsto serve in a county or city based on the size of the county's or city's population as of the most recent decennial census and prohibitsa local electoral board from setting a number in excess of such recommendation.The bill allows for additional deputy registrars to be appointedif the local electoral board determines that a greater number thanthe State Board's recommended number for a county's or city's populationis needed and the local governing body approves such number. The billalso requires the Department of Elections to convene a work groupno later than July 1, 2024, to advise and collaborate with the State Board on the development of such guidance and directs the work groupto complete its work and make public such guidance no later thanDecember 1, 2024. The provisions of the bill other than the requirementfor the Department to convene the work group have a delayed effectivedate of January 1, 2025.

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the HonorableYvonne Bond Miller's service in the Virginia General Assembly.

Alcoholic beverage control; tied house exception.Allows a manufacturer, bottler, broker, importer, or wholesalerto sponsor or provide support, including equipment, staff, financial,and other support, for a special event for which a nonprofit organizationhas been issued a banquet license and partners with a governmentalentity that holds a mixed beverage caterer's license, provided thatthe mixed beverage caterer's license held by the governmental entityis not used in coordination with such special event.

Commending Sandra Gioia Treadway.

Prohibition on certain local government appointments. Prohibits a local governing body from appointing a spouse, child,stepchild, parent, stepparent, or grandparent of a governing bodymember as a member of any local government board, committee, or commissionor as a member of a board of directors of a not-for-profit organizationthat receives funding from the locality.

Felony homicide; certain drug offenses; penalty. Provides that a person is guilty of felony homicide, which constitutessecond degree murder and is punishable by confinement of not lessthan five nor more than 40 years, if the underlying felonious actthat resulted in the killing of another involved the manufacture,sale, gift, or distribution of a Schedule I or II controlled substanceto another and (i) such other person's death results from his useof the controlled substance and (ii) the controlled substance is the proximate cause of his death. The bill provides that venue fora prosecution of this crime shall lie in the locality where the underlyingfelony occurred, where the use of the controlled substance occurred,or where death occurred. The bill also provides that if a persongave or distributed a Schedule I or II controlled substance onlyas an accommodation to another individual who is not an inmate ina community correctional facility, local correctional facility, orstate correctional facility, or in the custody of an employee thereof,and not with intent to profit thereby from any consideration receivedor expected nor to induce the recipient of the controlled substanceto use or become addicted to or dependent upon such controlled substance,he is guilty of a Class 5 felony.