Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy

Virginia Public Procurement Act; competitivesealed bidding; required criteria in invitations to bid. Requiresall public bodies to include in any Invitation to Bid criteria thatwill be used in determining whether a bidder who is not prequalifiedby the Virginia Department of Transportation is a responsible bidder.Current law authorizes, but does not require, localities to includesuch criteria in Invitations to Bid.

Commending Major General Timothy P. Williams,VNG.

Commending John Ray Grisham, Jr.

Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team established;penalty; report. Establishes the Fetal and Infant Mortality ReviewTeam to develop and implement procedures to ensure that fetal andinfant deaths occurring in the Commonwealth are analyzed in a systematicway. The bill requires the Team to compile triennial statisticaldata regarding fetal and infant deaths and to make such data availableto the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Department of Health. The bill provides that information and records obtained or createdby the Team and portions of meetings of the Team at which individualfetal and infant deaths are discussed shall be confidential.

Commending the Honorable Dr. Luke E. Torian.

Commending Margaret L. Sanner.

Chief Medical Examiner; Maternal Mortality ReviewTeam; work group; expansion plan; report. Directs the Officeof the Chief Medical Examiner and the Maternal Mortality Review Teamto convene a work group to expand the work of the Maternal MortalityReview Team. The bill directs the work group to develop criteriaand procedures related to the collection of maternal morbidity data.The bill specifies that the Maternal Mortality Review Team's expansionplan shall include certain plans for data collection, data review, and development and implementation of policies and recommendations.The work group is required to report its findings and provide itsplan to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations andHealth, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committees on Financeand Appropriations and Education and Health by December 1, 2025.

Court fines and fees; indigent defendant; waiverof fees. Provides that in any criminal or traffic case, the courtmay waive the assessment of certain fees specified in the bill,either wholly or in part, if the court determines the defendant tobe indigent pursuant to relevant law and is unable to pay such fee.The bill provides that the court may make such determination uponmotion of the defendant at any time prior to the entry of order forwhich such fee is assessed or final order has been entered.

Military benefits income tax subtraction; agerequirement; emergency. Eliminates the age requirement to claimthe individual income tax subtraction for military benefits beginningin taxable year 2023. Under current law, only taxpayers 55 yearsof age or older may claim the subtraction prior to taxable year 2024.The bill contains an emergency clause.

Employee protections; employer-sponsored meetingson political matters; civil action. Prohibits an employer fromretaliating against an employee (i) because such employee declinesto attend or participate in an employer-sponsored meeting or receivean employer's communications conveying an opinion about politicalmatters, as defined in the bill; (ii) as a means of inducing an employee'sattendance at such meeting or receipt of such communications; or (iii) because the employee reports a suspected violation of the bill's provisions. The bill permits an employee alleging a violation ofthe bill's provisions to bring an action in civil court within 90days after such violation occurs for appropriate relief, includinginjunctive relief, reinstatement, compensation for lost wages, benefits,and other remuneration, interest, and reasonable attorney fees andcosts.