Sen. Barbara Favola

Casino gaming; eligible host cities. Amends the list of cities eligible to host a casino in the Commonwealth by replacing Richmond with Petersburg. The bill also provides that the governing body of any eligible host city that holds a local referendum on the question of whether casino gaming should be permitted in such city that subsequently fails shall be prohibited from holding another local referendum on the same question for a period of three years from the date of the last referendum. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the General Assembly at a subsequent regular or special session.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant's remedies for exclusion from dwelling unit due to condemnation. Provides that the landlord shall be liable to the tenant for actual damages and reasonable attorney fees if the tenant gave notice to the landlord during the tenancy that his dwelling unit was in violation of an applicable building code, such violation posed a substantial risk to the health, safety, and welfare of a tenant, and such violation resulted in the tenant being excluded from his dwelling unit due to such unit being condemned. The bill includes exceptions to such liability, including negligence by the tenant, an act of God, and termination due to certain fire damage.

Children's advocacy centers; definitions; investigationsby local departments of social services. Replaces the term "childadvocacy center" with "children's advocacy center" and defines suchterm. The bill provides that if during the course of an investigationof child abuse by a local department of social services a local multidisciplinaryteam determines that an interview of the child by a children's advocacycenter is needed and such interview cannot be completed within thejurisdiction within 14 days, the local department of social services may facilitate the interview with another trained child forensicinterviewer. The bill also provides that if it is determined duringa human trafficking assessment that a forensic interview of the childis needed, such interview may be conducted by a children's advocacycenter within the jurisdiction; however, if the interview cannotbe completed within 14 days, the forensic interview may be conductedby a children's advocacy center located in another jurisdiction or another trained child forensic interviewer.

Secretary of Health and Human Resources; wholesale prescription drug importation program. Directs the Secretaryof Health and Human Resources to establish a wholesale prescriptiondrug importation program that complies with the requirements of federallaw and to report annually by October 1 to the Governor and the Chairmenof the House Committees on Appropriations and Health, Welfare andInstitutions and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriationsand Education and Health on the wholesale prescription drug importationprogram. The bill also requires the Secretary to (i) convene a workgroup composed of relevant stakeholders to develop a plan for implementationof the wholesale prescription drug importation program and reportthe plan to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committeeson Appropriations and Health, Welfare and Institutions and the SenateCommittees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Healthby December 1, 2024, and (ii) seek such federal approvals, waivers, exemptions, or agreements as may be necessary to enable all coveredentities enrolled in or eligible for the federal 340B Drug PricingProgram to participate in the wholesale prescription drug importationprogram to the greatest extent possible without jeopardizing theireligibility for the 340B Drug Pricing Program by July 1, 2025.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definition of "caregiver"; remote participation in meetings by persons with disabilities and caregivers; remote voting. Provides that for purposes of determining whether a quorum is physically assembled, an individual member of a public body who is a person with a disability or a caregiver, defined in the bill, and uses remote participation counts toward the quorum as if the individual was physically present. The bill also provides that the participation policy adopted by a public body, as required by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, shall not prohibit or restrict any individual member of a public body who is participating in an all-virtual meeting or who is using remote participation from voting on matters before the public body. As introduced, the bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council. This bill is identical to HB 1040.

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 treecanopy fund be returned to the original contributor if not spent withinfive years but maintains the requirement that such finds be spentwithin five years. The bill also includes an expansion of the canopycredit and a provision that will require a local tree conservationordinance to meet the standards set out in the statute.

Barrier crimes; adult substance abuse and mental health services; exception. Permits the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, providers of substance abuse or mental health services to adults, and community services boards and behavioral health authorities to hire applicants convicted of certain barrier crimes of misdemeanor assault and battery or involving controlled substances without additional screening or other requirements, provided that such conviction occurred more than five years prior to the application date for employment.

Office of the State Inspector General; investigationsof abuse or neglect at state psychiatric hospitals; report. Directsthe Office of the State Inspector General to (i) develop a plan tofulfill its statutory obligation to fully investigate all complaintsit receives alleging abuse, neglect, or inadequate care at a statepsychiatric hospital and (ii) submit such plan to the Chairmen ofthe House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the SenateCommittee on Education and Health by November 1, 2024. The bill alsorequires the Office to submit an annual report to the General Assemblyon or before November 15 of each year regarding the number of such complaints receivedand the number of complaints that were fully investigated by theOffice.

Kinship as Foster Care Prevention Program established.Establishes the Kinship as Foster Care Prevention Program to promote and support placements of children with relatives by local boardsof social services in order to avoid foster care. The bill providesthat a child is eligible to participate in the Program if the localboard determines that (i) the child is at imminent risk of beingremoved from his home and a preliminary protective order is insufficientto address the child's immediate safety concerns and (ii) the child'sparent or guardian consents to the placement of the child with arelative pursuant to an agreement with the local board developedin accordance with the provisions of the bill.

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.