Virginia State Crime Commission; benefits of violence interrupters; impact of barrier crime statutes; report. Directs the Virginia State Crime Commission, in consultation with stakeholders, to assess (i) the benefits of violence interrupters and (ii) the impact barrier crimes statutes have on the recruitment and retention rates of violence interrupters in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Crime Commission to report its findings and any recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the House Committee for Courts of Justice by November 1, 2024.
Sale, transfer, etc., of certain firearms and firearm magazines; Virginia Firearm Buy-Back Program and Fund established; penalties. Provides that, unless otherwise prohibited by law, any person may import, sell, transfer, manufacture, or purchase an authorized rifle, defined in the bill, in accordance with the relevant provisions of law. The bill makes it a Class 6 felony for any person to import, sell, transfer, manufacture, or purchase a restricted rifle or large-capacity firearm magazine, both defined in the bill, with certain exceptions. The bill also provides that a person is civilly liable for injuries to person or property or wrongful death of another caused by a third party if it can be shown that the civil defendant sold or transferred a restricted rifle or large-capacity firearm magazine in violation of the provisions of the bill to the person who committed the crime resulting in such injury or death. The bill also provides that no person shall sell a firearm unless at least three days have elapsed from the time the prospective purchaser completes the written consent form to have a licensed dealer obtain criminal history record information, with exceptions enumerated in the bill. The bill also directs the Department of State Police to develop policies for the establishment of uniform standards for the creation of the Virginia Firearm Buy-Back Program. The bill clarifies that participation in the Program by a local law-enforcement agency is voluntary and also directs the Department to establish the Virginia Firearm Buy-Back Fund, a nonreverting fund to be used solely for the purposes of development and implementation of the Program.
Certain school divisions; cost-savings agreements; requirements. Removes the limitation on any school board that enters into certain cost-savings agreements with a school board that governs a contiguous school division for the consolidation or sharing of educational, administrative, or support services and thus qualifies for adjustment of state share of basic aid computed annually on the basis of the composite index of local ability-to-pay of such contiguous school division that caps such adjusted basic aid payment at an amount equal to the basic aid payment appropriated to such locality by the 2007 Session of the General Assembly. The bill also permits, notwithstanding the requirement set forth in relevant law that a school division has 65 percent or more of its local taxes coming from real estate taxes in order for the school board that governs such school division to be eligible to enter into such cost-savings agreements with a contiguous school division, the Bath County School Board to enter into such cost-savings agreements with the Augusta County School Board, provided that all other conditions and limitations set forth in relevant law apply to any such agreement.
Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for animal control officers. Adds animal control officers to the list of local employees eligible to receive enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service. Under current law, localities may provide such benefits to first responders, including firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and certain other hazardous duty positions.The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025, and provides that such membership would apply only to service earned on or after July 1, 2025.
Towing; registration for tow truck drivers; Driver Authorization Document; penalty. Requires tow truck drivers, prior to registration or the first renewal on or after January 1, 2025, with the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to obtain a Driver Authorization Document, for which such drivers must take instructional courses, the requirements for which are set forth in the bill, and complete a drug test. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.
Commission on Legislature Modernization; report. Establishes the Commission on Legislature Modernization in the legislative branch for the purpose of studying the operation and functionality of the General Assembly and identifying ways to make the legislature more effective, efficient, responsive, reflective, and transparent on behalf of all Virginians. The Commission will consist of 17 members, which shall include 9 legislators, 6 nonlegislative citizen members, and 2 ex officio members. The Commission shall be convened for a period of two years, every 10 years in the year ending in four, and shall terminate after the submission of its final report to the General Assembly at the end of its second year.
Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact. Enters the Commonwealth into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, the purpose of which is to facilitate the mobility of teachers across the member states, with the goal of supporting teachers through a new pathway to licensure. The Compact is presently in effect, as it has reached the enactment threshold of 10 state members.
Zoning; certified recovery residence. Requires that a locality's zoning ordinances for all purposes shall consider a certified recovery residence in which individuals with substance use disorder reside as residential occupancy by a single family. The bill specifies that no conditions more restrictive than those imposed on residences occupied by persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption shall be imposed on such certified recovery residence.
Electric utilities; notice required for customer return to service. Decreases the required written notice period to 90 days for certain electric energy customers to return to service by an investor-owned utility after purchasing electric energy from other suppliers. Currently, such electric energy customers must provide five years' written notice to return to service by Dominion Energy Virginia or three years' written notice to return to service by Appalachian Power.
Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; autonomous agent. Authorizes regulatory boards to promulgate regulations for an applicant requesting licensure of an autonomous agent that is owned or operated by such applicant. Autonomous agent is defined in the bill as software or hardware that operates independently, without real-time human intervention, and is capable of performing tasks that, when executed by a human, would require licensure by a regulatory board.
A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 8.01-217, 16.1-331, 18.2-308.04, 18.2-308.06, 18.2-308.2:2, 18.2-308.2:4, 19.2-13, 20-88.54, 22.1-287.1, 23.1-405, 23.1-407, 24.2-418, 24.2-444, 30-394, 32.1-261, 32.1-267, 32.1-269.1, 32.1-292.2, 40.1-96, 40.1-102, 46.2-323, 46.2-341.12, 46.2-345, 46.2-345.2, 46.2-2906, 54.1-3319, 54.1-4108, 59.1-118, and 65.2-900 of the Code of Virginia, relating to nonbinary sex or gender designation option. 24102456D
Advisory Council on Breakthrough Therapies for Veteran Suicide Prevention; established; report. Establishes the Advisory Council on Breakthrough Therapies for Veteran Suicide Prevention to advise the State Health Commissioner on the regulations and infrastructure necessary to support clinical access to and training for medication-assisted U.S. Food and Drug Administration breakthrough therapies for veteran suicide prevention. The bill requires the Commissioner of Health to report annually by December 1 to the Governor and the General Assembly regarding its activities and recommendations. The Council has a sunset date of July 1, 2027.
