Virginia 2024 Regular Session All Bills
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB619
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Refer
1/24/24
Report Pass
2/2/24
Engrossed
2/7/24
Refer
2/9/24
Report Pass
2/21/24
Enrolled
2/28/24
Chaptered
4/2/24
Passed
4/2/24
Military centered community zones; local designation. Allows localities to establish, by ordinance, one or more military centered community zones, defined in the bill as a community that has a significant presence of military personnel living or working in the designated area and where such presence drives, or has the potential to drive, significant economic activity. The bill provides that a locality, or another political subdivision acting on behalf of the locality, may offer unique benefits to businesses looking to locate within a zone for the purpose of serving the needs of the military personnel, including reduction of certain fees and taxes. In addition, the bill provides that local governing bodies are authorized to enter into agreements for the payment of economic development incentive grants to such businesses. The bill also allows a governing body to provide for certain regulatory flexibility and incentives and provides that the establishment of a military centered community zone shall not preclude the area from also being designated as an enterprise zone or from receiving support under the Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB62
Introduced
12/22/23
Refer
12/22/23
Report Pass
1/31/24
Refer
1/31/24
Report Pass
2/2/24
Engrossed
2/7/24
Refer
2/13/24
Report Pass
2/20/24
Report Pass
2/28/24
Engrossed
3/1/24
Engrossed
3/8/24
Engrossed
3/8/24
Enrolled
3/25/24
Chaptered
4/8/24
Passed
4/8/24
Local animal cruelty registries. Allows any locality to establish an animal cruelty registry for public access on the website of such locality or its local police department. The bill provides that such registry may include the names and relevant information of persons convicted of certain felony offenses for animal cruelty and that a person on such registry may request removal of his name after 15 years, provided that he has no additional felony convictions of an animal cruelty offense. The bill directs that all costs relating to a locality's animal cruelty registry shall be borne by such locality.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB620
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Medical assistance services; payment for essential hygiene products. Directs the State Board of Health to include a provision for payment of medical assistance for the purchase of essential hygiene products in the state plan for medical assistance services.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB621
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Earned income tax credit. Allows eligible low-income taxpayers to claim a refundable income tax credit equal to 20 percent of the federal earned income tax credit claimed that year by the taxpayer for the same taxable year. The bill also states that individuals who would have been entitled to the federal equivalent of this credit but for the fact that the individual, the individual's spouse, or one or more of the individual's children does not have a valid social security number are eligible to claim this credit.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB622
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Refer
2/1/24
State plan for medical assistance services; violence prevention services benefit; work group. Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for payment of medical assistance for violence prevention services, defined in the bill, provided by a qualified violence prevention professional to an individual who receives medical treatment for an injury sustained as a result of community violence, defined in the bill, who is determined by a health care provider to be at risk of repeat injury or retaliation. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to convene a work group to advise the Board on the design and implementation of the violence prevention services benefit and specifies that the work group include representatives from the Department and violence intervention programs, medical providers, survivors of community violence, and other members as deemed appropriate by the Department. The bill requires the Department to post on its website the date upon which violence prevention services may be provided and billed pursuant to the provisions of the bill. State plan for medical assistance services; violence prevention services benefit; work group. Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for payment of medical assistance for violence prevention services, defined in the bill, provided by a qualified violence prevention professional to an individual who receives medical treatment for an injury sustained as a result of community violence, defined in the bill, who is determined by a health care provider to be at risk of repeat injury or retaliation. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to convene a work group to advise the Board on the design and implementation of the violence prevention services benefit and specifies that the work group include representatives from the Department and violence intervention programs, medical providers, survivors of community violence, and other members as deemed appropriate by the Department. The bill requires the Department to post on its website the date upon which violence prevention services may be provided and billed pursuant to the provisions of the bill.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB623
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Report Pass
2/9/24
Engrossed
2/12/24
Refer
2/14/24
Report Pass
2/27/24
Engrossed
3/4/24
Engrossed
3/5/24
Enrolled
3/25/24
Vetoed
4/8/24
Rights of voters; covered practices; civil cause of action; standing, jurisdiction, and venue. Provides that, in addition to voters who are members of a protected class and the Attorney General, any organization whose membership includes voters who are members of a protected class or any organization whose mission, in whole or in part, is to ensure voting access shall be entitled to institute a civil cause of action for alleged violations of certain laws related to the rights of voters. The bill provides that the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond shall have jurisdiction over such actions and such actions shall be subject to expedited pretrial and trial proceedings and receive an automatic calendar preference. The bill allows the governing body of any county or city to establish, by ordinance, a plan each year for the number and location of voter satellite offices and the dates and hours of operation of such satellite offices for all elections to be held in the county or city that year. The bill also adds to the definition of "covered practice" any change that reduces the number of voter satellite offices in a locality or reduces the number of days or the hours of operation of a voter satellite office in a locality or that deviates from the plan established by the governing body each year. Rights of voters; covered practices; civil cause of action; standing, jurisdiction, and venue. Provides that, in addition to voters who are members of a protected class and the Attorney General, any organization whose membership includes voters who are members of a protected class or any organization whose mission, in whole or in part, is to ensure voting access shall be entitled to institute a civil cause of action for alleged violations of certain laws related to the rights of voters. The bill provides that the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond shall have jurisdiction over such actions and such actions shall be subject to expedited pretrial and trial proceedings and receive an automatic calendar preference. The bill allows the governing body of any county or city to establish, by ordinance, a plan each year for the number and location of voter satellite offices and the dates and hours of operation of such satellite offices for all elections to be held in the county or city that year. The bill also adds to the definition of "covered practice" any change that reduces the number of voter satellite offices in a locality or reduces the number of days or the hours of operation of a voter satellite office in a locality or that deviates from the plan established by the governing body each year.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB624
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Report Pass
1/31/24
Refer
1/31/24
Report Pass
2/7/24
Engrossed
2/12/24
Refer
2/14/24
Report Pass
2/29/24
Report Pass
3/4/24
Engrossed
3/6/24
Engrossed
3/6/24
Engrossed
3/8/24
Engrossed
3/9/24
Enrolled
3/25/24
Vetoed
5/17/24
Public school staffing and funding; National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund; At-Risk Program; English language learner students. Renames the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund as the National Board Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund, expands eligibility for incentive grant awards from such Fund pursuant to such Program from solely teachers who have obtained national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to all public school staff who are candidates for initial national certification or maintenance of national certification to cover certain costs of obtaining or maintaining such certification and all public school staff who have successfully obtained or maintained such certification, and permits certain teachers to apply for additional incentive grants pursuant to such Program and Fund. The bill also establishes the At-Risk Program for the purpose of supporting programs and services for students who are educationally at risk, including prevention, intervention, or remediation activities required pursuant to relevant law, teacher recruitment programs and initiatives, programs for English language learners, the hiring of additional school counselors and other support staff, and other programs relating to increasing the success of disadvantaged students in completing a high school degree and providing opportunities to encourage further education and training. The bill also contains provisions relating to certain funding requirements for the At-Risk Program. Finally, the bill requires state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act to support ratios of instructional positions to English language learner students based on each such student's English proficiency level, as established in the general appropriation act.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB625
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Report Pass
1/29/24
Refer
1/29/24
Report Pass
2/7/24
Engrossed
2/12/24
Refer
2/14/24
Report Pass
2/29/24
Report Pass
3/4/24
Engrossed
3/6/24
Enrolled
3/25/24
Chaptered
4/17/24
Public education; community schools; Office of Community Schools at Department of Education. Requires the Department of Education to establish the Office of Community Schools as an office within the Department for the purpose of supporting the development and growth of community schools throughout the Commonwealth in accordance with the Virginia Community School Framework.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB626
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Refer
1/26/24
Report Pass
1/31/24
Refer
1/31/24
Report Pass
2/7/24
Engrossed
2/12/24
Refer
2/14/24
Report Pass
3/1/24
Enrolled
3/25/24
Chaptered
4/2/24
Passed
4/2/24
Public schools; certain local school divisions; youth and community violence prevention; Community Builders Pilot Program established; report. Establishes the Community Builders Pilot Program for the purpose of reducing youth involvement in behaviors that lead to gun violence and increasing community engagement among public school students by providing to students who are entering the eighth grade and enrolled in Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools opportunities during the school year after regular school hours and during the summer months for community engagement, workforce development, postsecondary education exploration, and social-emotional education and development. The bill provides that the school boards of Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools shall be responsible for the administration of the Program and are directed to collect data and report to the Governor and relevant committees of the General Assembly by November 1 of each year on the progress of the Program. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2027.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB627
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Early childhood care; Child Care Subsidy Program expansion; provision of free child care to certain child care provider employees. Requires the Child Care Subsidy Program, established pursuant to applicable regulations, to be expanded to assist employees of any licensed child care provider in the Commonwealth with the costs of child care by providing any such employee who meets the eligibility criteria set forth in the bill child care at no cost to and with no copayment required of such employee. The bill directs the Board of Education to adopt any regulations and the Department of Education to implement any policies and procedures necessary for the implementation and administration of the provisions of the bill.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB628
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Certificate of public need; hospitals licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; psychiatric beds. Excludes from the list of medical care facilities for which a certificate of public need is required hospitals licensed as a provider by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The bill excludes the following from the list of projects for which a certificate of public need is required for certain medical care facilities: (i) an increase or relocation of psychiatric beds licensed by the Department, (ii) the introduction of any psychiatric service when such medical care facility has not provided such service in the previous 12 months, and (iii) the conversion of beds to psychiatric beds. The bill also modifies the list of projects for which a certificate of public need is required for certain medical care facilities by requiring a certificate for the conversion of any psychiatric inpatient beds to nonpsychiatric inpatient beds. Under current law, a certificate is required for the conversion of a psychiatric bed to a nonpsychiatric bed only when the psychiatric bed was approved pursuant to a Request for Applications (RFA).
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB629
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections. Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB63
Introduced
12/22/23
Refer
12/22/23
Report Pass
1/19/24
Engrossed
1/24/24
Refer
1/29/24
Report Pass
2/19/24
Enrolled
2/27/24
Vetoed
3/20/24
Criminal cases; request for a jury to ascertain punishment. Provides that an accused may withdraw a request for a jury to ascertain punishment up until the commencement of the sentencing proceeding. The bill also provides that counsel for either party shall have the right to examine jurors regarding the potential range of punishment regardless of whether the jury will ascertain punishment and that the court or counsel for either party may inform any person or juror during voir dire as to the potential range of punishment to ascertain if the person or juror can sit impartially in the guilt or sentencing phase of the case. Criminal cases; request for a jury to ascertain punishment. Provides that an accused may withdraw a request for a jury to ascertain punishment up until the commencement of the sentencing proceeding. The bill also provides that counsel for either party shall have the right to examine jurors regarding the potential range of punishment regardless of whether the jury will ascertain punishment and that the court or counsel for either party may inform any person or juror during voir dire as to the potential range of punishment to ascertain if the person or juror can sit impartially in the guilt or sentencing phase of the case.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB630
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to full-time salaried 911 dispatchers. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher on or after July 1, 2025, but allows an employer, as that term is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher before July 1, 2025, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.
VA
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia House Bill HB631
Introduced
1/9/24
Refer
1/9/24
Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; emergency dispatchers. Extends membership in the Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System (VaLORS) to emergency dispatchers who are employed by the Department of State Police and agencies whose law-enforcement officers are eligible for membership in VaLORS. 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.