Juvenile and domestic relations district courts; Department of Juvenile Justice; adjudication of delinquency. Raises the maximum age for delinquency matters in juvenile and domestic relations district courts from persons under 18 years of age to persons under 21 years of age. The bill defines "underage person" as an individual who is 18 years of age or older but younger than 21 years of age. The bill adds underage persons to all provisions regarding delinquency proceedings in juvenile and domestic relations district courts, the transfer of delinquency matters to circuit courts, and criminal procedure as currently applies to juveniles only. The bill differentiates between juveniles and underage persons in specific circumstances, including consent for medical or mental health records or procedures, mental health screenings in secure detention facilities, and provisions regarding release on bail or recognizance. The bill also specifies that a delinquent child is a child 11 years of age or older who has committed a delinquent act. Currently, there is no minimum age for a child to be adjudicated delinquent. The bill provides that if a juvenile younger than 11 years of age is found to have committed a delinquent act, the juvenile shall not be proceeded upon as delinquent; however, the court may make any orders of disposition authorized for a child in need of services or a child in need of supervision. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

Celebrating the life of Gunnery Sergeant Francis Jack Weeks, USMC, Ret.

Study; Department of Energy; impacts of data center development; report. Directs the Department of Energy to study the impacts of data center development on Virginia's environment, economy, energy resources, and ability to meet carbon-reduction goals. Study; Department of Energy; impacts of data center development; report. Directs the Department of Energy to study the impacts of data center development on Virginia's environment, economy, energy resources, and ability to meet carbon-reduction goals.

Bridges; state of good repair; allocation of funds. Designates bridges with a general condition rating, defined in the bill, of no more than five for at least one major bridge component as eligible for state of good repair funds. Currently, bridges must be structurally deficient to be eligible. The bill authorizes the use of state of good repair funds for improvements anticipated to extend the useful life of a bridge by at least 10 years. The bill changes the funding distribution standard from equitable needs-based distribution, with percentage limits for a given district and a process to exceed such limits when necessary, to needs-based distribution of funding among the highway construction districts. The provisions of the bill apply to new project allocations made by the Commonwealth Transportation Board after June 1, 2024. Bridges; state of good repair; allocation of funds. Designates bridges with a general condition rating, defined in the bill, of no more than five for at least one major bridge component as eligible for state of good repair funds. Currently, bridges must be structurally deficient to be eligible. The bill authorizes the use of state of good repair funds for improvements anticipated to extend the useful life of a bridge by at least 10 years. The bill changes the funding distribution standard from equitable needs-based distribution, with percentage limits for a given district and a process to exceed such limits when necessary, to needs-based distribution of funding among the highway construction districts. The provisions of the bill apply to new project allocations made by the Commonwealth Transportation Board after June 1, 2024.

Income taxation; contributions to Virginia College Savings Income taxation; contributions to Virginia College Savings Plan accounts. Increases the maximum individual income tax deduction for amounts paid or contributed to a prepaid tuition contract or college savings trust account entered into with the Virginia College Savings Plan from $4,000 to $7,500 in taxable year 2023, $11,000 in taxable year 2024, and $15,000 for taxable year 2025 and thereafter. Such amounts shall be adjusted for changes in the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U). The deduction is limited to $4,000 for taxpayers with federal adjusted gross income that is greater than $100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for married persons filing a joint return. The bill also creates an individual or corporate deduction, as applicable, of up to $4,000 for the amount a child day center or child day program paid or contributed to a customer's or client's prepaid tuition contract or college savings trust account entered into with the Virginia College Savings Plan. The bill also provides a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2023 through 2027 for 35 percent of expenses incurred by a business during the taxable year for contributions into a Virginia College Savings Plan account owned by an employee of the business. If the employee receiving the contribution is a qualified employee, as defined in the bill, the bill specifies that the credit shall not exceed $500 annually for each such employee. If the employee receiving the contribution is a qualified employee who is not highly compensated, as defined in the bill, the bill specifies that the credit shall not exceed $1,000 annually for each such employee. The bill provides that the total amount of tax credits available for a calendar year shall not exceed $5 million and that any unused tax credit may be carried over for three years.

Department of Corrections; possession and administration of naloxone. Adds employees of the Department of Corrections designated by the Director of the Department to the list of persons who are authorized to possess and administer naloxone or other opioid antagonists. Under current law, the only employees of the Department authorized to possess and administer naloxone or other opioid antagonists are those designated as probation and parole officers or as correctional officers.

Practice of optometry; licensing; regulations. Reorganizes provisions regulating the practice of optometry; updates licensing requirements by removing specific requirements for the Board of Optometry's examination procedures; and expands possible Board actions for the issuance, revocation, and suspension of licenses and for the reprimand of licensees. The bill specifies that any student, intern, or trainee in optometry may perform optometric services under the direct supervision of a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist as part of a course of study at an accredited institution of higher education and removes the option for the Board to approve alternative continuing education courses at the request of a licensee. The bill contains technical amendments. Practice of optometry; licensing; regulations. Reorganizes provisions regulating the practice of optometry; updates licensing requirements by removing specific requirements for the Board of Optometry's examination procedures; and expands possible Board actions for the issuance, revocation, and suspension of licenses and for the reprimand of licensees. The bill specifies that any student, intern, or trainee in optometry may perform optometric services under the direct supervision of a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist as part of a course of study at an accredited institution of higher education and removes the option for the Board to approve alternative continuing education courses at the request of a licensee. The bill contains technical amendments.

Public elementary and secondary schools; reports of certain arrests and convictions; receipt, report, and compilation. Requires each division superintendent to annually designate an employee in the local school division as the division safety official whose duty is to receive all reports required to be made pursuant to relevant law from (i) every state official or agency and every sheriff, police officer, or other local law-enforcement officer or conservator of the peace having the power to arrest for a felony upon arresting a person who is known or discovered by the arresting official to be a full-time, part-time, permanent, or temporary teacher or any other employee in such local school division for a felony or a Class 1 misdemeanor or an equivalent offense in another state and (ii) the clerk of any circuit court or any district court in the Commonwealth upon the felony conviction of any person known by such clerk to be employed by such local school division. Public elementary and secondary schools; reports of certain arrests and convictions; receipt, report, and compilation. Requires each division superintendent to annually designate an employee in the local school division as the division safety official whose duty is to receive all reports required to be made pursuant to relevant law from (i) every state official or agency and every sheriff, police officer, or other local law-enforcement officer or conservator of the peace having the power to arrest for a felony upon arresting a person who is known or discovered by the arresting official to be a full-time, part-time, permanent, or temporary teacher or any other employee in such local school division for a felony or a Class 1 misdemeanor or an equivalent offense in another state and (ii) the clerk of any circuit court or any district court in the Commonwealth upon the felony conviction of any person known by such clerk to be employed by such local school division. The bill requires each division superintendent to include such division safety official designation in the collated packet of school safety audits submitted to the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety pursuant to relevant law and requires the Center to designate an employee of the Center as the school personnel safety official for the Commonwealth whose duty is to compile, maintain, and make publicly available a list of each such division safety official. The bill requires such designation to include updated contact information for the division safety official and requires such safety official to at least annually confirm with each division superintendent that such contact information is up to date and accurate. The bill also provides that a probation and parole officer who is supervising a person employed by a local school division in the Commonwealth shall, upon discovering that such supervised person has been arrested or convicted of a felony offense or an equivalent offense in another state, report such arrest or conviction to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the designated division safety official in the local school division where such supervised person is employed as soon as practicable. The bill requires any such report to be transmitted via certified mail to the mailing address identified by the division superintendent or via fax and email to the fax number and email address identified by the division superintendent, pursuant to the applicable provisions of the bill. Finally, the bill requires, until July 1, 2027, that all such arresting officials or agencies request in writing that the Virginia Employment Commission provide the name of the current employer of each arrested person for purposes of determining whether such notice is required.

Veterans' Behavioral Health Services Grant Matching Fund; established. Creates the Veterans' Behavioral Health Services Grant Matching Fund for the purpose of providing matching funds to local nonprofit organizations to establish and expand community behavioral health programs to serve service members, veterans, and their families. The Fund is administered by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

Commonwealth Mass Transit Fund. Allocates 3.5 percent of the Commonwealth Mass Transit Fund to commuter rail systems jointly operated by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission and excludes such commuter rail systems from receiving allocations pursuant to other distributions of the Fund. The bill requires such commuter rail systems to submit reports to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The bill limits allocations by the NVTC for distribution to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to 50 percent of the total operating and capital assistance required to be provided by NVTC or other Virginia entities in the approved WMATA budget and establishes reporting requirements for WMATA. The bill codifies requirements for WMATA to adopt and submit certain planning documents first required pursuant to the eighth enactment of Chapter 854 and the eighth enactment of Chapter 856 of the Acts of Assembly of 2018 and repeals the original requirements.

Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps; established. Establishes the Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps for the purposes of attaining and retaining public elementary and secondary school teachers in school divisions in the Commonwealth by awarding scholarships to students seeking to obtain teaching degrees and certifications at participating institutions and requiring such students upon completion of their degree or certificate to fill teaching positions for one year for each year of scholarship receipt at a high-need school, as defined pursuant to federal law. The bill also creates the Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps Scholarship Fund and Program for the purpose of funding such scholarships at the participating institutions of Longwood University, Norfolk State University, Radford University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Finally, the bill establishes the 12-member Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps Commission to administer the Program and directs the Commission to begin meeting on or after September 1, 2023, and to establish the parameters for the Program and award the first scholarships prior to the beginning of the 2024–2025 academic year. Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps; established. Establishes the Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps for the purposes of attaining and retaining public elementary and secondary school teachers in school divisions in the Commonwealth by awarding scholarships to students seeking to obtain teaching degrees and certifications at participating institutions and requiring such students upon completion of their degree or certificate to fill teaching positions for one year for each year of scholarship receipt at a high-need school, as defined pursuant to federal law. The bill also creates the Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps Scholarship Fund and Program for the purpose of funding such scholarships at the participating institutions of Longwood University, Norfolk State University, Radford University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Finally, the bill establishes the 12-member Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps Commission to administer the Program and directs the Commission to begin meeting on or after September 1, 2023, and to establish the parameters for the Program and award the first scholarships prior to the beginning of the 2024–2025 academic year.

Officers of election; eligibility of persons preregistered to vote. Allows any person who has preregistered to vote to serve as an officer of election.

Farm use placards. Delays from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, the date by which vehicles claiming a farm use exemption are required to obtain a farm use placard from the Department of Motor Vehicles and display such placard at all times. The bill provides that the requirement to display a farm use placard only applies to pickup or panel trucks and sport utility vehicles. The bill removes certain requirements on the application for a farm use placard, prohibits requesting additional information on such application, and prohibits disclosure of application information. The bill authorizes the use of an agricultural or horticultural vehicle for disposing of incidental refuse and a seasonal transportation vehicle for driving to a storage house, packing plant, or market regardless of distance. The bill clarifies that the exemption for transporting back to a farm essential food includes procuring a meal for a farmer or his employees and that such exemption applies while engaged in authorized farm vehicle uses. The bill exempts vehicles required to obtain a farm use placard from the motor vehicle sales and use tax and authorizes localities to exempt such vehicles from personal property tax.

Comprehensive plan; healthy communities strategy. Authorizes cities with populations greater than 20,000 and counties with populations greater than 100,000, beginning July 1, 2023, to consider, at the next and all subsequent reviews of the comprehensive plan, adopting a healthy communities strategy. The bill provides that the locality's strategy may include identifying neighborhoods with major sources of pollution or hazardous waste and identifying objectives and policies to reduce health risks in such neighborhoods, to promote civic engagement by residents of such neighborhoods, and to prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs of such neighborhoods.

Administration of government; rights of state and local employees; freedoms of conscience and expression. Protects local government employees from being penalized by their employer for expressing their opinion regarding a current or proposed regulation, rule, policy, position, or other action or purpose of a public body at an open meeting of such public body during the time designated for public comment when such employees are speaking on their own behalf as members of the public. The bill exempts from such protection expressions made by state government employees during a public meeting of a committee or subcommittee of the General Assembly or State Corporation Commission.