Public utilities; delay of termination of service; serious medical condition; report. Requires the State Corporation Commission to establish by regulation exemptions to termination of service by a public utility that provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services for certain customers. The bill requires such regulations to require a public utility to delay termination of service for any residential customer (i) who has not filed a serious medical condition form with the public utility for 15 calendar days, upon oral or written notification from the residential customer that such customer or a family member residing with the customer has a serious medical condition; for such customers, the utility shall delay disconnection for at least 60 calendar days upon receiving a serious medical condition form during the 15-day period; (ii) who has filed a serious medical condition form with the public utility; for at least 60 days beyond the expiration of any required notice; (iii) who is experiencing financial hardship and whose serious medical condition will last beyond the 60-calendar-delay period described in clause (ii); for such customers, the utility shall work to establish a payment plan and make all due effort to avoid service termination; or (iv) who certifies to the utility that the customer's household includes primary residents who are not younger than 65 years of age, not older than 12 months of age, or have a disability; for a minimum of 60 calendar days beyond the expiration of any required notice. The bill requires such regulations to permit a residential customer to delay termination of service up to three times within a 12-month period. Each public utility subject to the bill shall report monthly by the fifteenth day of each month information related to serious medical condition forms, exemptions from disconnections granted under the provisions of the bill, and payment plans with customers. Public utilities; delay of termination of service; serious medical condition; report. Requires the State Corporation Commission to establish by regulation exemptions to termination of service by a public utility that provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services for certain customers. The bill requires such regulations to require a public utility to delay termination of service for any residential customer (i) who has not filed a serious medical condition form with the public utility for 15 calendar days, upon oral or written notification from the residential customer that such customer or a family member residing with the customer has a serious medical condition; for such customers, the utility shall delay disconnection for at least 60 calendar days upon receiving a serious medical condition form during the 15-day period; (ii) who has filed a serious medical condition form with the public utility; for at least 60 days beyond the expiration of any required notice; (iii) who is experiencing financial hardship and whose serious medical condition will last beyond the 60-calendar-delay period described in clause (ii); for such customers, the utility shall work to establish a payment plan and make all due effort to avoid service termination; or (iv) who certifies to the utility that the customer's household includes primary residents who are not younger than 65 years of age, not older than 12 months of age, or have a disability; for a minimum of 60 calendar days beyond the expiration of any required notice. The bill requires such regulations to permit a residential customer to delay termination of service up to three times within a 12-month period. Each public utility subject to the bill shall report monthly by the fifteenth day of each month information related to serious medical condition forms, exemptions from disconnections granted under the provisions of the bill, and payment plans with customers.

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. Requires the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to take certain actions upon the finding that an individual died from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). The bill directs the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to publish information on SUDEP and a SUDEP death investigation form on its website. Additionally, the bill requires the Chief Medical Examiner and local medical examiners to complete training provided by The Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2023.

Absentee voting; permanent absentee voter list repealed. Repeals the provisions of law by which any registered voter may apply to receive absentee ballots for all elections in which he is eligible to vote and remains on the list until the voter requests in writing to be removed from the list, the voter's registration is canceled or placed on inactive status pursuant to law, or the voter moves to a different address not in the same county or city of his registration.

Transit Ridership Incentive Program. Directs the Commonwealth Transportation Board to use at least 25 percent of the funds available for the Transit Ridership Incentive Program for grants to fund reduced-fare or zero-fare transit projects. Under current law, the amount that may be used for such programs is capped at 25 percent. This change expires on July 1, 2024. The bill provides that funds awarded for reduced-fare or zero-fare transit projects shall not be included in the requirement that funds be awarded in accordance with a statewide equitable ratio. Transit Ridership Incentive Program. Directs the Commonwealth Transportation Board to use at least 25 percent of the funds available for the Transit Ridership Incentive Program for grants to fund reduced-fare or zero-fare transit projects. Under current law, the amount that may be used for such programs is capped at 25 percent. This change expires on July 1, 2024. The bill provides that funds awarded for reduced-fare or zero-fare transit projects shall not be included in the requirement that funds be awarded in accordance with a statewide equitable ratio.

Food manufacturers operating in historic buildings. Authorizes the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to exempt food manufacturers operating in historic buildings from certain laws and regulations related to the structure of a building if the food manufacturer is deemed to be producing food products that are low risk of being adulterated.

Virginia Retirement System and local retirement systems; fossil fuel divestment; report. Requires the Virginia Retirement System and local retirement systems to divest from fossil fuel companies by January 1, 2027.

Comprehensive plan; climate resilience. Requires a locality's comprehensive plan to consider strategies to address climate resilience in order to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and adapt to changing conditions and hazardous events.

State plan for medical assistance services; case management services; individuals with severe traumatic brain injury. Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to update the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for the payment of medical assistance for targeted case management services for individuals with severe traumatic brain injury.

Promises not to plead the statute of limitations. Specifies that a written promise not to plead the statute of limitations is valid only when such written promise is made to avoid or defer litigation pending settlement of any cause of action that has accrued in favor of the promisee against the promisor. The bill further replaces the current requirement of validity that such promise not be made contemporaneously with any other contract with the requirement that the written promise be signed by the promisor or his agent. Finally, the bill specifies that the promisee must commence an action asserting such cause of action within the earlier of the applicable limitations period running from the date the written promise is made or any shorter time provided for in the written promise for such promise to be valid; current law requires that any such written promise may be made for an additional term not longer than the applicable limitations period in order to be valid. The bill provides that its provisions apply only to written promises not to plead the statute of limitations made on or after July 1, 2022. The bill as introduced was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference. Promises not to plead the statute of limitations. Specifies that a written promise not to plead the statute of limitations is valid only when such written promise is made to avoid or defer litigation pending settlement of any cause of action that has accrued in favor of the promisee against the promisor. The bill further replaces the current requirement of validity that such promise not be made contemporaneously with any other contract with the requirement that the written promise be signed by the promisor or his agent. Finally, the bill specifies that the promisee must commence an action asserting such cause of action within the earlier of the applicable limitations period running from the date the written promise is made or any shorter time provided for in the written promise for such promise to be valid; current law requires that any such written promise may be made for an additional term not longer than the applicable limitations period in order to be valid. The bill provides that its provisions apply only to written promises not to plead the statute of limitations made on or after July 1, 2022. The bill as introduced was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.

License taxes; exemptions. Authorizes localities to exempt any class of taxpayers from license taxes and fees. The bill provides that such exemption shall be made by general law and shall be uniform upon taxpayers operating in the same line of business or trade and that localities shall have discretion to determine the classes of taxpayers that shall be exempted. The bill does not apply to any severance tax that is levied as a license tax.

Tax credit for participating landlords. Expands the tax credit for participating landlords to all census tracts in Virginia in which less than 10 percent of the residents live below the poverty level. Under current law, the credit is limited to census tracts in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area, or the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Metropolitan Statistical Area in which less than 10 percent of the residents live below the poverty level. Tax credit for participating landlords. Expands the tax credit for participating landlords to all census tracts in Virginia in which less than 10 percent of the residents live below the poverty level. Under current law, the credit is limited to census tracts in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area, or the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Metropolitan Statistical Area in which less than 10 percent of the residents live below the poverty level.

Department of Education; statewide strategic plan; speech-language pathologists. Requires the Department to develop and maintain a statewide strategic plan for recruiting and retaining speech-language pathologists that, at a minimum, (i) analyze data to determine the specific staffing needs of local school divisions on an ongoing basis; (ii) evaluates the potential effectiveness of strategies for addressing recruitment and retention challenges, including tuition assistance, differentiated pay for speech-language pathologists, and the expansion of speech-language pathologist mentorships; and (iii) estimates the costs of implementing each such strategy, including the extent to which federal funds could be used to support implementation. The bill requires the Department, no later than November 1 of each year, to update the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education on its progress in implementing such plan. The foregoing provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023. The bill also directs the Department of Education and the Board of Education, in consultation with each local school board, to (a) examine the caseloads and compensation of speech-language pathologists in each local school division, (b) compare such caseloads and compensation to those of speech-language pathologists in contiguous states, and (c) make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2022, for such amendments to relevant law and the general appropriations act as may be necessary to effectuate a reduction in caseloads and increase in compensation that would facilitate stronger recruitment and retention of speech-language pathologists in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth. Department of Education; statewide strategic plan; speech-language pathologists. Requires the Department to develop and maintain a statewide strategic plan for recruiting and retaining speech-language pathologists that, at a minimum, (i) analyze data to determine the specific staffing needs of local school divisions on an ongoing basis; (ii) evaluates the potential effectiveness of strategies for addressing recruitment and retention challenges, including tuition assistance, differentiated pay for speech-language pathologists, and the expansion of speech-language pathologist mentorships; and (iii) estimates the costs of implementing each such strategy, including the extent to which federal funds could be used to support implementation. The bill requires the Department, no later than November 1 of each year, to update the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education on its progress in implementing such plan. The foregoing provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023. The bill also directs the Department of Education and the Board of Education, in consultation with each local school board, to (a) examine the caseloads and compensation of speech-language pathologists in each local school division, (b) compare such caseloads and compensation to those of speech-language pathologists in contiguous states, and (c) make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2022, for such amendments to relevant law and the general appropriations act as may be necessary to effectuate a reduction in caseloads and increase in compensation that would facilitate stronger recruitment and retention of speech-language pathologists in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth.

Conservation of trees during land development process; authorized localities. Allows any locality to adopt an ordinance providing for the conservation of trees during the land development process. Under current law, only a locality within Planning District 8 that meets certain population density and nonattainment classification criteria is authorized to adopt such an ordinance.

Fertilizer; digestate. Clarifies that a regulated product, for the purposes of fertilizer law, includes digestate. Digestate is defined in the bill as a biologically stable material derived from the process of anaerobic digestion. The bill also includes digestate in fertilizer labeling requirements.

Virginia Employment Commission; administrative reforms; reporting requirements; electronic submissions; Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman established; emergency. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to calculate and report the (i) average unemployment insurance benefit levels, (ii) average income replacement of unemployment insurance benefits, and (iii) recipiency rate for unemployment insurance benefits in the Commonwealth as part of the Commission's annual balance sheet. The bill also requires the Commission, as part of its biennial strategic plan submitted to the Department of Planning and Budget, to develop and maintain an unemployment insurance Resiliency Plan that describes the specific actions the agency would take, depending on the level of increase in unemployment insurance (UI) claims, to address staffing, communications, and other relevant aspects of operations to ensure continued efficient and effective administration of the UI program. Virginia Employment Commission; administrative reforms; reporting requirements; electronic submissions; Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman established; emergency. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to calculate and report the (i) average unemployment insurance benefit levels, (ii) average income replacement of unemployment insurance benefits, and (iii) recipiency rate for unemployment insurance benefits in the Commonwealth as part of the Commission's annual balance sheet. The bill also requires the Commission, as part of its biennial strategic plan submitted to the Department of Planning and Budget, to develop and maintain an unemployment insurance Resiliency Plan that describes the specific actions the agency would take, depending on the level of increase in unemployment insurance (UI) claims, to address staffing, communications, and other relevant aspects of operations to ensure continued efficient and effective administration of the UI program. The bill creates within the Commission on Unemployment Compensation a subcommittee that shall be responsible for monitoring the Virginia Employment Commission's management of the unemployment insurance program. The subcommittee shall meet at least once each quarter and shall report annually, beginning on December 1, 2022, to the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Commerce and Energy, the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations. The bill also directs the Commission to convene an advisory committee composed of stakeholders and subject matter experts to review information related to UI claims. The bill requires employers to submit claim-related forms and separation information electronically, as well as other information and electronic tax payments upon the Commission's request, unless the employer has received a waiver by the Commission. The bill provides that a claim for unemployment benefits that has been determined invalid by the Virginia Employment Commission as a result of the claimant's monetary ineligibility shall first be reviewed upon a request for redetermination prior to filing an appeal. The bill also creates an Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman position for the purpose of providing information and assistance to persons seeking assistance in the unemployment compensation process and exempts confidential case files of the Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman from the mandatory disclosure provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The bill directs the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management to lead a multiagency work group to discuss strategies for staffing assistance and support for agencies that might need staffing assistance during emergencies. Additionally, the Virginia Employment Commission is directed to task its internal audit division to review and revise documents and online resources related to unemployment compensation.