Department of Motor Vehicles documents; blood type. Directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish a method by which an applicant for a driver's license or identification card may indicate his blood type to be noted on his license or card for the purpose of providing emergency medical support by emergency medical services agencies. The bill prohibits the disclosure of such data and provides that the Department is not liable for the accuracy of such data. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023. Department of Motor Vehicles documents; blood type. Directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish a method by which an applicant for a driver's license or identification card may indicate his blood type to be noted on his license or card for the purpose of providing emergency medical support by emergency medical services agencies. The bill prohibits the disclosure of such data and provides that the Department is not liable for the accuracy of such data. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023.

Concealed handgun permits; penalties. Changes the penalty for a first violation of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a civil penalty of not more than $100, a second violation from a Class 6 felony to a civil penalty of not more than $500, and a third or subsequent violation from a Class 5 felony to a civil penalty of not more than $1,000. The bill also provides that a person, unless otherwise disqualified, shall not be precluded from applying for a concealed handgun permit during the pendency of the proceedings for a violation. If such person is issued a valid concealed handgun permit while a charge is pending, he may offer such permit to the court and the court may dismiss the charge.

Teacher compensation; at or above national average. Requires that public school teachers be compensated at a rate that is at or above the national average. Under current law, compensation at such rate is aspirational. The bill requires state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act in a sum sufficient to fund a 4.5 percent annual increase for public school teacher salaries, effective from the 2023-24 school year through the 2027-28 school year. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023.

Family caregiver tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2022 through 2026 for expenses incurred by an individual in caring for an eligible family member, defined in the bill, who requires assistance with one or more activities of daily living, also defined in the bill. The credit equals 50 percent of eligible expenditures incurred by the caregiver up to $1,000. In order to qualify for the credit, the family caregiver must (i) not receive any compensation or reimbursement for the eligible expenditures and (ii) have federal adjusted gross income that is no greater than $100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for married persons. The bill requires the Tax Commissioner to establish guidelines for claiming the credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forward by the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable year for which the credit was issued. The bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. Family caregiver tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2022 through 2026 for expenses incurred by an individual in caring for an eligible family member, defined in the bill, who requires assistance with one or more activities of daily living, also defined in the bill. The credit equals 50 percent of eligible expenditures incurred by the caregiver up to $1,000. In order to qualify for the credit, the family caregiver must (i) not receive any compensation or reimbursement for the eligible expenditures and (ii) have federal adjusted gross income that is no greater than $100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for married persons. The bill requires the Tax Commissioner to establish guidelines for claiming the credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forward by the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable year for which the credit was issued. The bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care.

Alcoholic beverage control; retail privatization of government stores. Provides for the issuance of a "package store" license to authorize the retail sale of alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption. The bill provides that persons holding a retail off-premises wine and beer license are eligible to obtain a package store license. The bill also requires the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (the Board) to dispose of all real estate used as government stores and to terminate leased property upon which the Board has operated a government store. The bill requires the Board to complete an implementation study by January 1, 2023, on how it will privatize government stores. The bill directs the Board to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill contains numerous technical amendments.

Alcoholic beverage control; sales conducted on licensed premises. Provides that any reasonable markup imposed by the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority on spirits sold at a government store established on a distiller's licensed premises shall be retained by such distiller. The bill also repeals the commission of not less than 20 percent of the retail price of any goods sold that is currently paid to a licensed distiller that operates a government store on the distiller's licensed premises or at the site of an event licensed by the Board.

Uniform Statewide Building Code; local building codes and regulations; energy efficiency and conservation standards. Provides that the Uniform Statewide Building Code (the Building Code) shall not supersede the building code provisions and regulations adopted by a locality that are related to energy efficiency and conservation if the standards outlined in such provisions and regulations are as or more stringent than those contained in the Building Code. The bill defines a standard to be as stringent as one contained in the Building Code if such standard would perform the same function as the standard contained in the Building Code without using more energy than would be used under the provisions of the Building Code.

Staff Sergeant Darrell "Shifty" Powers Memorial Highway. Designates Shifty Lane in the Town of Clinchco the "Staff Sergeant Darrell "Shifty" Powers Memorial Highway."

Packaging Stewardship Program and Fund; Stewardship Advisory Committee; established. Establishes the Packaging Stewardship Program, administered by the Department of Environmental Quality. Under the Program, a producer that sells products with packaging materials in the Commonwealth pays a fee to the Department based upon the amount of packaging used and whether or not it is easily recyclable. A producer may establish an alternative collection program to offset some or all of the fees. The fees are paid into the Packaging Stewardship Fund, established in the bill, and are used to reimburse participating localities for expenses related to recycling, invest in recycling infrastructure and education, and pay administrative costs related to the Program. The bill authorizes the Department to contract with a third party to administer the Program. The bill also establishes a Stewardship Advisory Committee, with 23 members appointed by the Director of the Department, to oversee implementation of the Program.

Certificate of public need; inpatient psychiatric services and facilities. Requires the Commissioner of Health (the Commissioner) to impose conditions related to the provision of care to individuals who are the subject of a temporary detention order on certificates of public need for projects involving inpatient psychiatric services and facilities and provides that when determining the public need for a proposed project involving an inpatient psychiatric service or facility, the Commissioner shall not take into consideration existing inpatient psychiatric services or facilities or the impact of approving the application and issuing the certificate of public need for the proposed project on an existing inpatient psychiatric service or facility if the existing inpatient psychiatric service or facility does not provide an adequate amount of service to individuals who are subject to a temporary detention order, as determined by the Commissioner in accordance with regulations of the Board of Health (the Board). The bill directs the Board to adopt regulations establishing a process by which the Commissioner shall annually establish the amount of services for individuals who are subject to a temporary detention order that an existing inpatient psychiatric service or facility must provide.

COVID-19 immunization; prohibition on requirement; discrimination prohibited. Prohibits the State Health Commissioner and the Board of Health, the Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Department of Health Professions and any regulatory board therein, and the Department of Social Services from requiring any person to undergo vaccination for COVID-19 and prohibits discrimination based on a person's COVID-19 vaccination status (i) with regard to education, employment, insurance, or issuance of a driver's license or other state identification or (ii) in numerous other contexts.

Department of Human Resource Management; employee health insurance; pharmacy benefits; reverse auction process. Directs the Department of Human Resource Management to utilize a reverse auction process to award pharmacy benefit manager contracts for pharmacy benefits offered under the state employee health insurance plan.

Vicious dogs. Requires a law-enforcement officer or animal control officer to apply to a magistrate for a summons for a vicious dog if such officer is located in either the jurisdiction where the vicious dog resides or in the jurisdiction where the vicious dog committed one of the acts set forth in the definition of a vicious dog. Current law requires such action only if the law-enforcement officer or animal control officer is located in the jurisdiction where the vicious dog resides. The bill also requires any evidentiary hearing or appeal to be held not less than 30 days from the date of the summons or appeal, unless good cause is found by the court. Vicious dogs. Requires a law-enforcement officer or animal control officer to apply to a magistrate for a summons for a vicious dog if such officer is located in either the jurisdiction where the vicious dog resides or in the jurisdiction where the vicious dog committed one of the acts set forth in the definition of a vicious dog. Current law requires such action only if the law-enforcement officer or animal control officer is located in the jurisdiction where the vicious dog resides. The bill also requires any evidentiary hearing or appeal to be held not less than 30 days from the date of the summons or appeal, unless good cause is found by the court.

Campaign finance; mandatory electronic filing for all candidates. Requires all independent expenditure and candidate campaign finance reports to be filed electronically with the Department of Elections. Under current law, such expenditure and finance reports can be filed either electronically or in writing with State Board of Elections. The bill also shifts administrative duties given to the State Board of Elections, such as the receipt of certain filings, to the Department of Elections.

Virginia Retirement System; employer contributions. Separates the employer contribution for Virginia Retirement System (VRS) employers participating in the Hybrid Retirement Plan into defined benefit and defined contribution components. The bill requires the Board of Trustees of VRS to certify to each employer their defined benefit contribution rate and to provide to each employer their estimated defined contribution amounts. Virginia Retirement System; employer contributions. Separates the employer contribution for Virginia Retirement System (VRS) employers participating in the Hybrid Retirement Plan into defined benefit and defined contribution components. The bill requires the Board of Trustees of VRS to certify to each employer their defined benefit contribution rate and to provide to each employer their estimated defined contribution amounts. Under current law, VRS is required to determine a single combined employer contribution rate that includes both the defined benefit and defined contribution provisions. Employer contributions are then applied first to the defined contribution component of the hybrid retirement program, with the remainder applied to the defined benefit component. The substantive provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2024. However, the bill directs VRS to make the preparations necessary for full implementation of the bill beginning July 1, 2022.