Board of Health; Statewide Telehealth Plan; Virginia Telehealth Network. Requires the Board of Health (the Board) to consult with the Virginia Telehealth Network in amending and maintaining the Statewide Telehealth Plan. The bill requires the Board to contract with the Virginia Telehealth Network, or another Virginia-based nongovernmental organization focused on telehealth if the Virginia Telehealth Network is no longer in existence, to (i) provide direct consultation to any advisory groups and groups tasked by the Board with implementation and data collection, (ii) track implementation of the Statewide Telehealth Plan, and (iii) facilitate changes to the Statewide Telehealth Plan as accepted medical practices and technologies evolve.

Virginia Retirement System; Line of Duty Act; medical reviews to be conducted by Virginia practitioners. Provides that, for any medical review of a claim made pursuant to the provisions of the Line of Duty Act, the Virginia Retirement System shall require that such review be conducted by a doctor, nurse, or psychologist who is licensed in Virginia or a contiguous state. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023.

Oversight of research breeders; Animal Welfare Oversight Officer; Animal Welfare Oversight Advisory Committee; civil penalty. Directs the State Veterinarian to hire an Animal Welfare Oversight Officer to inspect and oversee the operations of research breeders, defined in the bill as a person or entity that breeds dogs or cats for sale or transfer for use in testing or research within or outside the Commonwealth, and report any violations of state or federal law by the research breeder. The bill requires each research breeder to register with the Animal Welfare Oversight Officer, pay a registration fee as determined by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and allow the Animal Welfare Oversight Officer continuous access to its facilities located in the Commonwealth. The bill subjects a research breeder that does not register, pay the fee, or allow the Animal Welfare Oversight Officer access to its facilities to a civil penalty of $1,000 for each day of noncompliance. The bill also establishes an Animal Welfare Oversight Advisory Committee.

Virginia Retirement System; benefits for certain local law-enforcement employees. Requires localities to use the 1.85 percent multiplier for determining the annual retirement allowance for deputy sheriffs for service earned on or after July 1, 2023. Virginia Retirement System; benefits for certain local law-enforcement employees. Requires localities to use the 1.85 percent multiplier for determining the annual retirement allowance for deputy sheriffs for service earned on or after July 1, 2023.

Regulating video gaming terminals; penalties. Authorizes and specifies the licensing requirements for the manufacture, distribution, operation, servicing, hosting, and playing of video gaming terminals (VGTs). The bill provides that VGTs are regulated by the Virginia Lottery Board, which the bill renames as the Virginia Lottery and Gaming Oversight Board. The bill requires employees of such licensees to be registered with the Virginia Lottery, which the bill renames as the Virginia Lottery and Gaming Department. The bill imposes criminal and civil penalties for violations of the law and regulations related to VGTs. The bill imposes a 34 percent tax on all gross profits from the play of VGTs and provides for how the tax proceeds are used; most are deposited into the School Construction Fund, created by the bill.

Toll Relief Program; eligibility. Requires the Department of Transportation to expand eligibility for the Toll Relief Program for the tolls on the Downtown and Midtown Tunnels to residents of the Cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk with an income of $45,000 or less per year. The bill requires that all eligible residents receive the same toll relief regardless of income level. The bill provides that funding for the additional toll relief shall be paid by the Commonwealth from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), as possible, and any costs not covered by the ARPA shall be the responsibility of the Commonwealth. The bill expires on January 1, 2025.

Capital Region Airport Commission. Authorizes the Capital Region Airport Commission to (i) make charitable donations to organizations and (ii) form or support independent foundations designed to foster an appreciation by the public of the importance of aviation, assist the public in aviation travel, or help develop and educate the next generation of aviation professionals in the Commonwealth. The bill provides that any such foundation is not a public body and is exempt from the provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The bill also authorizes the Commission to indemnify any current or former Commissioner, officer, employee, or agent of the Commission against liability arising from such position.

Registration fees for motor vehicles; state park access fee. Imposes a $5 state park access fee to be collected at the time other vehicle registration fees are paid and to be deposited into the State Park Conservation Resources Fund. Under the bill, a person who shows proof of payment of the fee is not required to pay any additional fees for access to a state park.

Study; JLARC; election governance structure; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to conduct a two-year study on the election governance structure in the Commonwealth. In conducting its study, JLARC shall (i) review the roles and responsibilities of state and local election officials in the administration and conduct of elections in the Commonwealth, including the level of oversight by state election officials and the degree of decision-making by local election officials; (ii) review the methods of selection and removal of state and local election officials and evaluate how such methods shape accountability mechanisms; (iii) review the level of funding provided by the state and localities; (iv) evaluate the potential for partisan pressures and influence in administrative decisions at the state and local election level; (v) develop recommendations for objective methods of evaluating the performance of both local and state election officers to determine if they are appropriately fulfilling the responsibilities of their positions and whether removal may be necessary; and (vi) make other recommendations as necessary and review other issues as warranted. Study; JLARC; election governance structure; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to conduct a two-year study on the election governance structure in the Commonwealth. In conducting its study, JLARC shall (i) review the roles and responsibilities of state and local election officials in the administration and conduct of elections in the Commonwealth, including the level of oversight by state election officials and the degree of decision-making by local election officials; (ii) review the methods of selection and removal of state and local election officials and evaluate how such methods shape accountability mechanisms; (iii) review the level of funding provided by the state and localities; (iv) evaluate the potential for partisan pressures and influence in administrative decisions at the state and local election level; (v) develop recommendations for objective methods of evaluating the performance of both local and state election officers to determine if they are appropriately fulfilling the responsibilities of their positions and whether removal may be necessary; and (vi) make other recommendations as necessary and review other issues as warranted.

Virginia Parole Board; monthly reports. Requires the Virginia Parole Board (the Board) to publish a statement regarding any action taken by the Board on the parole of a prisoner within 30 days of such action and to include in such statement information regarding the length of sentence and the date such sentence was imposed for each prisoner considered for parole.

Human trafficking training for law-enforcement personnel. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish training standards for law-enforcement personnel regarding the recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking.

Alcoholic beverage control; neutral grain spirits or alcohol sold at government stores; proof limit. Repeals the July 1, 2022, sunset on 2017 legislation that increased from 101 to 151 the proof limit on neutral grain spirits or alcohol that may be sold in government stores.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; Common Interest Community Board; enforcement jurisdiction. Makes the enforcement of regulations for common interest community managers the sole responsibility of the Common Interest Community Board. Current law delegates the enforcement of these regulations to the Real Estate Board for real estate brokers, real estate salespersons, and real estate brokerage firms who are also licensed as common interest community managers.

Rate of tax on gasoline and diesel fuel. Lowers the rate of tax on gasoline and diesel fuel on July 1, 2022, from 26.2 cents per gallon to 21.2 cents per gallon on gasoline and from 27 cents per gallon to 20.2 cents per gallon on diesel fuel, the rates that were in effect before July 1, 2021. The bill provides that the rate of tax on gasoline and diesel fuel will return to 26.2 and 27 cents per gallon, respectively, on July 1, 2023, and will be indexed based on the change in the United States Average Consumer Price Index; thereafter, the rate will be indexed annually.

Property tax; data centers. Provides that if data center fixtures are taxed as part of the real property where they are located, they shall be valued based on depreciated reproduction or replacement cost, rather than based on the amount of income they generate.