Commending Shawn Weneta.

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative; preexisting contracts. Establishes a reserve account for the purchase of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) allowances by an entity that has a preexisting contractual arrangement related to a power purchase entered into on or before May 16, 2017, and continuing in effect on July 1, 2020, through December 31, 2025. Such entity is authorized under the bill to purchase RGGI credits at a discounted rate, subject to conditions set forth in the bill, if, because of the preexisting contractual arrangement, the entity is unable to pass through or recover its RGGI costs. Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative; preexisting contracts. Establishes a reserve account for the purchase of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) allowances by an entity that has a preexisting contractual arrangement related to a power purchase entered into on or before May 16, 2017, and continuing in effect on July 1, 2020, through December 31, 2025. Such entity is authorized under the bill to purchase RGGI credits at a discounted rate, subject to conditions set forth in the bill, if, because of the preexisting contractual arrangement, the entity is unable to pass through or recover its RGGI costs.

Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Program; higher education centers. Adds educational programs at higher education centers that lead to an occupation in a high-demand field to the Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back Program (G3) Program. The bill defines higher education centers as the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, New College Institute, Roanoke Higher Education Center, and Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. Under current law, the G3 Program only includes educational programs at associate-degree-granting public institutions of higher education that lead to occupations in a high-demand field.

Transmission of sentencing documents to the Department of Health Professions and Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Provides that after the pronouncement of sentence, if the court is aware that the defendant is registered, certified, or licensed by a health regulatory board or holds a multistate licensure privilege, or is licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and the defendant has been convicted of a felony, crime involving moral turpitude, or crime that occurred during the course of practice for which such practitioner or person is licensed, the court shall order the clerk of the court to transmit certified copies of sentencing documents to the Director of the Department of Health Professions or to the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Transmission of sentencing documents to the Department of Health Professions and Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Provides that after the pronouncement of sentence, if the court is aware that the defendant is registered, certified, or licensed by a health regulatory board or holds a multistate licensure privilege, or is licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and the defendant has been convicted of a felony, crime involving moral turpitude, or crime that occurred during the course of practice for which such practitioner or person is licensed, the court shall order the clerk of the court to transmit certified copies of sentencing documents to the Director of the Department of Health Professions or to the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

Capital murder; death penalty for the willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing of a law-enforcement officer. Authorizes punishment by death for the willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing of a law-enforcement officer.

Minimum staffing standards for nursing homes and certified nursing facilities; administrative sanctions; Long-Term Care Services Fund. Requires nursing homes to meet a baseline staffing level based on resident acuity in alignment with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services staffing level recommendations. The bill requires nursing homes to collect and submit to the Department of Health certain data related to staffing. The bill gives the Commissioner of Health the power to impose administrative sanctions on nursing homes and directs the Board of Health to promulgate regulations related to the criteria and procedures for imposition of administrative sanctions or initiation of court proceedings for violations of the bill. The bill provides that nursing homes shall only be subject to administrative sanctions upon initial funding for the state share of the cost to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill establishes the Long-Term Care Services Fund for the purpose of making grants to assist in the provision of activities that protect or improve the quality of care or quality of life for residents, patients, and consumers of long-term care services.

Enforcement of gaming laws; Gaming Enforcement Coordinator established. Establishes the Office of the Gaming Enforcement Coordinator in the Department of State Police and charges such Coordinator with coordinating local, state, and federal enforcement of gaming laws, defined as laws regulating gambling, charitable gaming, lottery games, sports betting, casino gaming, fantasy contests, and horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, and with establishing a tip line for members of the public to report concerns about gaming activities.

County manager plan of government; independent policing auditor. Allows the governing body of any county with the county manager plan of government (Arlington County) to appoint an independent policing auditor. The independent policing auditor shall support any law-enforcement civilian oversight body created by the governing body and shall have all the powers of the law-enforcement civilian oversight body, to the extent such powers are delegated to the independent policing auditor by the oversight body. The independent policing auditor shall serve at the pleasure of the governing body. County manager plan of government; independent policing auditor. Allows the governing body of any county with the county manager plan of government (Arlington County) to appoint an independent policing auditor. The independent policing auditor shall support any law-enforcement civilian oversight body created by the governing body and shall have all the powers of the law-enforcement civilian oversight body, to the extent such powers are delegated to the independent policing auditor by the oversight body. The independent policing auditor shall serve at the pleasure of the governing body.

Standards of Quality; work-based learning; teacher leaders and mentors; principal mentors; certain personnel positions and initiatives. Makes several changes to the Standards of Quality, including requiring the establishment of units in the Department of Education to oversee work-based learning and principal mentorship statewide and requiring the Board of Education to establish and oversee the local implementation of teacher leader and teacher mentor programs in Standard 5. The bill also makes several changes relating to school personnel in Standard 2, including (i) establishing schoolwide ratios of students to teachers in certain schools with high concentrations of poverty and granting flexibility to provide compensation adjustments to teachers in such schools; (ii) requiring each school board to assign licensed personnel in a manner that provides an equitable distribution of experienced, effective teachers and other personnel among all schools in the local school division; (iii) requiring each school board to employ teacher leaders and teacher mentors at specified student-to-position ratios; (iv) requiring state funding in addition to basic aid to support at-risk students and granting flexibility in the use of such funds by school boards; (v) lowering the ratio of English language learner students to teachers; (vi) requiring each school board to employ reading specialists and establishing a student-to-position ratio for such specialists; (vii) requiring school boards to employ one full-time principal in each elementary school; (viii) lowering the ratio of students to assistant principals and school counselors in elementary, middle, and high schools; and (ix) increasing from at least three to at least four the required number of specialized student support positions, including school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, licensed behavior analysts, licensed assistant behavior analysts, and other licensed health and behavioral positions, per 1,000 students. Standards of Quality; work-based learning; teacher leaders and mentors; principal mentors; certain personnel positions and initiatives. Makes several changes to the Standards of Quality, including requiring the establishment of units in the Department of Education to oversee work-based learning and principal mentorship statewide and requiring the Board of Education to establish and oversee the local implementation of teacher leader and teacher mentor programs in Standard 5. The bill also makes several changes relating to school personnel in Standard 2, including (i) establishing schoolwide ratios of students to teachers in certain schools with high concentrations of poverty and granting flexibility to provide compensation adjustments to teachers in such schools; (ii) requiring each school board to assign licensed personnel in a manner that provides an equitable distribution of experienced, effective teachers and other personnel among all schools in the local school division; (iii) requiring each school board to employ teacher leaders and teacher mentors at specified student-to-position ratios; (iv) requiring state funding in addition to basic aid to support at-risk students and granting flexibility in the use of such funds by school boards; (v) lowering the ratio of English language learner students to teachers; (vi) requiring each school board to employ reading specialists and establishing a student-to-position ratio for such specialists; (vii) requiring school boards to employ one full-time principal in each elementary school; (viii) lowering the ratio of students to assistant principals and school counselors in elementary, middle, and high schools; and (ix) increasing from at least three to at least four the required number of specialized student support positions, including school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, licensed behavior analysts, licensed assistant behavior analysts, and other licensed health and behavioral positions, per 1,000 students.

Commending Cedarfield.

Virginia Code Commission; work group to review public notices required to be published by localities. Directs the Virginia Code Commission to convene a work group to review requirements throughout the Code of Virginia for localities to provide public notice for intended actions and events, including (i) the varying frequency for publishing notices in newspapers and other print media, (ii) the number of days required to elapse between the publications of notices, and (iii) the amount of information required to be contained in each notice, and make recommendations for uniformity and efficiency. The bill requires the Commission to submit a report to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology summarizing the work and any recommendations of the work group by November 1, 2022.

Health insurance; provider credentialing; receipt of application. Requires the protocols and procedures for the reimbursement of new provider applicants that are established by a carrier that credentials providers in its network to require that the carrier provide recognition or notification of receipt of such applicant's credentialing application (i) electronically if the carrier uses an online credentialing system for new provider applicants or (ii) by mail or electronic mail, as selected by the applicant, within 10 days of receiving the application if the carrier does not use an online credentialing system.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; effect of criminal convictions on licensure; data to be included in biennial report. Provides for consideration of certain factors to be made by any regulatory board through an individualized assessment prior to denying an application for licensure, certification, or registration for any occupation or profession regulated by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation where such denial was made in whole or in part upon the existence of the applicant's criminal record. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2023 Session of the General Assembly, and the bill requires, beginning July 1, 2025, the Department to include certain data related to the criminal history of applicants to each regulatory board in its biennial report.

Virginia Retirement System; increased retirement allowance for certain judges. Increases, for the purposes of determining benefits provided under the Judicial Retirement System, the retirement multiplier from 1 percent to 1.7 percent. The increase would apply only to judges appointed on or after July 1, 2022, who are participants in the hybrid retirement program, and who are at least age 55 at the time of appointment.

Local license taxes; limitation of authority. Prohibits a locality from imposing a license tax on a director of a bank or trust company that is subject to the bank franchise tax.