Delinquent tax lands; disposition. Authorizes localities to petition the circuit court to appoint a special commissioner to, in lieu of a sale at public auction, convey certain real estate having delinquent taxes or liens to the locality's land bank entity or an existing nonprofit entity designated by the locality to carry out the functions of a land bank entity. Currently, such real estate may be conveyed only to the locality itself. The bill also allows real estate that contains a derelict building and has delinquent taxes and liens exceeding 10 percent of its assessed value to be conveyed via special commissioner, in lieu of a sale at public auction, to the locality, the locality's land bank entity, or such existing nonprofit entity. The bill requires a land bank entity or existing nonprofit entity that receives such parcels to pay any surplusage above the amount of unpaid taxes or liens to the former owners or other parties with an interest in the property. Delinquent tax lands; disposition. Authorizes localities to petition the circuit court to appoint a special commissioner to, in lieu of a sale at public auction, convey certain real estate having delinquent taxes or liens to the locality's land bank entity or an existing nonprofit entity designated by the locality to carry out the functions of a land bank entity. Currently, such real estate may be conveyed only to the locality itself. The bill also allows real estate that contains a derelict building and has delinquent taxes and liens exceeding 10 percent of its assessed value to be conveyed via special commissioner, in lieu of a sale at public auction, to the locality, the locality's land bank entity, or such existing nonprofit entity. The bill requires a land bank entity or existing nonprofit entity that receives such parcels to pay any surplusage above the amount of unpaid taxes or liens to the former owners or other parties with an interest in the property.

Public health emergency; hospital or nursing home; addition of beds. Creates an exemption from the requirement for a certificate of public need or a license for the temporary addition of beds located in a temporary structure or satellite location by a hospital or nursing home in cases in which the Board of Health or the Commissioner of Health (the Commissioner) has entered an emergency order for the purpose of suppressing a nuisance dangerous to public health or a communicable, contagious, or infectious disease or other danger to the public life and health and provides that such exemption shall apply for the duration of the emergency order plus 30 days. The bill also expands the duration of the existing exemption from the requirement for a certificate of public need or a license for the addition of temporary beds when the Commissioner has determined that a natural or man-made disaster has caused the evacuation of a hospital or nursing home and that a public health emergency exists due to a shortage of hospital or nursing home beds to the duration of such determination plus 30 days and makes clear that such exemption shall apply to the temporary addition of beds located in a temporary structure or satellite location by a hospital or nursing home.

Voter identification; identification containing a photograph required. Requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote. The bill repeals the provisions of law permitting a voter who does not have one of the required forms of identification to vote after signing a statement, subject to felony penalties for false statements, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Instead, the bill provides that such voter is entitled to cast a provisional ballot. The bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide voter photo identification cards containing the voter's photograph and signature free of charge to those voters who do not have another valid form of identification.

Study; Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers; alkaline hydrolysis work group; report. Directs the Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers to convene a work group to study how to legalize, implement, and regulate the process of alkaline hydrolysis in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Board to report the results of the study to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions on or before November 1, 2022. Study; Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers; alkaline hydrolysis work group; report. Directs the Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers to convene a work group to study how to legalize, implement, and regulate the process of alkaline hydrolysis in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Board to report the results of the study to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions on or before November 1, 2022.

Guardianship; procedures for restriction of communication, visitation, or interaction. Provides that a guardian shall not restrict an incapacitated person's ability to communicate with, visit, or interact with other persons with whom the incapacitated person has an established relationship, unless such restriction is reasonable to prevent physical, mental, or emotional harm to or financial exploitation of such incapacitated person. Under current law, guardians are directed to not unreasonably restrict any such communication, visitation, or interaction. The bill further requires that the guardian provide written notice to any restricted person stating (i) the nature and terms of the restriction, (ii) the reasons why the guardian believes the restriction is necessary, and (iii) how the restricted person may challenge such restriction in court. The bill provides a procedure by which a person whose communication, visits, or interaction with an incapacitated person have been restricted may challenge such restriction in court.

Alcoholic beverage control; marketplace facilitator license. Allows a winery, farm winery, or brewery located within or outside the Commonwealth that is authorized to engage in the retail sale of wine or beer, after obtaining a marketplace facilitator license from the Board of Directors for the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, to sell and ship wine and beer in closed containers to persons in the Commonwealth to whom wine and beer may be lawfully sold for off-premises consumption. The bill outlines the specific requirements for holders of a wine and beer marketplace facilitator license.

Shared solar programs for electric utilities; Phase I Utility; pilot. Allows for participation in shared solar programs by each investor-owned utility in the Commonwealth. Under the bill, the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) shall approve a shared solar program for each electric utility, including a pilot program for participation by customers of Phase I Utilities. For each Phase I Utility, the bill requires the Commission to approve a cap of at least 50 megawatts with a minimum requirement of 30 percent low-income customers for Phase I Utilities. For an electric utility located entirely within Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, and Wise Counties, the Commission shall approve a shared solar program cap of not less than 15 megawatts with a minimum requirement of 30 percent low-income customers. The bill permits electric utilities to recover interconnection costs through rate proceedings with the Commission, although fiber optic upgrades are rebuttably presumed as not cost-justified for the purposes of rate recovery. The bill also includes instructions and a timeline for submission of an interconnection request by an owner of a shared solar project to an electric utility. The bill directs the Commission to review the pilot program every two years, beginning July 1, 2024. The bill provides that the load served by a shared solar facility shall not be considered part of the total electric energy sold by a utility in any calendar year for satisfaction of its renewable energy portfolio standard program.

New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Program; eligible institutions; maximum reimbursement per completed noncredit workforce training program. Increases from $3,000 to $4,000 the maximum amount that the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia is permitted to reimburse to an eligible institution per completed noncredit workforce training program per eligible student pursuant to the New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Program.

Claims; Lamar Barnes; compensation for wrongful incarceration. Provides relief in the amount of $1,076,115 to Lamar Barnes, who was wrongly convicted of murder, malicious wounding, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Claims; Lamar Barnes; compensation for wrongful incarceration. Provides relief in the amount of $1,076,115 to Lamar Barnes, who was wrongly convicted of murder, malicious wounding, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Public elementary and secondary schools; students; digital tools; accessibility. Requires the Department of Education to convene a work group to provide input and recommendations to the Department of Education, the Board of Education, and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2022, regarding (i) ways in which school divisions can effectively identify and receive responsive and responsible bids from vendors to procure digital tools, including online platforms, courses, digital applications, information and communication technology services, and digital content, that comply with the federal accessibility standard and (ii) any statutory or regulatory changes that may assist school divisions to procure such digital tools that comply with such standard. Public elementary and secondary schools; students; digital tools; accessibility. Requires the Department of Education to convene a work group to provide input and recommendations to the Department of Education, the Board of Education, and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2022, regarding (i) ways in which school divisions can effectively identify and receive responsive and responsible bids from vendors to procure digital tools, including online platforms, courses, digital applications, information and communication technology services, and digital content, that comply with the federal accessibility standard and (ii) any statutory or regulatory changes that may assist school divisions to procure such digital tools that comply with such standard.

General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; prohibited conduct; ownership of certain securities prohibited. Prohibits members of the General Assembly from owning any security issued by a public service corporation, or the parent, affiliate, or subsidiary of a public service corporation, during their term of office. However, such prohibition does not restrict a member of the General Assembly from owning such a security in a diversified mutual fund or diversified unit investment trust.

Department of Education; School Quality Profiles; teacher data. Requires the Department of Education to include on each School Quality Profile data on teachers' race and proficiency in any language other than English.

Air Pollution Control Board and State Water Control Board; transfer of authority to Department of Environmental Quality. Limits the authority of the Air Pollution Control Board and the State Water Control Board to issuance of regulations and transfers the Boards' existing authority to issue permits and orders to the Department of Environmental Quality. The bill provides procedures for public comment on pending controversial permits, defined in the bill, and on regulatory changes necessary to implement the provisions of the bill.

Emergency custody and temporary detention; hospitals and providers of behavioral health services; acceptance of custody. Requires every hospital with an emergency department to employ sufficient security staff to be able to accept custody of a person who is subject to emergency custody or temporary detention and who is transported to such hospital by a law-enforcement officer or receiving services at such hospital and requires every provider of behavioral health services licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to a person who is subject to emergency custody and may be transported for the required evaluation to (i) be licensed to provide the level of security necessary to protect both the person and others from harm, and actually capable of providing the level of security necessary to protect the person and others from harm, and (ii) accept custody of every person transported to such provider for evaluation by law enforcement.

Confirming Governor's appointments; January 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Ralph Northam and communicated to the General Assembly January 1, 2022.