Foster care placements; court review. Provides that the juvenile and domestic relations district court has the authority to review a child's status in foster care or review a foster care plan. The bill requires a foster care plan to describe in writing an assessment of the stability of proposed placements, the services provided or plans for services to be provided to address placement instability, and a description of other placements that were considered for the child. Foster care placements; court review. Provides that the juvenile and domestic relations district court has the authority to review a child's status in foster care or review a foster care plan. The bill requires a foster care plan to describe in writing an assessment of the stability of proposed placements, the services provided or plans for services to be provided to address placement instability, and a description of other placements that were considered for the child. The bill also (i) requests that the Committee on District Courts study child dependency hearings in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court system and make recommendations to the General Assembly as to whether a separate docket or court would result in better service to children and families involved in child dependency hearings and other family law matters and (ii) directs the Office of the Children's Ombudsman to convene a work group to consider issues relating to the Commonwealth's model of court-appointed legal counsel in child dependency cases.

Sex offenders in emergency shelters; notification registration. Provides that a registered sex offender who enters an emergency shelter designated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and operated in response to a declared state or local emergency shall, as soon as practicable after entry, notify a member of the shelter's staff who is responsible for providing security of such person's status as a registered sex offender. This bill provides that no person shall be denied entry solely on the basis of his status as a sex offender unless such entry is otherwise prohibited by law. The bill requires that the Department of State Police provide to any registered sex offender at the time of his initial registration a summary of his obligation to inform the staff of an emergency shelter of his status as a registered sex offender. Sex offenders in emergency shelters; notification registration. Provides that a registered sex offender who enters an emergency shelter designated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and operated in response to a declared state or local emergency shall, as soon as practicable after entry, notify a member of the shelter's staff who is responsible for providing security of such person's status as a registered sex offender. This bill provides that no person shall be denied entry solely on the basis of his status as a sex offender unless such entry is otherwise prohibited by law. The bill requires that the Department of State Police provide to any registered sex offender at the time of his initial registration a summary of his obligation to inform the staff of an emergency shelter of his status as a registered sex offender.

Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes; established; report. Establishes the Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes in the legislative branch of state government for the purpose of performing a comprehensive review of Virginia law to assess ways in which it must be revised to include federally recognized Tribal Nations located in the Commonwealth as distinct governments with the right to exercise general sovereignty and powers of government. The Commission is required to submit an annual report on its interim activities and work by the first day of each regular session of the General Assembly. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2024. Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes; established; report. Establishes the Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes in the legislative branch of state government for the purpose of performing a comprehensive review of Virginia law to assess ways in which it must be revised to include federally recognized Tribal Nations located in the Commonwealth as distinct governments with the right to exercise general sovereignty and powers of government. The Commission is required to submit an annual report on its interim activities and work by the first day of each regular session of the General Assembly. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2024.

Petition for modification of sentence; eligibility; procedures. Provides a petition process for a person serving a sentence for any conviction or a combination of any convictions who remains incarcerated in a state or local correctional facility and meets certain criteria to petition the circuit court that entered the original judgment or order to (i) suspend the unserved portion of such sentence or run the unserved portion of such sentence concurrently with another sentence, (ii) place such person on probation for such time as the court shall determine, or (iii) otherwise modify the sentence imposed.

Income tax; military retirement income subtraction. Exempts, beginning with taxable year 2022, up to $40,000 of military retirement income of a veteran who is at least 55 years old and who was honorably discharged after active duty service in the Armed Forces of the United States, its reserve components, or the National Guard of Virginia or any other state.

Agritourism event buildings. Authorizes the Board of Housing and Community Development to promulgate regulations related to agritourism event buildings, defined in the bill as a building or structure located on property where farming operations or agritourism takes place and which is primarily used for holding events and entertainment gatherings, open to the public, of 300 people or less. The bill directs the Board to appoint a nine-member Agritourism Event Structure Technical Advisory Committee to assist the Board in administering its powers and duties pertaining to the construction and rehabilitation of agritourism event buildings. Agritourism event buildings. Authorizes the Board of Housing and Community Development to promulgate regulations related to agritourism event buildings, defined in the bill as a building or structure located on property where farming operations or agritourism takes place and which is primarily used for holding events and entertainment gatherings, open to the public, of 300 people or less. The bill directs the Board to appoint a nine-member Agritourism Event Structure Technical Advisory Committee to assist the Board in administering its powers and duties pertaining to the construction and rehabilitation of agritourism event buildings.

Barrier crimes. Eliminates certain crimes from the definition of "barrier crime" and requires the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Board of Education, the State Board of Health, and the State Board of Social Services to each adopt regulations that develop and implement a waiver process for individuals who have been convicted of a barrier crime and who serve in a position or seek to serve in a position with any qualified entity subject to the regulations of the board. The bill eliminates current exceptions and time limit mandates, as such information is required to be set out in each agency's waiver process. The bill sets out information to be included in the regulations of the individual boards. The bill also directs the Departments of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Education, Health, and Social Services to each publish information about the agency's waiver process in an easily accessible format on a website maintained by the department. The bill includes additional requirements for each waiver process, such as if an individual's application for a waiver is denied, the department must state the basis for denial in writing and provide such explanation to the individual. The bill provides that although a waiver granted to an individual by one department shall not be transferrable to a position under another department, proof of receipt of a waiver from one department shall be considered positively by another department when reviewing an application for a waiver. Additionally, each department is required to notify the Department of State Police when a waiver has been granted within 10 days of issuing the decision in writing to the person who was subject to the waiver. Barrier crimes. Eliminates certain crimes from the definition of "barrier crime" and requires the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Board of Education, the State Board of Health, and the State Board of Social Services to each adopt regulations that develop and implement a waiver process for individuals who have been convicted of a barrier crime and who serve in a position or seek to serve in a position with any qualified entity subject to the regulations of the board. The bill eliminates current exceptions and time limit mandates, as such information is required to be set out in each agency's waiver process. The bill sets out information to be included in the regulations of the individual boards. The bill also directs the Departments of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Education, Health, and Social Services to each publish information about the agency's waiver process in an easily accessible format on a website maintained by the department. The bill includes additional requirements for each waiver process, such as if an individual's application for a waiver is denied, the department must state the basis for denial in writing and provide such explanation to the individual. The bill provides that although a waiver granted to an individual by one department shall not be transferrable to a position under another department, proof of receipt of a waiver from one department shall be considered positively by another department when reviewing an application for a waiver. Additionally, each department is required to notify the Department of State Police when a waiver has been granted within 10 days of issuing the decision in writing to the person who was subject to the waiver. In cases where a waiver has been granted, the bill also prohibits any business screening service from disseminating information regarding the barrier crime conviction that was the subject of such waiver unless it is clearly indicated that the waiver was granted, and the bill sets out a penalty for any business screening service that violates that prohibition. The bill prohibits any qualified entity from discharging or otherwise discriminating against a person for any reason concerning solely the barrier crime conviction that was the subject of a waiver that has been granted. The bill also exempts all documents relating to a waiver application from the Virginia Freedom of Information Act except for an application cover sheet and whether the waiver has been granted or denied or if the application is pending. Additionally, the bill eliminates the state-level barrier crimes requirements for foster and adoptive parents and provides that a child-placing agency shall not approve a foster or adoptive home if any individual has been convicted of crimes prohibited under federal law or is the subject of a founded complaint of abuse or neglect as maintained in registries pursuant to state and federal law. The bill has a delayed effective date of the earlier of (i) the first day of the fourth month following notification of the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the House Committee for Courts of Justice by the Superintendent of State Police that the Department of State Police has implemented the necessary system upgrades as required by this act or (ii) July 1, 2025; however, the provisions related to foster and adoptive parents become effective on July 1, 2022. The bill requires the Boards of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Education, Health, and Social Services to promulgate regulations by December 1, 2024, to implement the provision of the bill. The bill also requires the Secretaries of Education, Health and Human Resources, and Labor to provide recommendations on the development of a navigation system no later than July 1, 2024, for assisting applicants in navigating the waiver processes across each department. Individuals with barrier crime convictions serving in a position pursuant to a currently existing exception, waiver, or screening process that the bill eliminates shall continue to be subject to such exception, waiver, or screening process and shall not be terminated upon enactment of the bill or required to apply for a barrier crime conviction waiver so long as he continues to be employed by the same employer. The bill also permits the boards to have a phased implementation of the regulations not to exceed two years after the bill's enactment in order to prevent overwhelming department resources for receiving applications and to ensure that applications are answered in a timely manner. The bill also directs the Department of State Police to implement any necessary enhancements to the Criminal History and Rap Back Information System by the effective date of the first enactment of this act.

Charter; Town of Port Royal; town council; membership. Reduces the Town of Port Royal's council membership from seven members to five members, reduces the number of council members needed to call a special meeting from four members to three members, and reduces the number of council members needed for a quorum from four members to three members.

Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Charitable Gaming Board; powers and duties. Changes the Charitable Gaming Board (the Board) from a policy board to an advisory board in the executive branch of state government, decreases the membership from 11 members to nine members, and moves the power and duty to promulgate regulations related to charitable gaming in the Commonwealth from the Board to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (the Department). The bill provides that (i) the current regulations enacted by the Board shall be administered by the Department and remain in full force and effect until the Department promulgates new regulations pursuant to this bill and (ii) notwithstanding clause (i), the regulations promulgated by the Board regarding Texas Hold'em poker games and tournaments, which became effective on March 23, 2021, and were rescinded by the General Assembly pursuant to Item 105 of Chapter 552 of the Acts of Assembly of 2021, Special Session I, shall not take effect, but the Department shall promulgate regulations regarding Texas Hold'em poker games and tournaments consistent with the provisions of Chapter 982 of the Acts of Assembly of 2020 and pursuant to the provisions of the Administrative Process Act. The bill contains technical amendments.

Department of Juvenile Justice; juvenile boot camps. Eliminates the authority of the Department of Juvenile Justice to establish juvenile boot camps and the ability of a court to order a juvenile adjudicated delinquent to attend such a boot camp.

Campaign finance; prohibited contributions to candidates; civil penalty. Prohibits any public utility from making any contribution to any committee or otherwise provide any money any other thing of value, given, advanced, loaned, or in any other way provided to any person or committee for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election. The bill creates a civil penalty for violation of the prohibition of three times the amount of the contribution or $10,000, whichever is greater, payable to the State Treasurer for deposit to the general fund. The bill provides that any registered voter of the Commonwealth may file a petition with an appropriate circuit court for enforcement of these provisions.

Sales tax; exemption for food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products. Provides a state sales and use tax exemption for food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products. The bill would also provide, beginning February 1, 2023, an allocation of state revenues to fund the distribution to localities for educational funding that would have been distributed to them absent the exemption created by the bill. Under current law, such products are taxed at a reduced state sales and use tax rate of 1.5 percent and the standard local rate of one percent. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2023. Sales tax; exemption for food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products. Provides a state sales and use tax exemption for food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products. The bill would also provide, beginning February 1, 2023, an allocation of state revenues to fund the distribution to localities for educational funding that would have been distributed to them absent the exemption created by the bill. Under current law, such products are taxed at a reduced state sales and use tax rate of 1.5 percent and the standard local rate of one percent. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2023.

Will contest; presumption of undue influence. Provides that in any case contesting the validity of a decedent's will where a presumption of undue influence arises, the finder of fact shall presume that undue influence was exerted over the decedent unless, based on all the evidence introduced at trial, the finder of fact finds that the decedent did intend it to be his will. Will contest; presumption of undue influence. Provides that in any case contesting the validity of a decedent's will where a presumption of undue influence arises, the finder of fact shall presume that undue influence was exerted over the decedent unless, based on all the evidence introduced at trial, the finder of fact finds that the decedent did intend it to be his will.

Charitable gaming; enforcement and penalties. Strengthens the penalties that may be imposed for violations of charitable gaming law, allows for an action for pretrial levy or seizure or an attachment for a defendant who violates any provision of charitable gaming law, and requires the Department of State Police to assist the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in the conduct of investigations of charitable gaming violations.

Elections; removal of officers; recall elections; petition. Provides for the removal of certain elected officers and officers appointed to elected offices by recall referendum. The bill requires a petition for recall be signed by 30 percent of the total number of votes cast at the last election for the office for which a recall is sought. Elections; removal of officers; recall elections; petition. Provides for the removal of certain elected officers and officers appointed to elected offices by recall referendum. The bill requires a petition for recall be signed by 30 percent of the total number of votes cast at the last election for the office for which a recall is sought.