Public utility ratemaking; contracting with small, women-owned, or minority-owned businesses. Repeals certain provisions of the Code relating to proceedings in which the State Corporation Commission is required to determine whether costs incurred by a public utility in its delivery or provision of any goods or services are reasonable or prudent. In such proceedings, the incremental portion of costs incurred as a result of contracting with a small, women-owned, or minority-owned business to deliver or provide the goods or services are currently not considered unreasonable or imprudently incurred if the costs do not exceed by more than three percent the costs that would have been incurred had the utility used the lowest-cost qualified business; the bill repeals this provision.

Emergency custody and temporary detention; transportation; transfer of custody. Provides that when a magistrate orders alternative transportation for an individual under a temporary detention order, the primary law-enforcement agency that executes the order may transfer custody of the person to the alternative transportation provider immediately upon execution of the order. Such alternative transportation provider shall maintain custody of the person from the time custody is transferred to the alternative transportation provider by the primary law-enforcement agency until such time as custody of the person is transferred to the temporary detention facility, as is appropriate. The bill adds employees of and persons providing services pursuant to a contract with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to the list of individuals who may serve as alternative transportation providers. The bill clarifies that if no alternative transportation provider is available, the magistrate shall order a person to be kept in law-enforcement custody. The bill also requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to amend an existing contract or enter into a new contract for alternative custody of persons who are subject to temporary detention orders, to the extent funding for such alternative custody is available.

Department of Energy; waste coal piles; report. Directs the Department of Energy, in cooperation with public institutions of higher education serving the coalfield region of the Commonwealth, to identify the approximate volume and number of waste coal piles present in the area and options for cleaning up such waste coal piles, including potential use in electricity generation. The Department of Energy shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2022. The bill also directs the Department of Energy to convene a working group to evaluate opportunities for the development of public infrastructure projects at current or proposed sites for the storage of coal ash in the Commonwealth. The working group shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2022.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; architectural and professional engineering term contracting; limitations. Provides that the sum of all projects performed in an architectural and professional engineering contract term shall not exceed $10 million, and the fee for any single project shall not exceed $2.5 million. The bill allows a contract for multiple architectural or professional engineering projects to be renewable for up to three additional terms at the option of the public body. Current law limits the sum of all projects performed in a one-year contract term to $750,000, with up to four additional one-year terms at the option of the public body, and limits the fee for any single project to $150,000, with specific exceptions to those limits, including a limit for total projects for rail projects of $5 million and for highway projects, $8 million. The bill also removes specific agency and locality exceptions to such current limits.

Interest on fines and costs in criminal cases and traffic infractions. Eliminates the accrual of interest on any fine or costs imposed in a criminal case or in a case involving a traffic infraction. The bill provides that any such fine or costs that have accrued interest prior to July 1, 2022, shall cease to accrue interest on July 1, 2022, and any unpaid interest that has accrued on such fine or costs shall be automatically waived.

Campaign finance; mandatory electronic filing for all candidates. Requires all candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically with the State Board of Elections.

Secretary of Commerce and Trade; task force to study costs of business regulatory compliance; report. Directs the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to establish a task force to study the costs associated with the management of regulatory compliance for businesses in the Commonwealth. The task force shall report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2022.

Department of Motor Vehicles; Virginia Community Policing Act; race and ethnicity data. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to require an applicant for an original driver's license, driver privilege card, special identification card with or without a photograph, and identification privilege card or the renewal or reissue of such license or card to provide his race and ethnicity. The bill prohibits displaying any such data in a readable form on a credential issued by the Department and requires such data to be encoded in the barcode on the back of such license or card. The bill prohibits the release of such data to any entity other than the Department of State Police to be used exclusively for the Virginia Community Policing Act Database. Department of Motor Vehicles; Virginia Community Policing Act; race and ethnicity data. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to require an applicant for an original driver's license, driver privilege card, special identification card with or without a photograph, and identification privilege card or the renewal or reissue of such license or card to provide his race and ethnicity. The bill prohibits displaying any such data in a readable form on a credential issued by the Department and requires such data to be encoded in the barcode on the back of such license or card. The bill prohibits the release of such data to any entity other than the Department of State Police to be used exclusively for the Virginia Community Policing Act Database.

Broadband service; new residential and commercial development; stakeholder advisory group. Provides that the Department of Housing and Community Development shall convene a stakeholder advisory group for the purpose of evaluating local and state policies, procedures, or ordinances to facilitate the expansion of high-speed broadband service and associated infrastructure in new residential and commercial development. The stakeholder advisory group shall be composed of representatives from the commercial and residential land development and construction industry, local government, high-speed broadband providers, and other stakeholders as determined by the Department and shall report its findings and recommendations to the Broadband Advisory Council no later than September 30, 2022.

Juvenile records; identification of children receiving coordinated services. Provides that, for the purpose of disclosing records, information, and statistical registries of the Department of Social Services, local departments of social services, and all child-welfare agencies concerning social services, a person having a legitimate interest in child-protective services records includes the staff of (i) a court services unit, (ii) the Department of Juvenile Justice, (iii) a local community services board, or (iv) the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services who are providing treatment, services, or care for a child who is the subject of such records for a purpose relevant to the provision of the treatment, services, or care when the local agencies have entered into a formal agreement with the Department of Juvenile Justice to provide coordinated services to such children. The bill provides that such formal agreements may allow the local agencies and the Department of Juvenile Justice to immediately identify children who may be receiving or who have received treatment, services, or care from the local agencies and the Department of Juvenile Justice. The bill also provides that the Department of Juvenile Justice shall develop and biennially update a model memorandum of understanding setting forth the respective roles and responsibilities of the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Department of Social Services, the court service units, the local departments of social services, and the community services boards or behavioral health authorities regarding the sharing of information derived from juvenile records for purposes of identifying juveniles who may be receiving or who have received treatment, services, or care from the local agencies, the Department of Juvenile Justice, or the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The bill provides that the model memorandum of understanding developed by the Department of Juvenile Justice may satisfy the requirement for a formal agreement, but it shall be reviewed by the Office of the Attorney General before such agreement takes effect. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Youth.

Charter; Town of The Plains; elections; election dates and terms. Changes elections and terms for town councilmen and the mayor to reflect a change for elections from May to November and changes the beginning of terms from July following the elections to January.

Alcoholic beverage control; tied house. Allows licensees to employ persons who are also employed by another licensee operating in a different tier of the Commonwealth's three-tier alcoholic beverage control system.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; bid bonds; certain transportation-related contracts. Provides that, except in cases of emergency, all bids and proposals for certain transportation-related contracts in excess of $350,000 and partially or wholly funded by the Commonwealth shall be accompanied by a bid bond. Current law sets the bid or proposal amount for such contracts at $250,000. Virginia Public Procurement Act; bid bonds; certain transportation-related contracts. Provides that, except in cases of emergency, all bids and proposals for certain transportation-related contracts in excess of $350,000 and partially or wholly funded by the Commonwealth shall be accompanied by a bid bond. Current law sets the bid or proposal amount for such contracts at $250,000.

Carrying a firearm or explosive material within Capitol Square and the surrounding area; exceptions for law-enforcement officers. Adds an exception for off-duty law-enforcement officers and retired law-enforcement officers to the prohibition of carrying a firearm within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof, or any office where employees of the Commonwealth or any agency thereof are regularly present for the purpose of performing their official duties.

Charter; City of Virginia Beach. Expands the board of equalization in the City of Virginia Beach from three to four members.