Intercollegiate athletics; student-athletes; compensation and representation for name, image, or likeness. Establishes several parameters for the compensation and representation of a student-athlete related to the use of such student's name, image, or likeness. The bill prohibits any private institution of higher education, associate-degree-granting public institution of higher education, or baccalaureate public institution of higher education or any agent thereof; athletic association; athletic conference; or other organization with authority over intercollegiate athletics from (i) prohibiting or preventing a student-athlete from earning compensation for the use of his name, image, or likeness, except in certain circumstances enumerated in the bill; (ii) prohibiting or preventing a student-athlete from obtaining professional representation by a licensed athlete agent or legal representation by a licensed attorney in connection with issues related to name, image, or likeness; (iii) declaring a student-athlete ineligible for intercollegiate athletic competition because he earns such compensation or obtains such representation; or (iv) reducing, canceling, revoking, or not renewing an athletic scholarship because a student-athlete earns such compensation or obtains such representation. The bill establishes several other conditions and limitations relating to pre-agreement disclosures, the use of the institution's property, and the effect on employment status in connection with a student-athlete's use of his name, image, or likeness. The bill also amends the definition of "athlete agent" in relevant law to permit such agents to represent a student-athlete in connection with issues related to name, image, or likeness, including negotiating, securing, obtaining, arranging, and managing name, image, or likeness opportunities.

Retail sales and use tax; exemption for medicine and drugs purchased by veterinarians. Exempts veterinarians from sales and use tax on the purchase of prescription medicines and drugs that are administered or dispensed to patients within a veterinarian-client-patient relationship. The bill repeals provisions of current law that provide that a veterinarian dispensing or selling medicines or drugs on prescription shall be deemed to be the user or consumer of all such medicines and drugs. The bill provides that the exemption shall be in effect from July 1, 2022, until July 1, 2025.

Health insurance; coverage for prostate cancer screening. Updates the current mandated requirement for health care coverage companies (including health insurers and HMOs), the health care coverage plan for state employees, and the state plan for Medicaid that provides coverage for one PSA test in a 12-month period to persons age 50 and over and to persons age 40 and over who are at high risk for prostate cancer according to American Cancer Society Guidelines such that the new coverage requirement is for prostate cancer screening that includes the current test and the current guidelines. The updated coverage begins January 1, 2023.

Unemployment compensation; invalid claims. Provides that a claim for unemployment benefits that has been determined invalid by the Virginia Employment Commission as a result of the claimant's monetary ineligibility is not eligible for appeal through the Commission's appeals division.

Intercollegiate athletics; student-athletes; compensation and representation for name, image, or likeness. Establishes several parameters for the compensation and representation of a student-athlete related to the use of such student's name, image, or likeness. The bill prohibits any private institution of higher education, associate-degree-granting public institution of higher education, or baccalaureate public institution of higher education or any agent thereof; athletic association; athletic conference; or other organization with authority over intercollegiate athletics from (i) prohibiting or preventing a student-athlete from earning compensation for the use of his name, image, or likeness, except in certain circumstances enumerated in the bill; (ii) prohibiting or preventing a student-athlete from obtaining professional representation by a licensed athlete agent or legal representation by a licensed attorney in connection with issues related to name, image, or likeness; (iii) declaring a student-athlete ineligible for intercollegiate athletic competition because he earns such compensation or obtains such representation; or (iv) reducing, canceling, revoking, or not renewing an athletic scholarship because a student-athlete earns such compensation or obtains such representation. The bill establishes several other conditions and limitations relating to pre-agreement disclosures, the use of the institution's property, and the effect on employment status in connection with a student-athlete's use of his name, image, or likeness. The bill also amends the definition of "athlete agent" in relevant law to permit such agents to represent a student-athlete in connection with issues related to name, image, or likeness, including negotiating, securing, obtaining, arranging, and managing name, image, or likeness opportunities.

Exhaust systems; excessive noise. Prohibits any individual from operating a motor vehicle with a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or less with an exhaust system that emits noise equivalent to noise in excess of 85 decibels measured from a distance of 50 feet. The bill also allows the governing body of any county, city, or town located within the Northern Virginia Planning District to provide by ordinance that no person shall operate any motor vehicle on a highway or on public or private property within 500 feet of any residential district unless such motor vehicle is equipped with an exhaust system of a type installed as standard equipment, or comparable to that designed for use on that particular vehicle or device as standard factory equipment, in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive noise. The bill also requires the Superintendent of State Police to promulgate regulations for the inspection of motor vehicles to ensure that no motor vehicle is equipped with a gutted muffler, muffler cutout, or straight exhaust or any mechanical or electronic device that creates or amplifies noise emitted by the motor vehicle that is louder than the noise emitted by such motor vehicle as originally manufactured.

Insurance; discrimination based on status as living organ donor prohibited. Prohibits any person from refusing to insure, refusing to continue to insure, or limiting the amount or extent of life insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance coverage available to an individual, or to charge an individual a different rate for the same coverage based solely and without any additional actuarial risks upon the status of such individual as a living organ donor. The provisions of the bill apply to life insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance plans that are entered into, amended, extended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2023.

Civil action for malicious prosecution; self-defense. Creates a civil cause of action for malicious prosecution in any case in which a criminal defendant charged with aggravated murder, murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, or voluntary manslaughter is found to have acted solely in self-defense. The bill provides that such cause of action shall lie against the prosecutor who brought the charges or prosecuted such criminal case if such criminal defendant can prove that such prosecution was malicious and motivated by reasons other than bringing the alleged defendant to justice.

Apprenticeship Council; authority. Expands the duties of the Apprenticeship Council to include determining standards and regulations for pre-apprenticeship programs and advising the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry on how to innovate and expand apprenticeship-related instruction and opportunities across the Commonwealth.

Jury duty; allowance increase. Increases the jury duty allowance from $30 to $40 for each day of attendance upon the court effective July 1, 2022; to $45 effective July 1, 2023; and to $50 effective July 1, 2024, and thereafter.

Income tax credit; employers of G3 Program or cybersecurity graduates. Creates a nonrefundable individual and corporate income tax credit for employers that hire eligible employees who are (i) graduates of the Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back Program (G3 Program) or (ii) graduates with a degree in cybersecurity from a Virginia four-year institution of higher education. The credit is available for taxable years 2022 through 2026, is equal to $1,000 per eligible employee hired during the taxable year who works in a full-time position, and includes an aggregate annual cap of $5 million.

Sale of cemeteries owned by a locality; notice to descendants. Provides that no cemetery owned by a county or city shall be sold to a private owner unless the county or city has made a good faith effort to ensure, prior to sale, that the ownership of such cemetery is vested in the estate of the last owner of record or that permission for the sale has been granted by the family members or descendants of such owner. The bill describes a good faith effort as an attempt by the county or city to contact all known family members and descendants of the last owner of record no less than three separate times by phone, mail, or visiting the last known address of record for such family members or descendants. The bill requires a county or city to keep written records of each attempt to contact a family member or descendant.

Secretary of Transportation; commercial driver's licenses. Directs the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation and working with various agencies of the Commonwealth, to promote and implement various initiatives related to commercial driver's licenses. The bill sunsets on July 1, 2023. Secretary of Transportation; commercial driver's licenses. Directs the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation and working with various agencies of the Commonwealth, to promote and implement various initiatives related to commercial driver's licenses. The bill sunsets on July 1, 2023.

Independent dealer-operator recertification. Codifies existing Motor Vehicle Dealer Board regulations related to independent dealer-operator recertification and revises the process established by regulation by (i) requiring recertification every 24 months instead of every 36 months; (ii) changing the training requirement from completing a six-hour course to completing a live four-hour instructor-led course and passing an examination, administered in person or virtually; (iii) increasing the permissible course fee from $250 to $300; (iv) increasing the recertification application fee from $25 to $50; and (v) exempting from the requirements of clause (ii) independent dealer-operators who complete a training program approved by the Executive Director of the Motor Vehicle Dealer Board and administered by a dealer that employs at least 50 licensed salespersons in the Commonwealth. Independent dealer-operator recertification. Codifies existing Motor Vehicle Dealer Board regulations related to independent dealer-operator recertification and revises the process established by regulation by (i) requiring recertification every 24 months instead of every 36 months; (ii) changing the training requirement from completing a six-hour course to completing a live four-hour instructor-led course and passing an examination, administered in person or virtually; (iii) increasing the permissible course fee from $250 to $300; (iv) increasing the recertification application fee from $25 to $50; and (v) exempting from the requirements of clause (ii) independent dealer-operators who complete a training program approved by the Executive Director of the Motor Vehicle Dealer Board and administered by a dealer that employs at least 50 licensed salespersons in the Commonwealth.

Workers' compensation; employer duty to furnish medical attention; cost limit. Adds scooters to the list of medical equipment an employer is required to furnish to an employee under certain circumstances under the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act. The bill raises the limit on the aggregate cost of items and modifications required to be furnished by an employer to an injured employee from $42,000 to $55,000, to be increased on an annual basis. Workers' compensation; employer duty to furnish medical attention; cost limit. Adds scooters to the list of medical equipment an employer is required to furnish to an employee under certain circumstances under the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act. The bill raises the limit on the aggregate cost of items and modifications required to be furnished by an employer to an injured employee from $42,000 to $55,000, to be increased on an annual basis.