Constitutional officers; appointed deputies; dual office holding. Subjects any person appointed by a constitutional officer to serve as deputy as provided by law to the same dual office holding requirements and prohibitions applicable to the constitutional officer.

Improper driving. Provides that a person may be charged with the offense of improper driving when his conduct is of the kind that constitutes reckless driving but when his degree of culpability is slight. Currently, a law-enforcement officer is not able to charge a person with improper driving, but a charge of reckless driving may be reduced to improper driving by the court or the attorney for the Commonwealth.

Retail marijuana stores; requirement for local referendum. Provides that if an act of assembly is passed by the 2022 Session of the General Assembly that authorizes the operation of retail marijuana stores in the Commonwealth, such retail marijuana stores may be located only in localities that have approved the operation of retail marijuana stores through a referendum held in accordance with the provisions of the bill.

Disabled veteran special license plate; surviving spouse. Authorizes a disabled veteran special license plate issued to a disabled veteran to be transferred, upon his death, to his unremarried surviving spouse.

Absentee voting in person; available beginning on the fourteenth day prior to election; hours of operation. Limits absentee voting in person to the two weeks immediately preceding an election. During these two weeks, the bill requires that absentee voting in person be available Monday through Saturday, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day.

Elections; referenda; local advisory referenda. Provides for an exception to the rule that prohibits a referendum from being placed on the ballot unless specifically authorized by statute or by charter, allowing each locality to provide by ordinance a process for holding an advisory referendum provided such advisory referendum is placed on the ballot not more than once per calendar year.

Voter registration; list maintenance; lists of decedents transmitted by State Registrar of Vital Records. Requires the State Registrar of Vital Records to transmit to the Department of Elections a weekly list of decedents from the previous week. Currently, this list is transmitted monthly. The bill requires the general registrars to use this information to conduct list maintenance and to promptly cancel the registration of a person on the list.

Pensions; enhanced retirement benefits for juvenile detention specialists. Requires each political subdivision participating in the Virginia Retirement System and each county or city participating in the Virginia Retirement System to provide retirement benefits comparable to the benefits provided to state police officers to juvenile detention specialists.

Overtime pay requirements; volunteers. Permits individuals who work as both employees and on a volunteer basis for a public body, church, or nonprofit organization to earn overtime wages for hours worked as an employee only and continues to exclude hours worked on a volunteer basis from overtime wage requirements.

Chesapeake Airport Authority. Removes language in the Chesapeake Airport Authority authorizing language related to removal of Authority members from office that conflicts with language added in 2017 specifying that members of the Authority serve at the pleasure of the Chesapeake City Council.

Emergency Services and Disaster Law; limitation on duration of executive orders. Limits the duration of any executive order issued by the Governor pursuant to his powers under the Emergency Services and Disaster Law to no more than 45 days from the date of issuance. The bill provides that if the General Assembly does not take any action on the rule, regulation, or order within the 45 days during which the rule, regulation, or order is effective, the Governor shall thereafter be prohibited from issuing the same or a similar rule, regulation, or order relating to the same emergency. Under current law, once issued, such executive orders are effective until June 30 following the next adjournment of the regular session of the General Assembly. The bill contains technical amendments.

Powers and duties of political subdivisions; emergency management assessment. Provides that all political subdivisions shall provide an annually updated emergency management assessment and data related to emergency sheltering capabilities to the State Coordinator of Emergency Management on or before August 1 of each year. Under current law, such assessment and data is due to the State Coordinator of Emergency Management on or before May 1 of each year.

Foster Care Prevention program. Establishes the Foster Care Prevention program to facilitate placements with relatives and ensure that such relatives are provided with the resources necessary to provide care for the child. The bill provides that a child is eligible to participate in the Foster Care Prevention program if the local department of social services (local department) determines that (i) the child is being cared for by a relative; (ii) the child's parent or guardian voluntarily placed the child with such relative after November 1, 2020; (iii) the child demonstrates a strong attachment to the relative, and the relative has a strong commitment to caring for the child; and (iv) the placement of the child with the relative was necessary to prevent or eliminate the need to place the child in foster care. The bill requires relatives seeking to receive Foster Care Prevention program payments to enter into an agreement with the local department and Department of Social Services that describes the manner in which payments will be provided and establishes the amount of such payments. Foster Care Prevention program. Establishes the Foster Care Prevention program to facilitate placements with relatives and ensure that such relatives are provided with the resources necessary to provide care for the child. The bill provides that a child is eligible to participate in the Foster Care Prevention program if the local department of social services (local department) determines that (i) the child is being cared for by a relative; (ii) the child's parent or guardian voluntarily placed the child with such relative after November 1, 2020; (iii) the child demonstrates a strong attachment to the relative, and the relative has a strong commitment to caring for the child; and (iv) the placement of the child with the relative was necessary to prevent or eliminate the need to place the child in foster care. The bill requires relatives seeking to receive Foster Care Prevention program payments to enter into an agreement with the local department and Department of Social Services that describes the manner in which payments will be provided and establishes the amount of such payments.

Charter; City of Portsmouth; city council; noninterference. Provides that any member of the Portsmouth City Council who violates certain charter provisions related to noninterference in appointments or removals of officers and employees of the city, upon motion of another member of the City Council and a majority vote of all members of the City Council, shall be subject to public censure and a fine not to exceed $100. Charter; City of Portsmouth; city council; noninterference. Provides that any member of the Portsmouth City Council who violates certain charter provisions related to noninterference in appointments or removals of officers and employees of the city, upon motion of another member of the City Council and a majority vote of all members of the City Council, shall be subject to public censure and a fine not to exceed $100.

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act; definition of gift; certain tickets and registration or admission fees. Exempts from the definition of gift tickets and registration or admission fees to an event that are provided by an agency to its own officers or employees for the purposes of performing official duties related to the officer's or employee's public service.