Assessment of real property; affordable housing. Includes the Rental Assistance Demonstration program in the list of federal laws whose restrictions shall be considered in determining the fair market value of real property that is operated as affordable rental housing. Assessment of real property; affordable housing. Includes the Rental Assistance Demonstration program in the list of federal laws whose restrictions shall be considered in determining the fair market value of real property that is operated as affordable rental housing.

Sexual abuse of animals; penalty. Provides that any person who knowingly (i) engages in sexual contact with an animal; (ii) causes another person by force, threat, or intimidation to engage in sexual contact with an animal; (iii) advertises, solicits, offers, sells, purchases, or possesses an animal with the intent that the animal be subject to sexual contact; (iv) permits sexual contact with an animal to be conducted on any premises under his ownership or control; or (v) produces, distributes, publishes, sells, transmits, finances, possesses, or possesses with the intent to distribute, publish, sell, or transmit an obscene item depicting a person engaged in sexual contact with an animal is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides that any person convicted of sexual abuse of an animal shall be prohibited from possessing, owning, or exercising control over any animal and may be ordered to attend an appropriate treatment program or obtain psychiatric or psychological counseling. Sexual abuse of animals; penalty. Provides that any person who knowingly (i) engages in sexual contact with an animal; (ii) causes another person by force, threat, or intimidation to engage in sexual contact with an animal; (iii) advertises, solicits, offers, sells, purchases, or possesses an animal with the intent that the animal be subject to sexual contact; (iv) permits sexual contact with an animal to be conducted on any premises under his ownership or control; or (v) produces, distributes, publishes, sells, transmits, finances, possesses, or possesses with the intent to distribute, publish, sell, or transmit an obscene item depicting a person engaged in sexual contact with an animal is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides that any person convicted of sexual abuse of an animal shall be prohibited from possessing, owning, or exercising control over any animal and may be ordered to attend an appropriate treatment program or obtain psychiatric or psychological counseling.

Community service work in lieu of payment of fines and costs; underpaid work. Provides that in the program established by a court to provide an option to any person upon whom a fine and costs have been imposed to discharge all or part of the fine or costs by earning credits for the performance of community service work, underpaid work, as such term is defined in the bill, is added as an option for earning such credits before, during, or after such person is incarcerated in a state or local correctional facility, provided that such underpaid work is authorized by the court. The bill makes offering such option for community service work or underpaid work mandatory. The bill provides that a person who is performing underpaid work shall be credited at the same rate as the community service work rate less any wages received for the underpaid work. Under current law, a court is required to establish a program for providing an option for community service work in lieu of payment of fines and costs but offering such option was not mandatory.

Nutrient credit trading; adjacent hydrologic unit code. Removes authority for a Virginia Stormwater Management Program or Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program to allow compliance with stormwater nonpoint nutrient runoff water quality criteria through the applicant's acquisition of nutrient credits in the same tributary in an adjacent hydrologic unit code (HUC) or fourth order subbasin, unless certain existing criteria for purchasing credits outside of the HUC or fourth order subbasin are met, when the credits are in a locality with a population fewer than 20,000 people and geographic area under 200 square miles.

Charitable gaming; violations; civil penalty. Provides for a civil penalty of not less than $25,000 and not more than $50,000 for any person or organization, whether permitted or qualified pursuant to applicable charitable gaming laws or not, that (i) conducts charitable gaming without first obtaining a permit to do so, (ii) continues to conduct such games after revocation or suspension of such permit, or (iii) otherwise violates any charitable gaming provisions. The bill provides that any such civil penalties collected shall be payable to the State Treasurer for remittance to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Criminal records; sealing of records. Makes changes to the sealing provisions as they shall become effective pursuant to Chapters 524 and 542 of the 2021 Acts of Assembly, Special Session I, related to the types of offenses eligible to be sealed by petition. The bill limits such offenses eligible for sealing by petition to convictions for a Class 2, 3, or 4 misdemeanor and deferral and dismissals of misdemeanor offenses, Class 5 or 6 felonies, or felony larceny-related offenses. Under the related provisions as they shall become effective pursuant to Chapters 524 and 542, a person convicted of or who has had a charge deferred and dismissed for a misdemeanor offense, Class 5 or 6 felony, or felony larceny-related offense is eligible to petition to have such conviction or charge sealed. The bill also changes the provisions related to criminal penalties for disclosure of sealed records to require proof that such disclosure was done maliciously and intentionally and reduces the penalty for such violation to a Class 1 misdemeanor. Under the related provisions as they shall become effective pursuant to Chapters 524 and 542, disclosure of such records done willfully is a Class 1 misdemeanor and disclosure done maliciously and intentionally is a Class 6 felony.

Requirement for appeals bond; indigent parties; appeal of unlawful detainer. Removes the requirement for an indigent defendant, as defined in the bill, to post an appeal bond in an unlawful detainer action appealed from the general district court.

Public employees; labor union dues deduction authorization. Requires consent by public employees authorized to engage in collective bargaining before union or employee association dues are deducted from the employees' pay directly by their employers. The bill allows public employees to stop paying union or employee association dues at any time and gives public employees an annual opportunity to reconfirm that they want to continue union or employee association membership and pay such dues. The bill provides that if an employee does not reconfirm then the dues deduction must cease. Public employees; labor union dues deduction authorization. Requires consent by public employees authorized to engage in collective bargaining before union or employee association dues are deducted from the employees' pay directly by their employers. The bill allows public employees to stop paying union or employee association dues at any time and gives public employees an annual opportunity to reconfirm that they want to continue union or employee association membership and pay such dues. The bill provides that if an employee does not reconfirm then the dues deduction must cease.

Electric utilities; shared solar programs. Expands the current shared solar program to include participation by Phase I Utilities. The bill introduces incentives for shared solar programs that are located on rooftops, brownfields, or landfills, are dual-use agricultural facilities, or meet any other category of incentive that the Department of Energy may establish. The bill authorizes the State Corporation Commission to establish a program cap on the amount of capacity for Phase I Utilities' shared solar programs. Provisions of the bill shall be implemented by the State Corporation Commission by December 31, 2022. The bill permits both jurisdictional and nonjurisdictional customers to participate in a shared solar program and creates a stakeholder group to address interconnection issues and propose changes via petition to the Commission by January 1, 2023. The bill also allows utilities to recover the costs of incentives established by the bill.

Local rent stabilization authority. Provides that any Local rent stabilization authority. Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt rent stabilization provisions. The bill provides that no such ordinance shall be adopted until the proposed ordinance has been posted on the locality's website and advertised in a newspaper of general circulation in the locality at least two weeks prior to a public hearing on such ordinance. All landlords who are under rent stabilization may be required to give up to a two-month written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent by more than the locality's rent stabilization allowance, the maximum amount a landlord can increase a tenant's rent during any 12-month period, in effect at the time of the increase, and the bill requires the locality to annually publish this allowance on its website. The allowance is equal to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index for the region in which the locality sits and is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1. The bill provides that no such ordinance shall apply to the following: 1. Any unit in a licensed facility, the primary purpose of which is the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, and treatment of illnesses; 2. Any unit in a facility owned or leased by an organization exempt from federal income taxes pursuant to § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, the primary purpose of which is to provide temporary sanctuary or shelter for qualified clients, provided that the organization has notified the clients residing in the facility of the temporary nature of their housing at the inception of their residence; 3. Any owner-occupied group house; 4. Religious facilities, such as churches, synagogues, parsonages, rectories, convents, and parish homes; 5. Transient facilities, such as motels, tourist homes, and bed and breakfast facilities; 6. School dormitories; 7. Licensed assisted living facilities and nursing homes; or 8. Single-family residences. The bill states that such ordinance shall provide a procedure by which a landlord may apply for an exemption from the rent stabilization provisions in situations where the net operating income generated by the rental facility has not been maintained due to escalating operating expenses or for other appropriate reasons as established by the locality. The locality may establish a civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set out in the ordinance that shall not exceed $2,500 per separate violation.

Civilian deaths in custody; report. Requires every law-enforcement agency and correctional facility to report to the Department of Criminal Justice Services certain information regarding the death of any person who is detained, under arrest or in the process of being arrested, en route to be incarcerated, incarcerated, or otherwise in the custody of such law-enforcement agency or correctional facility. The bill provides that any law-enforcement agency or correctional facility that fails to comply may, at the discretion of the Department, be declared ineligible for state grants or funds. The bill also requires the Department to analyze the submitted data to (i) determine the means by which such information can be used to reduce the number of such deaths and (ii) examine the relationship, if any, between the number of such deaths and the actions of management of such law-enforcement agencies and correctional facilities. The Director of the Department shall annually report the findings and recommendations resulting from the analysis and interpretation of the data to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Attorney General beginning on or before July 1, 2023, and each July 1 thereafter.

Barrier crimes. Eliminates 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.

Solar-ready roof requirements for state agencies and localities; energy-positive building design for schools. Requires any executive branch agency or institution and any locality entering the design phase for the construction of a new building greater than 5,000 gross square feet in size, or the renovation of a building where the cost of the renovation exceeds 50 percent of the value of the building, to ensure that such building includes a solar-ready roof, defined in the bill as having the structural capability to accept the increased load from solar panels, proper sizing of the electrical panel, installation of conduit and wire from the roof to the electrical panel, use of solar-appropriate roof membranes and other roofing materials, and clustering of vents and non-solar equipment to maximize available space for solar panels. However, the provisions of the bill do not apply to localities with a population of less than 100,000 until July 1, 2023. The bill also requires new public school buildings and facilities, and improvements and renovations to existing public school buildings and facilities where the cost of the renovation exceeds 50 percent of the value of the building to be designed, constructed, maintained, and operated to generate more electricity than consumed. Solar-ready roof requirements for state agencies and localities; energy-positive building design for schools. Requires any executive branch agency or institution and any locality entering the design phase for the construction of a new building greater than 5,000 gross square feet in size, or the renovation of a building where the cost of the renovation exceeds 50 percent of the value of the building, to ensure that such building includes a solar-ready roof, defined in the bill as having the structural capability to accept the increased load from solar panels, proper sizing of the electrical panel, installation of conduit and wire from the roof to the electrical panel, use of solar-appropriate roof membranes and other roofing materials, and clustering of vents and non-solar equipment to maximize available space for solar panels. However, the provisions of the bill do not apply to localities with a population of less than 100,000 until July 1, 2023. The bill also requires new public school buildings and facilities, and improvements and renovations to existing public school buildings and facilities where the cost of the renovation exceeds 50 percent of the value of the building to be designed, constructed, maintained, and operated to generate more electricity than consumed.

Human rights; religious organizations; promotion of religious principles. Provides that nothing in the Virginia Human Rights Act prohibits a religious corporation, association, or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society, from taking any action to promote the religious principles for which it is established or maintained. The bill adds preschools to the list of educational institutions that are exempt from discriminatory hiring practices with respect to the hiring and employment of employees of a particular religion when such institutions are owned, supported, controlled, or managed by a particular religion or religious corporation, association, or society. The bill clarifies that the term "religion" includes all aspects of religious observance and practice as well as belief for the purposes of the exemption from discrimination in employment of individuals employed to perform work associated with the activities of a particular religion by a religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society. Human rights; religious organizations; promotion of religious principles. Provides that nothing in the Virginia Human Rights Act prohibits a religious corporation, association, or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society, from taking any action to promote the religious principles for which it is established or maintained. The bill adds preschools to the list of educational institutions that are exempt from discriminatory hiring practices with respect to the hiring and employment of employees of a particular religion when such institutions are owned, supported, controlled, or managed by a particular religion or religious corporation, association, or society. The bill clarifies that the term "religion" includes all aspects of religious observance and practice as well as belief for the purposes of the exemption from discrimination in employment of individuals employed to perform work associated with the activities of a particular religion by a religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society.

Religious freedom; applicability of certain executive orders. Provides that no rule, regulation, or order issued by the Governor or other governmental entity pursuant to the Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Services and Disaster Law of 2000 applies to the exercise of religion in a church, synagogue, or other place of worship.