Vacant buildings; registration. Permits any city and certain towns to require, by ordinance, the owner of any building that has been vacant for at least 12 months and that may endanger the public health, safety, or welfare to register such building annually. Under current law, any city and certain towns are permitted to require the owner of any building that has been vacant for at least 12 months and meets the definition of "derelict building" in relevant law to register such building annually.

Personal property tax; farm machinery and farm implements. Expands the list of certain farm machinery and farm implements that a locality may exempt from personal property taxes to include (i) motor vehicles used primarily for agricultural purposes, (ii) privately owned trailers primarily used by farmers in their farming operations, and (iii) season-extending vegetable hoop houses used for in-field production of produce. The bill states that a locality that exempts motor vehicles or privately owned trailers pursuant to these provisions shall not collect any unpaid tangible personal property taxes, including interest or penalties, that are owed to the locality as of July 1, 2023. Any such unpaid taxes shall be stricken from the books of the treasurer. Personal property tax; farm machinery and farm implements. Expands the list of certain farm machinery and farm implements that a locality may exempt from personal property taxes to include (i) motor vehicles used primarily for agricultural purposes, (ii) privately owned trailers primarily used by farmers in their farming operations, and (iii) season-extending vegetable hoop houses used for in-field production of produce. The bill states that a locality that exempts motor vehicles or privately owned trailers pursuant to these provisions shall not collect any unpaid tangible personal property taxes, including interest or penalties, that are owed to the locality as of July 1, 2023. Any such unpaid taxes shall be stricken from the books of the treasurer.

Commonwealth Mass Transit Fund. Allocates 3.5 percent of the Commonwealth Mass Transit Fund to commuter rail systems jointly operated by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission and excludes such commuter rail systems from receiving allocations pursuant to other distributions of the Fund. The bill requires such commuter rail systems to submit reports to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The bill limits allocations by the NVTC for distribution to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to 50 percent of the total operating and capital assistance required to be provided by NVTC or other Virginia entities in the approved WMATA budget and establishes reporting requirements for WMATA. The bill codifies requirements for WMATA to adopt and submit certain planning documents first required pursuant to the eighth enactment of Chapter 854 and the eighth enactment of Chapter 856 of the Acts of Assembly of 2018 and repeals the original requirements.

Constitutional amendment (first reference); Board of Education; repeal; transfer powers and duties to the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Repeals the Board of Education and transfers its constitutional powers and duties to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Transportation network companies; uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Requires transportation network company (TNC) insurance to maintain the same minimum uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage as is currently required by law for all motor vehicle insurance policies of $30,000 for bodily injury per person, $60,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $20,000 for property damage, whether or not there is a passenger in the vehicle. The bill also prohibits TNC insurance underinsured motorist coverage from being set off by another policy from incidents arising when there is a passenger in the vehicle. Current law requires uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage for TNCs at $1 million when a passenger is in the vehicle. The bill repeals expired provisions related to TNC insurance coverage.

Employer-provided childcare tax credit. Creates a tax credit for taxable years 2023 through 2027 for qualified childcare expenses, as defined by the bill, incurred by a small business, as defined by the bill, in the amount of 20 percent of such business's aggregate monthly payments made for such expenses in the preceding taxable year. The amount of the credit allowed to a taxpayer shall not exceed $300,000 per taxable year.

Crimes by gangs. Provides that the definition of "predicate criminal act" includes all violent felony offenses for purposes of predicate criminal acts for street gangs. The bill also increases various penalties for gang crimes.

Abortion; use of public funds prohibited. Provides that no agency of the Commonwealth shall enter into any contract with or make any grant of public funds, as defined in the bill, to any entity or any affiliate of any entity that provides abortion services or operates a facility at which abortion services are provided. The bill also repeals provisions authorizing the Board of Health to use state general funds appropriated to the Department of Health to pay the cost of abortions for women who otherwise meet the financial eligibility criteria for services through the state plan for medical assistance services in cases in which (i) a pregnancy occurs as a result of rape or incest that is reported to a law-enforcement or public health agency or (ii) a physician certifies in writing that he believes the fetus will be born with a gross and totally incapacitating physical deformity or with a gross and totally incapacitating mental deficiency.

Special license plates; BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION. Authorizes the issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates for supporters of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation bearing the legend BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION.

Meetings of local governing body; live broadcast and archive. Requires localities to provide a live video broadcast of public meetings of the local governing body and to archive such broadcasts on their websites.

Best interests of the child; assuring frequent and continuing contact with both parents. Provides that, in determining the best interests of a child for purposes of custody and parenting time arrangements, upon request of either party, the court shall assure a minor child of frequent and continuing contact with both parents so as to maximize the amount of time the minor child spends with each parent.

Board of Education; special education and related services; certain evaluation deadlines. Requires the Board of Education to amend certain regulations to permit local educational agencies to shorten the deadline of 65 business days from the date of receipt of referral for an initial evaluation or a reevaluation of a child to determine eligibility for special education and related services. Board of Education; special education and related services; certain evaluation deadlines. Requires the Board of Education to amend certain regulations to permit local educational agencies to shorten the deadline of 65 business days from the date of receipt of referral for an initial evaluation or a reevaluation of a child to determine eligibility for special education and related services.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; certain construction contracts; performance and payment bonds. Allows localities to allow a contractor of indefinite delivery or quantity contracts, defined in the bill, who is otherwise required to furnish performance and payment bonds in the sum of the contract amount to the public body with which he contracted to furnish such bonds only the dollar amount of the individual tasks identified in the underlying contract. Such contractors shall not be required to furnish the sum of the contract amount if the governing locality has adopted such an ordinance. Virginia Public Procurement Act; certain construction contracts; performance and payment bonds. Allows localities to allow a contractor of indefinite delivery or quantity contracts, defined in the bill, who is otherwise required to furnish performance and payment bonds in the sum of the contract amount to the public body with which he contracted to furnish such bonds only the dollar amount of the individual tasks identified in the underlying contract. Such contractors shall not be required to furnish the sum of the contract amount if the governing locality has adopted such an ordinance.

Deceased high school seniors; waiver of graduation requirements and award of posthumous high school diplomas. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing high school graduation requirements, to provide for the waiver of certain graduation requirements and the subsequent award of a high school diploma upon the request of the parent of any high school senior who died in good standing prior to graduation during the student's senior year. The bill provides that such waivers shall be granted only for good cause and shall be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Student literacy measures; scope; students in grades four through eight. Expands several provisions of the Virginia Literacy Act, enacted during the 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly, effective with the 2024–2025 school year, and currently applicable to students in kindergarten through grade three, to students in grades four through eight, including (i) requiring each local school board to provide a program of literacy instruction to such students that is aligned with science-based reading research and provides evidenced-based literacy instruction; (ii) requiring each local school board to provide reading intervention services to such students who demonstrate substantial deficiencies based on their individual performance on the Standards of Learning reading assessment or a literacy screener provided or approved by the Department of Education; (iii) permitting the reading plan required for certain students in grades six through eight to include a literacy course, in addition to the course required by the Standards of Learning in English, that provides the specific evidence-based literacy instruction identified in such plan; (iv) requiring the Department to develop a list of core literacy curricula, supplemental instruction practices and programs, and intervention programs that consist of evidence-based literacy instruction aligned with science-based reading research for such students; (v) requiring each local school board to employ one reading specialist for each 550 students in kindergarten through grade eight; (vi) requiring the Board of Education to provide guidance on and each local school board to provide high-quality professional development and training in science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction for certain middle school personnel; and (vii) requiring each divisionwide comprehensive plan to include a divisionwide literacy plan for such students. Student literacy measures; scope; students in grades four through eight. Expands several provisions of the Virginia Literacy Act, enacted during the 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly, effective with the 2024–2025 school year, and currently applicable to students in kindergarten through grade three, to students in grades four through eight, including (i) requiring each local school board to provide a program of literacy instruction to such students that is aligned with science-based reading research and provides evidenced-based literacy instruction; (ii) requiring each local school board to provide reading intervention services to such students who demonstrate substantial deficiencies based on their individual performance on the Standards of Learning reading assessment or a literacy screener provided or approved by the Department of Education; (iii) permitting the reading plan required for certain students in grades six through eight to include a literacy course, in addition to the course required by the Standards of Learning in English, that provides the specific evidence-based literacy instruction identified in such plan; (iv) requiring the Department to develop a list of core literacy curricula, supplemental instruction practices and programs, and intervention programs that consist of evidence-based literacy instruction aligned with science-based reading research for such students; (v) requiring each local school board to employ one reading specialist for each 550 students in kindergarten through grade eight; (vi) requiring the Board of Education to provide guidance on and each local school board to provide high-quality professional development and training in science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction for certain middle school personnel; and (vii) requiring each divisionwide comprehensive plan to include a divisionwide literacy plan for such students.