Prostitution; solicitation; penalties. Increases the penalty for a third or subsequent offense of solicitation of prostitution from an adult from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony. The bill increases the fines from $100 to $1000 and from $500 to $2500 for certain offenses related to sex trafficking. The bill also make it a Class 5 felony to solicit prostitution from any minor. Prostitution; solicitation; penalties. Increases the penalty for a third or subsequent offense of solicitation of prostitution from an adult from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony. The bill increases the fines from $100 to $1000 and from $500 to $2500 for certain offenses related to sex trafficking. The bill also make it a Class 5 felony to solicit prostitution from any minor. Under current law, any person who solicits prostitution from a minor is guilty of a Class 6 felony if the minor is 16 years old or older or a Class 5 felony if the minor is younger than 16 years old.

Railroad safety. Adds various requirements for railroad companies, including (i) prohibiting placing stationary cars or trains on its track within 1,500 feet on both sides of any crossing of a railroad with a highway; (ii) prohibiting trains that exceed 8,500 feet in length on any mainline or branch line; (iii) requiring a crew of at least two qualified individuals on all trains, locomotives, or light engines used in connection with moving freight; (iv) requiring warning signs or devices for certain track obstructions that could endanger a railroad company employee; and (v) requiring walkways adjacent to yard tracks where employees regularly perform switching service. The bill requires that fines for a violation of the train-length requirement be deposited in the Shortline Railway Preservation and Development Fund for railway safety projects.

Background checks; peer recovery specialists; barrier crime exceptions. Permits the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, direct care service providers, and community boards to hire peer recovery specialists who have been convicted of certain barrier crimes where a history of such offense does not pose a risk in the work of a peer recovery specialist.

Elections; candidates for office; political party nomination by non-primary method; filing fee. Allows political parties to charge a filing fee for methods of nomination other than a primary and sets a cap on such fee. The maximum filing fee is set at two percent of the salary of any salaried office sought by a candidate or, for any office for which compensation is paid by fees, two percent of the average fees collected by the office.

Kratom; prohibited acts; civil penalty. Provides that no person that sells, prepares, manufactures, distributes, or maintains kratom products, as defined in the bill, or advertises, represents, or holds itself out as selling, preparing, manufacturing, distributing, or maintaining kratom products shall prepare, distribute, sell, or expose for sale (i) any kratom product that includes or is packed with a substance that is not kratom and that affects the quality or strength of the kratom product or that contains any poisonous or otherwise deleterious ingredient; (ii) any kratom product that contains a level, as described in the bill, that is greater than two percent of the overall alkaloid composition of the product or any synthetic alkaloids or other synthetically derived compounds of the kratom plant; (iii) any kratom extract that contains levels of residual solvents that are higher than is allowed in Chapter 467 of current edition of the United States Pharmacopeia; or (iv) any kratom product that does not provide labeling directions necessary for safe and effective use by consumers, including a recommended serving size. The bill provides that any person that violates the provisions of the bill shall be subject to a civil penalty of $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second violation, and $500 for a third or subsequent violation.

Charter; City of Virginia Beach; vacancies in office of council member and mayor. Alters the process for filling vacancies in the office of council member and mayor in the City of Virginia Beach by replacing council appointments with special elections.

Possession or distribution of psilocybin for certain medical purposes permitted; penalty. Allows possession of psilocybin pursuant to a valid prescription or order issued by a health care practitioner in the course of his professional practice for treatment of refractory depression or post-traumatic stress disorder or to ameliorate end-of-life anxiety. The bill prohibits prosecution of health care practitioners or pharmacists for dispensing or distributing psilocybin for such purposes. The bill makes possession of psilocybin without a valid prescription a Class 2 misdemeanor punishable by no longer than 30 days in jail and no more than a $500 fine, either or both. The bill makes a second or subsequent offense a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Deadline for parties to nominate by methods other than primary; special elections not held at a general election; extension to 10 days. Extends the period of time that parties have to nominate a candidate by a method other than a primary for a special election that is not held on the date of a general election from within five days to within 10 days of the writ ordering such special election.

Midwifery; administration of medication. Allows licensed midwives to obtain, possess, and administer drugs and devices within the scope of their practice. The bill requires the Board of Medicine to develop and publish best practice and standards of care guidance for all such drugs. The bill limits the liability of entities that provide or dispense drugs or devices to a licensed midwife and that rely in good faith upon the license information provided by the licensed midwife. Under the bill, completing all Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health patient safety bundles advanced by the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative is required of any licensed midwife who obtains, possesses, and administers drugs and devices within the scope of his practice.

Virginia taxable income; subtractions; volunteer firefighters and volunteer emergency medical services personnel. Provides a state income tax subtraction of $20 per hour, up to a maximum of 325 hours per taxable year, for bona fide volunteers, as defined by the bill, who perform qualifying services. Qualifying services are defined in the bill as volunteer firefighting and fire prevention services, emergency medical services, auxiliary police services, ambulance services, emergency rescue services, and all training and training-related activities required by law for the performance of such services.

Virginia Consumer Protection Act; automatic renewal or continuous service offers; cancellation reminders; prohibited practices. Requires suppliers of automatic renewals or continuous service offers that include a free trial that lasts more than 30 days to, within 30 days of the end of any such free trial, notify the consumer of his option to cancel the free trial before the end of the trial period to avoid an obligation to pay for the goods or services. The bill provides that failure to notify a consumer of such option is a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill also makes it a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act for a supplier to fail to disclose the total cost of a good or continuous service to a consumer, including any mandatory fees or charges, prior to entering into an agreement for the sale of any such good or provision of any such service. Virginia Consumer Protection Act; automatic renewal or continuous service offers; cancellation reminders; prohibited practices. Requires suppliers of automatic renewals or continuous service offers that include a free trial that lasts more than 30 days to, within 30 days of the end of any such free trial, notify the consumer of his option to cancel the free trial before the end of the trial period to avoid an obligation to pay for the goods or services. The bill provides that failure to notify a consumer of such option is a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The bill also makes it a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act for a supplier to fail to disclose the total cost of a good or continuous service to a consumer, including any mandatory fees or charges, prior to entering into an agreement for the sale of any such good or provision of any such service.

Common interest communities; professionally managed associations. Provides with respect to the Property Owners' Association Act and the Virginia Condominium Act that a management contract that contains an automatic renewal provision may be terminated by the association or unit owners' association, as the case may be, or the common interest community manager of either such association at any time without cause upon not less than 60 days' written notice. Common interest communities; professionally managed associations. Provides with respect to the Property Owners' Association Act and the Virginia Condominium Act that a management contract that contains an automatic renewal provision may be terminated by the association or unit owners' association, as the case may be, or the common interest community manager of either such association at any time without cause upon not less than 60 days' written notice.

Use of auto sear; prohibition; penalty. Makes it a Class 2 felony to possess or use an auto sear in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of a crime of violence. The bill also makes it a Class 4 felony to unlawfully possess or use an auto sear for an offensive or aggressive purpose. The bill defines auto sear as a small device with a combination of parts made of metal or plastic designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, as defined by 26 U.S.C. 5845(b).

Virginia Opioid Use Reduction and Jail-Based Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Transition Fund; established. Establishes the Virginia Opioid Use Reduction and Jail-Based Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Transition Fund to be administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services for the purpose of funding and supporting the planning and implementation of locally administered jail-based addiction recovery and substance use disorder treatment and transition programs in local and regional jails. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2024.

Elections; voter identification containing photograph Elections; voter identification containing photograph required; who may register up to and including the day of the election; availability of absentee voting in person; return of absentee ballots. Requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote and provides that a voter who does not have one of the required forms of identification is entitled to cast a provisional ballot. The bill repeals a provision that would permit any person who is qualified to register to vote to do so in person up to and including the day of the election and limits the persons who are entitled to register to vote after the close of registration records to members of a uniformed service on active duty, persons who are residing temporarily outside of the United States, and their spouses and dependents. The bill limits the period during which absentee voting in person is available from 45 days preceding the date of the election to the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday immediately preceding the date of the election. The bill requires that absentee ballots returned by mail be returned to the office of the general registrar by the close of polls on election day and be postmarked on or before the Saturday preceding the date of the election. The bill eliminates the use of drop-off locations for the return of absentee ballots. The bill requires absentee ballot applications to contain the last four digits of the applicant's social security number and provides that the failure of an absentee ballot to include a witness signature is a material omission, rendering the ballot void.