Virginia Prisoner Litigation Reform Act. Expands the Virginia Prisoner Litigation Reform Act to apply to civil actions brought by prisoners who are represented by counsel. Under current law, the provisions of the Act apply only to pro se prisoners. The bill clarifies that the Act shall apply to all civil actions for money damages brought under the laws of the Commonwealth and civil actions for injunctive, declaratory, or mandamus relief brought under the laws of the Commonwealth or federal law. The bill also provides that the Act shall apply to civil actions brought by prisoners who are currently or were formerly incarcerated in any state or local correctional facility or a facility operated under the Corrections Private Management Act and that all such civil actions shall be brought in the circuit court of the city or county in which the prison is located where the prisoner was housed when his cause of action arose. The bill also clarifies when a genuine issue of material fact exists for the purposes of a summary judgment.

Absentee voting; absentee voting in person available beginning seven days prior to any election. Limits the availability of absentee voting in person to the week beginning seven days before the election. Under current law, absentee voting in person is available beginning 45 days prior to the election.

Public elementary and secondary schools; enrollment; immunization requirements. Prohibits any child from being denied admission to school for not receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill also prohibits the State Board of Health from adopting any regulation requiring immunization against COVID-19 for attendance at any public elementary or secondary school.

Right to life begins at conception. Recognizes that the right to life begins at conception.

Paid sick leave; health care providers and grocery store workers. Requires employers to provide paid sick leave to health care providers and grocery store workers. Under current law, employers are only required to provide paid sick leave to certain home health workers. The bill removes requirements that workers work on average at least 20 hours per week or 90 hours per month to be eligible for paid sick leave. Under the bill, an employee of an employer with fewer than 25 employees is not considered a grocery store worker. The bill provides that certain health care providers may waive their right to accrue and use paid sick leave and provides an exemption for employers of certain other health care providers. The bill requires the Department of Labor and Industry to develop guidelines for retail employers that sell groceries to provide sick leave and to publish such guidelines by December 1, 2023. The provisions of the bill other than the requirement for the Department of Labor and Industry to develop guidelines have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2024. Paid sick leave; health care providers and grocery store workers. Requires employers to provide paid sick leave to health care providers and grocery store workers. Under current law, employers are only required to provide paid sick leave to certain home health workers. The bill removes requirements that workers work on average at least 20 hours per week or 90 hours per month to be eligible for paid sick leave. Under the bill, an employee of an employer with fewer than 25 employees is not considered a grocery store worker. The bill provides that certain health care providers may waive their right to accrue and use paid sick leave and provides an exemption for employers of certain other health care providers. The bill requires the Department of Labor and Industry to develop guidelines for retail employers that sell groceries to provide sick leave and to publish such guidelines by December 1, 2023. The provisions of the bill other than the requirement for the Department of Labor and Industry to develop guidelines have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2024.

Standards for accreditation; school accreditation review frequency. Eliminates the requirement that the Board of Education perform a triennial review of the accreditation status of a public school that has been fully accredited for three consecutive years. The bill also eliminates the provision permitting the Board to do a review of the accreditation status of any other school once every two or three years and the requirement that any such school receiving a multiyear accreditation status other than full accreditation be covered by a Board-approved multiyear corrective action plan. Under the bill, the Board is required to review annually the accreditation status of all schools in the Commonwealth.

Virginia Small Estate Act; payment or delivery of small asset; disposition and funeral expenses. Requires any person having possession of a small asset belonging to a decedent, upon presentation of an affidavit by the funeral service establishment handling the disposition of the decedent and any related funeral service, to pay or deliver to such funeral service establishment so much of the small asset as does not exceed the amount given priority and has not already been paid. Under current law, such payment is discretionary and made to the undertaker or mortuary. The bill also provides for the discharge and release of a person paying or delivering a small asset in accordance with the provisions of the bill to the same extent as if such person dealt with the personal representative of the decedent. The bill provides that if any person to whom an affidavit is presented refuses to pay or deliver any small asset, such small asset may be recovered, payment or delivery compelled, and damages recovered, on proof of rightful claim, unless such refusal was made in good faith.

Voter registration; noncitizens of the United States; penalty. Provides that a person who is not a citizen of the United States is not entitled to register to vote and makes it a Class 6 felony for any person to intentionally procure, assist, or induce another to register to vote knowing that such person is not a United States citizen.

Health insurance; provider contracts; timeframe for provider to request appeal. Requires every carrier to provide at least 60 days following notice to a health care provider of any findings of an audit conducted by the carrier during which such health care provider may request a first-level or any subsequent-level appeal of any such findings.

Post-conviction relief; previously admitted scientific Post-conviction relief; previously admitted scientific evidence. Provides that a person who was convicted of certain offenses, upon a plea of not guilty or an Alford plea, or who was adjudicated delinquent, upon a plea of not guilty or an Alford plea, by a circuit court of an offense that would be a covered offense if committed by an adult may petition the Court of Appeals to have his conviction vacated on the basis of new or discredited forensic scientific evidence, defined in the bill. The petition shall allege (i) that the petitioner did not commit the covered offense for which the petitioner was convicted or adjudicated delinquent, nor engage in conduct that would support a conviction for a lesser offense or any other crime arising from, or reasonably connected to, the facts supporting the indictment or information upon which he was convicted or adjudicated delinquent; (ii) an exact description of the forensic scientific evidence and its relevance in demonstrating that the petitioner did not commit the covered offense; (iii) specific facts indicating that relevant forensic scientific evidence was not available at the time of the petitioner's conviction or adjudication of delinquency through the exercise of reasonable due diligence by the petitioner or that discredited forensic scientific evidence was presented at the petitioner's conviction or adjudication of delinquency; and (iv) that had the forensic scientific evidence been presented at conviction or adjudication of delinquency, the petitioner would not have been convicted or adjudicated delinquent. The bill provides that if the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the petitioner has proven all of the required allegations contained in the petition, the court may grant the petition and vacate the petitioner's conviction, subject to retrial in the discretion of the Commonwealth. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2024, and an expiration date of July 1, 2028.

Charter; Town of Kilmarnock. Updates the charter of the Town of Kilmarnock in Lancaster County to reflect the shift to November municipal elections as required by general law and removes a reference to the mayor for purposes of calculating a quorum. The bill also provides that no ordinance or resolution shall be passed appropriating money exceeding the sum of $500, rather than the $100 limit as specified in the current charter, except by the recorded affirmative vote of a majority of all members elected to the council.

Fort Monroe Authority; fees; security. Grants the Fort Monroe Authority the ability to (i) charge certain fees for services within Fort Monroe and (ii) utilize security enhancement devices to enhance the safety of persons or property within Fort Monroe.

Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Designates March, in 2023 and in each succeeding year, as Problem Gambling Awareness Month in Virginia.

Motor vehicle dealers; businesses without a physical presence in the Commonwealth selling vehicles in the Commonwealth; vehicle title. Creates a presumption that any business entity that does not maintain a physical presence in the Commonwealth and offers to sell or sells five or more motor vehicles within any 12 consecutive months, for which the delivery of such sold motor vehicle or place of such sale is in the Commonwealth, is a motor vehicle dealer and provides that such presumption may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence. The bill adds to the grounds for denying, suspending, or revoking licenses or certificates of dealer registration or qualification the failure to transfer the valid vehicle title of the sold motor vehicle to the buyer at the time of such sale.

Board of Housing and Community Development; Uniform Statewide Building Code; qualifications of technical assistants; emergency. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development to suspend, until no later than July 1, 2024, the Uniform Statewide Building Code qualification requirement that technical assistants who issue permits have at least three years of experience. The bill contains an emergency clause.