Powers of State Health Commissioner in epidemic; vaccine; religious tenets or practices. Allows a parent or guardian to object to the vaccination or immunization of a child on the grounds that the administration of immunizing agents conflicts with his religious tenets or practices, even if an emergency or epidemic of disease has been declared by the State Board of Health, which is not allowed under current law. The bill also provides that nothing shall preclude the State Health Commissioner from requiring immediate immunization of all persons in the case of an epidemic of any disease of public health importance for which a vaccine exists other than a person, including a parent or guardian on behalf of a child, who objects on the grounds that the administration of the vaccine conflicts with his religious tenets or practices. Under current law, the only exception to the Commissioner's power to require immediate immunization of all persons in case of an epidemic of any disease of public health importance for which a vaccine exists is for a person to whose health the administration of a vaccine would be detrimental as certified in writing by a physician licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth.

Use of handheld personal communication devices in certain motor vehicles. Clarifies the penalty structure for a first offense and a second or subsequent offense of using a handheld personal communication device in certain motor vehicles, as well as the mandatory fine for a violation within a highway work zone, to accommodate the Supreme Court's case management system. The bill contains technical amendments. This bill is declarative of existing law and is identical to

Virginia Psilocybin Advisory Board established; report; Drug Control Act reclassification of psilocybin. Establishes the Virginia Psilocybin Advisory Board to develop a long-term strategic plan for establishing therapeutic access to psilocybin services and monitor and study federal laws, regulations, and policies regarding psilocybin. The bill requires the Board to report annually by December 1 to the Governor and the General Assembly regarding its activities and recommendations. The bill reclassifies psilocybin under the Drug Control Act from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance.

Elections; filling vacancies in the General Assembly; certain vacancies to be filled within 30 days. Requires the writ of election to fill a vacancy in the membership of the General Assembly (i) to be issued within 30 days of the vacancy or receipt of notification of the vacancy, whichever comes first, and (ii) if the vacancy occurs or will occur between December 10 and March 1, to order that the special election take place no more than 30 days from the date of such vacancy. Elections; filling vacancies in the General Assembly; certain vacancies to be filled within 30 days. Requires the writ of election to fill a vacancy in the membership of the General Assembly (i) to be issued within 30 days of the vacancy or receipt of notification of the vacancy, whichever comes first, and (ii) if the vacancy occurs or will occur between December 10 and March 1, to order that the special election take place no more than 30 days from the date of such vacancy.

Department of Emergency Management; comprehensive extreme heat emergency response plan. Directs the Department of Emergency Management to develop a comprehensive extreme heat emergency response plan by November 1, 2023. Such plan shall include criteria for (i) developing a heat adaptation plan, (ii) convening a heat emergency coordination team to facilitate coordination across state agencies, (iii) establishing public cooling spaces, (iv) developing extreme heat health warning systems and protocols, (v) establishing partnerships with community-based organizations to provide services and support to all communities, and (vi) examining housing cooling needs.

C-PACE loans; residential dwellings and condominiums. Removes an exclusion for residential dwellings with fewer than five dwelling units and condominium projects from certain requirements related to a voluntary special assessment lien that secures a loan for the initial acquisition and installation of clean energy, resiliency, or stormwater management improvements.

Towing trespassing vehicles; limitations on fees. Prohibits localities from setting limits on towing fees and other associated fees for trespassing passenger cars and vehicles that are lower than the respective statewide maximum charges authorized for such fees in localities without a local ordinance setting towing fees; removes current specified limits for Planning Districts 8 and 16 that would fall below those limits; and requires an ordinance adopted by a locality that sets such limits to provide that no more than two additional fees can be charged for towing any vehicle between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. or on any Saturday, Sunday, or holiday. The bill changes current statewide trespass towing fee limits on hookup and initial towing fees of passenger cars from $150 to $180 and additional fees for towing between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. or on any Saturday, Sunday, or holiday from $30 to $35.

Pharmacist scope of practice; initiation of treatment for certain diseases and conditions. Allows pharmacists to initiate treatment with, dispense, or administer controlled substances or devices for the initiation of treatment of group A Streptococcus bacteria infection, influenza virus infection, COVID-19 virus infection, and urinary tract infection to persons 18 years of age or older with whom the pharmacist has a bona fide pharmacist-patient relationship in accordance with regulations set forth by the Board of Pharmacy. The bill directs the Board of Pharmacy to adopt a statewide protocol for the initiation of treatment with and dispensing and administering of drugs and devices by pharmacists in accordance with the provisions of the bill by November 1, 2023. The bill provides that such protocol shall be developed by a work group consisting of representatives from the Board of Pharmacy, the Board of Medicine, and the Department of Health and directs the Board of Pharmacy to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.

Public institutions of higher education; tuition grants; Virginia National Guard. Provides that public institutions of higher education may enter into special arrangement contracts with the Virginia Department of Military Affairs for the purpose of providing reduced rate tuition charges for no more than 50 members of the Virginia National Guard receiving state tuition assistance grants per year. The bill also provides that a non-Virginia student shall not receive reduced rate tuition charges unless he has been enrolled in a Virginia public institution of higher education for two years prior to receiving the reduced rate tuition. In order to be eligible for such state tuition assistance grant, a member of the Virginia National Guard must have two years remaining on his service obligation to the Virginia National Guard as of the last day of the last term or semester for which tuition assistance is requested. Current law provides that as a condition of being awarded a tuition assistance grant, a member of the Virginia National Guard will incur a two-year service obligation to commence after the last day of the term or semester for which tuition assistance is requested. Public institutions of higher education; tuition grants; Virginia National Guard. Provides that public institutions of higher education may enter into special arrangement contracts with the Virginia Department of Military Affairs for the purpose of providing reduced rate tuition charges for no more than 50 members of the Virginia National Guard receiving state tuition assistance grants per year. The bill also provides that a non-Virginia student shall not receive reduced rate tuition charges unless he has been enrolled in a Virginia public institution of higher education for two years prior to receiving the reduced rate tuition. In order to be eligible for such state tuition assistance grant, a member of the Virginia National Guard must have two years remaining on his service obligation to the Virginia National Guard as of the last day of the last term or semester for which tuition assistance is requested. Current law provides that as a condition of being awarded a tuition assistance grant, a member of the Virginia National Guard will incur a two-year service obligation to commence after the last day of the term or semester for which tuition assistance is requested.

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 four percent of the salary of any salaried office sought by a candidate or, for any office for which compensation is paid by fees, four percent of the average fees collected by the office.

Statute of limitations; medical debt. Provides that the statute of limitations for an action on any contract, written or unwritten, to collect medical debt, including actions brought by the Commonwealth, is three years from the original date of a health care service unless the contract with a hospital or health care provider is for a payment plan that allows for a longer period of time for the collection of debt by the hospital or health care provider.

Vehicle safety inspection; commercial vehicles; exemption. Provides that a commercial vehicle operating in interstate commerce is exempt from the vehicle safety inspection requirement if, in addition to other criteria, such vehicle is inspected in accordance with the federal requirements for annual inspection by complying with federal periodic inspection requirements. Current law requires annual inspection through self-inspection, a third-party inspection, a Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance inspection, or a periodic inspection performed by any state with a program in order for the vehicle to be exempt.

Commending Dr. Donald James Finley.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; cooperative procurement; installation of playground equipment. Excludes the installation of playground equipment, including all associated and necessary construction and maintenance, from the prohibition on using cooperative procurement to purchase construction.

Study; effect of use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors on mass casualty events; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study the effect of the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors on mass casualty events. The resolution directs the joint subcommittee to, in conducting its study, examine any causal links between the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and violent behavior and the commission of violent crimes and to develop recommendations related to the prevention of such behavior or crimes.