Virginia Public Procurement Act; competitive negotiation; allows localities to post public notice on appropriate websites. Removes the requirement that if a local public body elects not to publish notice of a Request for Proposal in a newspaper of general circulation in the area in which the contract is to be performed, then such local public body shall post such notice on the Department of General Services' central electronic procurement website. The bill allows local public bodies to post such notice on any appropriate website without requiring local public bodies to post such notice in a newspaper.

Housing authorities; common household pets. Requires each housing authority to permit tenants to own or maintain one or more common household pets, as defined in the bill, subject to applicable state and federal law and regulations and certain reasonable conditions outlined in the bill. As defined, "common household pet" does not include an assistance animal or any animal prohibited by a local ordinance regulating the keeping of animals or fowl, other than dogs or cats, within a certain distance of residences or other buildings or structures.

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.

Sports betting and casino gaming; Gaming Regulatory Fund established. Establishes the Gaming Regulatory Fund for the purpose of offsetting Virginia Lottery Department costs associated with conducting investigations and enforcing its regulations. The bill requires the Department to deposit background check fees, licensing fees, renewal or transfer fees, and other permitting fees to the Fund for such purpose. The bill also provides that revenues remaining in the Gaming Proceeds Fund following allocation by the General Assembly shall be deposited into the School Construction Fund. Finally, the bill provides that Chapters 8 and 9 of the Acts of Assembly of 2022, Special Session I, shall become effective on July 1, 2023.

False emergency communication to emergency personnel; penalties; report. Provides that it is a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly report, or cause another to report in reliance on intentionally false information provided by such person, a false emergency communication to any emergency personnel that results in an emergency response. The bill also provides that it is a Class 6 felony if such false emergency communication results in an emergency response during which and as a result of such emergency response any person suffers a serious bodily injury and a Class 5 felony if any person is killed. The bill authorizes any locality to provide by ordinance that a person convicted of such false emergency communication shall be liable for the reasonable expense in responding to such false emergency communication. The bill also requires the Secretary of Education, together with the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, to convene a work group for the purpose of establishing best practices, policies, and procedures for school personnel in the event of false information resulting in an emergency response at or near a school. False emergency communication to emergency personnel; penalties; report. Provides that it is a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly report, or cause another to report in reliance on intentionally false information provided by such person, a false emergency communication to any emergency personnel that results in an emergency response. The bill also provides that it is a Class 6 felony if such false emergency communication results in an emergency response during which and as a result of such emergency response any person suffers a serious bodily injury and a Class 5 felony if any person is killed. The bill authorizes any locality to provide by ordinance that a person convicted of such false emergency communication shall be liable for the reasonable expense in responding to such false emergency communication. The bill also requires the Secretary of Education, together with the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, to convene a work group for the purpose of establishing best practices, policies, and procedures for school personnel in the event of false information resulting in an emergency response at or near a school.

Health regulatory boards; delegation of authority to conduct informal fact-finding proceedings. Removes the requirement that a health regulatory board receive information that a practitioner may be subject to a disciplinary action in order for the board to delegate to an appropriately qualified agency subordinate the authority to conduct informal fact-finding proceedings.

Virginia Retirement System; return to work. Reduces from 12 to six the number of months for the required break in service for a teacher, bus driver, school administrator, or school security officer to return to work full time and continue to receive his pension under the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). The bill adds specialized student support positions to the list of employees who may return to work with a six-month break in service and specifies that the employer shall include such employees' compensation in membership payroll for purposes of the employer contributions to VRS. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2028, for the reduction of the required break in service period for all classes of employees. Finally, the bill requires VRS to submit a report regarding options for employing certain enumerated positions part-time during the required six-month break in service period. Virginia Retirement System; return to work. Reduces from 12 to six the number of months for the required break in service for a teacher, bus driver, school administrator, or school security officer to return to work full time and continue to receive his pension under the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). The bill adds specialized student support positions to the list of employees who may return to work with a six-month break in service and specifies that the employer shall include such employees' compensation in membership payroll for purposes of the employer contributions to VRS. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2028, for the reduction of the required break in service period for all classes of employees. Finally, the bill requires VRS to submit a report regarding options for employing certain enumerated positions part-time during the required six-month break in service period.

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act; certain gifts prohibited; foreign countries of concern. Prohibits officers and employees of state and local governments, including legislators or members of their immediate family who may accept such a gift on behalf of the Commonwealth, from receiving a gift with a value exceeding $100 for which the fair market value or a gift of greater or equal value has not been provided or exchanged from foreign countries of concern, defined in the bill.

Celebrating the life of Wilbert McKinley Bland, Sr.

Virginia Real Estate Time-Share Act; alternative purchases. Removes the requirement under the Virginia Real Estate Time-Share Act that a time-share instrument executed by a time-share estate project developer state whether such developer reserves the right to add to or delete any alternative purchase and requires that the public offering statement distributed to each prospective purchaser of a time-share disclose whether the developer will offer any alternative purchase.

Reporting requirements; elimination. Eliminates Reporting requirements; elimination. Eliminates the requirements that the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department) report annually the results of the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Advisory Committee's examinations and related recommendations to the State Water Commission, the Governor, and the General Assembly. The bill also repeals existing requirements that the Department report annually on its pollution prevention activities and that the chairman of the Virginia Roanoke River Basin Advisory Committee submit an annual executive summary of the interim activity and work of the committee.

Celebrating the life of Janet Bennett Martin.

Crash reports; inspection by certain persons. Changes the person authorized to inspect a crash report from the present owner of a vehicle or property involved in the crash to the owner of such vehicle or property at the time of the crash.

Television Production Development Grant Program and Fund; established; report. Establishes the Television Production Development Grant Program and Fund that allows the Virginia Tourism Authority, with assistance from the Virginia Film Office, to award competitive grants to businesses in the television industry for filming or investing in television production or television production related infrastructure projects in the Commonwealth. The Office and the Authority shall submit a report every two years detailing television industry and related infrastructure spending in the Commonwealth and information related to the issuance of such grants through the Program from the Fund.

Administrative Process Act; appeal of case decisions regarding grant or denial of public assistance. Removes the prohibition against appeals regarding the adequacy of standards of need and payment levels for public assistance and social services programs and provisions limiting the court to ascertaining whether there was evidence in the agency record to support the case decision of the agency acting as the trier of fact. Current law allows court review of agency decisions regarding the grant of denial of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, food stamps, general relief, auxiliary grants, or state-local hospitalization but limits such review to whether the agency relied on evidence to support its decision.