Commending Joseph D. Harmon.

Commending Sang H. Yi.

Commending Janice B. Miller.

High school students; academic credit for certain work experience and fine arts programs; guidelines. Directs the Board of Education to develop guidelines and policies permitting any high school student in grades 11 and 12 to earn one-half standard unit of credit per semester for employment in certain fields or industries or participation in certain fine arts programs in which such student works or participates a certain minimum number of hours per week for each week of the semester, as determined by the Board. The bill requires the Board to collaborate with and seek input from the Coordinator of Fine Arts for the Department of Education and a representative from the Virginia Coalition for Fine Arts Education in developing and implementing guidelines and policies for awarding academic credit for participation in certain fine arts programs.

Organized retail theft; report; penalty. Establishes the crime of organized retail theft that makes it a Class 3 felony for any person who conspires or acts in concert with another person to commit simple larceny of retail property from one or more retail mercantile establishments, with a value exceeding $5,000 aggregated over a 90-day period, with the intent to sell such retail property for monetary or other gain, and who takes or causes such retail property to be placed in the control of a retail property fence or other person and either (i) receives or possesses any retail property that has been obtained by simple larceny from one or more retail mercantile establishments while knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe the property was unlawfully obtained or (ii) conspires or acts in concert with two or more other persons as an organizer, supervisor, financier, leader, or manager to engage for profit in a scheme or course of conduct to effectuate the transfer or sale of property obtained by simple larceny from one or more retail mercantile establishments. The bill defines the terms retail mercantile establishment, retail property, and retail property fence. The bill also establishes the Organized Retail Crime Fund to be administered by the Attorney General solely for the purposes of awarding grants to attorneys for the Commonwealth and law-enforcement agencies to investigate, indict, and prosecute violations of organized retail theft and associated fraud and property crimes.

Short-term rental property; locality's ability to restrict Short-term rental property; locality's ability to restrict property managed by a Virginia realtor. Provides that a locality may not restrict by ordinance any short-term rental property managed by a Virginia realtor, defined in the bill. The bill provides that a locality may not enforce an ordinance against such property where the ordinance (i) prohibits short-term rentals; (ii) limits occupancy in a short-term rental property to less than what is allowed under the building code or local zoning regulations; (iii) limits the number of days in a calendar year for which a short-term rental property can be rented; (iv) requires an owner to occupy the short-term rental property as his primary residence for any number of days in a calendar year; (v) requires any type of remote monitoring device to be installed on the short-term rental property, including decibel, audio, or video; (vi) requires exterior or interior inspections of the short-term rental property pertaining to any items defined under the building code more frequently than every five years, unless a complaint has been filed with the locality or building authority; (vii) requires repairs, renovations, or updates to the structure of the short-term rental property that are greater than those required under the applicable building code; or (viii) requires an owner to add additional or otherwise alter existing parking spaces for the short-term rental property. The provisions of the bill shall apply to any short-term rental property managed by a realtor and operating as such on or after January 1, 2023.

Health insurance; pharmacy benefits managers; employee welfare benefit plans. Provides that entities providing or administering self-insured or self-funded employee welfare benefit plans are subject to provisions related to pharmacy benefits management, including certain prohibited conduct and recordkeeping requirements.

Virginia Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act; definitions. Expands the definition of "motor vehicle" in the Virginia Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act to include a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight under 10,000 pounds that is bought or used primarily for business purposes by a person or certain legal business entities to which not more than five motor vehicles are registered. The bill also adds electronic mail communications to the definition of "notify" or "notification" in the Act.

Amendment of death certificates; county and city registrars. Requires a county or city registrar, upon receipt of an affidavit and supporting evidence testifying to corrected information on a death certificate within 45 days of the filing of a death certificate, to amend such death certificate to reflect the new information and evidence and to forward such affidavit and supporting evidence to the State Registrar. Amendment of death certificates; county and city registrars. Requires a county or city registrar, upon receipt of an affidavit and supporting evidence testifying to corrected information on a death certificate within 45 days of the filing of a death certificate, to amend such death certificate to reflect the new information and evidence and to forward such affidavit and supporting evidence to the State Registrar.

Adult protective services; referrals to local law enforcement. Removes the requirement that the adult protective services hotline immediately refer certain reports of alleged adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation to the appropriate local law-enforcement agency and removes the duty of local law-enforcement agencies to provide the adult protective services hotline with a preferred point of contact for such referrals. The bill retains the requirement for the local department of social services to immediately refer such reports to the appropriate local law-enforcement agency and the duty of local law-enforcement agencies to provide local departments of social services with a preferred point of contact for such referrals.

Medical marijuana program; product, registration, dispensing, and recordkeeping requirements; advertising. Amends and adds numerous provisions regarding the Commonwealth's medical marijuana program, including provisions related to recordkeeping, product registration, allowable deviations, dispensing, packaging, labeling, and advertising. The bill requires pharmaceutical processors and cannabis dispensing facilities to collect and provide to the Board of Pharmacy by July 1, 2024, data regarding implementation of the bill. The bill also requires the Board of Pharmacy to make certain amendments to its regulations.

Unincorporated bodies, societies, groups, associations, or posts; appointment of trustees. Allows for the appointment of trustees for an unincorporated body, society, group, association, or post upon petition to the circuit court of the locality in which such unincorporated body, society, group, association, or post meets. The bill also contains technical amendments.

Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; assess licensing scheme for liquid nicotine; report. Directs the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, in consultation with stakeholders, to assess (i) a potential licensing scheme for manufacturers, distributors, and retail dealers of liquid nicotine in the Commonwealth and (ii) the most appropriate manner and entity to enforce and administer licensing, age verification, product verification, and advertising restrictions related to the sale of liquid nicotine. The bill requires the Authority to report its findings and any recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the House Committee on Finance, and the House Committee on Appropriations by November 1, 2023.

Virginia Retirement System; Judicial Retirement System; increased retirement allowance for judges, assistant attorneys for the Commonwealth, and public defenders. Increases, for the purposes of determining benefits provided under the hybrid retirement program, the retirement multiplier from one percent to 1.7 percent for assistant attorneys for the Commonwealth and public defenders appointed on or after July 1, 2023, who are participants in the hybrid retirement program. The bill also increases, for the purposes of determining benefits provided under the Judicial Retirement System, the retirement multiplier from one percent to 1.7 percent for judges appointed on or after July 1, 2023, who are participants in the hybrid retirement program and who are at least 55 years of age at the time of appointment.

Comprehensive children's health care coverage program. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to establish a program to provide state-funded comprehensive health care coverage on and after July 1, 2024, for individuals in the Commonwealth who (i) are under 19 years of age, (ii) are not covered under a group health plan or health insurance coverage, and (iii) but for their immigration status would be eligible for medical assistance services through the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance services established pursuant to Title XIX or XXI of the Social Security Act. The bill also requires the Department to ensure that all program information is made available in a manner that is accessible to individuals with limited English proficiency and individuals with disabilities through the provision of language access services, including oral interpretation and written translations, free of charge, and to ensure that information obtained by the program remains confidential and is not disclosed for any purpose not related to the administration of the program. Comprehensive children's health care coverage program. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to establish a program to provide state-funded comprehensive health care coverage on and after July 1, 2024, for individuals in the Commonwealth who (i) are under 19 years of age, (ii) are not covered under a group health plan or health insurance coverage, and (iii) but for their immigration status would be eligible for medical assistance services through the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance services established pursuant to Title XIX or XXI of the Social Security Act. The bill also requires the Department to ensure that all program information is made available in a manner that is accessible to individuals with limited English proficiency and individuals with disabilities through the provision of language access services, including oral interpretation and written translations, free of charge, and to ensure that information obtained by the program remains confidential and is not disclosed for any purpose not related to the administration of the program.