Virginia Retirement System; school resource officers. Requires localities to provide enhanced retirement benefits to school resource officers. The bill also allows a retired law-enforcement officer to return to work as a school resource officer after a break in service of at least 12 months without impacting his retirement benefits.

Study; Virginia Institute of Marine Science; menhaden; report. Directs the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to develop plans for studying the ecology, fishery impacts, and economic importance of menhaden populations in the waters of the Commonwealth and to provide a report on its findings to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources no later than September 1, 2023. Study; Virginia Institute of Marine Science; menhaden; report. Directs the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to develop plans for studying the ecology, fishery impacts, and economic importance of menhaden populations in the waters of the Commonwealth and to provide a report on its findings to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources no later than September 1, 2023.

Common interest communities; foreclosure remedy. Prohibits a common interest community association from conducting a foreclosure sale on a lien for unpaid assessments totaling less than $5,000, excluding interest and attorney fees. Current law does not place a limit on the amount of assessments that must be unpaid before a common interest community association may conduct a foreclosure sale on a lien for any such unpaid assessments. The bill also limits interest charged on such unpaid assessments to an annual rate of six percent and prohibits any bill to enforce a lien from being entertained upon such property if the assessments are less than $5,000. Current law prohibits any bill to enforce a lien from being entertained if such real estate is the judgment debtor's primary residence unless the judgment exceeds $25,000.

Department of Education; work group on reducing barriers to access to paid work-based learning experiences for English language learner students. Requires the Department of Education to convene a stakeholder work group to make recommendations on reducing barriers to and improving the access of paid work-based learning experiences for English language learner students. Department of Education; work group on reducing barriers to access to paid work-based learning experiences for English language learner students. Requires the Department of Education to convene a stakeholder work group to make recommendations on reducing barriers to and improving the access of paid work-based learning experiences for English language learner students.

Unemployment compensation; time to file appeal. Reduces from 30 days to 15 days (i) the time after notice of the determination of a claim within which a claimant is required to file an appeal before such determination becomes final and (ii) the time after the date of notification or mailing of an appeal tribunal's decision on an unemployment compensation claim within which a party is required to file a subsequent appeal before such decision becomes final.

Virginia Retirement System; school bus drivers; return to employment. Provides that if a retired school bus driver was employed by a local school division and had a bona fide break in service of at least three months between retirement and employment as a school bus driver in a local school division that identifies and experiences a critical shortage of school bus drivers reaching a vacancy rate that exceeds 20 percent, such person is not required to establish a 12-month break in service that would otherwise be required by law. The critical shortage and vacancy rate of school bus drivers in a local school division are subject to semi-annual reevaluation to determine whether a critical shortage continues to exist and whether the vacancy rate of school bus drivers in the local school division continues to exceed 20 percent. The bill requires an affected local school division to provide an annual report to the General Assembly identifying critical shortages, vacancy rates, and employment of school bus drivers, including those reemployed out of retirement, in the prior year. The bill also requires the Secretary of Education and Secretary of Transportation to convene a work group to identify specific strategies to address bus driver shortages across Virginia local school divisions. Virginia Retirement System; school bus drivers; return to employment. Provides that if a retired school bus driver was employed by a local school division and had a bona fide break in service of at least three months between retirement and employment as a school bus driver in a local school division that identifies and experiences a critical shortage of school bus drivers reaching a vacancy rate that exceeds 20 percent, such person is not required to establish a 12-month break in service that would otherwise be required by law. The critical shortage and vacancy rate of school bus drivers in a local school division are subject to semi-annual reevaluation to determine whether a critical shortage continues to exist and whether the vacancy rate of school bus drivers in the local school division continues to exceed 20 percent. The bill requires an affected local school division to provide an annual report to the General Assembly identifying critical shortages, vacancy rates, and employment of school bus drivers, including those reemployed out of retirement, in the prior year. The bill also requires the Secretary of Education and Secretary of Transportation to convene a work group to identify specific strategies to address bus driver shortages across Virginia local school divisions.

Elections; presidential primaries; ranked choice voting. Allows political parties to hold presidential primaries using ballots that allow a voter to rank such party's candidates in his order of choice.

Removal of elected officers and certain appointed officers; petition for removal. Requires signatures for a petition for removal of an officer to be collected within 90 days. No signatures on such petition shall be collected (i) within 75 days of a primary election or party nomination process in which the officer is a candidate and through the date of the next general election if the officer is the winner of the primary election or party nomination process or (ii) on the date of any general or special election in which the officer is a candidate through the thirtieth day after the officer takes office if the officer is the winner of the general or special election. The bill also requires the petition to be signed by a number of registered voters equal to 30 percent of the total number of votes cast at the last election for the office that the officer whose removal is sought holds. Current law requires the petition to be signed by a number of registered voters equal to 10 percent of the total number of votes cast at such election. Removal of elected officers and certain appointed officers; petition for removal. Requires signatures for a petition for removal of an officer to be collected within 90 days. No signatures on such petition shall be collected (i) within 75 days of a primary election or party nomination process in which the officer is a candidate and through the date of the next general election if the officer is the winner of the primary election or party nomination process or (ii) on the date of any general or special election in which the officer is a candidate through the thirtieth day after the officer takes office if the officer is the winner of the general or special election. The bill also requires the petition to be signed by a number of registered voters equal to 30 percent of the total number of votes cast at the last election for the office that the officer whose removal is sought holds. Current law requires the petition to be signed by a number of registered voters equal to 10 percent of the total number of votes cast at such election.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies; noncompliance with rental agreement. Increases from five days to 14 days the mandatory waiting period after a landlord serves written notice on a tenant notifying the tenant of his nonpayment of rent and of the landlord's intention to terminate the rental agreement if rent is not paid before the landlord may pursue remedies for termination of the rental agreement.

Electronic communication systems within state correctional facilities; free telephone calls and communication services. Requires the Department of Corrections to provide telephone systems and web-based or electronic communications systems free of charge to any person, whether such person is initiating or receiving the communication. Electronic communication systems within state correctional facilities; free telephone calls and communication services. Requires the Department of Corrections to provide telephone systems and web-based or electronic communications systems free of charge to any person, whether such person is initiating or receiving the communication.

Department of Veterans Services; hyperbaric oxygen therapy; data collection. Allows the Department of Veterans Services to contract with any hospital in the Commonwealth that furnishes the treatment option of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to any veteran in the Commonwealth who has been certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any branch of the United States Armed Forces as having post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury. The Department shall include in any contract with such hospital to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy the requirement that data be collected to assess the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans and any other information deemed relevant by the Department.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; over-the-counter and prescription hearing aids. Clarifies that licensure by the Board for Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians is not required for a corporation, partnership, trust, association, or other like organization engaged in the business of selling prescription hearing aids, defined in the bill as a hearing aid that is not an over-the-counter hearing aid, provided that it employs only licensed practitioners in the direct sale and fitting of prescription hearing aids.

American Revolution 250 Commission; report. Changes the American Revolution 250 Commission, established in 2020, from an executive branch advisory commission to a legislative branch commission. The bill provides that members previously appointed to the Commission shall continue to serve pursuant to their original appointments. The bill also creates the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission Fund. The bill extends the Commission's sunset date from July 1, 2027, to July 1, 2032.

Virginia Retirement System; certain law-enforcement officers; part time. Provides that an employee of a political subdivision or of the Commonwealth who (i) is compensated on a salaried or hourly basis; (ii) works at least 20 hours per week; and (iii) is employed as a law-enforcement officer shall be considered a full-time employee for purposes of participation in the Virginia Retirement System.

Board of visitors of Radford University; reduced rate tuition charges; students who reside in and are domiciled in the Appalachian region. Permits the board of visitors of Radford University to charge reduced rate tuition to any student enrolled at Radford University who resides in the Appalachian region, as defined in relevant federal law, is domiciled in the Appalachian region, and is entitled to in-state tuition charges at a public institution of higher education in the Appalachian region and such entitlement is based on circumstances that when applied to a student who resides in the Commonwealth would result in entitlement to in-state tuition, provided that reduced rate tuition for students who reside in and are domiciled in the Appalachian region shall not be set below the in-state tuition rate for Virginia students attending Radford University.