Extension of local land use approvals. Extends from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2025, the sunset date for various local land use approvals that were valid and outstanding as of July 1, 2020. The bill also provides that its provisions shall not be construed to extend previous extensions related to the housing crisis and that any extension of approvals outstanding as of July 1, 2020, shall apply to any such approvals granted subsequent to July 1, 2020, that expire prior to July 1, 2025. This provision is declarative of existing law.

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.

Governor's Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program. Establishes the Governor's Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program and authorizes the Governor to award grants to political subdivisions from the Governor's Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund as part of the Program. Such grants, in amounts up to $250,000, shall be awarded as reimbursable grants to support blue catfish processing, flash freezing, and infrastructure projects. The bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry to develop certain guidelines as provided in the bill on behalf of the Governor to facilitate the Program.

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.

Workers' compensation; post-traumatic stress disorder incurred by dispatchers. Allows dispatchers, as defined in the bill, to claim workers' compensation benefits relating to post-traumatic stress disorder under the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act. Currently, only law-enforcement officers and firefighters may claim such benefits.

Comprehensive plan; strategies to address resilience. Encourages localities to consider strategies to address resilience in their comprehensive plans.

Conveyance of easement. Authorizes the Department of Conservation and Recreation to grant and convey an easement and right-of-way at Machicomoco State Park (i) to Patrick F. Lemon and Vickie M. Lemon and (ii) to Eric James Baldwin and Christy Willet Baldwin. The easement will allow ingress and egress from the existing Braeburn Lane and Timberneck Farm Road to the grantees' properties. Conveyance of easement. Authorizes the Department of Conservation and Recreation to grant and convey an easement and right-of-way at Machicomoco State Park (i) to Patrick F. Lemon and Vickie M. Lemon and (ii) to Eric James Baldwin and Christy Willet Baldwin. The easement will allow ingress and egress from the existing Braeburn Lane and Timberneck Farm Road to the grantees' properties.

Electric utilities; pilot program for underground transmission or distribution lines; additional projects. Adds one project to the existing pilot program for underground transmission lines. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to approve one additional application filed between January 1, 2023, and October 1, 2023, as a qualifying project to be constructed in whole or in part underground, as a part of the pilot program. The bill requires that the added qualifying project be a newly proposed 230-kilovolt underground line and that (i) an engineering analysis demonstrates that it is technically feasible to place the proposed line, in whole or in part, underground; (ii) the governing body of each locality in which a portion of the proposed line will be placed underground indicates, by resolution, general community support for the project and that the governing body supports the transmission line to be placed underground; (iii) a project has been filed with the Commission or is pending issuance of a certificate of public convenience and necessity by October 1, 2023; (iv) the estimated additional cost of placing the proposed line, in whole or in part, underground does not exceed $40 million or, if greater than $40 million, the cost does not exceed 2.5 times the cost of placing the same line overhead, assuming accepted industry standards for undergrounding to ensure safety and reliability; if the public utility, the affected localities, and the Commission agree, a proposed underground line whose cost exceeds 2.5 times the cost of placing the line overhead may also be accepted into the pilot program; (v) the public utility requests that the project be considered as a qualifying project under the pilot program; and (vi) the primary need of the project is for purposes of grid reliability or grid resiliency or to support economic development priorities of the Commonwealth, including the economic development priorities and the comprehensive plan of the governing body of the locality in which at least a portion of line will be placed, and not to address aging assets that would have otherwise been replaced in due course. Electric utilities; pilot program for underground transmission or distribution lines; additional projects. Adds one project to the existing pilot program for underground transmission lines. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to approve one additional application filed between January 1, 2023, and October 1, 2023, as a qualifying project to be constructed in whole or in part underground, as a part of the pilot program. The bill requires that the added qualifying project be a newly proposed 230-kilovolt underground line and that (i) an engineering analysis demonstrates that it is technically feasible to place the proposed line, in whole or in part, underground; (ii) the governing body of each locality in which a portion of the proposed line will be placed underground indicates, by resolution, general community support for the project and that the governing body supports the transmission line to be placed underground; (iii) a project has been filed with the Commission or is pending issuance of a certificate of public convenience and necessity by October 1, 2023; (iv) the estimated additional cost of placing the proposed line, in whole or in part, underground does not exceed $40 million or, if greater than $40 million, the cost does not exceed 2.5 times the cost of placing the same line overhead, assuming accepted industry standards for undergrounding to ensure safety and reliability; if the public utility, the affected localities, and the Commission agree, a proposed underground line whose cost exceeds 2.5 times the cost of placing the line overhead may also be accepted into the pilot program; (v) the public utility requests that the project be considered as a qualifying project under the pilot program; and (vi) the primary need of the project is for purposes of grid reliability or grid resiliency or to support economic development priorities of the Commonwealth, including the economic development priorities and the comprehensive plan of the governing body of the locality in which at least a portion of line will be placed, and not to address aging assets that would have otherwise been replaced in due course. Additionally, the bill adds one project to place underground an electric distribution mainline as part of a transportation infrastructure improvement project incorporating transit that has been initially accepted for partial funding of at least $250 million pursuant to a federal program. The bill provides that such project is qualified to be placed underground if (a) the estimated additional cost of placing the proposed mainline, in whole or in part, underground does not exceed $40 million or, if greater than $40 million, the cost does not exceed 2.5 times the cost of placing the same line overhead, assuming accepted industry standards for undergrounding to ensure safety and reliability; if the public utility, the affected localities, and the Commission agree, a proposed underground line whose cost exceeds 2.5 times the cost of placing the line overhead may also be accepted into the pilot program and (b) the public utility requests that the project be considered as a qualifying project under this section. The provisions of the bill related to the underground distribution mainline expire on July 1, 2028.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; uninhabitable dwelling unit. Provides that a tenant may terminate the rental agreement and receive a full refund of all deposits and rent paid to the landlord if, at the beginning of the tenancy, a condition exists in the rental dwelling unit that constitutes a fire hazard or serious threat to the life, health, or safety of tenants or occupants of the premises, including an infestation of rodents or a lack of heat, hot or cold running water, electricity, or adequate sewage disposal facilities, so long as the tenant provides the landlord notice of his intent to terminate the rental agreement within seven days of the date on which possession of the dwelling unit was to have transferred to the tenant. The bill requires the landlord to provide the tenant a refund of all deposits and rent paid on or before the fifteenth business day following the day on which (i) the termination notice is delivered to the landlord or (ii) the tenant vacates the dwelling unit, whichever occurs later, unless the landlord provides to the tenant written notice of his refusal to accept the tenant's termination of the rental agreement, along with the reasons for such refusal, within 15 business days following the date on which such termination notice was delivered to the landlord. The bill also provides that any tenant who has not taken possession or who has vacated the dwelling unit may file an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to contest the landlord's refusal to accept the termination notice, if applicable, and for the return of any deposits and rent paid to the landlord, and allows for the prevailing party in any such action to recover reasonable attorney fees. Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; uninhabitable dwelling unit. Provides that a tenant may terminate the rental agreement and receive a full refund of all deposits and rent paid to the landlord if, at the beginning of the tenancy, a condition exists in the rental dwelling unit that constitutes a fire hazard or serious threat to the life, health, or safety of tenants or occupants of the premises, including an infestation of rodents or a lack of heat, hot or cold running water, electricity, or adequate sewage disposal facilities, so long as the tenant provides the landlord notice of his intent to terminate the rental agreement within seven days of the date on which possession of the dwelling unit was to have transferred to the tenant. The bill requires the landlord to provide the tenant a refund of all deposits and rent paid on or before the fifteenth business day following the day on which (i) the termination notice is delivered to the landlord or (ii) the tenant vacates the dwelling unit, whichever occurs later, unless the landlord provides to the tenant written notice of his refusal to accept the tenant's termination of the rental agreement, along with the reasons for such refusal, within 15 business days following the date on which such termination notice was delivered to the landlord. The bill also provides that any tenant who has not taken possession or who has vacated the dwelling unit may file an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to contest the landlord's refusal to accept the termination notice, if applicable, and for the return of any deposits and rent paid to the landlord, and allows for the prevailing party in any such action to recover reasonable attorney fees.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund; recovery; arbitration. Allows a person who has a judgment entered in conformity with an order confirming an arbitration award from a court of competent jurisdiction in the Commonwealth against a contractor that involves improper or dishonest conduct in connection with a transaction involving contracting to file a verified claim with the Director of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to obtain a directive ordering payment from the Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund of the amount unpaid upon the judgment, subject to certain conditions outlined in the bill.

Department of Veterans Services; mental health and rehabilitative services; Military Spouse Liaison. Adds military service members transitioning from military to civilian life to the list of persons supported by the program for mental health and rehabilitative services administered by the Department of Veterans Services. The bill requires the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services to include in the Department's annual report data related to such transitioning service members and an overview of the activities of the Military Spouse Liaison, including any legislative recommendations.

Resisting detention; penalty. Makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor for any person to intentionally prevent or attempt to prevent a law-enforcement officer from lawfully detaining him, defined in the bill as fleeing or attempting to flee from a law-enforcement officer when (i) the officer has reasonable articulable suspicion to detain the person, (ii) the officer communicates to the person an order to stop, and (iii) the person refuses to obey the order to stop. The bill allows a person charged with committing this offense to be arrested and immediately brought before a magistrate. The bill requires law enforcement to make a report to the Central Criminal Records Exchange when any person is arrested on such charge. Resisting detention; penalty. Makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor for any person to intentionally prevent or attempt to prevent a law-enforcement officer from lawfully detaining him, defined in the bill as fleeing or attempting to flee from a law-enforcement officer when (i) the officer has reasonable articulable suspicion to detain the person, (ii) the officer communicates to the person an order to stop, and (iii) the person refuses to obey the order to stop. The bill allows a person charged with committing this offense to be arrested and immediately brought before a magistrate. The bill requires law enforcement to make a report to the Central Criminal Records Exchange when any person is arrested on such charge.

Charter; Town of White Stone. Updates the charter for the Town of White Stone in Lancaster County to reflect the shift from May to November municipal elections.

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 Erosion and Stormwater Management Act; regulations; effective date. Directs the State Water Control Board to adopt regulations to implement before July 1, 2024, the requirements of amendments to the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Act enacted by the 2016 Session and amended by the 2017 Session and delays from July 1, 2018, to July 1, 2024, the effective date of the amendments made by the 2016 Session and regulations required to be adopted pursuant thereto.