Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; security deposits. Provides that if a tenant is present for a move-out inspection, there are no damages to the dwelling unit beyond normal wear and tear based upon such inspection, and the tenant does not owe any rent to the landlord as of the date of such move-out inspection, the landlord shall refund the entirety of the security deposit to the tenant within 15 business days of the date of such move-out inspection. Such refund shall be returned to the tenant electronically, in person, or by mail at a forwarding address provided by the tenant.

School board selection; referendum on direct election of school board members by voters; authorization by local governing body. Allows the governing body of a county, city, or town to file a petition with the circuit court of the county or city or of the county within which the town or the greater part thereof is located asking that a referendum be held on the question of whether the members of the school board of the county, city, or town shall be elected directly by the voters.

Voter identification; identification containing a photograph required. Requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote. The bill repeals the provisions of law permitting a voter who does not have one of the required forms of identification to vote after signing a statement, subject to felony penalties for false statements, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Instead, the bill provides that such voter is entitled to cast a provisional ballot.

Virginia Retail Sales and Use Tax Act; agricultural exemptions; structural construction materials. Exempts from certain retail sales and use taxes structural construction materials that are an integral part of a commercial greenhouse structure and growing system, ordered to meet the specifications of an operator of such system, and intended to be affixed to or integrated into a commercial greenhouse structure that is at least 50,000 square feet in size. Current law specifies that structural construction materials to be affixed to real property owned or leased by a farmer, necessary for use in agricultural production for market, and sold to or purchased by a farmer or contractor are not exempt from such taxation.

Charter; Town of Farmville. Establishes a new charter for the Town of Farmville in Prince Edward County and repeals the current charter, which was created in 1956. The proposed charter sets out the organization of the town's government and contains powers typically granted to towns.

Prescription Drug Affordability Board and Fund established; Prescription Drug Affordability Board and Fund established; drug cost affordability review. Establishes the Prescription Drug Affordability Board for the purpose of protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth, state and local governments, commercial health plans, health care providers, pharmacies licensed in the Commonwealth, and other stakeholders within the health care system from the high costs of prescription drug products. The bill directs the Governor to appoint the members and alternate members of the Board and requires the Board to meet in open session at least four times annually, with certain exceptions and requirements enumerated in the bill. Members of the Board are required to disclose any conflicts of interest, as described in the bill. The bill also creates a stakeholder council for the purpose of assisting the Board in making decisions related to drug cost affordability. The bill tasks the Board with identifying prescription, generic, and other drugs, as defined in the bill, that are offered for sale in the Commonwealth and, at the Board's discretion, conducting an affordability review of any prescription drug product. The bill lists factors for the Board to consider that indicate an affordability challenge for the health care system in the Commonwealth or high out-of-pocket costs for patients. The bill also provides that any person aggrieved by a decision of the Board may request an appeal of the Board's decision and that the Attorney General shall have authority to enforce the provisions of the bill. The bill also creates the Prescription Drug Affordability Fund to be used for funding the operations of the Board and reimbursing state agencies for implementing the provisions of the bill. The bill requires the Board to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly twice annually, beginning on July 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. Provisions of the bill shall apply to state-sponsored and state-regulated health plans and health programs and obligate such policies to limit drug payment amounts and reimbursements to an upper payment limit amount set by the Board, if applicable, following an affordability review. The bill specifies that Medicare Part D plans shall not be bound by such decisions of the Board. Finally, the bill contains a severability clause and has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2024.

Concealed handgun permit; demonstrated competence. Adds a firearms safety or training course conducted by the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) or by a USCCA-certified firearms instructor, or any firearms safety or training course or class available to the general public offered by a law-enforcement agency, institution of higher education, or private or public institution or organization or firearms training school utilizing instructors certified by the USCCA to those programs that satisfy the demonstration of competence requirement for the issuance of a Virginia resident or nonresident concealed handgun permit.

Department of Human Resource Management; health insurance coverage for employees of multijurisdictional community services boards. Adds employees of community services boards that serve more than one locality to the definition of "state employee" for the purpose of allowing such employees to be eligible for the health insurance coverage provided to state employees by the Department of Human Resource Management.

Firearm transfers to another person from a prohibited person. Provides that a person who is prohibited from possessing a firearm because such person is subject to a protective order or has been convicted of an assault and battery of a family or household member may transfer a firearm owned by such prohibited person to any person who is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing such firearm, provided that such person who is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing such firearm is 21 years of age or older and does not reside with the person who is subject to the protective order. Under current law, there is no requirement that such transferee cannot be younger than 21 years of age and cannot reside with such prohibited person. The bill also provides that such prohibited person who transfers, sells, or surrenders a firearm pursuant to the provisions of the bill shall inform the clerk of the court of the name and address of the transferee, the federally licensed firearms dealer, or the law-enforcement agency in possession of the firearm.

Storage, preservation, and retention of biological evidence Storage, preservation, and retention of biological evidence in felony cases. Requires any governmental entity that possesses any biological evidence, defined in the bill, collected or obtained during an investigation of a felony case to ensure the storage, preservation, and retention of such biological evidence or representative samples for such period of time that (i) the defendant remains incarcerated or under any registration or supervision requirement in connection with the felony conviction or (ii) until the expiration of the statute of limitations for the alleged offense has lapsed in such case where a felony remains unsolved or no charges have been filed. The bill requires biological evidence to be preserved in a condition that is suitable for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing and analysis, and such evidence shall be made available for DNA testing. The bill requires the court, upon motion by the defendant, to order the Department of Forensic Science to submit an inventory of the biological evidence that has been preserved in the connection with the defendant's case, a copy of which shall be provided to the defendant. The bill requires the chief evidence custodian of a governmental entity to submit an affidavit if such government entity cannot locate biological evidence that it is required to preserve, under penalty of perjury, that describes the biological evidence that cannot be located and details the efforts made to locate such evidence. The bill provides remedies the court may order if it finds that biological evidence has not been properly preserved, including (i) granting a new trial; (ii) dismissing the charges; (iii) reducing the sentence; (iv) vacating the defendant's conviction; or (v) entering a finding that a presumption exists that the evidence would have been exculpatory to the defendant because the biological evidence has not been preserved properly.

Nursing home standards of care; administrative sanctions; Long-Term Care Services Fund established. Requires regulations establishing the staffing and care standards in nursing homes to require a minimum number of hours of direct care services to each resident per 24-hour period, which minimum increases in specified phases from 3.5 hours to 4.1 hours. The bill gives the Commissioner of Health the power to impose administrative sanctions on nursing homes and directs the Board of Health to promulgate regulations related to the criteria and procedures for the imposition of administrative sanctions or initiation of court proceedings for violations of the bill. The bill establishes the Long-Term Care Services Fund for the purpose of making grants to assist in the provision of activities that protect or improve the quality of care or quality of life for residents, patients, and consumers of long-term care services.

South Central Wastewater Authority; watershed general permit for nutrients. Directs the South Central Wastewater Authority (SCWWA) to submit a phased construction program to the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department) by August 1, 2023, which the Department shall approve by September 1, 2023, or as soon as possible thereafter. Such phased upgrade construction program for the SCWWA shall be completed as soon as possible on a schedule approved by the Department but no later than January 1, 2030. The bill requires the SCWWA to begin the initial phase of construction by December 31, 2023, or within 150 days of approval by the Department of the phased construction program, whichever is later. The bill requires the SCWWA to comply with certain requirements regarding its progress toward completing the phased construction program. The bill also directs the Department to amend certain water quality improvement agreements and the Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for the SCWWA wastewater treatment facility to conform to the provisions of the bill.

State Corporation Commission; work group; health carrier fair business standards. Directs the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance to convene a work group to develop recommendations for regulatory and legislative changes necessary to improve the process for determining if an insurance carrier has failed to implement minimum fair business standards in the performance of its provider contracts for the prompt payment of claims. The Bureau shall submit a report of the findings and recommendations of the work group by December 1, 2023.

Public defender offices; County of Henrico. Establishes a public defender office for the County of Henrico.

Rabid animals; quarantine; access by the local health director or designee. Requires any person who confines a dog or cat for active signs of rabies or suspected rabies, and any person who confines any other suspected rabid animal that may have exposed a person, to allow the local health director or his designee access to the animal during its confinement. Rabid animals; quarantine; access by the local health director or designee. Requires any person who confines a dog or cat for active signs of rabies or suspected rabies, and any person who confines any other suspected rabid animal that may have exposed a person, to allow the local health director or his designee access to the animal during its confinement.