Carrying a firearm or explosive material within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, into a building owned or leased by the Commonwealth, etc.; exceptions for law-enforcement officers. Adds an exception for off-duty law-enforcement officers to the prohibition of carrying a firearm within any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof or any office where employees of the Commonwealth or any agency thereof are regularly present for the purpose of performing their official duties.

Income tax subtraction; firefighter benefits. Establishes an income tax subtraction for up to $20,000 of firefighter benefits in taxable year 2024, up to $30,000 in taxable year 2025, and up to $40,000 in taxable year 2026 and each year thereafter. The bill defines firefighter benefits to include retirement income related to professional firefighting services and benefits paid to the surviving spouse of a firefighter whose death occurred in the line of duty.

Carrying a concealed handgun onto the premises of any restaurant; penalty. Makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor for any person, except for active and qualified retired law-enforcement officers, to carry a concealed handgun onto the premises of any restaurant or club for which a license to sell and serve alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption has been granted by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Under current law, a concealed handgun permit holder may carry a concealed handgun onto the premises of any restaurant or club that sells alcoholic beverages, but he is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor if he consumes an alcoholic beverage while on the premises.

Minimum qualifications for law-enforcement officers; citizenship; waiver. Allows individuals who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to qualify for the positions of chief of police, police officer of a locality, deputy sheriff, jail officer, and law-enforcement officer. Current law allows only citizens of the United States to qualify for the named positions.

Summons for unlawful detainer; hearing date; amendments to amount due; subsequent filings. Specifies a process by which a plaintiff, plaintiff's attorney, or agent in an unlawful detainer action may amend the amount due to him in an unlawful detainer action. The bill further provides that if such an amendment is permitted the plaintiff shall not subsequently file additional warrants in debt against the defendant for additional amounts if those amounts could have been included in such amended amount. The bill provides that if the plaintiff requests all amounts due and owing as of the date of the hearing or if the court grants an amendment of the amounts requested, the plaintiff shall not subsequently file additional unlawful detainers or warrants in debt against the defendant for such additional amounts if those amounts could have been included in the amended amount. Summons for unlawful detainer; hearing date; amendments to amount due; subsequent filings. Specifies a process by which a plaintiff, plaintiff's attorney, or agent in an unlawful detainer action may amend the amount due to him in an unlawful detainer action. The bill further provides that if such an amendment is permitted the plaintiff shall not subsequently file additional warrants in debt against the defendant for additional amounts if those amounts could have been included in such amended amount. The bill provides that if the plaintiff requests all amounts due and owing as of the date of the hearing or if the court grants an amendment of the amounts requested, the plaintiff shall not subsequently file additional unlawful detainers or warrants in debt against the defendant for such additional amounts if those amounts could have been included in the amended amount.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable Thomas Frank Betz, Jr.

Mineral mining and exploration; public notification. Requires an explorer conducting any mineral exploration activities, as those terms are defined in the bill, prior to the start of such activities, to (i) publish a notice in a newspaper having a general circulation in the locality where the exploration activity will occur at least once a week for two successive weeks, (ii) notify the governing body of such locality at least 15 days in advance of such activity, and (iii) notify all individual residences and properties within 500 yards of the property lines where the exploration activity will take place at least 15 days in advance of such activity. The bill requires such notices to include certain information related to the exploration activity.

Annual retail sales and use tax holiday. Establishes an annual retail sales and use tax holiday that takes place on the first full weekend in August beginning in 2025. During such weekend, state retail sales and use tax will not apply to certain (i) school supplies, (ii) clothing and footwear, (iii) qualified products designated as Energy Star or WaterSense, (iv) portable generators, or (v) hurricane preparedness equipment.

Public institutions of higher education; admissions applications; legacy admissions and admissions based on donor status prohibited. Prohibits any public institution of higher education from providing any manner of preferential treatment in the admissions decision to any student applicant on the basis of such student's legacy status, defined in the bill, or such student's familial relationship to any donor to such institution.

Termination of trust; notice requirements. Provides that a trustee seeking to terminate a trust consisting of trust property that has a total value of less than $100,000 may do so without a court order, provided that the trustee sends notice, as specified in the bill, to any qualified beneficiaries or cotrustees.

Purchase of firearms; waiting period; penalty. Provides that no person shall sell a firearm unless at least three days have elapsed from the time the prospective purchaser completes the written consent form to have a licensed dealer obtain criminal history record information, with exceptions enumerated in relevant law.

Child day centers operated by religious institutions; exemption from licensure by Superintendent of Public Instruction. Exempts fully from the statutory requirement to be licensed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction any child day center that is operated or conducted under the auspices of a religious institution that (i) has tax exempt status as a nonprofit religious institution in accordance with § 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or (ii) owns and exclusively occupies real property that is exempt from local taxation. Under current law, such child day centers are exempt from licensure but are still subject to several enumerated requirements. The bill, however, preserves the requirement for such child day centers to conduct background checks for employees and volunteers and prohibits the employment or service at such child day centers of any such individual who has been convicted of any barrier crime as defined in relevant law or who is the subject of a founded complaint of child abuse or neglect.

New College Institute; duties. Requires the New College Institute to design and implement, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Virginia Community College System, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, and other relevant agencies and organizations, any workforce development programs necessary to support the initiatives of the Office of the Governor, including adult education and workforce training programs.

Photo-monitoring system for traffic signals; proof of violation; retired law-enforcement officials. Allows a locality to employ a retired sworn law-enforcement officer, as defined in the bill, to review photographs, microphotographs, videotape, or other recorded images produced by the locality's traffic light signal violation monitoring system or traffic control device violation monitoring system. The bill allows such review to serve as prima facie evidence of the facts contained therein.

Limitation on sentence upon revocation of suspension of sentence; technical violations. Provides that a court may impose a sentence of a term of active incarceration upon a first or second technical violation of the terms and conditions of a suspended sentence or probation, and may impose a term of not more than 14 days of active incarceration for a first technical violation and a term of not more than 30 days of active incarceration for a second technical violation. Under current law, a court shall not impose a term of any active incarceration upon a first technical violation and may impose a term of not more than 14 days of active incarceration for a second technical violation.