Appointment of counsel; public defenders; caseload exception. Exempts the public defender, in counties and cities where public defender offices are established, from providing defense services for indigent clients if the public defender, with the concurrence of the executive director of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission or his designee, determines that the public defender's current active caseload would preclude the public defender from providing adequate representation to new clients. Appointment of counsel; public defenders; caseload exception. Exempts the public defender, in counties and cities where public defender offices are established, from providing defense services for indigent clients if the public defender, with the concurrence of the executive director of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission or his designee, determines that the public defender's current active caseload would preclude the public defender from providing adequate representation to new clients.

Attorney fees; judgments, compensation, or monetary awards related to veterans. Prohibits an attorney from charging, demanding, receiving, or collecting for services rendered fees in excess of 10 percent of any judgment, compensation, or monetary award granted to a veteran or the family member of a veteran, or the legal representative of such individual, related to the veteran's service in the Armed Forces of the United States or the Virginia National Guard, including any judgment, compensation, or monetary award granted pursuant to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. The bill provides that an attorney who violates such prohibition shall be fined not more than $5,000 and may be subject to disciplinary action by the Virginia State Bar.

Custodial interrogation of a child; failure to comply with section; inadmissibility of statement. Provides that if a law-enforcement officer knowingly fails to comply with existing law regarding parental notification and contact prior to a custodial interrogation of a child, any statements made by such child shall be inadmissible in any delinquency proceeding or criminal proceeding against such child, unless the attorney for the Commonwealth proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the statement was made knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily. Custodial interrogation of a child; failure to comply with section; inadmissibility of statement. Provides that if a law-enforcement officer knowingly fails to comply with existing law regarding parental notification and contact prior to a custodial interrogation of a child, any statements made by such child shall be inadmissible in any delinquency proceeding or criminal proceeding against such child, unless the attorney for the Commonwealth proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the statement was made knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily.

Board of Education; Provisional (Career Switcher) License; special education. Requires the Board of Education to amend its relevant regulation to permit any career switcher who seeks a teaching endorsement preK through grade 12, including any career switcher who seeks a teaching endorsement in special education, to pursue a Provisional (Career Switcher) License through the career switcher alternate route to licensure program in accordance with all of the requirements set forth in such regulation, provided that the individual completes at least 60 percent of the endorsement requirements for special education general curriculum K-12 as part of Level I preparation and the remainder of such requirements as part of Level II and Level III preparation. Board of Education; Provisional (Career Switcher) License; special education. Requires the Board of Education to amend its relevant regulation to permit any career switcher who seeks a teaching endorsement preK through grade 12, including any career switcher who seeks a teaching endorsement in special education, to pursue a Provisional (Career Switcher) License through the career switcher alternate route to licensure program in accordance with all of the requirements set forth in such regulation, provided that the individual completes at least 60 percent of the endorsement requirements for special education general curriculum K-12 as part of Level I preparation and the remainder of such requirements as part of Level II and Level III preparation.

Assault and battery; affirmative defense; penalty. Provides an affirmative defense to prosecution of an individual for assault or assault and battery of certain specified individuals for which the enhanced Class 6 felony and six month mandatory minimum apply if such individual proves, by a preponderance of the evidence, that at the time of the assault or assault and battery (i) the individual's behaviors were a result of (a) mental illness or (b) a neurocognitive disorder, including dementia, or a neurodevelopmental disability, including a developmental disability or intellectual disability, such as autism spectrum disorder, as defined in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association or (ii) the individual met the criteria for issuance of an emergency custody order. Assault and battery; affirmative defense; penalty. Provides an affirmative defense to prosecution of an individual for assault or assault and battery of certain specified individuals for which the enhanced Class 6 felony and six month mandatory minimum apply if such individual proves, by a preponderance of the evidence, that at the time of the assault or assault and battery (i) the individual's behaviors were a result of (a) mental illness or (b) a neurocognitive disorder, including dementia, or a neurodevelopmental disability, including a developmental disability or intellectual disability, such as autism spectrum disorder, as defined in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association or (ii) the individual met the criteria for issuance of an emergency custody order. The bill provides that if such individual does not prove that his behaviors were a result of his mental illness, intellectual disability, developmental disability, or neurocognitive disorder but the evidence establishes that his mental illness, intellectual disability, developmental disability, or neurocognitive disorder otherwise contributed to his behaviors, the finder of fact may find the accused guilty of a misdemeanor assault or assault and battery. The bill also provides that such affirmative defense shall not be construed to allow an affirmative defense for voluntary intoxication.

Divorce; cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodily hurt, or willful desertion or abandonment; divorce from bed and board. Eliminates the one-year waiting period for being decreed a divorce on the grounds of cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodily hurt, or willful desertion or abandonment by either party. The bill also repeals the provision allowing for a divorce from bed and board on the grounds of cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodily hurt, or willful desertion or abandonment. The provisions of the bill apply to suits for divorce filed on or after July 1, 2024.

State plan for medical assistance services; fertility preservation treatments; genetic material misuse; penalty. Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision for payment of medical assistance for coverage of fertility preservation for individuals diagnosed with cancer who need treatment for that cancer that may cause a substantial risk of sterility or iatrogenic infertility, as defined in the bill, including surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The bill also establishes that it is a Class 3 felony for a health care provider to provide assisted conception treatment to a patient and use the health care provider's own gamete without the written consent of the patient.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; local public bodies; electronic submissions of bids or proposals. Mandates that all local public bodies provide an option to submit bids or proposals for procurement contracts through the Commonwealth's statewide electronic procurement system, known as eVA, or other electronic means. Current law only encourages local public bodies to use eVA for such submissions. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025. Virginia Public Procurement Act; local public bodies; electronic submissions of bids or proposals. Mandates that all local public bodies provide an option to submit bids or proposals for procurement contracts through the Commonwealth's statewide electronic procurement system, known as eVA, or other electronic means. Current law only encourages local public bodies to use eVA for such submissions. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

Public utilities; delay of termination of service for certain residential customers; serious medical condition; report. Requires the State Corporation Commission to conduct a proceeding to establish limitations on the authority of public utilities and cooperatives that provide electric, gas, water, or wastewater services to terminate service to any residential customer who provides certification that the customer has a serious medical condition or the customer resides with a family member with a serious medical condition. The bill directs the Commission to adopt regulations to implement such limitations after consulting with certain stakeholders. The bill requires the Commission to submit a report by November 1, 2026, and every three years thereafter, on the effectiveness of the serious medical condition policy after implementation of the regulations and include any suggested changes to such policy for residential utility and cooperative customers. Public utilities; delay of termination of service for certain residential customers; serious medical condition; report. Requires the State Corporation Commission to conduct a proceeding to establish limitations on the authority of public utilities and cooperatives that provide electric, gas, water, or wastewater services to terminate service to any residential customer who provides certification that the customer has a serious medical condition or the customer resides with a family member with a serious medical condition. The bill directs the Commission to adopt regulations to implement such limitations after consulting with certain stakeholders. The bill requires the Commission to submit a report by November 1, 2026, and every three years thereafter, on the effectiveness of the serious medical condition policy after implementation of the regulations and include any suggested changes to such policy for residential utility and cooperative customers.

Department of Motor Vehicle records; vehicle registration; penalties. Provides that failing to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of a change in address within 30 days of a move and failing to renew a vehicle registration, as required by existing law, are traffic infractions punishable by a fine of $30.

Virginia Firefighting Facilities Grant Program. Establishes the Virginia Firefighting Facilities Grant Program for the purpose of awarding grants on a first-come, first-served basis to localities for the purpose of building and maintaining their firefighting facilities. The amount of such grants shall be as provided in the appropriation act. The Program shall be administered by the Department of Fire Programs. The Department shall develop guidelines for the Program, which shall (i) emphasize providing grants to localities that are cost burdened in the provision of firefighting services and (ii) require remedying facilities that do not meet minimum standards established by law.

Maximum number of judges in each judicial district and circuit. Increases by one the maximum number of authorized juvenile and domestic relations district court judges in the Twentieth and Thirty-first Judicial Districts. The bill also increases by one the maximum number of authorized circuit court judges in the First, Ninth, Fifteenth, and Twenty-fifth Judicial Circuits. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and the Judicial Council of Virginia.

Long-term services and supports screening; expedited screening; screening exemption; emergency. Modifies existing provisions regarding the required long-term services and supports screening under the state plan for medical assistance services by creating greater flexibility for how screenings are completed under certain circumstances. Under the bill, any individual receiving inpatient services in an acute care hospital discharged to a nursing facility for skilled care only is not required to be screened prior to discharge from the hospital unless the individual requests the screening. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.

Drug Treatment Court Act; name change. Renames the Drug Treatment Court Act as the Recovery Court Act. The bill also directs the Supreme Court of Virginia to rename the state Drug Treatment Court Advisory Committee as the Recovery Court Advisory Committee.

Rental conveyances; leases; assignments. Relocates certain provisions of Title 55.1 (Property and Conveyances) of the Code of Virginia related to assignments of rent from a chapter related to nonresidential tenancies to a chapter related to leases. The bill corrects a technical error from the 2019 recodification of Title 55 of the Code of Virginia.