Public institutions of higher education; Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program established; report. Establishes the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program to address student food insecurity at public institutions of higher education. The bill provides that the Program shall be managed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and available for participation by public institutions of higher education; however, participation in the Program shall be optional for such institutions. Under the bill, if a public institution of higher education satisfies certain criteria set out in the bill, including creating initiatives on campus to address student food insecurity, it shall be designated as a "Hunger-Free Campus" and the Council shall award a grant to such institution. A public institution of higher education that receives a grant under the bill shall utilize the funds to support on-campus efforts and initiatives to eliminate student food insecurity at such institution. The bill requires the Council to submit a report to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education no later than two years after the establishment of the Program. Public institutions of higher education; Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program established; report. Establishes the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program to address student food insecurity at public institutions of higher education. The bill provides that the Program shall be managed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and available for participation by public institutions of higher education; however, participation in the Program shall be optional for such institutions. Under the bill, if a public institution of higher education satisfies certain criteria set out in the bill, including creating initiatives on campus to address student food insecurity, it shall be designated as a "Hunger-Free Campus" and the Council shall award a grant to such institution. A public institution of higher education that receives a grant under the bill shall utilize the funds to support on-campus efforts and initiatives to eliminate student food insecurity at such institution. The bill requires the Council to submit a report to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education no later than two years after the establishment of the Program.

Public elementary and secondary schools; policies and requirements relating to naloxone. Requires each local school board to develop, in accordance with the guidelines developed by the Department of Health in collaboration with the Department of Education, plans and policies for each public elementary and secondary school relating to opioid overdose prevention and reversal, including (i) the procurement, storage, and maintenance of at least two unexpired doses of naloxone at each such school; (ii) the possession and administration of naloxone by school board employees; and (iii) providing, pursuant to the provisions of the bill, immunity from any disciplinary action or civil or criminal liability to any employee of a public elementary or secondary school who, regardless of whether such employee was trained and certified in the administration of naloxone, in good faith administers naloxone for opioid overdose reversal to any individual who is believed to be experiencing or about to experience a life-threatening opioid overdose, except in the case of gross negligence or willful misconduct. Public elementary and secondary schools; policies and requirements relating to naloxone. Requires each local school board to develop, in accordance with the guidelines developed by the Department of Health in collaboration with the Department of Education, plans and policies for each public elementary and secondary school relating to opioid overdose prevention and reversal, including (i) the procurement, storage, and maintenance of at least two unexpired doses of naloxone at each such school; (ii) the possession and administration of naloxone by school board employees; and (iii) providing, pursuant to the provisions of the bill, immunity from any disciplinary action or civil or criminal liability to any employee of a public elementary or secondary school who, regardless of whether such employee was trained and certified in the administration of naloxone, in good faith administers naloxone for opioid overdose reversal to any individual who is believed to be experiencing or about to experience a life-threatening opioid overdose, except in the case of gross negligence or willful misconduct. The bill modifies the list of individuals who are authorized to administer naloxone or other opioid antagonists to include any school board employee who has completed training and is certified in the administration of naloxone by an organization authorized by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to provide such training and certification. Current law limits such authorization to school nurses or school board employees contracted by a school board to provide school health services. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Health and the Department of Education to collaborate to develop guidelines and policies for the implementation of the provisions of the bill and directs the Department of Education to submit such guidelines to relevant committees of the General Assembly by January 1, 2025. The bill requires such guidelines and policies to be implemented by each school board by the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year.

Energy policy of the Commonwealth; state authority; legislative declaration. Declares that affordable, reliable, and secure energy resources are important to the health, safety, and welfare of the Commonwealth's citizens and provides that the Commonwealth has a duty to defend the production and supply of affordable, reliable, and secure energy from external regulatory interference. Under the bill, if the State Corporation Commission or an electric utility, as defined in the bill, receives notice of any federal regulation that may threaten the production or supply of affordable, reliable, and secure energy within the Commonwealth, the Commission or such electric utility shall inform the Office of the Attorney General of such regulation within 30 days of the receipt of such notice. The bill requires the Office of the Attorney General to take any action necessary to defend the Commonwealth's interest in the production and supply of affordable, reliable, and secure energy, including filing an action in court or participating in administrative proceedings.

Civil penalties for violations of zoning ordinance; short-term rentals. Allows any locality to adopt a uniform schedule of civil penalties for the violation of provisions of the zoning ordinance related to short-term rentals. The schedule of civil penalties shall not exceed (i) $500 for the initial violation, (ii) $1,000 for the second violation, or (iii) $1,500 for the third or subsequent violation, with each day during which the violation is found to have existed constituting a separate offense. The bill provides that designation of a particular zoning ordinance violation for a civil penalty shall be in lieu of criminal sanctions, and except for any violation resulting in injury to persons, such designation shall preclude the prosecution of a violation as a criminal misdemeanor, unless such civil penalties total $5,000 or more.

Photo speed monitoring devices; high-risk intersection segments. Permits a state or local law-enforcement agency to place and operate a photo speed monitoring device at a high-risk intersection segment, defined in the bill, located within the locality for the purpose of recording violations resulting from the operation of a vehicle in excess of the speed limit, provided that such law-enforcement agency certifies that a traffic fatality has occurred since January 1, 2014, in such segment. The bill provides the same requirements for such devices, information collected from such devices, and any enforcement actions resulting from information collected from such devices as current law applies to the use of such devices in school crossing zones and highway work zones. Photo speed monitoring devices; high-risk intersection segments. Permits a state or local law-enforcement agency to place and operate a photo speed monitoring device at a high-risk intersection segment, defined in the bill, located within the locality for the purpose of recording violations resulting from the operation of a vehicle in excess of the speed limit, provided that such law-enforcement agency certifies that a traffic fatality has occurred since January 1, 2014, in such segment. The bill provides the same requirements for such devices, information collected from such devices, and any enforcement actions resulting from information collected from such devices as current law applies to the use of such devices in school crossing zones and highway work zones.

Study; Department of Housing and Community Development; Study; Department of Housing and Community Development; tax implications of implementing a land value tax; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to study tax implications of local governing bodies implementing a land value tax.

Temporary detention order; alternative transportation. Provides that when a magistrate is determining whether an alternative transportation provider is available for the purposes of designating a transportation provider for the transportation of a person who is the subject of a temporary detention order, an alternative transportation provider shall be deemed available if the provider states that it is available to take custody of the person from law enforcement within six hours of issuance of the temporary detention order or an order changing the transportation provider. Temporary detention order; alternative transportation. Provides that when a magistrate is determining whether an alternative transportation provider is available for the purposes of designating a transportation provider for the transportation of a person who is the subject of a temporary detention order, an alternative transportation provider shall be deemed available if the provider states that it is available to take custody of the person from law enforcement within six hours of issuance of the temporary detention order or an order changing the transportation provider. The bill also provides that if (i) no alternative transportation provider is available to provide transportation, willing to provide transportation, and able to provide transportation in a safe manner or (ii) the law-enforcement agency elects to provide transportation, the magistrate shall designate the primary law-enforcement agency and jurisdiction designated to execute the temporary detention order to provide transportation of the person.

Commercial driver's licenses and commercial learner's permits; definitions; commercial driver training; drug and alcohol violations. Conforms the definition of commercial motor vehicle to federal regulations, codifies the entry-level driver training system required by federal regulations, and removes contradictory provisions. The bill also prohibits the issuance or continued validity of commercial driver's licenses and commercial learner's permits after a drug or alcohol violation by the applicant, licensee, or permittee. The bill contains technical amendments.

Commission on Civic Education; model guidance on student participation in the work of local school boards. Requires the Commission on Civic Education, in conjunction with such stakeholders as it deems appropriate, to create and provide to each local school board no later than July 1, 2025, model guidance on the inclusion and involvement of students enrolled in the local school division in the work of the local school board, including model guidance on a process and structure for adding a student representative to the local school board. Commission on Civic Education; model guidance on student participation in the work of local school boards. Requires the Commission on Civic Education, in conjunction with such stakeholders as it deems appropriate, to create and provide to each local school board no later than July 1, 2025, model guidance on the inclusion and involvement of students enrolled in the local school division in the work of the local school board, including model guidance on a process and structure for adding a student representative to the local school board.

College partnership laboratory schools; Early College Model Program established. Establishes the Early College Model Program whereby any public institution of higher education may establish a college partnership laboratory school in which each enrolled high school student earns, at no cost to the student, an associate degree or a bachelor's degree concurrently with a high school diploma. Under the bill, provisions of existing law relating to the establishment of college partnership laboratory schools apply to such schools established pursuant to the Program but with certain conditions and exceptions, including (i) requiring a college partnership laboratory school established pursuant to the Program to be administered and governed by the Department of Education and (ii) prohibiting any enrolled student from being charged tuition for the college courses in which the student is dually enrolled and requiring the college partnership laboratory school to receive the statewide average share of Standards of Quality per pupil state funding, including the per pupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid, for each student enrolled in such school to support the instruction of each such student in the fall and spring semesters.

Deferred or installment payment agreements; certain benefits. Provides that in any case in which a defendant owes fines and costs and where such defendant's sole financial resource is a Social Security benefit or Supplemental Security Income, such defendant shall be exempt from making payments until he has another source of income and, if such defendant notifies the court that his sole financial resource is a Social Security benefit or Supplemental Security Income, the case shall not be referred to collections. The bill also prohibits a Social Security benefit or Supplemental Security Income from being considered an available resource in determining the length of time to pay under a deferred, modified deferred, or installment payment agreement and the amount of payments, if any.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; effective date of procedures for conducting meetings held through electronic communication means during declared states of emergency. Provides that the provisions for conducting a meeting by electronic means due to a state of emergency stated in the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) are declarative of existing law since March 20, 2020, with respect to the Governor's declared state of emergency due to COVID-19. Under the bill, any meeting by a public body using electronic communication means occurring from that date until July 1, 2021, and any otherwise lawful action taken at it is validated with respect to FOIA if the body provided public notice, public access, and public comment commensurate with the requirements of existing FOIA provisions regarding electronic and closed meetings. The bill is a response to the case Berry v. Bd. of Supervisors (Va. 2023) and is a recommendation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council.

Forest Sustainability Fund; fund allocation. Provides that moneys from the Forest Sustainability Fund must be allocated proportionally among localities that forgo tax revenues as a result of the use value assessment and taxation for real estate devoted for forest use. The bill specifies that no locality shall receive an allocation of more than four percent or less than one-half of one percent of available funds from the Fund.

Custody and visitation arrangements; best interests of the child; expert testimony; history of abuse. Requires a court to consider any history of family abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, or an act of violence, force, or threat in determining best interests of a child for purposes of determining custody or visitation arrangements. Under current law, only such history that occurred no earlier than 10 years prior to the filing of a custody or visitation petition is required to be considered. The bill also requires that any expert evidence from a court-appointed or outside professional relating to any alleged abuse of a child subject to such petition shall only be admitted if such professional possesses demonstrated expertise and clinical experience in working with victims of the type of such abuse alleged that is not solely of a forensic nature. The bill further directs the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia to provide mandatory judicial training on trauma-informed practices in proceedings involving domestic violence to magistrates and judges of the juvenile domestic relations district courts, general district courts, circuit courts, and the Court of Appeals of Virginia, the justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia, and court personnel.

Real property tax; notice of summary budget. Directs the governing body of every locality to send by mail, along with the annual property tax bill, a summary of the locality's budget for each of the two previous fiscal years. If the property tax bill is not ordinarily sent to the taxpayer, the budget summary may be mailed to the taxpayer separately. Real property tax; notice of summary budget. Directs the governing body of every locality to send by mail, along with the annual property tax bill, a summary of the locality's budget for each of the two previous fiscal years. If the property tax bill is not ordinarily sent to the taxpayer, the budget summary may be mailed to the taxpayer separately.