Short-term rental property; locality's ability to prohibit lessee or sublessee operator. Prohibits a locality from barring an operator, as defined in existing law, from offering such property as a short-term rental solely on the basis that the operator is a lessee or sublessee of such property, provided that the property owner has granted permission for its use as a short-term rental. The bill adds an attestation that the property owner has granted such permission if the operator is a lessee or sublessee to the information that an operator must provide to annually register such short-term rental. The bill permits a locality to limit a lessee or sublessee to one short-term rental. Short-term rental property; locality's ability to prohibit lessee or sublessee operator. Prohibits a locality from barring an operator, as defined in existing law, from offering such property as a short-term rental solely on the basis that the operator is a lessee or sublessee of such property, provided that the property owner has granted permission for its use as a short-term rental. The bill adds an attestation that the property owner has granted such permission if the operator is a lessee or sublessee to the information that an operator must provide to annually register such short-term rental. The bill permits a locality to limit a lessee or sublessee to one short-term rental.

Commending LeadingAge Virginia.

Commending John T. Frey.

Cash proffers; development rights. Provides that cash payments proffered pursuant to § 15.2-2298, 15.2-2303, or 15.2-2303.1 may be used for the purpose of extinguishing development rights elsewhere in the locality if the development rights to be extinguished are greater than the development rights being granted and the extinguishing of those development rights results in a perpetual conservation easement. The bill also provides that cash payments proffered may be used to seek matching funds from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation and the Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund.

Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; Virginia Health Care Career and Technical Training and Education Fund created; psychological practitioner defined; educational requirements for nursing faculty. Modifies the enabling legislation for the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority by adding four additional ex officio members to the Authority's Board of Directors, adding setting priorities for and managing graduate medical education programs to the duties of the Authority, specifying additional recipients of the Board's biennial report, and authorizing the Authority to partner with other agencies and institutions to obtain and manage health workforce data. The bill establishes the Virginia Health Care Career and Technical Training and Education Fund. The bill directs the Board of Nursing to add or remove certain educational requirements for members of the nursing faculty in specified nursing education programs and establishes a licensing procedure by the Board of Psychology for a psychological practitioner, as defined by the bill. The bill directs the Board of Nursing and the Board of Psychology to adopt regulations to implement relevant provisions of the bill to be effective no later than January 1, 2025.

Board of Education; guidelines on school-connected overdose policies; response and parental notification. Requires the Board of Education to establish guidelines for school-connected overdose response and parental notification policies to aid local school boards in the implementation of such policies. The bill requires such guidelines to include (i) a model action plan for each school board to follow in responding to any school-connected overdose, including communicating and coordinating with the Department of Education and the applicable law-enforcement liaison or the local law-enforcement agency that employs such school division's school resources officers, and (ii) criteria for issuing parental notification to ensure sensitivity to the privacy interests of affected individuals and compliance with any applicable law, rules, or regulations relating to the disclosure and protection of a minor's personal, confidential, or otherwise sensitive information.

Prostitution; solicitation; penalties. Increases from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony the penalty for a third or subsequent offense of solicitation of prostitution from an adult. The bill also makes it a Class 5 felony to solicit prostitution from any minor. Under current law, any person who solicits prostitution from a minor is guilty of a Class 6 felony if the minor is 16 years of age or older or a Class 5 felony if the minor is younger than 16 years of age. Finally, the bill increases the fines for certain offenses related to sex trafficking from $100 to $1,000 and from $500 to $2,500, respectively.

Child abuse and neglect; mandatory reporters; statute of limitations; penalties. Adds aggravated sexual battery of a child and attempted rape, sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, or object sexual penetration of a child to the list of offenses for which a failure to report subjects a mandatory reporter to criminal liability.

Charter; City of Martinsville. Amends the charter for the City of Martinsville by (i) allowing notice of special meetings to council members to be given by electronic mail, text message, or telephone call; (ii) providing for compensation to members of the city council to be in accordance with general law; (iii) providing for action by resolution of the city council to make appropriations or contract indebtedness; and (iv) requiring the city manager to become a resident of the City or reside within a certain distance of the City. The bill makes numerous technical changes and repeals several outdated sections.

Conveyance of certain property from the Department of Corrections to the Town of Craigsville; Augusta Correctional Center. Provides for the transfer of certain property in Augusta County from the Department of Corrections to the Town of Craigsville. Conveyance of certain property from the Department of Corrections to the Town of Craigsville; Augusta Correctional Center. Provides for the transfer of certain property in Augusta County from the Department of Corrections to the Town of Craigsville.

Pilot program for underground transmission lines; qualifying projects. Increases the maximum capacity of qualifying electrical transmission lines, for purposes of the pilot project for underground transmission lines, from 230 kilovolts to 500 kilovolts. The bill provides that the State Corporation Commission shall approve additional qualifying projects as part of the pilot program that traverse along highways in developed areas where the route of proposed transmission lines and towers traverse areas protected by a scenic easement, view shed easement, areas of registered historic designation, or areas of conservation easements. Under the bill, existing requirements for qualifying projects shall continue to apply to such new category of qualifying projects.

Commending Gilbert A. Smith.

Celebrating the life of Charles Lee Thomas.

Commending William G. Coada.

Commending P. David Tarter.