State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; survey; baccalaureate public institutions of higher education; student application fees; report. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to survey each baccalaureate public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to determine, for the 2023–2024 academic year, (i) the median, average, and full per-student application fee charged by the institution; (ii) the total number and percentage of student applicants who receive an application fee waiver from the institution; (iii) the total number and percentage of student applicants who were charged the full student application fee by the institution; (iv) the total and per-student applicant revenue generated by the institution through student application fees; and (v) the total and per-student applicant cost to the institution to process student applications, including fully reviewing and acting upon such applications, disaggregated by each cost category deemed relevant by the Council and the institution. The bill requires each baccalaureate public institution of higher education to conduct such internal audits as it deems necessary to fully comply with and respond to such survey. The bill requires the Council to report its findings and any associated recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than November 1, 2024. State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; survey; baccalaureate public institutions of higher education; student application fees; report. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to survey each baccalaureate public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to determine, for the 2023–2024 academic year, (i) the median, average, and full per-student application fee charged by the institution; (ii) the total number and percentage of student applicants who receive an application fee waiver from the institution; (iii) the total number and percentage of student applicants who were charged the full student application fee by the institution; (iv) the total and per-student applicant revenue generated by the institution through student application fees; and (v) the total and per-student applicant cost to the institution to process student applications, including fully reviewing and acting upon such applications, disaggregated by each cost category deemed relevant by the Council and the institution. The bill requires each baccalaureate public institution of higher education to conduct such internal audits as it deems necessary to fully comply with and respond to such survey. The bill requires the Council to report its findings and any associated recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than November 1, 2024.

Debtor interrogatories; fieri facias; against whom a summons shall be issued. Requires the clerk of the court from which a fieri facias is issued to issue a summons against any person known or reasonably suspected to be a debtor to, or bailee of, the execution debtor in order to ascertain the personal estate of a judgment debtor provided the judgment creditor or his attorney files an affidavit stating as such. Under current law, such clerk of the court shall issue a summons against any debtor to, or bailee of, the execution debtor. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference. Debtor interrogatories; fieri facias; against whom a summons shall be issued. Requires the clerk of the court from which a fieri facias is issued to issue a summons against any person known or reasonably suspected to be a debtor to, or bailee of, the execution debtor in order to ascertain the personal estate of a judgment debtor provided the judgment creditor or his attorney files an affidavit stating as such. Under current law, such clerk of the court shall issue a summons against any debtor to, or bailee of, the execution debtor. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.

Local government actions related to comprehensive plans, local planning commissions, subdivision plats and site plans, and zoning ordinances; approval process. Makes several changes to local government land use approval processes, including (i) prohibiting use of the comprehensive plan as the basis, in whole or in part, for the disapproval of a site plan that is otherwise in conformity with duly adopted standards, ordinances, and statutes and (ii) allowing automatic approval of certain land use applications rather than a right to petition the circuit court, as provided under current law, if a locality does not approve or disapprove the application within the required timeframe. The bill also reduces from 12 months to four months the time within which a locality must initially act upon certain proposed zoning ordinance amendments and requires a locality to act on all such proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance or map that it has previously disapproved within 45 days after an amended proposal has been resubmitted for approval.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; real estate brokers; places of business. Defines "place of business" for real estate brokers. The bill requires every principal broker to have readily available to the public in his primary place of business the firm license, principal broker license, and the license of every salesperson and broker active with the firm and requires each branch office, defined in the bill, to have readily available to the public the branch office license and a roster of every salesperson or broker assigned to that branch office. Finally, the bill requires any nonresident real estate broker residing in a state that mandates resident real estate brokers of the Commonwealth to maintain a place of business in such mandating state to maintain a place of business in the Commonwealth.

Employee protections; discipline for political activity or affiliations prohibited. Prohibits an employer from (i) directing the political activity or affiliations of an employee; (ii) discharging, disciplining, or discriminating against an employee for such employee's lawful engagement or refusal to engage in any political activity or affiliations; and (iii) refusing to hire, employ, or license an individual on the basis of such individual's political activity or affiliations. The bill provides exceptions to these requirements where an employer believes that such actions are required by statute, regulation, or other mandate, where a professional services contract permits an employer to limit the off-duty activities of an individual, and in the case of a religious exemption. A violation of the provisions of the bill may be subject to a civil action within one year of the employer's prohibited retaliatory action.

Eligible educator income tax deduction; home school instruction income tax credit. Increases from $500 to $1,500 for tax years 2024 through 2026 the amount of income tax deduction certain eligible educators may deduct for qualifying expenses. The bill also creates a nonrefundable tax credit for taxable years 2024 through 2028 for amounts paid by an individual or married couple filing jointly for their child receiving home instruction for (i) instruction-related materials, including textbooks, workbooks, and supplies, or (ii) courses or programs used in home instruction. The bill provides that the credit equals the lesser of the amount actually paid during the year for such costs or $3,000.

Consumer protection; failure to honor service warranty. Prohibits a supplier in connection with a consumer transaction from failing to honor a service warranty of another supplier after acquiring the business of such other supplier. A violation of the provisions of the bill constitutes a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Study; JLARC; rate of accidents that cause fatalities on roads maintained and managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation and localities; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the rate of accidents that cause fatalities on roads maintained and managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation and roads maintained and managed by localities.

Display of sexually explicit visual material to a child unlawful; penalty. Makes it a Class 6 felony to display sexually explicit visual material, as defined in relevant law, to a child under 13 years of age with the intent to entice, solicit, or encourage the child to engage in the fondling of the sexual or genital parts of another or the fondling of his sexual or genital parts by another, sexual intercourse, cunnilingus, fellatio, anilingus, anal intercourse, or object sexual penetration. Current law prohibits the display of child pornography, as defined in relevant law, to such child under 13 years of age.

Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act; PRIME Act. Encourages the United States Congress to pass the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act to allow intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered meat.

Special license plates; military service; prepaid applications. Decreases from 450 to 150 the number of prepaid applications required for the consideration, development, and issuance of a special license plate when such special license plate relates to military service.

Public elementary and secondary school students; parents' bill of rights established. Establishes, consistent with § 1-240.1 of the Code of Virginia, several enumerated rights for the parents of each public elementary or secondary school student in the Commonwealth, including the right to review any books, curricula, or instructional materials being taught or made available to their child and the right to be notified of any situation that directly affects their child's safety at school.

Taxation. Decreases, beginning in taxable year 2025, the income tax imposed (i) on income less than $3,000, from two percent to 1.75 percent; (ii) on income in excess of $3,000 but less than $5,000, from three percent to 2.65 percent; (iii) on income in excess of $5,000 but less than $17,000, from five percent to 4.4 percent; and (iv) on income in excess of $17,000, from 5.75 percent to 5.1 percent. Taxation. Decreases, beginning in taxable year 2025, the income tax imposed (i) on income less than $3,000, from two percent to 1.75 percent; (ii) on income in excess of $3,000 but less than $5,000, from three percent to 2.65 percent; (iii) on income in excess of $5,000 but less than $17,000, from five percent to 4.4 percent; and (iv) on income in excess of $17,000, from 5.75 percent to 5.1 percent. The bill increases from 20 to 25 percent, beginning in taxable year 2025, the amount of credit eligible taxpayers may claim pursuant to the income tax credit for low-income taxpayers. The bill also increases the annual aggregate amount of Education Improvement Scholarships tax credits that are available from $25 million to $30 million beginning fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter. The bill defines "digital personal property," "streaming," and "taxable service" for the purposes of the retail sales and use tax. The bill increases the sales and use tax from 4.3 percent to 5.2 percent. Amendments are made throughout the bill to impose the sales and use tax on taxable services in addition to tangible personal property. The bill requires that one half of the additional sales and use tax revenues generated by taxable services and digital personal property that is deposited in the Commonwealth Transportation Fund be distributed to the Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund, and the additional one half of such revenues be distributed to the Interstate 81 Corridor Improvement Fund until June 30, 2031, or until $400 million has been deposited in the Interstate 81 Corridor Improvement Fund. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

Board of Psychology; psychological practitioners; licensure. Establishes a licensing procedure by the Board of Psychology for a psychological practitioner as defined in the bill. The bill directs the Board to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.

Retail licenses.