Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission; court records; online access to case management systems. Provides that if a clerk of the circuit court provides secure remote access to nonconfidential court records, the clerk shall, by a signed agreement with the Director of the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, provide secure remote access to such records to staff of the Commission. The bill clarifies that a clerk is not prohibited from providing online access to a case management system to any person designated by law to prepare sentencing guidelines. Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission; court records; online access to case management systems. Provides that if a clerk of the circuit court provides secure remote access to nonconfidential court records, the clerk shall, by a signed agreement with the Director of the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, provide secure remote access to such records to staff of the Commission. The bill clarifies that a clerk is not prohibited from providing online access to a case management system to any person designated by law to prepare sentencing guidelines. The bill also requires the clerk of each circuit court to provide online access to a case management system that may include abstracts of case filings and proceedings in the circuit courts to the Commission for purposes related to the preparation of sentencing guidelines. The bill requires the Commission to ensure the confidentiality and security of the information obtained through such online access and prohibits the Commission from publishing personal or case identifying information. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission.

Elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education; student participation in sports; access to restrooms and changing rooms. Requires each interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic team or sport sponsored by a public school, or any other school that is a member of the Virginia High School League, or by a public institution of higher education to be expressly designated as one of the following based on biological sex: (i) males, men, or boys; (ii) females, women, or girls; or (iii) coed or mixed if participation on such team or sport is open to both males, men, or boys and females, women, or girls. The bill prohibits any such team or sport that is expressly designated for females, women, or girls from being open to students whose biological sex is male. The bill creates a civil cause of action for any student that suffers harm as a result of a knowing violation of a provision of the bill by a school or institution or as a result of the student's reporting a violation of a provision of the bill by a school, institution, athletic association, or organization. The bill also limits access to any restroom or changing room that is capable of being accessed by more than one individual at one time in any public elementary or secondary school building or building owned or controlled by any public institution of higher education exclusively to individuals of the same biological sex.

Public utilities; classification of customers. Requires that a public electric utility or a public utility authorized to furnish water or water and sewer service include a separate classification for data centers when satisfying the existing requirement that any rate, toll, charge, or schedule of a public utility is only considered to be just and reasonable by the State Corporation Commission if the public utility has demonstrated that such rates, tolls, charges, or schedules contain reasonable classifications of customers.

Collective bargaining by firefighters and emergency medical services providers. Authorizes firefighters and emergency medical services providers employed by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth to engage in collective bargaining through labor organizations or other designated representatives. The bill provides for the appointment of a three-member board of arbitration regarding any dispute arising between an employer and firefighters or emergency medical services providers. Under the bill, determinations made by such board of arbitration are final on a disputed issue and are binding on the parties involved. Collective bargaining by firefighters and emergency medical services providers. Authorizes firefighters and emergency medical services providers employed by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth to engage in collective bargaining through labor organizations or other designated representatives. The bill provides for the appointment of a three-member board of arbitration regarding any dispute arising between an employer and firefighters or emergency medical services providers. Under the bill, determinations made by such board of arbitration are final on a disputed issue and are binding on the parties involved.

Workers' compensation benefits; post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters. Removes the provision in the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act requiring that benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters acting in the line of duty be provided for a maximum of 52 weeks from the date of diagnosis. Workers' compensation benefits; post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters. Removes the provision in the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act requiring that benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters acting in the line of duty be provided for a maximum of 52 weeks from the date of diagnosis.

Unpaved secondary highway funds; improvements; report. Provides that improvements to nonsurface treated secondary highways may, at the discretion of the locality, include changes other than paving, including enhanced maintenance and capital improvements to such highway. The bill directs the Department of Transportation to review and consider methods of improving unpaved secondary highways other than paving such highways and report its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees on Transportation by November 1, 2024.

Traffic; bicycles and certain other vehicles. Clarifies that the roadways on which bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, motorized skateboards or scooters, or mopeds are exempt from the requirement to ride as close as safely practicable to the right curb include those not wide enough to allow an overtaking motor vehicle to pass as required by law. The bill removes the requirement for persons riding bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, or motorized skateboards or scooters on a highway two abreast to move into a single-file formation when being overtaken by a faster-moving vehicle and limits the requirement that such persons not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic to roadways with only one travel lane per direction and a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour or more. Traffic; bicycles and certain other vehicles. Clarifies that the roadways on which bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, motorized skateboards or scooters, or mopeds are exempt from the requirement to ride as close as safely practicable to the right curb include those not wide enough to allow an overtaking motor vehicle to pass as required by law. The bill removes the requirement for persons riding bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, or motorized skateboards or scooters on a highway two abreast to move into a single-file formation when being overtaken by a faster-moving vehicle and limits the requirement that such persons not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic to roadways with only one travel lane per direction and a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour or more.

Civil causes of action; social media platforms; complying with certain requests for information. Requires the owner or operator of a social media platform, as defined in the bill, to comply with requests from a party to a civil action concerning (i) any identifying information regarding any person alleged to have published content giving rise to such action on such platform and (ii) restoration of access to any person claiming ownership of an account created on such platform, provided such person can prove original ownership of such account.

Bridges; state of good repair; allocation of funds. Designates bridges with a general condition rating, defined in the bill, of no more than five for at least one major bridge component as eligible for state of good repair funds. Currently, bridges must be structurally deficient to be eligible. The bill authorizes the use of state of good repair funds for improvements anticipated to extend the useful life of a bridge by at least 10 years. The bill applies to new project allocations made by the Commonwealth Transportation Board after June 1, 2025.

Department of Housing and Community Development; Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act; notice of tenant screening criteria. Requires landlords governed by the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act or Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act to provide applicants for tenancy with (i) the amount and purpose of fees to be charged to such applicant, (ii) information that will be used to assess such applicant's eligibility for tenancy, and (iii) any criteria that may result in automatic denial of an application. The bill requires such landlords to notify applicants of certain rights protected by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act prior to performing any background, credit, or other pre-occupancy check on such applicants. Finally, the bill requires the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop a sample notice of tenant screening criteria and a standardized statement regarding an applicant's rights protected by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and to make such sample notice and statement available on the Department's website.

Health education; menstrual education instruction permitted. Permits each school board to provide a program of instruction on menstrual education as a part of any health education instruction offered at such grade level in grades four through eight as the school board deems appropriate. Health education; menstrual education instruction permitted. Permits each school board to provide a program of instruction on menstrual education as a part of any health education instruction offered at such grade level in grades four through eight as the school board deems appropriate.

Juvenile fines, costs, and fees; traffic infractions; judicial discretion. Provides that any court costs, fines, and fees assessed to a juvenile or his parent or guardian in circuit court and juvenile and domestic relations district court related to prosecutions of traffic infractions are discretionary. Juvenile fines, costs, and fees; traffic infractions; judicial discretion. Provides that any court costs, fines, and fees assessed to a juvenile or his parent or guardian in circuit court and juvenile and domestic relations district court related to prosecutions of traffic infractions are discretionary.

Fostering Futures program; eligibility; age limit. Increases from 21 to 23 the age at which an individual may no longer participate in the Fostering Futures program.

Security for costs; suit or action by nonresident. Provides that in any plaintiff's suit or action by a nonresident of the Commonwealth, including a counterclaim plaintiff, cross-claim plaintiff, or third-party plaintiff, the court may order upon a motion made by a party to such suit or action and for good cause shown that such plaintiff must post security, in an amount not exceeding $250, within 60 days of entry of such order. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference. Security for costs; suit or action by nonresident. Provides that in any plaintiff's suit or action by a nonresident of the Commonwealth, including a counterclaim plaintiff, cross-claim plaintiff, or third-party plaintiff, the court may order upon a motion made by a party to such suit or action and for good cause shown that such plaintiff must post security, in an amount not exceeding $250, within 60 days of entry of such order. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.

School boards; school resource officers; employment; participation in development and review of school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plans. Requires each school board to (i) seek, to the maximum extent practicable, to employ school resource officers in each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division in accordance with the memorandum of understanding entered into with the local law-enforcement agency and (ii) include school resource officers employed in the local school division in the development and annual review of its written school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plan.