State debt collection; statute of limitations. Establishes a seven-year statute of limitations on the commencement of any action by a state agency or institution to collect past due accounts receivable due to the Commonwealth. State debt collection; statute of limitations. Establishes a seven-year statute of limitations on the commencement of any action by a state agency or institution to collect past due accounts receivable due to the Commonwealth.

Elections; absentee voting; electronic ballot return. Elections; absentee voting; electronic ballot return. Requires that the Department of Elections establish an electronic transmission system through which a military or overseas voter or voter with a disability may request, receive, and return a ballot. The bill also requires a general registrar to offer an applicant for an absentee ballot who indicates that he will require assistance to vote the option to have a blank absentee ballot, the form for the envelope for returning the marked ballot, and instructions sent to him by electronic transmission. A voter with a disability who receives a ballot by electronic transmission may print and return the ballot or may return the ballot by electronic transmission if the voter affirms that he is an individual who, regardless of any other disability, (i) is blind; (ii) has a visual impairment or perceptual or reading disability that cannot be improved to give visual function substantially equivalent to that of a person who has no such impairment or disability and so is unable to read or mark a ballot to substantially the same degree as a person without an impairment or disability; or (iii) is otherwise unable, through physical disability, to hold, mark, or manipulate a ballot or to focus or move the eyes to the extent that would be normally required for reading or marking a ballot. Additionally, the bill requires a general registrar to send any voter who indicates that he will require assistance due to a disability a voter assistance form. Under current law, voters who opt to receive a ballot marking tool are not sent a voter assistance form. The bill also allows a military or overseas voter who requested and received ballot materials by electronic transmission to return the ballot by electronic transmission in circumstances where another more secure method, such as returning the ballot by mail, is not available or feasible.

Penalties for failure to appear; exclusion. Excludes any person who is (i) incarcerated in any correctional facility or (ii) (a) detained in any state or federal facility or (b) in the custody of a law-enforcement officer at the time such person is required to appear before any court or judicial officer from the penalty for willful failure to appear before any such court or judicial officer as required after such person has been charged with any offense or convicted of any offense and execution of sentence is suspended. Penalties for failure to appear; exclusion. Excludes any person who is (i) incarcerated in any correctional facility or (ii) (a) detained in any state or federal facility or (b) in the custody of a law-enforcement officer at the time such person is required to appear before any court or judicial officer from the penalty for willful failure to appear before any such court or judicial officer as required after such person has been charged with any offense or convicted of any offense and execution of sentence is suspended.

Commonwealth information security requirements. Requires state public bodies, defined in the bill, to (i) comply with the Commonwealth's security policies and standards, (ii) ensure each of their employees completes information security training, (iii) conduct regular security audits, (iv) report the results of such audits to the appropriate entity, and (v) implement security monitoring and enter into memoranda of understanding with the Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth for sharing information with the Commonwealth's central information security systems. The bill directs the Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth to (a) publish and maintain a list of the Commonwealth's security policies and standards with which state public bodies are required to comply, (b) ensure that transition meetings with state public bodies occur, and (c) document such transitions and any exemptions from the requirements of the bill. Commonwealth information security requirements. Requires state public bodies, defined in the bill, to (i) comply with the Commonwealth's security policies and standards, (ii) ensure each of their employees completes information security training, (iii) conduct regular security audits, (iv) report the results of such audits to the appropriate entity, and (v) implement security monitoring and enter into memoranda of understanding with the Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth for sharing information with the Commonwealth's central information security systems. The bill directs the Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth to (a) publish and maintain a list of the Commonwealth's security policies and standards with which state public bodies are required to comply, (b) ensure that transition meetings with state public bodies occur, and (c) document such transitions and any exemptions from the requirements of the bill.

Fees for resident concealed handgun permits. Eliminates the fees that may be charged for the processing of an application for or issuing of a resident concealed handgun permit, including any costs associated with the clerk's consultation with law-enforcement agencies, which under current law is $10; a fee not to exceed $35 to the law-enforcement agency conducting the background investigation; and a fee not to exceed $5 to the State Police to cover its costs associated with processing the application.

Public schools; instructional time. Makes several changes relating to student instructional time in public elementary and secondary schools, including (i) defining "instructional hour" for the purpose of minimum annual instructional hour requirements; (ii) establishing several provisions and requirements relating to the enrollment of part-time students in public elementary and secondary schools; (iii) requiring the Board of Education to adopt rules for approving alternative programs for which course credit may be granted for the purpose of satisfying high school graduation requirements to any student who completes such course and masters the course content by demonstrating at least 80 percent of the competencies required by course standards, regardless of time, place, or pace; and (iv) permitting school boards that govern school divisions of innovation to adopt instructional time models that allow students to personalize the pace of learning and accelerate their learning based on the mastery of course content by demonstrating at least 80 percent of the competencies required by course standards, regardless of time, place, or pace.

Southwest Regional Recreation Authority; powers. Provides for the Attorney General to provide legal services in civil matters upon the request of the executive director or board of directors of the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority. The bill also provides for the board of the Authority to adopt policies for the procurement of goods and services and requires such policies to incorporate certain provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act. In addition, the bill (i) makes the provisions of the Virginia Personnel Act and the policies of the Department of Human Resource Management applicable to employees of the Authority, (ii) authorizes the Director of the Department of General Services to lease vehicles and construction and forestry equipment to the Authority, and (iii) authorizes the Commissioner of Highways to lease construction or forestry vehicles to the Authority. Southwest Regional Recreation Authority; powers. Provides for the Attorney General to provide legal services in civil matters upon the request of the executive director or board of directors of the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority. The bill also provides for the board of the Authority to adopt policies for the procurement of goods and services and requires such policies to incorporate certain provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act. In addition, the bill (i) makes the provisions of the Virginia Personnel Act and the policies of the Department of Human Resource Management applicable to employees of the Authority, (ii) authorizes the Director of the Department of General Services to lease vehicles and construction and forestry equipment to the Authority, and (iii) authorizes the Commissioner of Highways to lease construction or forestry vehicles to the Authority.

Health insurance; cost-sharing; pharmacy benefits managers' compensation and duties: civil penalty. Amends provisions related to rebates provided by carriers and health benefit plans to health plan enrollees by defining "defined cost-sharing," "price protection rebates," and "pharmacy benefits management services." The bill requires that an enrollee's defined cost-sharing for each prescription drug be calculated at the point of sale based on a price that is reduced by an amount equal to at least 80 percent of all rebates received or expected to be received in connection with the dispensing or administration of the prescription drug. Health insurance; cost-sharing; pharmacy benefits managers' compensation and duties: civil penalty. Amends provisions related to rebates provided by carriers and health benefit plans to health plan enrollees by defining "defined cost-sharing," "price protection rebates," and "pharmacy benefits management services." The bill requires that an enrollee's defined cost-sharing for each prescription drug be calculated at the point of sale based on a price that is reduced by an amount equal to at least 80 percent of all rebates received or expected to be received in connection with the dispensing or administration of the prescription drug. The bill prohibits a pharmacy benefits manager from deriving income from pharmacy benefits management services provided to a carrier or health benefit plan except for income derived from a pharmacy benefits management fee. The bill requires the amount of any pharmacy benefits management fees to be set forth in the agreement between the pharmacy benefits manager and the carrier or health benefit plan and that such fee not be based on the acquisition cost or any other price metric of a drug; the amount of savings, rebates, or other fees charged, realized, or collected by or generated based on the activity of the pharmacy benefits manager; or the amount of premiums, deductibles, or other cost-sharing or fees charged, realized, or collected by the pharmacy benefits manager from enrollees or other persons on behalf of an enrollee. The bill requires a pharmacy benefits manager to annually certify to the State Corporation Commission that it has met certain requirements. The bill establishes a pharmacy benefits manager duty, which includes the duties of care and good faith and fair dealing, owed to any enrollee, provider, or health benefit plan that receives pharmacy benefits management services from the pharmacy benefits manager or that furnishes, covers, receives, or is administered a unit of a prescription drug for which the pharmacy benefits manager has provided pharmacy benefits management services. The bill requires the Commission to define by regulation the scope of such duty and provides for a private cause of action for any person aggrieved by the breach of such duty.

Consumer Data Protection Act; social media; parental consent. Requires social media platforms, defined in the bill, that are subject to the provisions of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act to obtain verifiable parental consent prior to permitting any minor to create an account with such social media platform and, with such account, use the social media platform. The bill requires such social media platforms to give the parent or guardian the option to consent to the collection and use of the minor's personal data without consenting to the disclosure of such minor's personal data to third parties.

Fort Monroe Authority; powers and duties. Renames the executive director of the Fort Monroe Authority as the chief executive officer of the Authority.

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt anti-rent gouging provisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing prior to the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlords who are under the ordinance may be required to give at least two months' written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent by more than the locality's calculated allowance, described in the bill as the maximum amount a landlord can increase a tenant's rent during any 12-month period, in effect at the time of the increase. The bill sets such allowance as equal to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index or seven percent, whichever is less, states that such allowance is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1 each year, and requires the locality to publish such allowance on its website by June 1 of each year. Certain facilities, as outlined in the bill, are exempt from such ordinance. The bill also allows a locality to establish an anti-rent gouging board that will develop and implement rules and procedures by which landlords may apply for and be granted exemptions from the rent increase limits set by the ordinance. Finally, the bill provides that a locality may establish a civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set out in the ordinance.

Security camera monitoring by law-enforcement agencies. Provides that any law-enforcement agency having jurisdiction over criminal law enforcement or regulatory violations may establish a program to allow for the monitoring or reviewing of security cameras, as defined in the bill, for the purpose of tracking and reducing crime by such law-enforcement agency. The bill requires that any law-enforcement agency establishing such program shall develop a policy for how such security cameras will be monitored and how such data from such security cameras will be used and maintained.

Early childhood care and education; expansion of Head Start program availability at comprehensive community colleges; work group. Requires the Department of Education and the Virginia Community College System to convene a stakeholder work group to evaluate and provide recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education by October 1, 2024, on expanding the availability of Head Start programs at comprehensive community colleges.

Virginia Employment Commission; provision of certain confidential information to the Virginia Port Authority. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to provide certain employment information to the Virginia Port Authority as may be necessary to facilitate the administration and enforcement by the Authority of performance agreements with businesses that have received incentive awards. The bill provides that any information provided to the Authority is confidential, requires that the information only be disclosed to members of the Authority who are public officials or employees of the Authority for the performance of their official duties, and prohibits redisclosure of any such confidential information to nonlegislative citizen members of the Authority or to the public.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; preferences for goods, services, or construction by U.S. entities. Provides that in the case of a tie bid, preference shall be given first to goods produced in Virginia or to goods, services, or construction provided by Virginia persons, firms, or corporations and second to goods produced in the United States or to goods, services, or construction provided by United States persons, firms, or corporations.