Hunting within certain areas of Indian River prohibited; City of Chesapeake. Makes it unlawful for a person to take, attempt to take, or pursue wildlife within the Indian River from its confluence with the eastern branch of the Elizabeth River to its southern terminus at Military Highway in the City of Chesapeake, except that fishing is permitted in such area.

Local prohibition on the sale of English ivy; civil penalty. Authorizes any locality to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the sale of English ivy, with violations punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $50 for a first violation and not to exceed $200 for a subsequent violation within 12 months.

Unemployment insurance; benefit eligibility conditions; lockout exception to labor dispute disqualification. Amends the Virginia Unemployment Compensation Act's labor dispute disqualification to provide that a lockout by an employer shall not constitute a labor dispute and that locked-out employees who are otherwise eligible for benefits shall receive such benefits unless (i) the recognized or certified collective bargaining representative of the locked-out employees refuses to meet under reasonable conditions with the employer to discuss the issues giving rise to the lockout, (ii) there is a final adjudication under the federal National Labor Relations Act that such representative has refused to bargain in good faith with the employer, or (iii) the lockout is the direct result of such representative's violation of an existing collective bargaining agreement.

Persons other than ministers who may perform rites of marriage; current Virginia members of Congress. Adds current Virginia members of the United States Senate or United States House of Representatives to the list of persons who may celebrate the rites of marriage anywhere in the Commonwealth without the necessity of bond or order of authorization.

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to full-time salaried 911 dispatchers. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher on or after July 1, 2025, but allows an employer, as that term is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher before July 1, 2025, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025. Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to full-time salaried 911 dispatchers. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher on or after July 1, 2025, but allows an employer, as that term is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher before July 1, 2025, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act and the General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; deadline for annual filing of disclosure statements; deadline for public disclosure. Changes the filing deadline for statements of economic interests and financial disclosure statements from February 1 to December 15. The bill requires the forms to be made public within 30 days of the filing deadline; currently, this is required within six weeks of the filing deadline. State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act and the General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; deadline for annual filing of disclosure statements; deadline for public disclosure. Changes the filing deadline for statements of economic interests and financial disclosure statements from February 1 to December 15. The bill requires the forms to be made public within 30 days of the filing deadline; currently, this is required within six weeks of the filing deadline.

Parental access to minor's medical records; consent by certain minors to treatment of mental or emotional disorder. Adds an exception to the right of parental access to a minor child's health records if the furnishing to or review by the requesting parent of such health records would be reasonably likely to deter the minor from seeking care. Under the bill, a minor 16 years of age or older who is determined by a health care provider to be mature and capable of giving informed consent shall be deemed an adult for the purpose of giving consent to treatment of a mental or emotional disorder. The bill provides that the capacity of a minor to consent to treatment of a mental or emotional disorder does not include the capacity to refuse treatment for a mental or emotional disorder for which a parent, guardian, or custodian of the minor has given consent and that a parent, legal guardian, or custodian of a minor shall be notified by a health care provider of the minor's drug abuse, substance abuse, or potential of self-harm.

Faith in Housing for the Commonwealth Act. Permits a religious organization, defined in the bill, to construct affordable housing on real estate owned by such religious organization (i) on or before January 1, 2024, or for a period of not less than five years, and (ii) for which the religious organization retains a majority ownership interest.

Absentee voting; processing absentee ballots returned before election day; processing upon receipt. Requires the general registrars to complete the initial processing of absentee ballots that are returned before election day within three business days of receipt. Under current law, registrars are directed to mark the date of receipt in the voter's record and examine the ballot envelope to verify completion of the required voter affirmation when an absentee ballot is returned but are not subject to a deadline for doing so. Absentee voting; processing absentee ballots returned before election day; processing upon receipt. Requires the general registrars to complete the initial processing of absentee ballots that are returned before election day within three business days of receipt. Under current law, registrars are directed to mark the date of receipt in the voter's record and examine the ballot envelope to verify completion of the required voter affirmation when an absentee ballot is returned but are not subject to a deadline for doing so.

Action of forfeiture; exemptions; court-imposed fine. Provides that no property subject to seizure, pursuant to relevant law, shall be forfeited unless the total value of such property in the aggregate is less than or equal to the value of the fine imposed by the court upon conviction for the offense related to the seizure of such property.

Portable benefit accounts; tax credit. Authorizes a Virginia resident who has worked as an independent contractor to establish a portable benefit account. Under the bill, a portable benefit account offered through and administered by a bank, credit union, or other depository institution and distributions from the account may be used for the payment of various health-related costs. The bill establishes a nonrefundable tax credit for taxable years 2024 through 2028 for individuals who contribute to a portable benefit account.

Special education and related services. Makes several changes relating to special education and related services for children with disabilities in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth, including requiring (i) the Department of Education to (a) develop, establish, review and update as necessary at least once every five years, and make available to each local school board an IEP writing, facilitation, tracking, and transfer system to be referred to as the Virginia IEP that includes, at a minimum, an IEP template component and a data system component and (b) develop and publish a data dashboard for the annual public reporting of state-level, division-level, and school-level special education data; (ii) each local school board to designate a faculty member to serve as a special education parent/family liaison to be a resource to parents and families to understand and engage in the referral, evaluation, reevaluation, and eligibility process if they suspect that their child has a disability and in the IEP process; and (iii) the Parent Training and Information Center in the Commonwealth designated pursuant to relevant federal law to establish special education family support centers in eight distinct regions of the Commonwealth that shall each be staffed by a regional special education family liaison employed by such center, coordinate with the designated special education parent/family liaisons in the local school divisions in the region, develop and implement outreach and support to parents of children with disabilities in its region, and track and report to the State Parent Ombudsman for Special Education data on questions and concerns raised by parents.

Teacher licensure; universal licensure by reciprocity. Establishes universal licensure by reciprocity as a category of teacher licensure in the Commonwealth for teachers who hold a valid out-of-state teaching license with full credentials and without deficiencies that has been in force and in use by the individual as an employed teacher in a non-virtual classroom setting at a public or private elementary or secondary school for at least three years prior to and is in force at the time of application and meet other provisions set forth in the bill. The bill also permits the division superintendent rather than the Board of Education, as in current law, to issue a career and technical education teacher a provisional license to allow time for the teacher to attain the industry certification credential required by law. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Education to compile, publicly post on its website, and update as necessary, data on teacher licensure standards and requirements for each state for the purposes of facilitating the determination of the compatibility of out-of-state teacher licenses with requirements for teacher licensure and licensure by reciprocity in the Commonwealth and increasing transparency of such licensure requirements.

Property rights in parking areas owned or controlled by the Commonwealth; firearms and ammunition. Provides that with certain exceptions the Commonwealth shall not adopt or enforce any statute or regulation that prevents an employee, visitor, or contractor from storing a lawfully possessed firearm and ammunition in a locked private motor vehicle parked at any parking area owned or controlled by the Commonwealth. The bill also provides that any previously enacted statutes, promulgated regulations, policies, or rules that are inconsistent with the provisions of the bill are null and void.

Children alleged to be abused or neglected; preliminary removal hearing; appointment of counsel for parent of such child. Provides that at a preliminary removal hearing in cases in which a child is alleged to have been abused or neglected, the court shall appoint an attorney-at-law to represent such child's parent, guardian, or other adult standing in loco parentis if the court determines that such parent, guardian, or other adult standing in loco parentis is indigent, unless he has waived his right to representation or otherwise employed counsel. Under current law, any such appointment is made at an adjudicatory hearing on such removal after a preliminary removal order is issued.