Multi-jurisdiction grand jury; elder abuse crimes. Adds the following to the list of crimes that a multi-jurisdiction grand jury may investigate: (i) financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, (ii) financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult by an agent, and (iii) abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Criminal Justice Conference.

Department of Human Resource Management; employee designation and payment policies; nursing staff at state psychiatric hospitals. Directs the Department of Human Resource Management to amend its policies to authorize the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and state psychiatric hospitals to designate as full-time employees nursing staff and psychiatric technicians who work at least 36 hours per week to permit state hospitals to use 12-hour shifts for such staff. The bill prohibits the Department from requiring reductions in pay or other benefits for such employees based solely on the fact that the employee works 36 hours per week. The bill also directs the Department to examine whether the policy change should be extended to comparable direct care positions in other executive branch agencies to improve recruitment and retention. As introduced,

Unlawful detainer; bifurcation of case; contested rent and damages. Provides that, at an initial hearing on an unlawful detainer, if the defendant contests the amount of rent and damages alleged to be due and owing to the plaintiff, the court shall not bifurcate the unlawful detainer case. Under current law, at the initial hearing, upon request of the plaintiff, the court is required to bifurcate the unlawful detainer case and set a continuance date no later than 120 days from the date of the initial hearing to determine final rent and damages. Unlawful detainer; bifurcation of case; contested rent and damages. Provides that, at an initial hearing on an unlawful detainer, if the defendant contests the amount of rent and damages alleged to be due and owing to the plaintiff, the court shall not bifurcate the unlawful detainer case. Under current law, at the initial hearing, upon request of the plaintiff, the court is required to bifurcate the unlawful detainer case and set a continuance date no later than 120 days from the date of the initial hearing to determine final rent and damages.

Purchase, possession, or transportation of firearm following an assault and battery or stalking violation; prohibition period; penalty. Prohibits a person who has been convicted of assault and battery, assault and battery of a family or household member, or stalking from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm. The prohibition expires five years after the date of conviction, at which point the person's firearm rights are restored, unless he receives another disqualifying conviction. A person who violates the provisions of the bill is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill also extends from three years to five years the existing prohibition period for persons convicted of assault and battery of certain family or household members. Purchase, possession, or transportation of firearm following an assault and battery or stalking violation; prohibition period; penalty. Prohibits a person who has been convicted of assault and battery, assault and battery of a family or household member, or stalking from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm. The prohibition expires five years after the date of conviction, at which point the person's firearm rights are restored, unless he receives another disqualifying conviction. A person who violates the provisions of the bill is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill also extends from three years to five years the existing prohibition period for persons convicted of assault and battery of certain family or household members.

Virginia Self-Service Storage Act. Permits a rental agreement for a leased self-service storage space to be delivered and accepted electronically. The bill permits a rental agreement to contain statements that the rental agreement is deemed accepted by the owner where the owner accepts rent or where the occupant accepts possession or delivers rent. Finally, the bill permits towing of any abandoned, immobilized, unattended, or trespassing vehicles or watercraft that are not authorized to be at the self-service storage facility. Virginia Self-Service Storage Act. Permits a rental agreement for a leased self-service storage space to be delivered and accepted electronically. The bill permits a rental agreement to contain statements that the rental agreement is deemed accepted by the owner where the owner accepts rent or where the occupant accepts possession or delivers rent. Finally, the bill permits towing of any abandoned, immobilized, unattended, or trespassing vehicles or watercraft that are not authorized to be at the self-service storage facility.

Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security; work group to study recruitment and professional development of firefighters and emergency medical services personnel; report. Requires the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, to convene a work group to (i) study the recruitment and professional development of firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, (ii) make recommendations to ensure the uniformity of training for firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, and (iii) examine whether the state regulation of firefighters and emergency medical services personnel should be consolidated under a single secretariat and if a new secretariat should be created to oversee such regulation. The bill requires the work group to submit a report to the relevant General Assembly committees by November 1, 2024.

Department of Motor Vehicles; commercial driver's license work group. Directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to convene a work group to develop and implement a statewide strategy to incentivize and promote the issuance of commercial driver's licenses to qualified applicants in the Commonwealth.

Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act; local government ordinances; criteria for local governments; Resource Protection Area exceptions. Amends the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act to require the State Water Control Board, in developing criteria for local governments to use as they consider development in Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas, to allow use and development of land that is reasonable in the circumstances and does not deprive the owner of all economically viable use of the property. The bill also requires a locality subject to the Act to provide exclusive authority in its implementing ordinance to the local governing body and certain boards and commissions of the locality to grant exceptions to any land development within a Resource Protection Area, as defined by the State Water Control Board, or expanded by the locality in accordance with such rules of the Board. The bill allows any adjacent or otherwise affected property owner to seek certain equitable remedies against the locality in the appropriate circuit court.

Board of Housing and Community Development; stakeholder advisory group; report. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development (the Board) to convene a stakeholder advisory group including fire code officials to evaluate and recommend revisions to the Uniform Statewide Building Code to permit Group R-2 occupancies to be served by a single exit, provided that the building has not more than six stories above grade plane. The bill requires the stakeholder advisory group to submit its findings and recommendations to the Board and to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology no later than December 1, 2024.

Real property taxes; notice by mail of proposed increase. Requires localities, after conducting a reassessment of real estate, to provide notice to property owners by mail of certain information prior to adopting a tax rate that would increase the amount of real property tax collected above 101 percent of the prior year's tax collections. The bill requires the notice to include (i) the dollar and percentage amount of increase that the proposed tax rate would levy on the owner's particular property compared to the previous year's tax levy, (ii) the tax levy on the owner's particular property for the previous tax year and the proposed levy for the current tax year, and (iii) all of the information regarding the proposed tax rate that under current law is required to be posted in a newspaper and a prominent public location.

Financial Services Expansion Grant Fund. Creates the Financial Services Expansion Grant Fund to make grant payments to an eligible financial services company that makes a capital investment of at least $87 million at a facility in Roanoke County and creates at least 1,100 new full-time jobs at the facility. The eligible financial services company would be eligible for an aggregate of $15 million in grants paid out over a 10-year period if it meets such performance parameters.

Election of certain governing bodies; conversion to single-member districts. Allows the governing body of a locality that has been subject to a court order imposing a remedial election system under voting rights laws to adopt an ordinance to convert one or more at-large seats of such body to single-member districts. The bill provides that members of such governing body in office on the effective date of such ordinance shall complete their terms of office.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; release of criminal investigative files exception. Exempts a victim's insurance company and attorney from the prohibition on releasing photographic, audio, video, or other records depicting such victim. The bill also permits a victim, a victim's immediate family members if the victim is deceased, a victim's parent or guardian, the victim's insurance company, or the victim's attorney to waive the 14-day period for a public body to respond to a request for criminal investigative files. Virginia Freedom of Information Act; release of criminal investigative files exception. Exempts a victim's insurance company and attorney from the prohibition on releasing photographic, audio, video, or other records depicting such victim. The bill also permits a victim, a victim's immediate family members if the victim is deceased, a victim's parent or guardian, the victim's insurance company, or the victim's attorney to waive the 14-day period for a public body to respond to a request for criminal investigative files.

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.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; records of federal animal welfare violations; limitation on fees. Prohibits any public body in custody of records that pertain to or were generated as a result of a violation of federal animal welfare regulations, policies, or guidelines from charging more than $25 for the production of such records regarding any one incident or one animal testing facility.