Home-based firearms dealers; prohibited near schools; penalties. Provides that no home-based firearms dealer, as defined in the bill, shall be engaged in the business of selling, trading, or transferring firearms at wholesale or retail within 1.5 miles of any elementary or middle school, including buildings and grounds. The bill provides that any person who willfully violates such prohibition is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor for a first offense and guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor for a second or subsequent offense.

Militia state active duty; cyber-related support. Provides that the Governor or his designee may call forth the militia or any part thereof to state active duty for service when the Governor determines that cyber-related support is needed to assist state or local agencies or to assist private entities that provide critical infrastructure. The bill contains technical amendments.

Virginia Consumer Protection Act; prohibited practices; artificial intelligence disclosure. Prohibits the dissemination or sale of an item created with artificial intelligence technology that contains a videographic or still image intending to depict an actual person or an audio or audio-visual recording intending to depict the voice of an actual person where the creator has not disclosed the use of artificial intelligence technology.

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; membership. Requires the membership of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to include at least one nonlegislative citizen member who has served as a chief executive officer of an accredited nonprofit private institution of higher education whose primary purpose is to provide collegiate, graduate, or professional education and not to provide religious training or theological education. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026, and is identical to

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 and (ii) authorizes the Director of the Department of General Services to lease vehicles and construction and forestry equipment 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 and (ii) authorizes the Director of the Department of General Services to lease vehicles and construction and forestry equipment to the Authority.

Health insurance; coverage option for fertility services; essential health benefits benchmark plan. Requires health insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans to offer and make available coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and for standard fertility preservation procedures, as defined in the bill. Such coverage includes coverage for in vitro fertilization, provided that procedures are performed at medical facilities or clinics that conform to guidelines published by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology or the American Fertility Society for in vitro fertilization procedures. The bill also requires the Health Insurance Reform Commission to consider such coverage in its 2025 review of the essential health benefits benchmark plan. The bill directs the Commission to include such coverage in its recommendation to the General Assembly for a new essential health benefits benchmark plan unless the Commission identifies a compelling reason to exclude such coverage. Health insurance; coverage option for fertility services; essential health benefits benchmark plan. Requires health insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans to offer and make available coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and for standard fertility preservation procedures, as defined in the bill. Such coverage includes coverage for in vitro fertilization, provided that procedures are performed at medical facilities or clinics that conform to guidelines published by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology or the American Fertility Society for in vitro fertilization procedures. The bill also requires the Health Insurance Reform Commission to consider such coverage in its 2025 review of the essential health benefits benchmark plan. The bill directs the Commission to include such coverage in its recommendation to the General Assembly for a new essential health benefits benchmark plan unless the Commission identifies a compelling reason to exclude such coverage.

Stillbirth Support Grant Program. Establishes the Stillbirth Support Grant Program for the purpose of providing grants to individuals who delivered a stillborn child, as defined by the bill, to assist with out-of-pocket costs associated with such delivery. Under the bill, an application for such a grant must be submitted within the same calendar year as such delivery of a stillborn child occurs.

Voter registration; registration of Department of Motor Vehicles customers; automatic update. Provides that the information gathered by the Department of Motor Vehicles for a person who indicates that he is already registered to vote is to be automatically transmitted to the Department of Elections for the purpose of updating an existing voter registration record. Under current law, a person must be presented with the option to decline to have his information transmitted to the Department of Elections before such information may be transmitted.

Board for Contractors; required regulations and disclosures. Requires the Board for Contractors to adopt regulations requiring all Class A, B, and C residential contractors, excluding subcontractors to the contracting parties and those who engage in routine maintenance or service contracts, to use legible written contracts that include certain terms and conditions. The bill directs the Board to require a statement of protections be provided by the contractor to the homeowner, consumer, or buyer in transactions involving door-to-door solicitations or any residential rooftop solar installation. The bill requires the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to review by July 1, 2025, its licensing exam for alternative energy system contracting to ensure such exam includes questions related to the physical installation of alternative energy systems on preexisting structures. The bill also requires the Board for Contractors to create a disclosure form to be provided in any transaction involving a residential rooftop solar installation to include specific disclosures regarding the risks associated with residential rooftop solar installation. Finally, the bill requires the State Corporation Commission to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to develop recommendations for any additional consumer protections regarding the sale, lease, or installation of a solar energy facility with a generating capacity of 25 kilowatts or less and report the work group's recommendations to certain committees of the General Assembly by November 30, 2024.

Study; joint committee of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health; challenges faced by and effective strategies for ensuring the sustainable, long-term success of the five historically black colleges and universities in the Commonwealth; report. Establishes a joint committee consisting of five members of the House Committee on Education and three members of the Senate Committee on Education and Health to study the challenges faced by and effective strategies for ensuring the sustainable, long-term success of the five historically black colleges and universities in the Commonwealth–Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Virginia University of Lynchburg–by discussing, adopting, and recommending to the Governor and the General Assembly for formal recognition and endorsement a comprehensive statewide HBCU Support Plan. Study; joint committee of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health; challenges faced by and effective strategies for ensuring the sustainable, long-term success of the five historically black colleges and universities in the Commonwealth; report. Establishes a joint committee consisting of five members of the House Committee on Education and three members of the Senate Committee on Education and Health to study the challenges faced by and effective strategies for ensuring the sustainable, long-term success of the five historically black colleges and universities in the Commonwealth–Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Virginia University of Lynchburg–by discussing, adopting, and recommending to the Governor and the General Assembly for formal recognition and endorsement a comprehensive statewide HBCU Support Plan.

State Air Pollution Control Board; regulations; low-emissions and zero-emissions vehicle standards. Repeals the State Air Pollution Control Board's authority to implement low-emissions and zero-emissions vehicle standards that apply for vehicles with a model year of 2025 and later.

Firearms-related offenses; mandatory minimum sentences; penalty. Increases from five to 10 years for a second or subsequent offense the mandatory minimum sentences for use or display of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies.

Study; joint subcommittee; Dillon Rule; report. Creates a 13-member joint subcommittee for a one-year study of the Dillon Rule and its impact on Virginia's localities.

Board of Social Work; licensure of clinical social workers; examination alternative; regulation amendments. Directs the Board of Social Work to amend the regulations for the licensure of clinical social workers to allow applicants to utilize an examination alternative, which shall consist of at least 1,500 hours of supervised experience that is obtained within the five calendar years immediately preceding the date of application. The bill clarifies that the examination alternative shall be in addition to any other supervised clinical experience required for licensure.

Rights of voters; covered practices; civil cause of action; standing, jurisdiction, and venue. Provides that, in addition to voters who are members of a protected class and the Attorney General, any organization whose membership includes voters who are members of a protected class or any organization whose mission, in whole or in part, is to ensure voting access shall be entitled to institute a civil cause of action for alleged violations of certain laws related to the rights of voters. The bill provides that the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond shall have jurisdiction over such actions and such actions shall be subject to expedited pretrial and trial proceedings and receive an automatic calendar preference. The bill allows the governing body of any county or city to establish, by ordinance, a plan each year for the number and location of voter satellite offices and the dates and hours of operation of such satellite offices for all elections to be held in the county or city that year. The bill also adds to the definition of "covered practice" any change that reduces the number of voter satellite offices in a locality or reduces the number of days or the hours of operation of a voter satellite office in a locality or that deviates from the plan established by the governing body each year. Rights of voters; covered practices; civil cause of action; standing, jurisdiction, and venue. Provides that, in addition to voters who are members of a protected class and the Attorney General, any organization whose membership includes voters who are members of a protected class or any organization whose mission, in whole or in part, is to ensure voting access shall be entitled to institute a civil cause of action for alleged violations of certain laws related to the rights of voters. The bill provides that the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond shall have jurisdiction over such actions and such actions shall be subject to expedited pretrial and trial proceedings and receive an automatic calendar preference. The bill allows the governing body of any county or city to establish, by ordinance, a plan each year for the number and location of voter satellite offices and the dates and hours of operation of such satellite offices for all elections to be held in the county or city that year. The bill also adds to the definition of "covered practice" any change that reduces the number of voter satellite offices in a locality or reduces the number of days or the hours of operation of a voter satellite office in a locality or that deviates from the plan established by the governing body each year.