Carrying assault firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty. Prohibits the carrying of certain semi-automatic center-fire rifles and shotguns on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, or public right-of-way or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public, with certain exceptions. Under current law, the current prohibition on carrying certain shotguns and semi-automatic center-fire rifles and pistols applies to a narrower range of firearms, only in certain localities, and only when such firearms are loaded.

Procurement; preference for local products and firms by localities. Allows localities to give a procurement preference to a higher bid that includes local products and firms so long as the bid price is not more than 10 percent greater than the bid price of the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.

Marriage lawful regardless of sex, gender, or race of parties; issuance of marriage license. Provides that no person authorized to issue a marriage license shall deny the issuance of such license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of the parties. The bill also requires that such lawful marriages be recognized in the Commonwealth regardless of the sex, gender, or race of the parties. The bill provides that religious organizations or members of the clergy acting in their religious capacity shall have the right to refuse to perform any marriage.

Waiving of utility connection fees in certain areas; City of Staunton. Allows the City of Staunton to reduce or waive utility connection fees in certain designated areas.

Elections; form of ballot; party identification of candidates; constitutional offices. Provides that any candidate for a constitutional office who is nominated by a political party or at a primary election shall be identified on the ballot by the name of his political party. Currently, only candidates for federal, statewide, and General Assembly offices are so identified. The constitutional offices are those of the treasurer, sheriff, attorney for the Commonwealth, clerk of court, and commissioner of the revenue.

Black Women's History Month. Designates April, in 2024 and in each succeeding year, as Black Women's History Month in Virginia. Black Women's History Month. Designates April, in 2024 and in each succeeding year, as Black Women's History Month in Virginia.

Board of Medicine; continuing education; unconscious bias and cultural competency. Directs the Board of Medicine to require unconscious bias and cultural competency training as part of the continuing education requirements for renewal of licensure. The bill specifies requirements for the training and requires the Board of Medicine to report on the training to the Department of Health and the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative.

Supervision of certified registered nurse anesthetists; work group; report. Clarifies that supervision of a certified registered nurse anesthetist requires that a licensed doctor of medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, or dentistry is present during an operation or procedure or is immediately available to respond and provide patient care as needed. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, in collaboration with the Board of Medicine, Board of Nursing, and Department of Health Professions, to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to evaluate and make recommendations to increase the anesthesia provider workforce in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the work group to report its recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health and Human Services by November 1, 2024.

Motor vehicle safety inspection approval sticker; persons on active duty. Authorizes motor vehicles owned and operated by persons on active duty with the United States Armed Forces stationed outside the Commonwealth at the time the inspection expires to be operated on the highways of the Commonwealth while such persons are on leave. Existing law only authorizes the operation of any such vehicle by active duty Virginia residents when such vehicle displays a valid inspection sticker issued by another state.

Commissioner of Health; work group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water; report. Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene a work group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water and develop recommendations for the reduction of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water. The bill requires the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and Education and Health by December 1, 2024.

Temporary detention; certified evaluators; report. Authorizes hospitals with a psychiatric emergency department located in the City of Hampton to employ certain trained individuals to perform evaluations to determine whether a person meets the criteria for temporary detention for behavioral health treatment. The bill requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to annually report the length of time between when a person who is the subject of an emergency custody order arrives at the psychiatric emergency department of a participating hospital and when the temporary detention order evaluation is completed and (ii) the number of (a) admissions, (b) psychiatric emergency department visits, (c) temporary detention order evaluations completed, (d) temporary detention orders executed, (e) individuals under temporary detention admitted to the participating hospital, and (f) individuals transferred from the psychiatric emergency department of the participating hospital to a state facility to the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Behavioral Health Commission. The bill requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to report monthly to the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services the number of (a) crisis evaluations conducted each month; (b) temporary detention orders executed as a result of such evaluations and the percentage of evaluations such temporary detention orders represent; (c) reportable events associated with such temporary detention orders and the percentage of temporary detention orders that such reportable events represent; (d) certain reportable events; and (e) other events. The bill requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to submit by October 1, 2026, to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health and Human Services an evaluation of the overall effectiveness of certified evaluators conducting temporary detention order evaluations pursuant to the bill. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2026. Temporary detention; certified evaluators; report. Authorizes hospitals with a psychiatric emergency department located in the City of Hampton to employ certain trained individuals to perform evaluations to determine whether a person meets the criteria for temporary detention for behavioral health treatment. The bill requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to annually report the length of time between when a person who is the subject of an emergency custody order arrives at the psychiatric emergency department of a participating hospital and when the temporary detention order evaluation is completed and (ii) the number of (a) admissions, (b) psychiatric emergency department visits, (c) temporary detention order evaluations completed, (d) temporary detention orders executed, (e) individuals under temporary detention admitted to the participating hospital, and (f) individuals transferred from the psychiatric emergency department of the participating hospital to a state facility to the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Behavioral Health Commission. The bill requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to report monthly to the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services the number of (a) crisis evaluations conducted each month; (b) temporary detention orders executed as a result of such evaluations and the percentage of evaluations such temporary detention orders represent; (c) reportable events associated with such temporary detention orders and the percentage of temporary detention orders that such reportable events represent; (d) certain reportable events; and (e) other events. The bill requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to submit by October 1, 2026, to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health and Human Services an evaluation of the overall effectiveness of certified evaluators conducting temporary detention order evaluations pursuant to the bill. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2026.

Sage's Law; minor students experiencing gender incongruence; parental notification of certain expressions and requests and parental permission for certain plans required; parental care. Requires each public elementary or secondary school principal or his designee to (i) as soon as practicable, inform at least one parent of a minor student enrolled in such school if such minor (a) expresses to any individual who is employed in such school that such minor is experiencing gender incongruence, as defined in the bill, or (b) requests that any such employee participate in social affirmation of such minor's gender incongruence or the transition of such minor to a sex or gender different from the minor's biological sex while at school and (ii) request and receive permission from at least one parent of a minor student enrolled at such school prior to the implementation at such school of any plan concerning any gender incongruence experienced by such minor, including any counseling of such minor at school. Any such plan shall include provision for parental participation to the extent requested by the parent. The bill also clarifies, in the definition of the term "abused or neglected child," that in no event shall referring to and raising the child in a manner consistent with the child's biological sex, including related mental health or medical decisions, be considered abuse or neglect.

Board of Medicine; continuing education; implicit bias and cultural competency in health care. Requires the Board of Medicine to adopt and implement policies that require each practitioner licensed by the Board who has direct contact with persons who are or may become pregnant to complete two hours of continuing education related to implicit bias, defined in the bill, and cultural competency in health care at least once every other license renewal cycle.

Firearm safety device tax credit; definition of firearm safety device. Expands the definition of "firearm safety device" as it relates to the firearm safety device tax credit to include any device that, when installed on a firearm, is designed to prevent the firearm from being operated without first deactivating the device. The provisions of the bill are effective for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2024.

Contract actions; medical debt. Provides that in any action, including those brought by the Commonwealth, upon any contract to collect medical debt, as defined in the bill, such an action is barred if not commenced within three years from the due date applicable to the first invoice for a health care service unless the contract with a hospital or health care provider is for a payment plan that allows for a longer period of time for the collection of debt by the hospital or health care provider. The bill specifies that such limitation shall not apply to medical debt arising from services provided by programs administered by the Department of Medical Assistance Services. Contract actions; medical debt. Provides that in any action, including those brought by the Commonwealth, upon any contract to collect medical debt, as defined in the bill, such an action is barred if not commenced within three years from the due date applicable to the first invoice for a health care service unless the contract with a hospital or health care provider is for a payment plan that allows for a longer period of time for the collection of debt by the hospital or health care provider. The bill specifies that such limitation shall not apply to medical debt arising from services provided by programs administered by the Department of Medical Assistance Services.