Development of offshore wind capacity; prohibited cost recovery.  

Local prohibition or regulation of gas-powered leaf blowers; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance prohibit or regulate the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. The bill provides that the ordinance may include provisions for a civil penalty and that the funds from such civil penalties may be used by the locality to assist with the purchase of nonprohibited leaf blowers by residents and local businesses.

Discharge plans; copies to public elementary and secondary schools. Provides that, prior to the discharge of any minor admitted to inpatient treatment (i) who is a student at a public elementary or secondary school and (ii) for whom the facility deems (a) such discharge poses a threat of violence or physical harm to self and others or (b) additional educational services are needed, such facility is required to provide to the school's mental health professional or school counselor the portions of such discharge plan relevant to the threat of violence or harm or the necessary additional educational services. The bill requires such facility to, prior to providing any such portions of any minor's discharge plan, provide to the parent of such minor student reasonable notice of the types of information that would be included in any portions of the discharge plan being provided and of the parent's right to, upon written request, refuse the provision of any such information.

Public institutions of higher education; Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program established; report. Establishes the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program to address student food insecurity at public institutions of higher education. The bill provides that the Program shall be managed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and available for participation by public institutions of higher education; however, participation in the Program shall be optional for such institutions. Under the bill, if a public institution of higher education satisfies certain criteria set out in the bill, including creating initiatives on campus to address student food insecurity, it shall be designated as a "Hunger-Free Campus" and the Council shall award a grant to such institution. A public institution of higher education that receives a grant under the bill shall utilize the funds to support on-campus efforts and initiatives to eliminate student food insecurity at such institution. The bill requires the Council to submit a report to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education no later than two years after the establishment of the Program.

Pilot program for underground transmission lines; qualifying projects. Increases the maximum capacity of qualifying electrical transmission lines, for purposes of the pilot project for underground transmission lines, from 230 kilovolts to 500 kilovolts. The bill provides that the State Corporation Commission shall approve additional qualifying projects as part of the pilot program that traverse along highways in developed areas where the route of proposed transmission lines and towers traverse areas protected by a scenic easement, view shed easement, areas of registered historic designation, or areas of conservation easements. Under the bill, existing requirements for qualifying projects shall continue to apply to such new category of qualifying projects.

Electric utilities; regional transmission entities; annual report. Requires each incumbent electric utility that is a member of or has established a regional transmission entity for purposes of management and control of its transmission system as required under current law to submit an annual report by February 1 of each year. Such report shall include all recorded votes cast by the utility during the immediately preceding calendar year, all votes cast by an affiliate of the utility, and a brief description explaining how each vote cast by the utility or its affiliate is in the public interest.

Firearms instructors and safety programs; National Rifle Association and United States Concealed Carry Association. Removes references to the National Rifle Association (the NRA) and the United States Concealed Carry Association from the Code that allow the organizations to certify ranges and instructors and for courses offered by them to serve as proof of demonstrated competence in firearms safety and training for the purpose of obtaining a concealed handgun permit or receiving training as a minor in the use of pneumatic guns. The bill also repeals authority for special license plates in support of the NRA.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment; pilot program. Directs the Department of Veterans Services to establish a pilot program with two locations to make electroencephalogram (EEG) combined transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment available for certain military members, veterans, first responders, law-enforcement officers, and certain agents of federal agencies, and family members of the aforementioned individuals. The bill requires the Department to establish regulations for administration of the pilot program.

Siting of data centers; site assessment. Requires a locality, prior to any approval for the siting of a data center, to require disclosure of water and power usage at full build-out and perform a site assessment to examine the effect of the data center on water usage, the regional electric grid, and carbon emissions as well as any impacts on agricultural, historic, and cultural resources within the locality.

Virginia Retirement System; return to work; break in service. Reduces, from six months to one month, the length of the required break in service after retirement for a teacher, bus driver, specialized student support instructor, or law-enforcement officer before such person may return to work full time and continue to receive his pension under the Virginia Retirement System (VRS).

Study; Department of Housing and Community Development; tax implications of implementing a land value tax; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to study tax implications of local governing bodies implementing a land value tax.

Prohibited acquisition of residential land; restrictions; civil penalty. Restricts any partnership, corporation, or real estate investment trust that manages funds pooled from investors, is a fiduciary to such investors, and has $50 million or more in net value or assets under management on any day during a taxable year from acquiring any interest in residential land, as defined in the bill, in the Commonwealth and requires registration with the Secretary of the Commonwealth on or after July 1, 2024. The bill requires the Secretary to report annually by December 1 on the registrations and any penalties assessed for failure to register and to submit such report to the Governor and the General Assembly. The bill also requires all real property tax bills to contain notice of such prohibited business ownership restrictions and registration requirements.

Constitutional amendment (first reference); qualifications of voters; right to vote; persons not entitled to vote. Provides that every person who meets the qualifications of voters set forth in the Constitution of Virginia shall have the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth and that such right shall not be abridged by law, except for persons who have been convicted of a felony and persons who have been adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting. A person who has been convicted of a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote. Currently, in order to be qualified to vote a person convicted of a felony must have his civil rights restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority. The amendment also provides that a person adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction as lacking the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitled to vote during this period of incapacity until his capacity has been reestablished as prescribed by law. Currently, the Constitution of Virginia provides that a person who has been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent is not qualified to vote until his competency is reestablished.

Department of Energy; work group on critical infrastructure sectors; report. Directs the Director of the Department of Energy to convene a work group to evaluate the Commonwealth's critical infrastructure sectors' usage of fuel for energy and feedstock and impact on jobs, capital investments, and state and local revenue. The bill requires the work group to also assess (i) the impact of the Commonwealth's critical infrastructure sectors on natural gas service or retail natural gas supply choice as provided in relevant law and individually metered propane service or non-utility gas service in accordance with relevant law and (ii) the impact of any public entity enacting an ordinance, building code, contractual provision, fee, permit, or other requirement that limits, prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting, or prevents critical infrastructure sectors within their boundaries from acquiring fuel. The bill requires the work group to complete its evaluation and submit its findings and any recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Labor and Commerce and Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor by November 1, 2024.

Housing opportunity tax credit. Increases, for calendar years 2023 through 2025, the amount of housing opportunity tax credits that may be claimed from $60 million per calendar year to $100 million per calendar year.