Other Legislation
| Bills | Committee | Last action | Date |
| HB 14 - Ware - Unemployment compensation; employer's failure to respond to requests for information, etc. | (H) Committee on Appropriations (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0165) | 03/28/24 |
| notes: Provides that an employer's failure to respond timely or adequately to a written request for information relating to an unemployment claim results in a waiver of all of such employer's rights in connection with the claim, including participation and appeal rights, unless such employer demonstrates that good cause exists for such failure. The bill requires the Virginia Employment Commission to provide written notice for each instance of untimely or inadequate employer response to such requests and specifies that such notice may be delivered through the Employer Self-Service Tax System website maintained by the Commission. The bill also requires the Commission to provide each employer with information regarding deadlines for timely and adequate responses to such requests. Such provisions of the bill apply to erroneous payments established on or after July 1, 2024. The bill also prohibits a deputy designated by the Commissioner to adjudicate unemployment claims from examining or considering facts contained within an employer's untimely or inadequate response and requires that information or evidence from an employer or third party must be shared with the claimant, who must also be provided a reasonable opportunity to review and respond to such information or evidence. The bill requires such deputy to provide the reasoning behind the decision, as described in the bill, and a short statement of case-specific facts material to the determination together with any notice of determination upon a claim. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Unemployment Compensation. | |||
| HB 115 - Sullivan - Guardians and conservators; order of appointment and certificate of qualification, annual report. | (H) Committee for Courts of Justice (S) Committee for Courts of Justice | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0017) | 03/08/24 |
| notes: Requires a petitioner to file with a petition for the appointment of a guardian, conservator, or both a cover sheet on a form prepared by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia. The bill requires a guardian to file an initial annual report within four months of the date of qualification and to file each subsequent annual report every year on the same date. The bill also specifies which documents the clerk shall forward to certain entities upon the qualification of a guardian or conservator. This bill is a recommendation of the Judicial Council of Virginia. | |||
| HB 210 - Martinez - Electronic execution of estate planning documents; codifies Uniform Electronic Wills Act. | (H) Committee for Courts of Justice (S) Committee for Courts of Justice | (S) Defeated by Senate (19-Y 20-N) | 02/27/24 |
| notes: Permits trusts, advance medical directives, and refusals to make anatomical gifts to be signed and notarized, as appropriate, by electronic means. The bill also codifies the Uniform Electronic Wills Act, which permits a testator to execute a will by electronic means. The Act requires that the will be signed by two witnesses who are in the physical or electronic presence of the testator and acknowledged by the testator and attesting witnesses in the physical or electronic presence of a notary public. | |||
| HB 308 - Ballard - Geriatric prisoners; conditional release. | (H) Committee on Public Safety | (H) Left in Public Safety | 02/13/24 |
| notes: Expands the list of offenses that prohibit a person from petitioning the Parole Board for conditional release as a geriatric prisoner. | |||
| HB 325 - Thomas - Minimum wage and overtime wages; civil actions. | (H) Committee on Labor and Commerce | (H) Left in Labor and Commerce | 02/13/24 |
| notes: Provides that an employer that violates minimum wage or overtime provisions is liable to the employee for the applicable remedies, damages, or other relief available in an action brought pursuant to the civil action provisions currently available for the nonpayment of wages. Such provisions currently available provide that an employee may bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover payment of the wages, and the court is required to award the wages owed, an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, plus prejudgment interest thereon, and reasonable attorney fees and costs. If the court finds that the employer knowingly failed to pay wages to an employee, the court is required award the employee an amount equal to triple the amount of wages due and reasonable attorney fees and costs. Such actions are required to be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrued. | |||
| HB 326 - Glass - Social Work Licensure Compact; authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to Compact. | (H) Committee on Health and Human Services (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0690) | 04/08/24 |
| notes: Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Social Work Licensure Compact. The Compact allows social workers who have or are eligible for an active, unencumbered license in the compact member state where they reside to apply for a multistate license. After verifying eligibility, the social worker is granted a multistate license that authorizes practice in all other compact member states. The Compact takes effect when it is enacted by a seventh member state. | |||
| HB 336 - Jones - Powers of attorney, certain; transfer on death deeds. | (H) Committee for Courts of Justice (S) Committee for Courts of Justice | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0283) | 04/02/24 |
| notes: Provides that an agent under a power of attorney shall not have the authority to create, change, or revoke a transfer on death deed unless specifically granted the power to create or change a beneficiary designation as otherwise provided by law. | |||
| HB 341 - Thomas - Virginia Public Procurement Act; consideration of employment of older Virginia residents. | (H) Committee on General Laws | (H) Incorporated by General Laws (HB1361-Feggans) | 02/01/24 |
| notes: Allows public bodies to include as a factor that will be used in evaluating a Request for Proposal the proposer's participation in programs that employ Virginia residents age 55 or older. The bill also provides that in the case of a tie bid between two or more bidders-both of which are eligible for a preference as a bidder for goods produced in Virginia or goods, services, or construction provided by Virginia persons, firms, or corporations-an additional preference shall be given to any bidder that participates in such programs. | |||
| HB 512 - Cohen - Conservatorship; Judicial Council of Virginia to convene work group to study. | (H) Committee on Appropriations | (H) Continued to 2025 in Appropriations | 02/07/24 |
| notes: Directs the Judicial Council of Virginia to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to study issues relating to conservatorship in the Commonwealth and to develop recommendations for a best practices model. The bill requires the work group to submit its findings and recommendations by November 1, 2024, to the Chairmen of the House Committee for Courts of Justice and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. | |||
| HB 526 - Krizek - Charitable organization; registration fees, solicitation of contributions. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (S) Passed by indefinitely in Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) | 02/27/24 |
| notes: Reduces fees for the registration of charitable organizations that intend to solicit contributions within the Commonwealth. The bill also contains technical amendments. | |||
| HB 769 - Delaney - Multi-jurisdiction grand jury; elder abuse crimes. | (H) Committee for Courts of Justice (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0397) | 04/04/24 |
| notes: 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. | |||
| HB 786 - Hope - Guardianship and conservatorship; restoration or modification or termination of order. | (H) Committee for Courts of Justice (S) Committee for Courts of Justice | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0820) | 04/17/24 |
| notes: Allows a person subject to a guardianship or conservatorship who is not represented by counsel to initiate the process to be restored to capacity or have such guardianship or conservatorship modified or terminated by informal communication to the court by any means, including by informal letter, telephone call, email, or in-person visit, in lieu of the petition requirement specified under current law. | |||
| HB 933 - LeVere Bolling - Alzheimer's disease and dementia; training for dispatchers, firefighters, etc. | (H) Committee on Public Safety (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0698) | 04/08/24 |
| notes: Requires certain agencies in the Commonwealth to develop curricula and provide training related to Alzheimer's disease and dementia to dispatchers employed by or in any local or state government agency, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission and the Commonwealth Council on Aging. | |||
| HB 1078 - Rasoul - Family caregiver; creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2024 through 2028. | (H) Committee on Finance | (H) Continued to 2025 in Finance | 02/07/24 |
| notes: Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2024 through 2028 for expenses incurred by an individual in caring for an eligible family member, defined in the bill, who requires assistance with one or more activities of daily living, also defined in the bill. The credit equals 50 percent of eligible expenditures incurred by the caregiver up to $1,000. In order to qualify for the credit, the family caregiver must (i) not receive any compensation or reimbursement for the eligible expenditures and (ii) have federal adjusted gross income that is no greater than $100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for married persons. The bill requires the Tax Commissioner to establish guidelines for claiming the credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forward by the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable year for which the credit was issued. | |||
| HB 1455 - Carr - Virginia Memory Project; established. | (H) Committee on Appropriations (S) Committee on Education and Health | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0330) | 04/02/24 |
| notes: Establishes the Virginia Memory Project in the Virginia Center on Aging at Virginia Commonwealth University to collect and analyze data on Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and other neurodegenerative diseases; provide assistance to individuals with Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and other neurodegenerative diseases and their families and physicians; and assist in the development of relevant public policy. The bill provides that no publication of information shall be made that identifies any patient by name. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025. | |||
| HB 1498 - Willett - Adult day care centers; name changes to adult day centers throughout the Code. | (H) Committee on Health and Human Services (S) Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0150) | 03/26/24 |
| notes: Renames "adult day care centers" as "adult day centers" throughout the Code of Virginia. | |||
| SB 162 - McDougle - Kinship as Foster Care Prevention Program; established, placement of children with relatives. | (S) Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services | (S) Incorporated by Rehabilitation and Social Services (SB39-Favola) (12-Y 0-N) | 01/19/24 |
| notes: Establishes the Kinship as Foster Care Prevention Program to promote and support placements of children with relatives by local boards of social services in order to avoid foster care. The bill provides that a child is eligible to participate in the Program if the local board determines that (i) the child is at imminent risk of being removed from his home and a preliminary protective order is insufficient to address the child's immediate safety concerns and (ii) the child's parent or guardian consents to the placement of the child with a relative pursuant to an agreement with the local board developed in accordance with the provisions of the bill. | |||
| SB 290 - Roem - Guardians and conservators; order of appointment and certificate of qualification, annual report. | (H) Committee for Courts of Justice (S) Committee for Courts of Justice | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0156) | 03/26/24 |
| notes: Requires a petitioner to file with a petition for the appointment of a guardian, conservator, or both, a cover sheet on a form prepared by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia. The bill requires a guardian to file an initial annual report reflecting the first four months of guardianship since qualification within six months of the date of qualification and to file the second and each subsequent annual report for each succeeding 12-month period within four months from the last day of the last 12-month period covered by the previous annual report. The bill also specifies which documents the clerk shall forward to certain entities upon the qualification of a guardian or conservator. This bill is a recommendation of the Judicial Council of Virginia. | |||
| SB 291 - Roem - Court-appointed guardians; training, powers and duties. | (H) Committee on Appropriations (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0587) | 04/05/24 |
| notes: Directs the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services to develop and provide training for court-appointed guardians by July 1, 2025. The bill requires a court-appointed guardian and any skilled professional retained by such guardian to perform guardianship duties to complete the initial training developed by the Department within four months after the date of qualification of such guardian. Under the bill, guardians appointed prior to July 1, 2025, must complete such training by January 1, 2027. The bill further requires a guardian to include in his annual report to the local department of social services a statement as to whether such training has been completed. | |||
| SB 292 - Roem - Guardianship and conservatorship; report of guardian ad litem. | (H) Committee for Courts of Justice (S) Committee for Courts of Justice | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0588) | 04/05/24 |
| notes: Adds to the considerations regarding the suitability and propriety of a prospective guardian or conservator that a guardian ad litem is required to address in his report to the court following a petition for guardianship or conservatorship. The bill provides that the guardian ad litem shall consider the prospective guardian's or conservator's work as a professional guardian, including whether the person does so on a full-time basis, the prospective guardian's or conservator's expected capacity as a guardian, and whether the prospective guardian or conservator is named as a perpetrator in any substantiated adult protective services complaint involving the respondent. | |||
| SB 293 - Roem - Guardianship and conservatorship; duties and powers of guardian and conservator. | (S) Committee for Courts of Justice | (S) Continued to 2025 in Courts of Justice (12-Y 0-N) | 02/05/24 |
| notes: Provides that a guardian and conservator shall avoid all conflicts of interest and self-dealing, including all appearances of conflicts of interest and self-dealing, when addressing the needs of the incapacitated person to whom the guardian or conservator owes a fiduciary duty. The bill provides that a conflict of interest arises when the guardian or conservator has a personal or agency interest that can be perceived as self-serving or adverse to the position or best interest of the incapacitated person, and self-dealing arises when the guardian or conservator seeks to take advantage of his position as guardian or conservator and acts for his own interests rather than for the interests of the incapacitated person. The bill further provides that any sale or transaction that constitutes self-dealing shall be voidable by the court. | |||
| SB 419 - Head - Family caregiver; creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2024 through 2028. | (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (S) Continued to 2025 in Finance and Appropriations (11-Y 4-N) | 02/07/24 |
| notes: Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2024 through 2028 for expenses incurred by an individual in caring for an eligible family member, defined in the bill, who requires assistance with one or more activities of daily living, also defined in the bill. The credit equals 50 percent of eligible expenditures incurred by the caregiver up to $1,000. In order to qualify for the credit, the family caregiver must (i) not receive any compensation or reimbursement for the eligible expenditures and (ii) have federal adjusted gross income that is no greater than $100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for married persons. | |||
| SB 620 - Pillion - PACE programs; long-term services and support screening. | (H) Committee on Health and Human Services (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0517) | 04/04/24 |
| notes: Allows qualified staff of programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) to conduct the required long-term services and supports screening in accordance with requirements established by the Department of Medical Assistance Services. The bill directs the Department to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. | |||
| SB 661 - Craig - Nursing facilities; electronic monitoring in resident rooms. | (S) Committee on Education and Health | (S) Continued to 2025 in Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) | 02/08/24 |
| notes: Gives residents of nursing facilities the right to place electronic monitoring devices in their rooms. "Electronic monitoring" is defined in the bill as video or audio monitoring or recording of residents of nursing facility as a means of monitoring resident wellbeing. | |||