SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2024 SESSION

  • print version
Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor

Chair: R. Creigh Deeds

Clerk: Hobie Lehman, Madison Odallo
Staff: Thomas Stevens
Date of Meeting: January 15, 2024
Time and Place: 15 mins after adjournment / Senate Room A, 3rd Floor GAB
Updated to include SB 550

S.B. 1

Patron: Lucas

Minimum wage. Increases the minimum wage from the current rate of $12.00 per hour to $13.50 per hour effective January 1, 2025, and to $15.00 per hour effective January 1, 2026. The bill satisfies a reenactment clause included in Chapters 1204 and 1242 of the Acts of Assembly of 2020.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 40.1-28.10 of the Code of Virginia, relating to minimum wage.

24101024D

S.B. 212

Patron: Rouse

Virginia Small Business Economic Development Act established; regulation of skill games; registration; penalties. Establishes the Virginia Small Business Economic Development Act for the purpose of providing a regulatory and registration scheme for skill game machines in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and directs the Department of Taxation to collect a monthly tax of 15 percent from the gross revenue of each skill game machine from each skill game distributor.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 18.2-325 of the Code of Virginia, to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Title 59.1 a chapter numbered 57, consisting of sections numbered 59.1-603 through 59.1-617, and to repeal § 18.2-334.6 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Small Business Economic Development Act established; regulation of skill games; registration; penalties.

24104544D

S.B. 550

Patron: Deeds


Liquid nicotine and nicotine vapor products; certification and directory; penalties. Requires every manufacturer of liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor products that are sold in the Commonwealth to certify to the Attorney General that (i) the manufacturer has received a marketing authorization or similar order for the liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or (ii) (a) the liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product was marketed in the United States as of August 8, 2016, or (b) the manufacturer submitted a premarket tobacco product application for the liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product to the FDA on or before September 9, 2020, and such application either remains under review by the FDA or a final decision on the application has not otherwise taken effect. The bill requires a manufacturer to submit such a form for each liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product that such manufacturer sells in the Commonwealth. Under the bill, any manufacturer that falsely represents any of the information required by the certification requirement is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor for each false representation.

The bill requires the Attorney General to establish and maintain a directory that lists all liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product manufacturers and liquid nicotine and nicotine vapor products for which current and accurate certification forms have been submitted. The bill requires the Attorney General to remove or exclude from such directory any such product that is not in compliance and to notify the manufacturer of such noncompliance. The bill allows a 10-business-day period for a manufacturer to establish compliance. The bill requires that any such products that are removed from the list be removed from retail sale within 21 days or become subject to seizure and requires a manufacturer, wholesaler, or retail dealer to notify each purchaser of a removed product that it has been removed from the directory at the time of delivery of such product. The bill entitles such a purchaser to a refund of the purchase price and creates a cause of action to recover such refund.

The bill prohibits the sale, distribution, importation, or offer for sale of any liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product that is not listed in the directory. The bill provides for a civil penalty of $1,000 per day for each product offered for sale in violation of the bill's provisions until the offending product is removed from the market or until the offending product is properly listed on the directory.

The bill requires any person that receives, stores, sells, handles, or transports liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor products to preserve all records relating to the purchase, sale, exchange, receipt, or transportation of all liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor products for a period of three years. The bill provides that all such records are subject to audit or inspection at any time by any duly authorized representative of the Attorney General. Any person who violates the recordkeeping provisions of the bill is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.

Additionally, the bill provides that the Department of Taxation, the Attorney General, any other law-enforcement agency of the Commonwealth, or any federal law-enforcement agency conducting a criminal investigation involving the trafficking of liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor products may access at any time such records. The bill requires the Department of Taxation to impose a penalty of $1,000 for each day that a person fails or refuses to allow or cooperate with an audit, inspection, or investigation of such records.

The bill authorizes the Attorney General, any attorney for the Commonwealth, or the attorney for any city, county, or town to cause an action to enjoin any violation of the provisions of the bill. The circuit courts are authorized by the bill to (i) issue temporary or permanent injunctions to restrain and prevent violations of the provisions of the bill and (ii) order forfeiture on any property seized for such a violation. The bill authorizes the Attorney General to issue a civil investigative demand.

Under the bill, any retailer and wholesaler that sells or distributes any liquid nicotine or nicotine vapor product in the Commonwealth is subject to scheduled or unscheduled compliance checks carried out by the Attorney General for enforcement purposes.

The bill requires the Attorney General to provide an annual report to the General Assembly regarding the status of the directory, manufacturers and products included in the directory, and revenues and expenditures related to and enforcement activities undertaken pursuant to the requirements of the bill.

Finally, the bill makes a violation of its provisions a prohibited practice under the Consumer Protection Act.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 59.1-200 and 59.1-293.10 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 23.2 of Title 59.1 sections numbered 59.1-293.12 through 59.1-293.19, relating to liquid nicotine and nicotine vapor products; certification and directory; penalties.

24104963D