Authority: Title 2.2-1839; Title 15.2, Chapter 16, Articles 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.1; Title 17.1, Chapter 2, Article 7, Code of Virginia.

A.1. In determining the salary of any officer specified in Items 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, and 66 of this act, the Compensation Board shall use the greater of the most recent actual United States census count or the most recent provisional population estimate from the United States Bureau of the Census or the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service of the University of Virginia available when fixing the officer's annual budget and shall adjust such population estimate, where applicable, for any annexation or consolidation order by a court when such order becomes effective. There shall be no reduction in salary by reason of a decline in population during the terms in which the incumbent remains in office.

2. In determining the salary of any officer specified in Items 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, and 66 of this act, nothing herein contained shall prevent the governing body of any county or city from supplementing the salary of such officer in such county or city for the provisions of Chapter 822, 2012 Acts of Assembly or for additional services not required by general law; provided, however, that any such supplemental salary shall be paid wholly by such county or city.

3. Any officer whose salary is specified in Items 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, and 66 of this act shall provide reasonable access to his work place, files, records, and computer network as may be requested by his duly elected successor after the successor has been certified.

B.1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Compensation Board shall authorize and fund permanent positions for the locally elected constitutional officers, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, including the principal officer, at the following levels:

2. The Compensation Board is authorized to provide funding for 581 temporary positions the first year and 581 temporary positions the second year.

3. The board is authorized to adjust the expenses and other allowances for such officers to maintain approved permanent and temporary manpower levels.

4. Paragraphs B 1 and B 2 of this Item shall not apply to the clerks of the circuit courts and their employees specified in § 17.1-288, Code of Virginia, or those under contract pursuant to § 17.1-290, Code of Virginia.

C.1. Reimbursement by the Compensation Board for the use of vehicles purchased or leased with public funds used in the discharge of official duties shall be at a rate equal to that approved by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission for Central Garage Car Pool services. No vehicle purchased or leased with public funds on or after July 1, 2002, shall display lettering on the exterior of the vehicle that includes the name of the incumbent sheriff.

2. Reimbursement by the Compensation Board for the use of personal vehicles in the discharge of official duties shall be at a rate equal to that established in § 4-5.04 e 2. of this act. All such requests for reimbursement shall be accompanied by a certification that a publicly owned or leased vehicle was unavailable for use.

D. The Compensation Board is directed to examine the current level of crowding of inmates in local jails among the several localities and to reallocate or reduce temporary positions among local jails as may be required, consistent with the provisions of this act.

E. Any new positions established in Item 67 of this act shall be allocated by the Compensation Board upon request of the constitutional officers in accordance with staffing standards and ranking methodologies approved by the Compensation Board to fulfill the requirements of any court order occurring from proceedings under § 15.2-1636.8, Code of Virginia, in accordance with the provisions of Item 60 of this act.

F. Any funds appropriated in this act for performance pay increases for designated deputies or employees of constitutional officers shall be allocated by the Compensation Board upon certification of the constitutional officer that the performance pay plan for that office meets the minimum standards for such plans as set by the Compensation Board. Nothing herein, and nothing in any performance pay plan set by the Compensation Board or adopted by a constitutional officer, shall change the status of employees or deputies of constitutional officers from employees at will or create a property or contractual right to employment. Such deputies and employees shall continue to be employees at will who serve at the pleasure of the constitutional officers.

G. The Compensation Board shall apply the current fiscal stress factor, as determined by the Commission on Local Government, to any general fund amounts approved by the board for the purchase, lease or lease purchase of equipment for constitutional officers. In the case of equipment requests from regional jail superintendents and regional special prosecutors, the highest stress factor of a member jurisdiction will be used.

H. The Compensation Board shall not approve or commit additional funds for the operational cost, including salaries, for any local or regional jail construction, renovation, or expansion project which was not approved for reimbursement by the State Board of Local and Regional Jails prior to January 1, 1996, unless: (1) the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security certifies that such additional funding results in an actual cost savings to the Commonwealth or (2) an exception has been granted as provided for in Item 385 of this act.

I. Subject to appropriations by the General Assembly for this purpose, the Compensation Board may provide funding for executive management, lawful employment practices, and jail management training for constitutional officers, their employees, and regional jail superintendents.

J. Any local or regional jail that receives funding from the Compensation Board shall report inmate populations to the Compensation Board, through the local inmate data system, no less frequently than weekly. Each local or regional jail that receives funding from the Compensation Board shall use the Virginia Crime Codes (VCC) in identifying and describing offenses for persons arrested and/or detained in local and regional jails in Virginia.

K.1. The Compensation Board shall provide the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees and the Secretaries of Finance and Administration with an annual report, on December 1 of each year, of jail revenues and expenditures for all local and regional jails and jail farms which receive funds from the Compensation Board. Information provided to the Compensation Board is to include an audited statement of revenues and expenses for inmate canteen accounts, telephone commission funds, inmate medical co-payment funds, any other fees collected from inmates and investment/interest monies for inclusion in the report.

2. Local and regional jails and jail farms and local governments receiving funds from the Compensation Board shall, as a condition of receiving such funds, provide such information as may be required by the Compensation Board, necessary to prepare the annual jail cost report.

3. If any sheriff, superintendent, county administrator, or city manager fails to send such information within five working days after the information should be forwarded, the Chairman of the Compensation Board shall notify the sheriff, superintendent, county administrator or city manager of such failure. If the information is not provided within ten working days from that date, then the chairman shall cause the information to be prepared from the books of the city, county, or regional jail and shall certify the cost thereof to the State Comptroller. The State Comptroller shall issue his warrant on the state treasury for that amount, deducting the same from any funds that may be due the sheriff or regional jail from the Commonwealth.

L. In the event of the transition of a city to town status pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 41 (§ 15.2-4100 et seq.) of Title 15.2, Code of Virginia, or the consolidation of a city and a county into a single city pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 35 (§ 15.2-3500 et seq.) of Title 15.2, Code of Virginia, subsequent to July 1, 1999, the Compensation Board shall provide funding from Items 60, 63, 64, 65, and 66 of this act, consistent with the requirements of § 15.2-1302, Code of Virginia. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph E of this Item, any positions in the constitutional offices of the former city or former county which are available for reallocation as a result of the transition or consolidation shall be first reallocated in accordance with Compensation Board staffing standards to the constitutional officers in the county in which the town is situated or to the consolidated city, without regard to the Compensation Board's priority of need ranking for reallocated positions. The salary and fringe benefit costs for these positions shall be deducted from any amounts due the county or to the consolidated city, as provided in § 15.2-1302, Code of Virginia.

M. Notwithstanding any other provisions of § 15.2-1605, Code of Virginia, the Compensation Board shall provide no reimbursement for accumulated vacation time for employees of Constitutional Officers.

N. The Compensation Board is hereby authorized to deduct, from reimbursements made each year to localities out of the amounts in Items 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, and 66 of this act, an amount equal to 100 percent of each locality's share of the insurance premium paid by the Compensation Board on behalf of the constitutional officers, directors of finance, and regional jails. From sheriffs and regional jails, the Compensation Board shall deduct an additional $80,000 each year for the costs of conducting training on managing risk in the operation of local and regional jails.

O. Effective July 1, 2007, the Compensation Board is authorized to withhold reimbursements due the locality for sheriff and jail expenses upon notification from the Superintendent of State Police that there is reason to believe that crime data reported by a locality to the Department of State Police in accordance with § 52-28, Code of Virginia, is missing, incomplete or incorrect. Upon subsequent notification by the Superintendent that the data is accurate, the Compensation Board shall make reimbursement of withheld funding due the locality when such corrections are made within the same fiscal year that funds have been withheld.

P. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 51.1-1403 A, Code of Virginia, the Compensation Board is hereby authorized to deduct, from reimbursements made each year to localities out of the amounts in Items 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, and 66 of this act, an amount equal to each locality's retiree health premium paid by the Compensation Board on behalf of the constitutional offices, directors of finance, and regional jails.

Q.1. Compensation Board payments of, or reimbursements for, the employer paid contribution to the Virginia Retirement System, or any system offering like benefits, shall not exceed the Commonwealth's proportionate share of the following, whichever is less: (a) the actual retirement rate for the local constitutional officer's office or regional correctional facility as set by the Board of the Virginia Retirement System or (b) the employer rate established for the general classified workforce of the Commonwealth covered under and payable to the Virginia Retirement System.

2. The rate specified in paragraph Q.1. shall exclude the cost of any early retirement program implemented by the Commonwealth.

3. Any employer paid contribution costs for rates exceeding those specified in paragraph Q.1. shall be borne by the employer.

4. The benefits rate reimbursed by the Compensation Board to localities and regional jails shall not exceed the rate identified for fiscal year 2011 in Chapter 890, Item 469, paragraph I.1.

R. Localities shall not utilize Compensation Board funding to supplant local funds provided for the salaries of constitutional officers and their employees under the provisions of Chapter 822, 2012 Acts of Assembly, who were affected members in service on June 30, 2012.

S. Effective July 1, 2016, the Compensation Board is authorized to withhold reimbursements due to the locality for sheriff's law enforcement expenses if the sheriff fails to certify to the Board that the sheriff's office is compliant with the sex offender registration requirements of § 9.1-903, Code of Virginia. Upon subsequent certification by the sheriff that the sheriff's office is compliant with the sex offender registration requirements of § 9.1-903, Code of Virginia, the Compensation Board shall make reimbursement of withheld funding due to the locality when such subsequent certification is made within the same fiscal year that funds have been withheld.

T. Consistent with the provisions of Chapter 198 of the 2017 Session of the General Assembly, the Executive Secretary of the State Compensation Board shall implement the recommendations relating to the State Compensation Board made by the Department of Medical Assistance Services in its November 30, 2017 report on streamlining the Medicaid application and enrollment process for incarcerated individuals.

U. The special Constitutional Officer Reserve Fund (The Fund) created in Item 67 U. of Chapter 725, 2025 Acts of Assembly is to be held in reserve for the reimbursement of budgeted amounts for salaries and expenses in constitutional offices, should such expenses incurred for reimbursement exceed the amounts appropriated in Items 60, 64, and 65 of this Act. Amounts in The Fund shall be transferred among Items 60, 64, and 65 of this Act as determined by the Compensation Board to meet reimbursement requirements. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 15.2-1636.8, Code of Virginia, the Compensation Board may establish fiscal year budgets for constitutional offices in accordance with the amounts appropriated in their designated Items in this Act, along with funds appropriated and available in The Fund for each fiscal year. If the balance of The Fund falls below the amounts required to fully reimburse constitutional offices, the Compensation Board should request additional general fund appropriation to be deposited into The Fund.

V. The Compensation Board, in consultation with staff representatives from the Department of Human Resources Management, the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, the House Appropriations Committee, and the Department of Planning and Budget, shall assess potential options for additional information to be provided to the General Assembly to include: (i) any state roles whose duties are similar to duties performed by employees in each constitutional office and the state salaries for any similar roles; and (ii) any information available on local salary supplements provided in addition to state salaries that may provide a more comprehensive understanding of local constitutional officer salaries, including geographic differences. The Compensation Board shall report its recommendations to the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by October 1, 2026, and shall provide an interim report to the Chairs by November 1, 2025, on the plan for assessing such information.

W. Out of the appropriation for this Item shall be paid the annual salary of the Chair of the Compensation Board, $30,873 the first year and $31,490 the second year.