Title 2.2, Title 2.2. Administration of Government

A. The Identity Management Standards Advisory Council (the Advisory Council) is established to advise the Secretary of Commerce and Trade on the adoption of identity management standards and the creation of guidance documents pursuant to § 2.2-436. B. The Advisory Council shall c…

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires another meaning: "Abused or neglected child" means the same as that term is defined in § 63.2-100. "Administrative act" includes an action, omission, decision, recommendation, practice, or other procedure of the Department, a l…

A. There is hereby created the Office of the Children's Ombudsman as a means of effecting changes in policy, procedure, and legislation; educating the public; investigating and reviewing actions of the Department, local departments, child-placing agencies, or children's residenti…

A. The Ombudsman shall establish procedures for the Office for budget, expenditures, and employment. Subject to annual appropriations, the Ombudsman shall employ sufficient personnel to carry out the duties and powers prescribed by this chapter. B. The Ombudsman shall establish p…

A. Any individual may submit a complaint to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman has the sole discretion and authority to determine if a complaint falls within the Ombudsman's duties and powers to investigate and if a complaint involves an administrative act. B. Any of the following indi…

In addition to any powers described in this chapter, the Children's Ombudsman has the authority to do all of the following with regard to children for whom a report of abuse or neglect was made, children receiving child-protective or foster care services, in foster care, or place…

A. The Ombudsman may do all of the following: 1. Determine, in the Ombudsman's sole discretion, if a complaint involves an administrative act. 2. Decide, in the Ombudsman's discretion, whether to investigate an administrative act. 3. Upon the Ombudsman's own initiative or upon re…

A. Upon deciding to investigate a complaint from a complainant or an individual not meeting the definition of complainant, the Ombudsman shall notify the complainant or the individual not meeting the definition of complainant of the decision to investigate and shall notify the De…

A. The Department or local department, a children's residential facility, and a child-placing agency shall do all of the following: 1. Upon the Ombudsman's request, grant the Ombudsman or the Office access to all information, records, and documents in the possession of the Depart…

A. All statements, documentation, and other evidence received or maintained by the Office or its agents in connection with complaints made to or investigations undertaken pursuant to the Ombudsman's powers enumerated in § 2.2-442 shall be confidential and not subject to the Virgi…

A. The Ombudsman shall prepare a report of the factual findings of an investigation and make recommendations to the Department, local department, children's residential facility, or child-placing agency if the Ombudsman finds any of the following: 1. A matter should be further co…

A. An official, the Department, a local department, a child-serving agency, a children's residential facility, or a child-placing agency shall not penalize any person for filing a complaint or cooperating with the Ombudsman in investigating a complaint. B. An individual, the Depa…

The Attorney General shall be the chief executive officer of the Department of Law, and shall perform such duties as may be provided by law.

The Attorney General shall appoint a chief deputy Attorney General and may appoint the necessary deputy Attorneys General and assistant Attorneys General and fix their salaries within the limitation of the funds provided for the purpose in the general appropriation act. If a vaca…

The Attorney General may appoint such persons as he deems necessary for the efficient conduct of his office, and apportion, out of the appropriation for his office, such salaries among such persons as he deems proper, but the aggregate amount paid them shall not exceed the amount…

The Governor shall assign to the Attorney General office space for the Attorney General, his assistants and employees suitable for the transaction of the legal business of the Commonwealth.

The Attorney General may expend for the contingent expenses of his office the sums appropriated for his office by the General Assembly. The Attorney General, the deputy and assistant Attorneys General, and other employees of the office shall be reimbursed for actual travel expens…

A. The Attorney General shall give his advice and render official advisory opinions in writing only when requested in writing so to do by one of the following: the Governor; a member of the General Assembly; a judge of a court of record or a judge of a court not of record; the St…

The Attorney General shall at the request of an attorney for the Commonwealth, provide legal service to such attorney for the Commonwealth in any proceedings brought against him seeking to restrain the enforcement of any state law. Any costs chargeable against the defendant in an…

A. All legal service in civil matters for the Commonwealth, the Governor, and every state department, institution, division, commission, board, bureau, agency, entity, official, court, or judge, including the conduct of all civil litigation in which any of them are interested, sh…

A. The assets of a charitable corporation incorporated in or doing any business in Virginia shall be deemed to be held in trust for the public for such purposes as are established by the governing documents of such charitable corporation, the gift or bequest made to such charitab…

There is hereby created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to be known as the Youth Internet Safety Fund, hereafter referred to as "the Fund." The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller. All money as may be appropriated by the General Assembly an…

A. As deemed necessary to comply with or effectuate the terms of a settlement, judgment, verdict, or other court order relating to claims regarding the manufacturing, marketing, distribution, or sale of opioids and in accordance with an agreement between the Attorney General and …

Upon notification by a county, city or town of a pending civil action challenging the legality of its election district boundaries as required by § 24.2-304.5, the Attorney General shall review the papers in the civil action and may represent the interests of the Commonwealth in …

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the Attorney General finds after consultation with the head of the affected department that it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth to do so, the Attorney General may authorize any employee of his office or any employee of a …

Investigators with the Office of the Attorney General as designated by the Attorney General shall be authorized to seize cigarettes as defined in § 3.2-4200 that are sold, possessed, distributed, transported, imported, or otherwise held in violation of § 3.2-4207, 18.2-246.14, 58…

No special counsel shall be employed for or by the Governor or any state department, institution, division, commission, board, bureau, agency, entity, official, justice of the Supreme Court, or judge of any circuit court or district court except in the following cases: 1. When th…

No state agency or state agent shall enter into a contingency fee contract for legal services in which contingency fees and expenses are reasonably anticipated to exceed $100,000 until an open and competitive negotiation process has been undertaken in accordance with the provisio…

In cases where the Attorney General certifies to the Governor that it would be improper for the Attorney General's office to render legal services due to a conflict of interests, the Attorney General shall negotiate an agreement with outside counsel to render the necessary legal …

A. Unless specifically requested by the Governor to do so, the Attorney General shall have no authority to institute or conduct criminal prosecutions in the circuit courts of the Commonwealth except in cases involving (i) violations of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act (§ 4.1-10…

A. As used in this section: "Law-enforcement officer" means the same as that term is defined in § 9.1-101. "Locality" shall be construed to mean a county, city, or town as the context may require. B. It is unlawful for the Commonwealth or any locality, or any agent thereof, or an…

There is hereby created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to be known as the Organized Retail Crime Fund, referred to in this section as "the Fund." The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller. All funds appropriated for such purpose and any gift…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Attorney General may expend funds appropriated to his office for the purpose of employing special counsel to investigate and prosecute a complaint that any person is engaged in the practice of law without being duly authorized or li…

The Attorney General shall represent the interests of the Commonwealth, its departments, boards, institutions and commissions in matters before or controversies with the officers and several departments of the government of the United States.

A. Except as provided in this section or former § 23-38.33:1, the Attorney General may compromise and settle disputes, claims and controversies involving all interests of the Commonwealth including, but not limited to the Virginia Tort Claims Act (§ 8.01-195.1 et seq.), and may d…

The Attorney General may serve in his official capacity on the board of directors of any entity established to ensure the implementation in the Commonwealth of a national tobacco trust established to provide payments to tobacco growers and tobacco quota owners to ameliorate adver…

The Attorney General shall establish a Statewide Facilitator for Victims of Domestic Violence within the Office of the Attorney General. The Statewide Facilitator shall have the responsibility to (i) establish an address confidentiality program in accordance with § 2.2-515.2, (ii…

A. As used in this section: "Address" means a residential street address, school address, or work address of a person as specified on the person's application to be a program participant. "Applicant" means a person who is a victim of domestic violence, stalking, child abduction, …

The Attorney General shall annually, on or before May 1, deliver to the Governor a report of the state and condition of all important matters in which he has represented the Commonwealth during the preceding year. He shall also include in his report the official opinions rendered…

A. There is created in the Department of Law a Division of Consumer Counsel (the Division) that shall represent the interests of the people as consumers. B. The duties of the Division shall be to: 1. Appear before governmental commissions, agencies, and departments, including the…

A. There is created in the Department of Law a Division of Debt Collection that shall provide all legal services and advice related to the collection of funds owed to the Commonwealth, pursuant to § 2.2-507 and the Virginia Debt Collection Act (§ 2.2-4800 et seq.). The Attorney G…

A. The Division shall oversee and ensure prompt delivery of the Commonwealth's accounts receivable in accordance with the Virginia Debt Collection Act (§ 2.2-4800 et seq.). The Division shall enforce the policies and procedures as set forth in § 2.2-4806 for reporting, accounting…

A. It is the policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide for equal opportunities throughout the Commonwealth to all its citizens, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, sexual orientation, gender …

Whenever the Attorney General has reasonable cause to believe that any person has engaged in or is engaging in any unlawful discriminatory practice, he may apply to the judge of the circuit court of the jurisdiction in which the respondent resides or is doing business for a subpo…

Filing of a written complaint with the Office shall be deemed filing with any state agency for the purpose of complying with any time limitation on the filing of a complaint, provided the time limit for filing with the other agency has not expired. The time limit for filing with …

A. The Office shall not make public, prior to a public hearing pursuant to § 2.2-520, investigative notes and other correspondence and information furnished to the Office in confidence with respect to an investigation or conciliation process involving an alleged unlawful discrimi…