Campaign fundraising; legislative sessions;enforcement of civil penalty. Provides that violations of the prohibition on campaign fundraising during legislative sessions areto be reported to the Attorney General who shall initiate civil proceedingsto enforce the civil penalty currently assessed for such violations.The bill provides that in the case of an alleged violation by theAttorney General, the State Board of Elections shall request theSupreme Court of Virginia to appoint outside counsel to receive suchviolation report and such outside counsel shall be responsible forinitiating civil proceedings to enforce the civil penalty.
Wrongful death; death of parent or guardianof child resulting from driving under the influence; child support.Provides that in any action for death by wrongful act where the defendant,as a result of driving a motor vehicle or operating a watercraft under the influence, unintentionally caused the death of another personwho was the parent or legal guardian of a child, the person who hascustody of such child may petition the court to order that the defendantpay child support.
Killing the fetus of another; manslaughter;penalties. Provides that any person who kills the fetus of anotherby an intentional act committed while in the sudden heat of passionupon reasonable provocation is guilty of voluntary manslaughter, which is punishable as a Class 5 felony. The bill also provides that anyperson who kills the fetus of another accidentally, contrary to theintention of the parties and while engaged in conduct so gross, wanton,and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life, is guiltyof involuntary manslaughter, which is also punishable as a Class5 felony.
Special grand juries. Directs a circuitcourt to impanel a special grand jury when an unarmed person is killedby a law-enforcement officer or a correctional officer, as thoseterms are defined in relevant law, to investigate and report on anycondition that involves or tends to promote criminal activity andconsider bills of indictment to determine whether there is sufficientprobable cause to return each such indictment as a "true bill." Thebill requires the court to appoint a special prosecutor for suchspecial grand jury who may be present during the investigatory stageonly when his presence is requested by the special grand jury andmay interrogate witnesses provided the special grand jury requestsor consents to such interrogation. The bill states that the attorneyfor the Commonwealth shall not be present during the investigatorystage or interrogate witnesses.
Social services; Dynamic Benefit AdjustmentSystem. Establishes a Dynamic Benefit Adjustment System thatgradually reduces public assistance benefits in response to beneficiaries'earned income. The bill requires the Department of Social Servicesto establish the formula for the system, collect and analyze dataon the System, and make regular reports on the System's performanceto the General Assembly.
Retail franchise agreements; governing law;competition restrictions. Provides that retail franchise agreementsshall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth and prohibits anyperson from offering or entering into a franchise agreement thatincludes competition restrictions that extend beyond terminationor expiration of the franchise agreement unless such restrictionis approved by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Unemployment compensation; maximum durationof benefits. Provides that the maximum duration for which a claimantmay receive unemployment compensation benefits shall be calculatedbased on the average, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in theCommonwealth for the three months preceding the month in which suchclaimant files his first claim in a benefit year.
Alcohol safety action program; entry into program;fee. Increases from $300 to $400 the maximum fee a person maybe required to pay when entering a court-ordered alcohol safetyaction program.
Marijuana presumption; driving or operatinga motor vehicle, etc., while intoxicated; penalty. Establishesa presumption of intoxication if a person has a blood concentrationequal to or greater than 0.004 milligrams of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolper liter of blood.
Emergency custody; transportation; transferof custody. Provides that, in cases in which transportation ofa person subject to an emergency custody order is ordered to be providedby an alternative transportation provider, the primary law-enforcement agency that executes the order may transfer custody of the personto the alternative transportation provider immediately upon executionof the order, and that the alternative transportation provider shallmaintain custody of the person from the time custody is transferredto the alternative transportation provider by the primary law-enforcementagency until such time as custody of the person is transferred tothe community services board or its designee that is responsiblefor conducting the evaluation or the temporary detention facility,as is appropriate. The bill adds employees of and persons providingservices pursuant to a contract with the Department of BehavioralHealth and Developmental Services to the list of individuals who may serve as alternative transportation providers for emergency custodyorders. Additionally, the bill allows for the transfer of custodyto the temporary detention facility if the magistrate issuing theemergency custody order determines that the person subject to theorder is not at risk to seriously harm others in the near futurewithout any additional conditions being met.
Absentee voting; absentee voting in person;available beginning 30 days prior to election. Limits the availabilityof absentee voting in person to 30 days before the election. Undercurrent law, absentee voting in person is available beginning 45 days prior to the election.
Retail licenses.
