Abortion prohibited; exception; life of themother; penalty. Provides that if any person administer to,or cause to be taken by a woman, any drug or other thing, or usemeans, with intent to destroy her unborn child, or to produce abortionor miscarriage, and thereby destroy such child, or produce such abortionor miscarriage at any point after conception of such unborn child,he is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor unless it is necessary fora licensed physician to terminate a human pregnancy or assist in the termination of a human pregnancy by performing an abortion or causinga miscarriage on any woman in order to save her life in the opinionof such physician so performing the abortion or causing the miscarriage.
Restrictions on the sale of nicotine vapor products containing liquid nicotine and hemp products intended for smoking;civil penalties. Provides restrictions and prohibitions on certainretail sales that include (i) restrictions on the number of nicotinevapor products containing liquid nicotine, liquid nicotine containers,and hemp products intended for smoking, as such terms are defined in the bill, that may be sold in one transaction to a consumer; (ii)packaging, labeling, and signage requirements for those selling anynicotine vapor products containing liquid nicotine or hemp productsintended for smoking; (iii) advertising and marketing requirementsfor those selling any nicotine vapor products containing liquid nicotineor hemp products intended for smoking; (iv) education requirementsfor employees at retail establishments selling nicotine vapor productscontaining liquid nicotine or hemp products intended for smoking;and (v) online delivery sale requirements of nicotine vapor productscontaining liquid nicotine or hemp products intended for smoking.The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority and the VirginiaDepartment of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as applicable, shallenforce such requirements and restrictions and shall impose civilpenalties on violations thereof.
Elections; election reform. Requires that the general register of each locality publish on the official website of the locality (i) monthly, a list of all registered voters added to or removed from each precinct in the locality including a reason for each change; (ii) on the first day on which the registration records are closed for any election, a list of all the qualified voters registered to vote in each precinct participating in the election; (iii) after the election, a list of all persons who voted for each precinct participating in the election; and (iv) within seven days of any application for or receipt or use of any money, grants, property, or services given by a private individual, nongovernmental entity, or federal government entity, a notice of such activity. The bill requires a registered voter to provide a reason for being absent or unable to vote at his polling place on election day in order to receive an absentee ballot to vote by mail. Registered voters offering to vote absentee in person are similarly required by the bill to provide a reason. The bill provides that an applicant for an absentee ballot is required to receive an absentee ballot by mail and to vote absentee in person before the second Saturday immediately preceding an election. The bill also repeals the permanent absentee voter list and limits the special annual application to those voters with an illness or disability. Provisions of the Code providing for the establishment of drop-off locations for the return of absentee ballots are repealed. The bill requires that all absentee ballots sent in compliance with applicable state and federal law be received by the close of polls on election day. The bill provides that only members of a uniformed service, as defined in relevant law, persons who are residing temporarily outside of the United States, and spouses or dependents of such members or persons are entitled to register to vote after the close of registration records in person up to and including the day of the election. Under current law, any person who is qualified to register to vote is entitled to register to vote after the close of registration records up to and including the day of the election. The bill also requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote. The bill repeals the provisions of law permitting a voter who does not have one of the required forms of identification to vote after signing a statement, subject to felony penalties for false statements, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Instead, the bill provides that such voter is entitled to cast a provisional ballot. The bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide voter photo identification cards containing the voter's photograph and signature free of charge to those voters who do not have another valid form of identification. The bill eliminates provisions allowing for the use of ranked choice voting in the Commonwealth. The use of central absentee precincts is also eliminated. All returned absentee ballots are required to be held in their return envelopes until they are distributed on election day to the precinct in which the absentee voter resides for counting.
State Air Pollution Control Board; motor vehicleemissions standards. Repeals the requirement that the State AirPollution Control Board implement a low-emissions and zero-emissionsvehicle program for motor vehicles with a model year of 2025 andlater. The bill prohibits the Board from adopting or enforcing anymodel year standards related to control of emissions from new motorvehicles or new motor vehicle engines, including low-emission vehicleand zero-emission vehicle standards pursuant to the federal CleanAir Act and prohibits the Commonwealth from requiring any new motorvehicle or new motor vehicle engine to be certified as compliantwith model year standards related to the control of emissions adoptedby California for which a waiver has been granted pursuant to thefederal Clean Air Act.
Capital murder; death penalty. Authorizespunishment by death for capital murder. The bill also provides thatthe Supreme Court of Virginia shall give priority to the review ofcases in which the sentence of death has been imposed over othercases pending in the Court, and that the provisions of the bill areseverable.
Enhanced concealed handgun permit. Providesthat any person 21 years of age or older who applies for a concealedhandgun permit may elect to apply for an enhanced concealed handgunpermit. The bill provides that such permit would allow a person whohas been issued an enhanced concealed handgun permit to carry a firearmany place a law-enforcement officer may carry a firearm. The billprovides that to obtain such enhanced concealed handgun permit, aperson must demonstrate competence with a handgun and such demonstrationshall include a live fire shooting exercise conducted on a rangewith the expenditure of a minimum of 100 rounds of ammunition.
Probation, revocation, and suspension of sentence;repeal. Repeals the limitations on the amount of active incarcerationa court can impose as a result of a revocation hearing for a probationviolation or violation of the terms and conditions of a suspendedsentence. Under current law, there are limitations on the amountof active incarceration a court can impose for defined technicalviolations. The bill also removes limitations on the lengths of aperiod of probation and a period of suspension of a sentence thatmay be fixed by the court. Under current law, a court may fix theperiod of probation for up to the statutory maximum period for which the defendant might originally have been sentenced to be imprisonedand any period of supervised probation shall not exceed five yearsfrom the release of the defendant from any active period of incarceration,with some exceptions. The bill also makes changes to the time periodswithin which a court must issue process to notify the accused ofa revocation hearing.
Carrying concealed handguns; protective orders. Authorizes any person 21 years of age or older who is not prohibitedfrom purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm and is protectedby an unexpired protective order to carry a concealed handgun for45 days after the protective order was issued. The bill providesthat if the person issued the protective order applies for a concealedhandgun permit during such 45-day period, such person will be authorizedto carry a concealed handgun for an additional 45 days and be givena copy of the certified application, which shall serve as a de factoconcealed handgun permit. The bill requires such person to have the order or certified application and photo identification on his personwhen carrying a concealed handgun and to display them upon demandby a law-enforcement officer; failure to do so is punishable by a$25 civil penalty.
Regulation of electric utilities; developmentof renewable energy facilities; powers of State Air Pollution ControlBoard; powers of State Corporation Commission. Repeals provisions(i) requiring the State Air Pollution Control Board to adopt regulationsto reduce carbon dioxide emissions from any electricity generatingunit in the Commonwealth and authorizing the Board to establish anauction program for energy allowances; (ii) prohibiting the StateCorporation Commission from approving any new utility-owned generation facilities that emit carbon dioxide as a by-product of energy generation,in certain circumstances; (iii) declaring that statutory allowancesfor energy derived from sunlight, onshore wind, offshore wind, andstorage facilities are in the public interest; and (iv) relatingto the development of solar and wind generation and energy storagecapacity, development of offshore wind capacity, and generation ofelectricity from renewable and zero carbon sources. The bill provides that planning and development activities for new nuclear generationfacilities are in the public interest.
Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaignfunds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions.Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or hiscampaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversionof contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at thedissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that acontribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if thecontribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment,obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking,holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used forthe ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holdingelective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate'schild care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity.The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may requestan advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The billdirects the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations similar tothose promulgated by the Federal Election Commission to implement theprovisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaignfinance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General'sguidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use ofcampaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board ofElections.
Comprehensive community colleges and schoolboards; dual enrollment agreements; parameters. Requires dualenrollment agreements between comprehensive community colleges andschool boards to permit any student to complete an associate degree,the Passport Program, or a one-year Uniform Certificate of GeneralStudies from a comprehensive community college concurrent with ahigh school diploma or high school equivalency program. Current lawrequires such agreements to specify options for students to completean associate degree, the Passport Program, or a one-year Uniform Certificate of General Studies from a comprehensive community college concurrent with a high school diploma.
Sexual abuse of certain children; penalty.Raises the penalty for sexual abuse of a child who is 13 or 14 yearsof age from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony.
