Continued to 2022 Sp. Sess. 1 pursuant to HJR455
Income tax refunds for individuals or married persons filing a joint return. Provides an income tax refund of up to $300 for individuals and up to $600 for married persons filing a joint return for taxable year 2021 on or before November 1, 2022. The bill provides that the refund shall not exceed the taxpayer's tax liability.
Elections. Applies the provisions of the Virginia Personnel Act to the chief deputy and confidential assistant for policy or administration for the Department of Elections. The bill also (i) expands the membership of the State Board of Elections from five members to six members with equal representation given to both parties; (ii) gives the State Board of Elections the authority and duty to appoint the Commissioner of Elections of the Department of Elections by a supermajority vote; (iii) requires the Department of Elections to conduct periodic assessments to ensure that voters are assigned to the correct state legislative and congressional districts based on their residential addresses; (iv) requires the State Registrar of Vital Records to transmit lists of deceased persons weekly instead of the current monthly requirement; (v) requires the general registrars to use information in the lists of deceased persons to promptly remove deceased persons from the voter registration system; (vi) requires voters to present a valid form of photo identification when they vote; (vii) provides that audits of ballot scanner machines must take place prior to the certification of election results; (viii) provides that absentee ballots must be collected daily from absentee ballot drop-off locations by certain people and according to procedures for securing such ballots; (ix) provides that a postmark on an absentee ballot must be legible and no longer includes other official indicia of confirmation of mailing by a postal or delivery service; and (x) creates work groups to evaluate the performance of the Virginia voter registration system and to develop and implement a plan to provide oversight to local election administration to assess risks to Virginia's administration of elections. Portions of the bill affecting the composition of the State Board of Elections and the appointment of the Commissioner of Elections have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2023.
Unlawful hazing; penalty. Amends the definitionof hazing to include the reckless or intentional act of causing anotherperson to suffer severe emotional distress through outrageous orintolerable conduct when the severe emotional distress was causedby the outrageous or intolerable conduct. The bill also makes thecrime of hazing a Class 5 felony if such hazing results in deathor serious bodily injury to any person. The crime of hazing that doesnot result in death or serious bodily injury remains a Class 1 misdemeanor.The bill provides immunity for arrest and prosecution for hazingif a person in good faith seeks or obtains emergency medical attentionfor a person who has received a bodily injury by hazing or rendersemergency care or assistance, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR), to a person who has received a bodily injury by hazing whileanother person seeks or obtains emergency medical attention for suchperson. The bill also creates a civil penalty for certain organizationsif such organization had specific credible knowledge that its studentmembers were participating, aiding, or assisting in any act of hazingand did not attempt to intervene to stop the hazing or report itto the appropriate local authorities.
Continued to 2022 Sp. Sess. 1 pursuant to HJR455
Unlawful hazing; penalty. Amends the definitionof hazing to include the reckless or intentional act of causing anotherperson to suffer severe emotional distress through outrageous orintolerable conduct when the severe emotional distress was causedby the outrageous or intolerable conduct. The bill also makes the crime of hazing a Class 5 felony if such hazing results in deathor serious bodily injury to any person. The crime of hazing thatdoes not result in death or serious bodily injury remains a Class1 misdemeanor. The bill provides immunity for arrest and prosecutionfor hazing if a person in good faith seeks or obtains emergency medicalattention for a person who has received a bodily injury by hazingor renders emergency care or assistance, including cardiopulmonaryresuscitation (CPR), to a person who has received a bodily injuryby hazing while another person seeks or obtains emergency medicalattention for such person. The bill also creates a civil penaltyfor certain organizations if such organization had specific credibleknowledge that its student members were participating, aiding, orassisting in any act of hazing and did not attempt to intervene tostop the hazing or report it to the appropriate local authorities.
Continued to 2022 Sp. Sess. 1 pursuant to HJR455
Elections; absentee voting; witness signature requirement; additional information. Makes an absentee voter's failure to have a witness sign the absentee ballot envelope a material omission that renders the ballot void. Additionally, the bill requires an absentee voter to include the last four number of his social security number and his date of birth with the voter affirmation statement on such ballot envelope.
Facial recognition technology; local law enforcement; campus police. Redefines facial recognition technology, for the purposes of providing criteria for the lawful use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement, as conducting an algorithmic comparison of images of an individual's facial features for the purposes of identification. The bill authorizes local law-enforcement agencies and campus police departments to utilize facial recognition technology for certain authorized uses as defined in the bill. The bill requires that local law-enforcement agencies and campus police departments publicly post and annually update policies regarding the use of facial recognition technology and maintain records regarding the use of facial recognition technology and report the data annually to their communities. The bill also makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor for any facial recognition technology operator employed by a local law-enforcement agency or campus police department to violate the agency or department's policy regarding the use of facial recognition technology or to conduct a search for any other reason than an authorized use. Additionally, the bill requires the Department of State Police to develop a model policy regarding the use of facial recognition technology by January 1, 2023. The bill directs the Virginia State Crime Commission to submit a report with an analysis and recommendations about the use of facial recognition technology to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the House Committee on Public Safety by November 1, 2025. The provisions of the bill expire on July 1, 2026.
Confirming Governor's appointments; February18. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly February18, 2022.
Healthcare Regulatory Sandbox Program; established. Requires the Department of Health to establish the Healthcare Regulatory Sandbox Program to enable a person to obtain limited access to the market in the Commonwealth to temporarily test an innovative health care product or service on a limited basis without otherwise being licensed or authorized to act under the laws of the Commonwealth. Under the Program, an applicant requests the waiver of certain laws, regulations, or other requirements for a 24-month testing period, with an option to request an additional six-month testing period. The bill provides application requirements, consumer protections, procedures for exiting the Program or requesting an extension, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements. The bill requires the Department to provide an annual report to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health that provides information regarding each Program participant and recommendations regarding the effectiveness of the Program. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2027.
Virginia National Guard; promotion of state-sponsoredgroup term life insurance program. Directs the Adjutant Generalto facilitate and coordinate efforts to promote participation in the state-sponsored group term life insurance program offered to membersof the Virginia National Guard.
