Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for certain diseases. Adds cancers of the colon, brain, or testes to the list of cancers that are presumed to be an occupational disease covered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act when firefighters or certain employees develop the cancer. The presumption shall not apply for any individual who was diagnosed with one of the conditions before July 1, 2020. The measure removes the compensability requirement that the employee who develops cancer had contact with a toxic substance encountered in the line of duty. The bill also reduces the number of years of service needed to qualify for the presumption from 12 to five for various types of cancer. For hypertension or heart disease, the bill adds a requirement that an individual complete five years of service in his position in order to qualify. This bill incorporates SB 58, SB 381, and SB 531 and is identical to HB 783.
Property taxes; generating equipment of electric suppliers utilizing wind turbines. Provides that the rate for a locality that imposes property taxes on generating equipment of electric suppliers utilizing wind turbines that have filed a certain form with an electric utility or regional transmission organization by July 1, 2020, shall not exceed the locality's real estate tax rate by more than $0.20 per $100 of assessed value. For all other projects, and under current law, the tax may exceed the real estate rate but cannot exceed the general personal property tax rate in the locality.
Department of Environmental Quality; VirginiaNonfederally Managed Hazardous Waste Site Inventory; notice of existenceof site; civil penalty. Directs the Department of EnvironmentalQuality (DEQ) to publish and update annually a Virginia NonfederallyManaged Hazardous Waste Site Inventory, consisting of a list of sitesof which DEQ is aware that meet certain criteria regarding the presence of hazardous wastes or other hazardous substances but are not listedon the federal National Priorities List. The bill authorizes DEQto identify by regulation other categories of waste site to add to the inventory. The bill requires an owner of an inactive nonfederallymanaged hazardous waste site, defined in the bill, to notify DEQof its existence. A violation of the notification requirement is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 per day.
Study; Department of Housing and Community Development and Virginia Housing and Development Authority; ways to incentivize the development of affordable housing in the Commonwealth of Virginia; report. Requests the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Virginia Housing and Development Authority to convene a stakeholder advisory group to (i) determine the quantity and quality of affordable housing across the Commonwealth, (ii) conduct a review of current programs and policies to determine the effectiveness of current housing policy efforts, (iii) develop an informed projection of future housing needs in the Commonwealth and determine the order of priority of those needs, and (iv) make recommendations for the improvement of housing policy in the Commonwealth.
Board of Education; teacher licensure; written reprimand; suspension. Provides that when adopting regulations regarding the issuance of written reprimands of teachers and other school personnel required to hold a license, the Board of Education shall establish in such regulations the grounds for such written reprimands and provides that for a teacher who breaches his contract the local board of education or division superintendent, in addition to a written reprimand or revocation of the teacher's license as in current law, may issue a suspension of the teacher's license.
Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; registration of athlete agents; penalty; civil penalty. Creates a registration requirement for athlete agents administered by the Director of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, sets out the requirements for registration and conduct of athlete agents, and provides for administrative, civil, and criminal penalties.
Emergency Services and Disaster Law; definitionof disaster; incidents involving cyber systems. Defines "cyberincident" for purposes of the Emergency Services and Disaster Lawas an event occurring on or conducted through a computer networkthat actually or imminently jeopardizes the integrity, confidentiality,or availability of computers, information or communications systemsor networks, physical or virtual infrastructure controlled by computersor information systems, or information resident thereon. The billprovides that a cyber incident may include a vulnerability in informationsystems, system security procedures, internal controls, or implementationsthat could be exploited by a threat source. The bill contains technicalamendments.
Violation of provisions of protective order;venue. Provides that a violation of a protective order may beprosecuted in the jurisdiction where the protective order was issuedor in any county or city where any act constituting the violationof the protective order occurred. If multiple acts constituting theviolation of a protective order occur in multiple jurisdictions inthe Commonwealth, a court having jurisdiction over any single actshall have jurisdiction over all acts constituting the violationof the protective order.
Virginia Public Procurement Act; statute oflimitations on actions on construction contracts; statute of limitationson actions on performance bonds. Provides that no action maybe brought by a public body on any construction, architectural, orengineering contract, including construction management and design-buildcontracts, unless such action is brought within five years aftercompletion of the work on the project, and provides that no action may be brought by a public body on a warranty or guaranty in suchconstruction contract more than one year from the breach of thatwarranty, but in no event more than one year after the expirationof such warranty or guaranty. The bill also limits the time frameduring which a public body may bring an action against a surety ona performance bond to within one year after completion of the workon the project. Current law allows a public body, other than theDepartment of Transportation, to bring such an action within oneyear after (i) completion of the contract, including the expiration of all warranties and guaranties, or (ii) discovery of the defector breach of warranty that gave rise to the action. The bill contains technical amendments.
Department of Environmental Quality; policy statement. Adds provisions for addressing climate change and for the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, faith, disability, or income with respect to the administration of environmental laws, regulations, and policies in the statement of the Department of Environmental Quality's purpose. The bill also adds the enhancement of the environment and the promotion of the health and well-being of the Commonwealth's residents and visitors to the Department's policy goals.
Virginia Defense Force; maximum age for recruitment. Permits the Adjutant General of Virginia to recruit members to the Virginia Defense Force who are between the ages of 65 and 75. Under current law, the Adjutant General is only permitted to retain existing members of the Virginia Defense Force once they have attained the age of 65.
Department of Health; sickle cell anemia; adult and pediatric comprehensive sickle cell clinic network. Specifies that children be included in the voluntary program established by the Commissioner of Health, in cooperation with local health directors, for the screening of individuals for the disease of sickle cell anemia or the sickle cell trait and for other genetically related diseases and genetic traits and inborn errors of metabolism. The bill directs the Board of Health to adopt regulations to implement an adult and pediatric comprehensive sickle cell clinic network.
