Offshore oil and gas drilling; prohibition on leases; policy. Prohibits the granting of a lease, easement, or permit on the beds of the coastal waters of the Commonwealth that would allow any infrastructure for conveying to shore oil or gas produced from offshore drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf Planning Area and removes any oil or gas lease granted on such beds from the mandate that such lease include a royalty payment requirement. The bill removes policy statements supporting federal efforts to permit oil and gas development 50 miles or more off the Atlantic shoreline. This bill incorporates HB 1016.
Electrical transmission lines; effect on historic resources. Requires the State Corporation Commission (SCC), priorto approving the construction of any electrical transmission linesof 138 kilovolts or more, to determine that the corridor or routechosen for the line will avoid any adverse impact on the scenic assets, historic resources, and environment of the area concerned. If theSCC determines that no route or corridor exists that can avoid anysuch adverse impact, the SCC is directed to choose the corridor orroute that minimizes such adverse impacts to the greatest extentreasonably practicable. Currently, the SCC is required to determinethat such a line's corridor or route will reasonably minimize adverseimpact on the scenic assets, historic districts, and environmentof the area concerned.
Research and development tax credits; sunset; aggregate caps. Extends the sunset date for both the research and development expenses tax credit and the major research and development expenses tax credit from January 1, 2022, to January 1, 2025. Beginning with taxable year 2021, the bill increases the aggregate cap of the research and development expenses tax credit from $7 million to $7.77 million and increases the aggregate cap of the major research and development expenses tax credit from $20 million to $24 million. For both credits, the bill moves back the annual deadline for applications for the credit from July 1 to September 1. This bill is identical to HB 748.
Professional use by practitioners; administration of albuterol inhalers or nebulized albuterol. Provides that, pursuant to an order or standing protocol issued by the prescriber within the course of his professional practice, any school nurse, school board employee, employee of a local governing body, employee of a local health department, employee of a school for students with disabilities, or employee of an accredited private school who is authorized by a prescriber and trained in the administration of albuterol inhalers or nebulized albuterol may possess or administer an albuterol inhaler or nebulized albuterol to a student diagnosed with a condition requiring an albuterol inhaler or nebulized albuterol when the student is believed to be experiencing or about to experience an asthmatic crisis. The bill also provides that a school nurse, employee of a school board, employee of a local governing body, or employee of a local health department who is authorized by a prescriber and trained in the administration of albuterol inhalers or nebulized albuterol who provides, administers, or assists in the administration of an albuterol inhaler or nebulized albuterol for a student believed in good faith to be in need of such medication, or is the prescriber of such medication, is not liable for civil damages for ordinary negligence in acts or omissions resulting from the rendering of such treatment. This bill is identical to HB 1174.
Child care providers; fingerprint-based criminal background checks; sunset and contingency expiration. Repeals the sunset and contingency expiration of the requirement that the following individuals undergo fingerprint-based national criminal history background checks: (i) applicants for employment by, employees of, applicants to serve as volunteers with, and volunteers with any licensed family day system, child day center exempt from licensure due to its operation by a religious institution, registered family day home, or family day home approved by a family day system; (ii) applicants for licensure as a family day system, registration as a family day home, or approval as a family day home by a family day system, as well as agents of such applicants and any adult living in such family day home; and (iii) individuals who apply for or enter into a contract with the Department of Social Services under which a child day center, family day home, or child day program will provide child care services funded by the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, as well as the applicant's current or prospective employees and volunteers, agents, and any adult living in the child day center or family day home. This bill is identical to SB 675.
Virginia Beach Sports or Entertainment Project; extend expiration date of tax incentive; modify financing structure. Provides that the City of Virginia Beach's entitlement to state sales and use tax revenue attributable to a sports or entertainment project, which under current law will expire on July 1, 2039, shall expire on July 1 following the twentieth anniversary of the completion of construction of the sports and entertainment project. The bill authorizes the City of Virginia Beach to work with a community development authority established by the City to develop a sports or entertainment district, and authorizes it to use funds from the Sports or Entertainment Project Financing Fund to pay for debt maintenance costs of such authority.
School boards; mental health awareness training. Requires each school board to (i) adopt and implement policies that require each teacher and other relevant personnel, as determined by the school board, employed on a full-time basis, to complete a mental health awareness training or similar program at least once and (ii) provide such training, which may be provided pursuant to a contract with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, a community services board, a behavioral health authority, a nonprofit organization, or other certified trainer or via an online module. This bill incorporates HB 716 and HB 1554 and is identical to SB 619.
Public schools; enrollment; certain childrenplaced in foster care. Specifies, for the purpose of severalprovisions of law relating to the public school enrollment of childrenplaced in foster care, that a child or student placed in foster careincludes a pupil who was in foster care when he reached age 18 butsuch pupil has not yet reached age 22.
Property Owners' Association Act; display ofpolitical signs. Provides that, except as otherwise expressedin the declaration, no declaration or association's rules and regulations or architectural guidelines shall restrict or prohibit the displayby a lot owner on his lot of a sign advocating for or against a candidate,referendum, or political organization. The bill provides, however,that an association may restrict the display of such signs (i) inthe common areas or (ii) in accordance with federal or state law,and may establish reasonable restrictions as to the size, place,duration, and manner of placement or display of such signs, exceptthat no restriction on the duration of the display of such signs shall be less than (a) 30 days before the primary election, generalelection, or vote on the proposition or (b) seven days after the primary election, general election, or vote on the proposition. Thebill also requires the association disclosure packet to contain astatement of any restrictions on the size, place, duration, and mannerof placement or display of such signs.
Research and development tax credits; sunset; aggregate caps. Extends the sunset date for both the research and development expenses tax credit and the major research and development expenses tax credit from January 1, 2022, to January 1, 2025. Beginning with taxable year 2021, the bill increases the aggregate cap of the research and development expenses tax credit from $7 million to $7.77 million and increases the aggregate cap of the major research and development expenses tax credit from $20 million to $24 million. For both credits, the bill moves back the annual deadline for applications for the credit from July 1 to September 1. This bill is identical to SB 110.
Prescription drugs; expedited partner therapy; labels. Eliminates the requirement that a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship exist with a contact patient for a practitioner to prescribe expedited partner therapy consistent with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A pharmacist dispensing a Schedule III through VI drug to a contact patient whose name and address are unavailable shall affix "Expedited Partner Therapy" or "EPT" to the written prescription and the label. The bill repeals the July 1, 2020, sunset on the provision that allows practitioners employed by the Department of Health to prescribe antibiotic therapy to the sexual partner of a patient diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease without the physical examination normally required.
Public institutions of higher education; non-academic student codes of conduct. Requires each public institution of higher education, with the exception of the Virginia Military Institute, to adopt non-academic student codes of conduct. The bill mandates that students and student organizations that participate in the non-academic student codes of conduct process as a complainant or respondent shall have the responsibilities and rights afforded to them by the institution's codes of conduct and related policies and procedures. The bill states that the codes of conduct shall describe and define the responsibilities and rights of all enrolled students and student organizations and outline each step in the institution's procedures for responding to and resolving allegations of violations. The bill outlines procedures that the codes of conduct shall include when an accused student or student organization faces the potential sanctions of suspension or expulsion.
