Special license to hunt elk. Authorizes the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries (the Board) to create a special license for hunting elk in the elk management zone that is required in addition to a general hunting license. The bill authorizes the Board to establish (i) quotas and procedures for selection to purchase a special elk license, (ii) a nonrefundable application fee of $15 for residents and $20 for nonresidents and a special elk license fee at no more than $40 for residents and $400 for nonresidents, and (iii) guidelines permitting the transfer of special elk licenses to individuals, cooperators who assist in meeting agency hunting objectives, or wildlife conservation organizations whose mission is to ensure the conservation of Virginia's wildlife resources. The bill clarifies that a separate special license to hunt elk is not required to hunt elk outside of the designated elk management zone. This bill is identical to SB 262.
Online Virginia Network Authority; James Madison University. Adds the President of James Madison University or his designee and one nonlegislative citizen member appointed by James Madison University to the members of the board of trustees of the Online Virginia Network Authority. The bill also adds James Madison University to the institutions of higher education for which the Online Virginia Network, established by the Authority, will facilitate the completion of degrees. This bill is identical to SB 1041.
Voting restrictions on the basis of race. Repeals several Acts of Assembly that implemented and enforced a state poll tax and provided for separate registration records on the basis of race. This bill is identical to SB 555.
Entitlement to sales tax revenues from certain public facilities; authorized localities and facilities; sunset. Adds the City of Chesapeake to the list of localities that are authorized to issue bonds for the construction of public facilities and retain sales and use tax revenue generated within such facilities to pay off such bonds. The bill adds outdoor amphitheater to the list of authorized public facilities, provided that a locality owns, wholly or partly, and contributes to the construction of such amphitheater, and extends until July 1, 2024, the period of time during which authorized localities may issue bonds for the construction of public facilities and retain sales and use tax revenue generated within such facilities to pay off such bonds. Under current law, such authority expires on July 1, 2020. This bill is identical to SB 163.
Special license to hunt elk. Authorizes the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries (the Board) to create a special license for hunting elk in the elk management zone that is required in addition to a general hunting license. The bill authorizes the Board to establish (i) quotas and procedures for selection to purchase a special elk license, (ii) a nonrefundable application fee of $15 for residents and $20 for nonresidents and a special elk license fee at no more than $40 for residents and $400 for nonresidents, and (iii) guidelines permitting the transfer of special elk licenses to individuals, cooperators who assist in meeting agency hunting objectives, or wildlife conservation organizations whose mission is to ensure the conservation of Virginia's wildlife resources. The bill clarifies that a separate special license to hunt elk is not required to hunt elk outside of the designated elk management zone. This bill is identical to HB 388.
Wildlife Corridor Action Plan; road construction projects. Directs the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, in collaboration with the Department of Transportation and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, to create a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan (the Plan). The Plan shall identify wildlife corridors, defined as areas connecting fragmented wildlife habitats that are separated by human activities or infrastructure, and recommend wildlife crossing projects intended to promote driver safety and wildlife connectivity. The bill requires the Plan to be submitted to the Chairs of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources by September 1, 2022, and every four years thereafter. The bill also provides that the Department of Transportation shall (i) include the impact on any wildlife corridor identified in the Plan in any environmental impact report for a highway construction project and (ii) consider measures for the mitigation of harm caused to wildlife by a highway in the design options for the construction of such highway. This bill is identical to SB 1004.
Maximum number of judges in each judicial district. Increases from 11 to 12 the maximum number of authorized general district court judgeships in the nineteenth judicial district. The Committee on District Courts recommended the additional judgeship in 2018. This bill is identical to SB 209.
Signature defects on pleadings, motions, and other papers. Clarifies that any pleading, motion, or other paper that is not properly signed is defective and voidable. The bill further provides that failure to timely raise signature defects waives any challenge based on such a defect and that a signature defect shall be cured within 21 days after it is brought to the attention of the pleader or movant, or the pleading, motion, or other paper that contains the signature defect shall be stricken. This bill is identical to HB 1378.
State Inspector General; powers and duties. Provides that in order for the State Inspector General to refer a complaint alleging fraud, waste, abuse, or corruption by a public institution of higher education to the internal audit department of that institution, such institution must be (i) a covered institution as defined by the Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act and (ii) classified as a Level 3 institution by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. A public institution of higher education that receives a complaint from the State Inspector General shall provide periodic updates on the status of investigations, whether they originated internally or were referred by the State Inspector General, and report annually to the State Inspector General on the results of all such investigations. The bill requires the State Inspector General to establish procedures governing the intake and investigation of complaints alleging fraud, waste, abuse, or corruption by a state agency or nonstate agency or by any officer or employee of a state agency or nonstate agency. At a minimum, the procedures must (a) provide for the State Inspector General, or his designee, to review each decision to dismiss an allegation reported to the State Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline at the initial intake stage without further investigation; (b) require investigators designated by the State Inspector General to directly investigate allegations of serious administrative violations and provide for other agency internal audit divisions to investigate allegations meeting certain specified criteria, only if the internal audit division has demonstrated the ability to conduct investigations in an independent, effective, and timely manner; (c) require oversight by the Office of the State Inspector General of all investigations referred to other agencies to ensure quality, timeliness, and independence; and (d) develop a process for the regular review of the status of recommendations made by the Office of the State Inspector General. The bill also clarifies the duty of the State Inspector General to provide oversight of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and community-based providers to identify system-level issues and conditions affecting quality of care and safety and provide recommendations to alleviate such issues and conditions. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.
Scenic river designation. Designates a 17-mile segment of the Pound River in Wise and Dickenson Counties as a component of the Virginia Scenic Rivers System.
Claims; Winston Lamont Scott; compensation for wrongful incarceration. Provides relief in the amount of $159,535 to Winston Lamont Scott, who was wrongfully convicted of rape, carnal knowledge, and burglary in 1976. The compensation shall be awarded as a lump sum. Mr. Scott served over five years in prison. In March 2019, the Supreme Court of Virginia issued a writ of actual innocence to Mr. Scott and vacated his convictions based upon previously unavailable DNA evidence. The bill allows Mr. Scott to receive career and technical training within the Virginia Community College System free of tuition charges, up to a maximum of $10,000. The bill also provides that in the event that a wrongfully incarcerated person is 60 years of age or older or is terminally ill, the General Assembly may pay the compensation owed to such person as a lump sum or shorten the duration of any annuity purchased.
Federal acts; meat and poultry. Updatesexisting Code references to the Federal Meat Inspection Act and thefederal Poultry Products Inspection Act.
