Earned sentence credits; possession of childpornography. Excludes a first offense for the crime of possessionof child pornography from the crimes that will eligible for enhancedsentencing credits effective July 1, 2022.
Short-term rentals; localities' ability to restrict. Clarifies that short-term rentals may be operated in any localityin the absence of an ordinance pursuant to the locality's generalland use and zoning authority restricting short-term rentals.
Virginia Retirement System; benefits for certainlocal law-enforcement employees. Requires localities to use the1.85 percent multiplier for determining the annual retirement allowancefor local law-enforcement officers receiving benefits similar tothose provided to State Police officers. Currently, localities mayelect to provide a 1.7 percent multiplier in lieu of the 1.85 percentmultiplier.
Study; joint subcommittee to study pandemic response and preparedness in the Commonwealth; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study pandemic response and preparedness in the Commonwealth. In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee is tasked with examining existing laws in the Commonwealth and developing recommendations regarding the pandemic response and future needs of the Governor, the General Assembly, local governments, public and private health care systems and other facilities and providers, health districts, the judicial system, K-12 and higher education systems, and the business regulatory system.
Manufacture, import, sale, transfer, or possession of plastic firearms and unfinished frames or receivers and unserialized firearms; penalties. Creates a Class 5 felony for any person who manufactures, imports, sells, transfers, or possesses any firearm with a major component, as defined in the bill, that when subjected to inspection by the types of detection devices, including X-ray machines, commonly used at airports for security screening does not generate an image that accurately depicts the shape of the component. The bill updates language regarding the types of detection devices that are used at airports for detecting plastic firearms. The bill also creates several Class 1 misdemeanors, which are punishable as a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense, making it unlawful (i) for any person to knowingly possess, transport, or receive an unfinished frame or receiver unless the party possessing or receiving the unfinished frame or receiver is a federal firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer or the unfinished frame or receiver is required by federal law to be, and has been, imprinted with a serial number by a federal firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer and (ii) for any person to knowingly sell, offer to sell, transfer, or purchase an unfinished frame or receiver unless the party selling, offering to sell, transferring, or purchasing the unfinished frame or receiver is a federal firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer or the unfinished frame or receiver is required by federal law to be, and has been, imprinted with a serial number by a federal firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer. The provisions related to the prohibition for possessing, transporting, or receiving an unfinished frame or receiver have a delayed effected date of January 1, 2023.
Sports betting; Virginia college sports.Allows betting, with the exception of proposition betting, on Virginia college sports. Under current law, betting other than propositionbetting is allowed on all college sports except Virginia college sports.
Celebrating the life of Master-at-Arms ChiefPetty Officer Victor Wayne Stewart, USN, Ret.
Education improvement scholarship tax credits; eligible students in need of a safer school environment. Declares eligible for a scholarship from a scholarship foundation that receives an education improvement scholarship tax credit, on the same basis as any other eligible student, eligible students in need of a safer school environment, defined in the bill as any student who, while enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school in kindergarten through grade 12, was the victim of assault, battery, bullying, harassment, hazing, kidnapping, or robbery on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored activity, as substantiated by an investigation and written report by the school principal. The bill provides that (i) eligible students in need of a safer school environment are permitted to use such scholarships to cover the expenses associated with attending another public school within or outside of his school division of residence and (ii) there are no family income restrictions on scholarships for eligible students in need of a safer school environment. The bill clarifies that no public elementary or secondary school or local school division is prohibited or precluded from offering various educational alternatives to an eligible student in need of a safer school environment.
Commending Keswick Hunt Club.
Public institutions of higher education; criminalhistory. Requires each public institution of higher educationto include a disclosure to each applicant that certain criminal convictionsmay disqualify such applicant from pursuing his intended course ofstudy or living in student housing, if applicable, and that applicantsmay contact the institution of higher education to learn more aboutwhich criminal convictions preclude individuals from pursuing certaincourses of study or living in student housing.
Registered lobbyists; information on disseminated documents; civil penalty. Requires a lobbyist registered with the Secretary of the Commonwealth to include in or attach to any document disseminated by such lobbyist to any member of the General Assembly or agent thereof the lobbyist's full legal name, email address, and telephone number. The bill provides that any such registered lobbyist that violates the provisions of the bill shall be subject to a civil penalty of $25 per document disseminated.
Public schools; regional charter school divisions. Authorizes the Board of Education (the Board) to establish regional charter school divisions consisting of at least two but not more than three existing school divisions in any case in which (i) each such local school division is in close proximity and has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students and (ii) at least two such local school divisions have grades three through eight math and English reading Standards of Learning assessment performance in the bottom quartile of the Commonwealth. The bill requires such regional charter school divisions to be supervised by a school board that consists of eight members appointed by the Board and one member appointed by the localities of each of the underlying divisions. The bill authorizes the school board, after a review by the Board, to review and approve public charter school applications in the regional charter school divisions and to contract with the applicant. The bill requires that the state share of Standards of Quality per pupil funding of the underlying school district in which the student resides be transferred to such school.
