Carrying dangerous weapon to place of religiousworship. Repeals the statutory prohibition on carrying a gun, pistol, bowie knife, dagger, or other dangerous weapon, without goodand sufficient reason, to a place of worship while a meeting forreligious purposes is being held at such place.
Security of public property. Provides thatany property owned by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision of the Commonwealth, or used by a public body, where firearms havebeen prohibited by law shall have law-enforcement officers or armedsecurity officers on the premises to provide security services.
Possession, purchase, and transport of certainfirearms in certain localities. Provides that a person may lawfullypossess, purchase, or transport a firearm or firearms magazine thathe would otherwise be lawfully permitted to possess, purchase, ortransport on January 1, 2020, while he is in a locality that hasadopted an ordinance, resolution, or motion that authorizes the possession,purchase, or transportation of such firearm or firearms magazinewithin such locality.
Firearm-free zones designated by the Commonwealth or a locality; regulation of weapons; waiver of sovereign immunity. Provides that (i) if the Commonwealth designates any property owned by it as a firearm-free zone or (ii) if any locality designates such locality or any part of such locality as a firearm-free zone, the Commonwealth or such locality waives its sovereign immunity as it relates to any injuries sustained by persons lawfully present in such firearm-free zone. The bill further provides that if the Commonwealth or a locality adopts any ordinance, rule, policy, or regulation regulating weapons, the Commonwealth or locality assumes an affirmative duty to protect invitees lawfully on the premises of the Commonwealth or locality and establishes a waiver of sovereign immunity for any governmental entity or official responsible for such regulation.
Municipal elections in November; council membersappointed to fill vacancy ineligible to vote on ordinance to moveelection. Prohibits a council member appointed to fill a vacancyfrom voting on an ordinance to move the date of the election forcouncil members and mayor from May to November.
Super precincts; pilot program. Authorizesthe State Board of Elections to conduct a pilot program under whichone or more counties or cities, whose proposal for participation in such pilot program is unanimously approved by the State Board,would be permitted to use super precincts in the May general or Juneprimary elections. The bill requires the governing body of a countyor city applying to participate in the pilot program to submit aplan for participation that includes (i) the number of super precinctsto be established in the county or city and the boundaries of suchprecincts and (ii) the location of vote centers to be establishedin each super precinct. The bill defines "super precinct" as the territoryestablished by a county or city pursuant to the pilot program tobe served by one or more vote centers and "vote center" as the structurethat contains the one place provided for each super precinct at whichthe qualified voters who are residents of the super precinct mayvote in a June primary election. The bill contains maximum criteriafor any proposal for participation in the pilot program. The billrequires the State Board to report on the implementation and effectivenessof the pilot program by August 15 of any year in which one or morelocalities participate in the pilot program. The bill has an expirationdate of December 31, 2024.
Budget bill; broadband and economic development.Requires the Governor to include in the budget bill recommendedappropriations for initiatives that promote and develop broadbandinfrastructure comparable to or greater than any recommended appropriationsfor economic development.
Functions of a multi-jurisdiction grand jury;failure to pay wages. Adds the offense of willfully failing topay wages to the list of offenses that a multi-jurisdiction grandjury is authorized to investigate.
Celebrating the life of Alan Arnold Diamonstein.
Public schools; electives on the Hebrew Scriptures/OldTestament and the New Testament. Requires the Board of Educationto authorize local school boards to offer as an elective in gradesnine through 12 with appropriate credits toward graduation a courseon the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament of the Bible or the New Testamentof the Bible or a combined course on both. The bill requires theBoard of Education to develop Standards of Learning and curriculumguidelines for such courses. The bill provides that the purpose ofsuch courses is to introduce students to biblical content, characters,poetry, and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporarysociety and culture, including literature, art, music, mores, oratory,and public policy. The bill prohibits students from being requiredto use a specific translation of a religious text when taking thecourses and provides that such courses shall maintain religious neutralityand shall not endorse, favor, promote, disfavor, or show hostilitytoward any particular religion or nonreligious perspective.
Commending the Norfolk Police Department.
Capital murder; punishment. Provides thatany person convicted of capital murder involving the willful, deliberate,and premeditated killing of more than one person as part of the sameact or transaction or more than one person within a three-year period,and who was 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense,shall be sentenced to no less than a mandatory minimum term of confinementfor life.
