Campaign finance; prohibited personal use ofcampaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisoryopinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributionsto a candidate or a candidate's campaign committee for their personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributionswith regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution ofa campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contributionis considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution,in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation,or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking,holding, or maintaining public office but excepts from "personaluse" the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning foror holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds topay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as adirect result of campaign activity. Any person subject to the personaluse ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Electionson such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections toadopt emergency regulations similar to those promulgated by the FederalElection Commission to implement the provisions of the bill and toprovide an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the Attorney General's opinion and any new regulations promulgatedby the State Board of Elections.
Del. Marcus Simon
Sponsored bills
Produce Rx Program established; report.Directs the Department of Social Services to establish a Produce Rx Program as a three-year pilot program to incentivize consumptionof qualifying fruits and vegetables by eligible individuals for whomincreased consumption of fruits and vegetables is recommended bya qualified care provider, as such terms are defined in the bill,and to report to the Governor and the General Assembly by December1 of each year on the operation of the Program.
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.
Court appearance of a person not free on bail.Makes various changes to provisions regarding bail hearings, including(i) the appointment of counsel for the accused, (ii) the informationprovided to counsel for the accused, (iii) a requirement that counselfor the accused be provided with adequate time to confer with theaccused prior to any bail hearing, and (iv) the compensation of counselfor the accused. Effective in due course, the bill provides thatthe chief judge in each circuit shall create a plan to be completedby October 1, 2022, that establishes the means by which the jurisdictionwill meet these requirements. The remainder of the bill has a delayedeffective date of January 1, 2023.
Virginia Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino,and Indigenous Education Advisory Board; establishment. Establishesthe 29-member Virginia Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino,and Indigenous Education Advisory Board as an advisory board in theexecutive branch of state government for the purpose of advisingthe Governor, his Cabinet members, and the General Assembly on the current ways that Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and Indigenous history is described in the relevant Standards of Learning and associated curriculum frameworks; how that content is taught in classrooms;and strategies to develop Asian American and Pacific Islander historyand social studies elective courses, Latino history and social studies elective courses, and Indigenous history and social studies electivecourses.
Public school buses; seat belts. Requiresthe Board of Education to make regulations to require each new publicschool bus purchased for the transportation of students to be equippedwith a seat belt consisting of a lap belt and shoulder strap or harnessin every seat. The bill requires each school board to ensure thatno later than July 1, 2040, each school bus that it uses for thetransportation of students is equipped with a seat belt in every seat.
Health carriers; denial of coverage; quarterlyreport. Requires each health carrier in the Commonwealth to submitto the State Corporation Commission on a quarterly basis a reportof all first-time denials of coverage, including denials based onpreexisting conditions and experimental or investigational treatments.The bill states that a health carrier must inform a covered personof his right to an internal appeal or, if applicable, an externalreview, upon issuing a denial of coverage. The bill has an expirationdate of July 1, 2024.
Workers' compensation; domestic service employees.Provides that individuals who are engaged in providing domesticservice, defined in the bill, are not excluded from the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act.
Juvenile justice; human trafficking screening.Requires the Department of Juvenile Justice to use trauma-informedscreening measures to identify whether any child committed to theDepartment has been a victim of human trafficking and determine appropriate treatment and service options. The bill also requires that, in casesin which a juvenile and domestic relations district court or circuitcourt orders that a juvenile within its jurisdiction be physicallyexamined and treated by a physician or local mental health center,such examination include trauma-informed screening measures to identifywhether the juvenile has been a victim of human trafficking and determineappropriate treatment and service options.
State parks; free entry for veterans. Establishesa Veteran's Passport program for veterans of the Armed Forces of theUnited States or members of the Virginia National Guard that entitlesthe bearer to enter state parks in the Commonwealth without the paymentof a parking or admission fee.