Del. Vivian Watts

Open captioning at movie theaters. Requiresall movie theaters, including outdoor theaters such as drive-in theaters,that have four or more screens and are open to the general publicto provide open captioning at least twice per week on any film thatis regularly shown, provided that open captioning is available forsuch film. The bill requires such movie theaters to provide noticeto the general public regarding the availability of open captioningand schedule at least one viewing during peak viewing time.

Exhaust systems; excessive noise. Prohibitsany individual from operating a motor vehicle with a gross weightof 10,000 pounds or less with an exhaust system that emits noise equivalentto noise in excess of 85 decibels measured from a distance of 50 feet.The bill also allows the governing body of any county, city, or town located within the Northern Virginia Planning District to provideby ordinance that no person shall operate any motor vehicle on a highway or on public or private property within 500 feet of any residential district unless such motor vehicle is equipped with an exhaust systemof a type installed as standard equipment, or comparable to thatdesigned for use on that particular vehicle or device as standardfactory equipment, in good working order and in constant operationto prevent excessive noise. The bill also requires the Superintendentof State Police to promulgate regulations for the inspection of motorvehicles to ensure that no motor vehicle is equipped with a guttedmuffler, muffler cutout, or straight exhaust or any mechanical orelectronic device that creates or amplifies noise emitted by themotor vehicle that is louder than the noise emitted by such motor vehicle as originally manufactured.

Constitutional amendment (second reference);marriage; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative rightto marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriageas only a union between one man and one woman as well as the relatedprovisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United StatesSupreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015). The amendment provides that the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of persons and requires the Commonwealthand its political subdivisions and agents to issue marriage licenses,recognize marriages, and treat all marriages equally under the law,regardless of the sex or gender of the parties to the marriage. Religiousorganizations and clergy acting in their religious capacity havethe right to refuse to perform any marriage.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Virginia Initiative for Education and Work; sanctions. Lowers from thefull amount of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)grant to a maximum of six percent of the TANF grant the amount alocal department of social services can impose as a sanction on aparent for noncompliance with the requirements of the Virginia Initiativefor Education and Work.

Family caregiver tax credit. Creates a nonrefundableincome tax credit for taxable years 2022 through 2026 for expensesincurred by an individual in caring for an eligible family member,defined in the bill, who requires assistance with one or more activitiesof daily living, also defined in the bill. The credit equals 50 percentof eligible expenditures incurred by the caregiver up to $1,000. Inorder to qualify for the credit, the family caregiver must (i) notreceive any compensation or reimbursement for the eligible expendituresand (ii) have federal adjusted gross income that is no greater than$100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for married persons. The billrequires the Tax Commissioner to establish guidelines for claimingthe credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forwardby the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable yearfor which the credit was issued. The bill is a recommendation ofthe Joint Commission on Health Care.

Juveniles; adjudication of delinquency. Specifiesthat a delinquent child is a child 11 years of age or older who hascommitted a delinquent act. Currently, there is no minimum age fora child to be adjudicated delinquent. The bill provides that if ajuvenile younger than 11 years of age is found to have committeda delinquent act, the juvenile shall not be proceeded upon as delinquent;however, the court may make any orders of disposition authorizedfor a child in need of services or a child in need of supervision.

Tribal nations; acknowledging harmful historyand policies in the Commonwealth. Expresses the sense of theHouse of Delegates in acknowledging with profound regret the existence, acceptance, and perpetuation of the dispossession of lands and theracist and assimilationist policies designed to erase the identity,culture, and sovereignty of tribal nations in the Commonwealth.

Commending Virginia Polytechnic Institute andState University.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable JohnHowson Rust, Jr.

Falun Gong; Persecution by Chinese CommunistParty. Condemns the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners bythe Chinese Communist Party.