Del. Paul Krizek

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; return of security deposit. Requires the landlord to return the tenant's security deposit, minus any deductions or charges, within 45 days of the termination of the tenancy or the date the tenant vacates the dwelling unit, whichever occurs last. Under current law, the 45-day period to return the security deposit begins on the date of the termination of the tenancy. This bill is identical to SB 388.

Virginia State Police Electronic Summons SystemFund. Creates the Virginia State Police Electronic Summons SystemFund, which is funded by a $5 fee required by the bill to be assessedas court costs in each criminal or traffic case in which the Virginia State Police issued the summons, ticket, or citation; executed thewarrant; or made the arrest. The bill directs that the Fund be usedfor the purposes of funding software, hardware, and associated equipmentcosts for the implementation and maintenance of an electronic summonssystem. Under current law, localities may charge a fee of up to $5for each criminal or traffic case to be used for such purposes.

Waterfowl blinds in locality where certain hunting prohibited. Directs the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries not to license any stationary waterfowl blind in any area of Hunting Creek, Little Hunting Creek, or Dogue Creek in which the local governing body prohibits by ordinance the hunting of birds with a firearm. This bill is identical to HB 173.

School boards; written school crisis, emergencymanagement, and medical emergency response plans; annual review;delegation of duty. Permits each school board to designate anotherentity or individual to participate on its behalf in the annual reviewof its written school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergencyresponse plan.

Waterfowl blinds in locality where certain hunting prohibited. Directs the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries not to license any stationary waterfowl blind in any area of Hunting Creek, Little Hunting Creek, or Dogue Creek in which the local governing body prohibits by ordinance the hunting of birds with a firearm. This bill is identical to SB 435.

Prohibited discrimination; public accommodations, employment, credit, and housing: causes of action; sexual orientation and gender identity. Creates explicit causes of action for unlawful discrimination in public accommodations and employment in the Virginia Human Rights Act. Currently, under the Act there is no cause of action for discrimination in public accommodations, and the only causes of action for discrimination in employment are for (i) unlawful discharge on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, including lactation, by employers employing more than five but fewer than 15 persons and (ii) unlawful discharge on the basis of age by employers employing more than five but fewer than 20 persons. The bill allows the causes of action to be pursued privately by the aggrieved person or, in certain circumstances, by the Attorney General. The bill prohibits discrimination in public and private employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill also codifies for state and local government employment the current prohibitions on discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, or status as a veteran. Additionally, the bill (a) prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a veteran; (b) prohibits discrimination in credit on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, disability, and status as a veteran; and (c) adds discrimination on the basis of an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a veteran as an unlawful housing practice. The bill makes technical amendments. This bill incorporates HB 3, HB 21, HB 23, HB 217, HB 1050, HB 1200, and HB 1512.

Lists of registered voters; provided at no charge to courts of the Commonwealth and the United States for jury selection purposes. Directs the Department of Elections to provide, at no charge, the courts of the Commonwealth and the United States with the lists of registered voters in their districts for jury selection purposes no more than two times in a 12-month period. At any other time in the same 12-month period, the lists shall be provided for a reasonable price. This bill is identical to SB 466.

Holding handheld personal communications devices whiledriving a motor vehicle. Prohibits any person from holding a handheldpersonal communications device while driving a motor vehicle. Current lawprohibits (i) the reading of any email or text message and manually enteringletters or text in such a device as a means of communicating and (ii) holding apersonal communications device while driving in a work zone. The bill expandsthe exemptions to include handheld personal communications devices that arebeing held and used (a) as an amateur radio or a citizens band radio or (b) forofficial Department of Transportation or traffic incident management services.The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. This billincorporates HB 377, HB 387, HB 512, and HB 1672 and is identical to SB 160.

Nonpayment of wages; investigations. Authorizes the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, if he acquires information during an investigation of a complaint of an employer's failure or refusal to pay wages and that information creates a reasonable belief that other employees of the same employer may not have been paid wages, to investigate whether the employer has failed or refused to make a required payment of wages to other employees. The measure also provides that if the Commissioner finds in the course of such investigation that the employer has committed a violation, the Commissioner may institute proceedings on behalf of any employee against his employer. In such proceedings, the Commissioner is not required to have obtained a written complaint of the violation or the written and signed consent of any employee. This bill is identical to SB 49.

Commending Shirley Morrow Marshall.