Del. J.R. Henson

Special license plates; United States Air Force. Authorizes the issuance of special license plates for active duty members with, honorably discharged veterans with six months of active duty service in, and retirees from the United States Air Force and unremarried surviving spouses of such service members. This bill was incorporated into HB 380.

Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures; report. Directs the State Health Commissioner to reestablish the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures for the purpose of evaluating maternal health data collection processes to guide policies in the Commonwealth to improve maternal care, quality, and outcomes for all birthing people in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Task Force to report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1 of each year regarding its activities. This bill reestablishes the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures that concluded on December 1, 2023. This bill was incorporated into HB 781.

Commending Sandra Gioia Treadway.

Stillbirth Support Grant Program. Establishesthe Stillbirth Support Grant Program for the purpose of providinggrants to individuals who delivered a stillborn child, as definedby the bill, to assist with out-of-pocket costs associated with suchdelivery. Under the bill, an application for such a grant must besubmitted within the same calendar year as such delivery of a stillborn child occurs.

Department of Environmental Quality; enforcementof regulations; Clean Water Act; cooling water intakes at power plants.Requires the Department of Environmental Quality to promptly enforcefederal regulations implementing a provision of the federal CleanWater Act for cooling water intakes at power plants to reduce negativeimpacts on fish populations in the waters of the Commonwealth.

Stillbirth Support Grant Program. Establishesthe Stillbirth Support Grant Program for the purpose of providinggrants to individuals who delivered a stillborn child, as definedby the bill, to assist with out-of-pocket costs associated with suchdelivery. Under the bill, an application for such a grant must besubmitted within the same calendar year as such delivery of a stillborn child occurs.

Local government; installation of water-basedfire protection systems in new townhouse construction. Permitsa locality to allow the installation of automatic water-based fireprotection systems in new townhouse construction. The bill providesthat such ordinance shall require that the installation be completedin compliance with standards, requirements, and specifications forthe installation of an automatic water-based fire protection systemas prescribed by the National Fire Protection Association's NFPA13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems; NFPA13R, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in Low-RiseResidential Occupancies; or NFPA 13D, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family Dwellingsand Manufactured Homes in accordance with the Uniform StatewideBuilding Code.

Celebrating the life of Tafari Jawara Campbell.

Celebrating the life of George M. Hampton, Ph.D.

Constitutional amendment (first reference); marriage between two individuals; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative right to marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman as well as the related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United States Supreme 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 prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from denying the issuance of a marriage license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The Commonwealth and its political subdivisions are required to recognize any lawful marriage between two parties and to treat such marriages equally under the law, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The amendment provides that religious organizations and clergy acting in their religious capacity have the right to refuse to perform any marriage.