Agrippa Hull Day. Designates May 21, in2022 and in each succeeding year, as Agrippa Hull Day in Virginia.
Charitable gaming; exemptions from certain requirementsfor specified organizations. Exempts qualified organizationsthat reasonably expect, on the basis of prior charitable gaming annual results or any other quantifiable method, to realize grossreceipts of $15,000 or less from all charitable gaming other than raffles, conducted on a total of no more than seven days per calendaryear, from the requirements to (i) notify the Department of Agricultureand Consumer Services (the Department) of their intention to conductsuch charitable gaming or (ii) comply with the regulations of theCharitable Gaming Board. Under current law, only qualified organizationsthat reasonably expect to realize gross receipts of $40,000 or lessfrom raffles in any 12-month period are exempt from these requirements.The bill provides that any qualified organization may sell instantbingo, pull tabs, or seal cards that are dispensed by mechanicalequipment only, provided that the sale is limited to two events ofno more than 14 days each per calendar year. Under current law, onlyathletic associations or booster clubs or band booster clubs maysell instant bingo, pull tabs, or seal cards at a single event ina calendar year. Finally, the bill prohibits the Department fromrequiring a qualified organization that realizes annual gross receiptsof $15,000 or less to file a report of its receipts and disbursements.
Absentee voting; permanent absentee voter listrepealed. Repeals the provisions of law by which any registered voter may apply to receive absentee ballots for all elections inwhich he is eligible to vote and remains on the list until the voterrequests in writing to be removed from the list, the voter's registrationis canceled or placed on inactive status pursuant to law, or thevoter moves to a different address not in the same county or cityof his registration.
Law-enforcement officers; retired law-enforcementofficers; carrying a firearm or explosive material within CapitolSquare and the surrounding area. Exempts any law-enforcementofficer from the prohibition on carrying a firearm or explosive materialwithin the Capitol of Virginia and Capitol Square and the surroundingarea. The bill further allows any law-enforcement officer or qualifiedretired law-enforcement officer to carry a firearm or explosive materialwithin any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agencythereof, or any office where employees of the Commonwealth or agencythereof are regularly present to perform their official duties. Undercurrent law, a law-enforcement officer is exempted only while actingin the conduct of his official duties, and a retired law-enforcementofficer is limited to carrying a firearm while visiting a gun rangeowned or leased by the Commonwealth. The bill also clarifies that "Capitol Square and the surrounding area" as defined in current lawdoes not include any public road or highway.
Victims of human trafficking; affirmative defense;writ of vacatur. Expands the definition of qualifying offensefor the purposes of the issuance of a writ of vacatur for victimsof commercial sex trafficking and the affirmative defense availableto victims of sex trafficking to include a number of additional offensesenumerated in the bill. Current law only allows the issuance of suchwrit of vacatur or the use of such affirmative defense for convictionsand adjudications of delinquency or charges for prostitution andkeeping, residing in, or frequenting a bawdy place. The bill alsochanges the term "victim of sex trafficking" to "victim of humantrafficking" as used in reference to such writ of vacatur and affirmativedefense and adds to the definition of "victim of human trafficking" any person subjected to human trafficking, as defined in the bill,and any person who committed such offense while younger than 18 yearsof age. For the purposes of the issuance of the writ of vacatur,the bill also provides that there shall be a rebuttable presumptionthat a petitioner is a victim of human trafficking if the petitionerprovides official government documentation of the petitioner's statusas a victim of human trafficking at the time of the qualifying offense. The bill also states that a petitioner for a writ of vacatur shallnot be required to pay any fees or costs for filing such petitionif the petitioner is found to be unable to pay fees or costs.
Elections; absentee voting; ballots to be sortedand results to be reported by precinct. Provides that absentee ballots processed at a central absentee precinct must be sorted bythe precinct to which the voter who cast the absentee ballot is assignedand that the resulting vote totals from such ballots must be reportedseparately for each voter precinct.
Sales tax; exemption for food purchased forhuman consumption and essential personal hygiene products. Exemptsfood purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygieneproducts (the grocery tax) from all state, regional, and local salestaxes.
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.
Additional local sales and use tax to support schools. Authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent, with the revenue used only for capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools. Under the bill, the tax can only be imposed if it is initiated by a resolution of the local governing body and approved by the voters in a referendum. The bill requires the governing body to specify in the enacting ordinance the time period, not to exceed 20 years, for which the tax would be imposed, and revenue from the tax is required to be used solely for capital projects for new construction or major renovation of schools in the locality enacting the tax. Under current law, only Charlotte County, Gloucester County, Halifax County, Henry County, Mecklenburg County, Northampton County, Patrick County, Pittsylvania County, and the City of Danville are authorized to impose such a tax.
