Del. Briana Sewell

Virginia Commission to End Hunger established;report. Establishes the Virginia Commission to End Hunger. Thebill states that the purpose of the Commission is to develop anaction plan every two years for ending hunger in the Commonwealth,review the progress of such plan, and ensure cross-collaborationamong government entities and community partners toward the goalof ending hunger in the Commonwealth.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act;early termination of rental agreement; victims of sexual abuse orcriminal sexual assault. Provides that a tenant who is a victimof family abuse, sexual abuse, or other criminal sexual assaultmay terminate such tenant's obligations under a rental agreement if the tenant (i) has obtained a protective order and has given properwritten notice of termination during the period of the protectiveorder or any extension thereof or (ii) as evidence of such abuseor criminal sexual assault, has obtained (a) records or files froma federal or state agency, law-enforcement agency, or court; (b)documentation from a domestic violence or sexual assault program;(c) documentation from a duly ordained, commissioned, or licensedminister of any religious denomination who provides proper proof ofhis credentials as outlined in the bill; or (d) documentation froma medical professional licensed by the Board of Medicine or Boardof Nursing or a mental health service provider and has given written notice of termination. Under current law, there must be a familyabuse protective order or a conviction before the tenant may terminatesuch obligations under a rental agreement.

Motor vehicles; overweight permits for certain trucks operated by electric utilities. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue overweight permits for an electric utility's operation of vehicles used for the construction, operation, or maintenance of electrical facilities and infrastructure.

Center for Rural Virginia; name change. Renames the Center for Rural Virginia as the Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia. This bill is identical to SB 704.

Public high schools; research-based hazing prevention instruction. Requires the Board of Education to develop Standards of Learning and curriculum guidelines for research-based hazing prevention instruction to be provided as a part of physical or health education instruction provided to students in grade nine or 10. The bill requires such hazing prevention instruction to include age-appropriate, extensive, and current education about hazing, including (i) examples of hazing; (ii) the dangers of hazing, including the consequences of alcohol intoxication; and (iii) school policies and laws related to hazing, including criminal penalties and bystander intervention. The bill requires such research-based hazing prevention instruction to be offered in-person but requires each school board to provide options for virtual participation for any student who is enrolled in an online or virtual physical or health education program. Finally, the bill requires each school board to provide such research-based hazing prevention instruction beginning with the school year following the Board's adoption of revised Standards of Learning for physical and health education for grades nine and 10 incorporating such research-based hazing prevention instruction and directs the Board to, in the intermediary time, develop and post on its website guidance documents for the purpose of making such research-based hazing prevention instruction available to local school boards. This bill is identical to SB 379.

Virginia Small Business Economic DevelopmentAct established; regulation of skill games; registration; penalties.Establishes the Virginia Small Business Economic Development Act for the purpose of providing a regulatory and registration schemefor skill game machines in the Commonwealth. The bill directs theVirginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to adopt emergencyregulations to implement the provisions of the bill and directs theDepartment of Taxation to collect a monthly tax of 15 percent fromthe gross revenue of each skill game machine from each skill gamedistributor.

Commending the Honorable L. Kaye Kory.

Employee Child Care Assistance Program and Fund; established. Establishes the Employee Child Care Assistance Programand Fund to provide matching funds to in order to incentivize employersto contribute to the child care costs of their employees. To participatein the program, an employer is required to enter into an agreementwith its employee and an eligible mixed-delivery provider, definedin the bill, to make child care contributions to the eligible mixed-deliveryprovider on behalf of the employee, and the Department of Educationwill issue a state match directly to such eligible mixed-deliveryprovider or to a third-party administrator. The bill provides thatthe state match shall not exceed 100 percent of the employer contributionmade by an employer on behalf of an employee whose annual gross wagesare equal to or less than the local median household income, definedin the bill, and shall not exceed 80 percent of the employer contributionmade by an employer on behalf of an employee whose annual gross wagesare greater than the local median household income. The bill requiresthat 25 percent of the Fund be used to provide state matching fundsfor employees of small businesses.

Marriage lawful regardless of sex, gender, or race of parties; issuance of marriage license. Provides that no person authorized to issue a marriage license shall deny the issuance of such license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of the parties. The bill also requires that such lawful marriages be recognized in the Commonwealth regardless of the sex, gender, or race of the parties. The bill provides that religious organizations or members of the clergy acting in their religious capacity shall have the right to refuse to perform any marriage. This bill is identical to SB 101.

Early childhood care and education; publiclyfunded providers; exemption from licensure for certain child dayprograms. Excepts military child care fee assistance or any childcare subsidy paid by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United Statesfrom the federal funds that would otherwise render a child day programas a "publicly funded provider," as that term is defined and usedin relevant law relating to early childhood care and education. Thebill also exempts from licensure by the Superintendent of PublicInstruction any child day program that (i) serves only dependent children of military personnel and (ii) (a) is located on a militarybase or federal property or (b) is certified as a family child careprovider by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States andprovides that any branch of the Armed Forces of the United Statesor its agent, including an installation commander of a military baseon which a child day program is located, may assume responsibilityfor approving or determining which children may be served by theprogram that is so exempted from licensure.