Del. David Reid

Child labor offenses; civil penalties. Increasesfrom $10,000 to $25,000 the civil penalty for each violation of childlabor laws that results in the employment of a child who is seriouslyinjured or dies in the course of employment. The bill also increasesfrom $1,000 to $2,500 the maximum civil penalty for each other violationof child labor laws and provides that such civil penalty shall notbe less than $500. The bill directs the Department of Labor and Industry to convene a stakeholder work group to develop education and outreach plans to inform young workers and employers about child labor laws.

Utility work database. Requires the Department of Transportation to establish and maintain a publicly accessible database and map of all utility work that has been approved by the Department and will occur within a highway right-of-way in a residential neighborhood. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

Hate crimes and discrimination; ethnic animosity; penalties. Provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to safeguard all individuals within the Commonwealth from unlawful discrimination in employment and in places of public accommodation because of such individual's ethnic origin and prohibits such discrimination. The bill also adds victims who are intentionally selected because of their ethnic origin to the categories of victims whose intentional selection for a hate crime involving assault, assault and battery, or trespass for the purpose of damaging another's property results in a higher criminal penalty for the offense. The bill also provides that no provider or user of an interactive computer service on the Internet shall be liable for any action voluntarily taken by it in good faith to restrict access to material that the provider or user considers to be intended to incite hatred on the basis of ethnic origin. This bill is identical to SB 7.

Town of Leesburg Parking Authority. Authorizesthe creation of the Town of Leesburg Parking Authority. The billgrants to the Authority various powers, including the authority to construct, operate, and lease parking facilities, contract with outside entities, issue revenue bonds and revenue refunding bonds, and acquire property. The bill also exempts the Authority from taxation.

Voluntarily registered family day homes; safesleep guidance; compliance; training. Requires each voluntarilyregistered family day home to comply with all safe sleep guidelinesrecommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and to ensure thateach provider employed in such family day home completes basic trainingon such guidelines.

Change in speed limits; notification. Requiresthe Department of Transportation, if the Commissioner of Highwaysincreases or decreases a speed limit, to (i) notify the primary liaisonwith the Department in each locality within which such speed limitchange will occur and (ii) place roadside signage notifying driversof the upcoming change in such speed limit. The bill also requiresthe Department to notify the governing body of any property owners'association or condominium association if any such speed limit changewill occur in a community subject to such association.

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.

Active-duty status for any service member injured while in the line of duty. Provides that the Adjutant General may maintain state active-duty status for any service member injured while in the line of duty during the course of a state active-duty mission who is unable to return to civilian employment for a period of up to 90 days after the date of the service member's injury.

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.

Unpaved secondary highway funds. Clarifiesthat the improvement of nonsurface treated secondary highways includesimprovements other than paving, as described in the bill. The billalso clarifies that the local governing body of the county receivingfunds for such improvements will select the highways or highway segmentsto be improved, after consulting with the Department of Transportation,and the project shall be designed and implemented by the county capitalprojects manager to project standards.