Del. Alfonso Lopez

Commending Boy Scout Troop 1865.

Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices. Prohibits any locality, its employees, or its appointed commissions from discriminating (i) in the application of local land use ordinances or guidelines, or in the permitting of housing developments, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, elderliness, familial status, or handicap or (ii) in the permitting of housing developments because the housing development contains or is expected to contain affordable housing units occupied or intended for occupancy by families or individuals with incomes at or below 80 percent of the median income of the area where the housing development is located or is proposed to be located, unless at the time of the municipal decision, a proposed development will be located in a census tract wherein more than 50 percent of the units serve families or individuals at or below 80 percent of the median income of the area. The bill also requires the Fair Housing Board, after determining the existence of an unlawful discriminatory housing practice and after consultation with the Attorney General, to immediately refer the matter to the Attorney General for civil action.

Prostitution-related crimes; minors; penalties. Makes it a Class 6 felony for an adult to visit a bawdy place with a minor when he knows that the bawdy place is used or to be used for lewdness, assignation, or prostitution. The bill also adds felony violations of such offense to (i) the list of offenses for which registration in the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry is required, (ii) the definition of violent felony for the purposes of the sentencing guidelines, (iii) the list of predicate criminal acts that constitutes the definition of street gangs, (iv) the list of offenses that may constitute racketeering under the Virginia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, and (v) the offenses that may be investigated by a multi-jurisdiction grand jury. The bill also makes applicable to all persons, regardless of the gender of the victim, the crimes of (a) assisting or aiding in the abduction of or threatening to abduct a female under 16 years of age for the purpose of concubinage or prostitution, which the bill also changes to include any person under 18 years of age, and (b) placing or leaving one's wife in a bawdy place.

Income tax; subtraction for low-income military veterans with a permanent service-connected disability. Provides an income tax subtraction for the military retirement income received by a veteran who has been rated with a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability. The bill provides that the subtraction is available only to those taxpayers whose federal adjusted gross income is not greater than 150 percent of the federal poverty level for a four-person household. This bill incorporates HB 125.

Commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. RobertRussa Moton.

Safe reporting of overdoses; immunity from prosecution. Providesthat no individual (i) who sought or obtained emergency medical attention forhimself or for another individual because of a drug or alcohol-related overdoseor (ii) is experiencing a drug or alcohol-related overdose and anotherindividual, in good faith, seeks or obtains emergency medical attention forsuch individual shall be prosecuted for unlawful purchase, possession, orconsumption of alcohol, simple possession of a controlled substance, possessionof marijuana, intoxication in public, or possession of controlledparaphernalia. Under current law, an affirmative defense against such offensesis available for an individual who sought or obtained emergency medicalattention for himself or for another individual because of a drug-related oralcohol-related overdose. The bill also adds the statewide poison controlsystem to the list of emergency care providers to whom individuals mustcontemporaneously report such overdoses in order to qualify for immunity fromprosecution. The bill also states that no individual who is immune fromprosecution pursuant to the provisions of the bill shall be found to be inviolation of any term or condition of probation, parole, postreleasesupervision, pretrial supervision, a suspended sentence, or bail, bond, orrecognizance on the basis of evidence obtained as a result of an individual'sseeking or obtaining emergency medical attention and that the real or personalproperty of an individual who is immune from prosecution that was used inconnection with or derived from the specified offenses shall not be subject toforfeiture to the Commonwealth. The bill also provides that immunity fromprosecution does not apply to an individual who seeks or obtains emergencymedical attention for himself or another individual, or who is experiencing anoverdose when another individual seeks or obtains emergency medical attentionfor such individual, during the execution of a search warrant or during theconduct of a lawful search or a lawful arrest.

Virginia Diverse Educator Scholarship Fund and Program established. Establishes the Virginia Diverse Educator Scholarship Fund and Program, to be administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, for the purpose of annually providing to each Historically Black College or University in the Commonwealth (Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University) such sums as are necessary for each such institution to annually provide scholarships on a competitive basis to no more than two students who (i) identify as African American, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, Native American or Native Alaskan, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; (ii) are accepted to or enrolled in such institution's education preparation program; and (iii) are eligible for a federal Pell Grant to attend such institution. The bill provides that each such scholarship would consist of the following sums: (a) the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, and textbooks at such institution; (b) the recipient's teacher licensure fees; (c) $5,000 toward teacher professional development activities for the recipient, including coursework, seminars, and conferences; and (d) $10,000 toward mentorship of the recipient by an experienced teacher who is deemed by the relevant school board to be highly effective and able to provide high quality mentorship. The bill requires each student who is awarded a scholarship pursuant to the Program to agree in writing to (1) teach in a public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth in which at least 75 percent of the enrolled students qualify for free or reduced price lunch or are members of families whose income is below the federal poverty guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon graduation for a period that is at least as long as the period during which the recipient used scholarship funds to attend a Historically Black College or University and (2) be mentored by an experienced teacher, as described in clause (d), during such period of employment.

Income tax deduction for commuter benefits provided by an employer. Establishes starting in taxable year 2020 an individual and corporate income tax deduction for commuter benefits, defined in the bill, provided by an employer to its employees. The deduction is available only to the employer and is limited to $265 per employee.

Day of Women. Recognizes January 22 of each year as the Day of Women in Virginia and provides that January 22 of each year no longer be known as the Day of Tears in Virginia.

Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund and Program; handbook. Establishes the Virginia Brownfield Renewable Energy and Coal Mine Grant Fund and Program. The fund and program shall be administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy for the purpose of awarding grants to renewable energy projects that are located on brownfields or previously coal mined lands. Grants are to be awarded on a basis of $500 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on previously coal mined lands and $100 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields.No more than $10 million shall be awarded to any previously coal mined lands project and no more than $5 million to any single brownfield project. No more than $35 million shall be allocated per year by the grant program. Of the $35 million, $20 million shall be reserved for previously coal mined lands projects. If less than $20 million is distributed to such projects, the remaining funds may be reallocated to brownfield projects. The bill also provides that, subject to appropriation, the Department shall, in consultation with stakeholders, develop a guidebook for renewable energy and energy storage development on brownfields and previously coal mined lands.