Del. Alfonso Lopez

Reinstatement of certain driving privileges.Directs the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehiclesto reinstate driving privileges, and to waive fees related to thereinstatement, for individuals whose privileges were suspended priorto July 1, 2019, for failure to pay court fines and costs in otherjurisdictions.

Voter registration; failure of online voter registration system; deadline extension. Provides that in the event that a failure of the Virginia online voter registration system occurs prior to the close of registration records, the Governor has the authority to order the online voter registration system to be available for registration activities after the date for closing the registration records for a period of time equal to the amount of time during which the online voter registration system was unavailable for registration activities, rounded up to the nearest whole day, plus an additional day to allow for voter education efforts. The extension of registration activities shall apply to in-person registration and mail voter registration applications.

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, sex, elderliness, familial status, source of funds, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, or disability; (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; or (iii) by prohibiting or imposing conditions upon the rental or sale of dwelling units, provided that the provisions of this subsection shall not be construed to prohibit ordinances related to short-term rentals. The bill provides that it shall not be a violation of the Virginia Fair Housing Law if land use decisions or decisions relating to the permitting of housing developments are based upon considerations of limiting high concentrations of affordable housing. 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.

Virginia Employment Commission; communications with parties; report. Authorizes the Virginia Employment Commission to send notices and other communications related to claims brought under the Virginia Unemployment Compensation Act through email or other electronic means in lieu of mail if a party to the claim so elects. The bill requires the Commission, if an electronic communication fails to be transmitted successfully, to send a new notice by first-class mail to the party's alternative address on record. The bill directs the Commission to report the number of unemployment insurance claimants who elect to receive communications electronically, and the effect of this change on Commission operations, by December 31, 2022.

Department of General Services; removal of HarryF. Byrd, Sr., statue. Directs the Department of General Servicesto remove the statue of former Virginia Governor and U.S. SenatorHarry F. Byrd, Sr., from Capitol Square. The bill directs the Departmentto store the statue until such time as the General Assembly determinesits final disposition.

Division of Human Rights; renamed as Officeof Civil Rights. Renames the Division of Human Rights in theDepartment of Law as the Office of Civil Rights.

Expanded polystyrene food service containers; prohibition; civil penalty. Prohibits the dispensing by a food vendor of prepared food to a customer in a single-use expanded polystyrene food service container, as defined in the bill. The bill requires certain chain restaurants to stop using such containers by July 1, 2023, and sets the date for compliance by all food vendors as July 1, 2025. The bill exempts nonprofit organizations from the definition of "food vendor" and provides a process by which a locality may grant consecutive one-year exemptions to individual food vendors on the basis of undue economic hardship. The bill provides a civil penalty of not more than $50 for each day of violation, to be collected in a civil action brought by the Attorney General or the relevant locality. The penalties collected are to be deposited in the Litter Control and Recycling Fund or to the treasury of the relevant locality, as appropriate. A portion of the penalties deposited in the Fund are to be used for public information campaigns to discourage the sale and use of expanded polystyrene products. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality to post to its website information on compliance and the filing of complaints. This bill is a reenactment of Chapter 1104 of the Acts of Assembly of 2020.

Electric utilities; advanced renewable energybuyers. Provides that certain accelerated renewable energy buyersthat are customers of Dominion Energy Virginia and had subscribedto, as of March 1, 2020, a voluntary companion experimental tariffoffering for the purchase of renewable attributes from renewableenergy facilities that requires a renewable facilities agreementand the purchase of a minimum of 2,000 renewable attributes annuallyis exempt from the allocation of the net costs related to procurementof new solar or onshore wind generation capacity, energy, or environmentalattributes, or energy storage facilities, by Dominion Energy Virginia.The exemption is based on the amount of Renewable Energy Certificatesassociated with the customer's renewable facilities agreements associatedwith the tariff offering in proportion to the customer's total electricenergy consumption, on an annual basis.

Certain school boards; student meals; participationin the Afterschool Meal Program. Requires each school board thatgoverns a local school division that has a student population thatqualifies for free and reduced-price meals at a minimum percentageof 50 percent in the prior school year and simultaneously offerseducational or enrichment activities and is consequently eligibleto participate in the Afterschool Meal Program administered by theU.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Childand Adult Care Food Program to apply to the Department of Educationto participate in the Afterschool Meal Program for each such schoolto subsequently and simultaneously serve federally reimbursable mealsand offer an afterschool education or enrichment program, pursuantto FNS guidelines and state health and safety standards. The billrequires the Department of Education to administer the AfterschoolMeal Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill provides that the Superintendent of Public Instruction shallissue a waiver to this requirement upon determination that participation is not financially viable for a school or group of schools. The billrequires the Department of Education to develop a process and criteriafor evaluating such waivers. The bill has a delayed effective dateof July 1, 2022.

Juveniles; release and review hearing for seriousoffender; plea agreement. Clarifies that the Department of JuvenileJustice (the Department) may petition the court that committed ajuvenile for a hearing for an earlier release of a juvenile whengood cause exists for an earlier release as permitted under currentlaw and shall petition the committing court for a determination asto the continued commitment of each juvenile committed as a seriousoffender at least 60 days prior to the second anniversary of thejuvenile's date of commitment and at least 60 days prior to each annualanniversary thereafter as required under current law, notwithstandingthe terms of any plea agreement. Similarly, at the conclusion ofsuch hearing, the bill provides that notwithstanding the terms ofany plea agreement, the court shall order any of the dispositionspermitted under current law such as continued commitment to the Departmentor release of the juvenile under terms and conditions after consideringthe statutory factors.