Del. Alfonso Lopez

Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for certain diseases. Adds cancers of the colon, brain, or testes to the list of cancers that are presumed to be an occupational disease covered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act when firefighters or certain employees develop the cancer. The presumption shall not apply for any individual who was diagnosed with one of the conditions before July 1, 2020. The measure removes the compensability requirement that the employee who develops cancer had contact with a toxic substance encountered in the line of duty. The bill also reduces the number of years of service needed to qualify for the presumption from 12 to five for various types of cancer. For hypertension or heart disease, the bill adds a requirement that an individual complete five years of service in their position in order to qualify. This bill is identical to SB 9.

Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices; source of funds. Adds discrimination on the basis of a person's source of funds to the list of unlawful discriminatory housing practices. The bill creates an exemption for an owner or owner's managing agent, provided that such owner does not own more than four rental dwelling units or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units in the Commonwealth at the time of the alleged discriminatory housing practice. The bill allows an owner or owner's managing agent to deny or limit a person's rental or occupancy of a rental dwelling unit based on the person's source of funds for that unit if such source is not approved within 15 days of the person's submission of the request for tenancy approval. The bill defines "source of funds" as any source that lawfully provides funds to or on behalf of a renter or buyer of housing, including any assistance, benefit, or subsidy program, whether such program is administered by a governmental or nongovernmental entity. This bill incorporates HB 357.

School meal policies. Requires each localschool board to adopt policies that prohibit school board employeesfrom requiring a student who cannot pay for a meal at school or whoowes a school meal debt to throw away or discard a meal after ithas been served to him.

Department of Environmental Quality; VirginiaNonfederally Managed Hazardous Waste Site Inventory; notice of existenceof site; civil penalty. Directs the Department of EnvironmentalQuality (DEQ) to publish and update annually a Virginia NonfederallyManaged Hazardous Waste Site Inventory, consisting of a list of sitesof which DEQ is aware that meet certain criteria regarding the presence of hazardous wastes or other hazardous substances but are not listedon the federal National Priorities List. The bill authorizes DEQto identify by regulation other categories of waste site to add to the inventory. The bill requires an owner of an inactive nonfederallymanaged hazardous waste site, defined in the bill, to notify DEQof its existence. A violation of the notification requirement is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 per day.

Study; Department of Housing and Community Development and Virginia Housing and Development Authority; ways to incentivize the development of affordable housing in the Commonwealth of Virginia; report. Requests the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Virginia Housing and Development Authority to convene a stakeholder advisory group to (i) determine the quantity and quality of affordable housing across the Commonwealth, (ii) conduct a review of current programs and policies to determine the effectiveness of current housing policy efforts, (iii) develop an informed projection of future housing needs in the Commonwealth and determine the order of priority of those needs, and (iv) make recommendations for the improvement of housing policy in the Commonwealth.

Department of Environmental Quality; policy statement. Adds provisions for addressing climate change and for the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, faith, disability, or income with respect to the administration of environmental laws, regulations, and policies in the statement of the Department of Environmental Quality's purpose. The bill also adds the enhancement of the environment and the promotion of the health and well-being of the Commonwealth's residents and visitors to the Department's policy goals.

Electrical transmission lines; effect on historic resources. Requires the State Corporation Commission (SCC), priorto approving the construction of any electrical transmission linesof 138 kilovolts or more, to determine that the corridor or routechosen for the line will avoid any adverse impact on the scenic assets, historic resources, and environment of the area concerned. If theSCC determines that no route or corridor exists that can avoid anysuch adverse impact, the SCC is directed to choose the corridor orroute that minimizes such adverse impacts to the greatest extentreasonably practicable. Currently, the SCC is required to determinethat such a line's corridor or route will reasonably minimize adverseimpact on the scenic assets, historic districts, and environmentof the area concerned.

Department of Environmental Quality; environmentaljustice. Provides that one of the purposes of the Departmentof Environmental Quality is to further environmental justice, asdefined in the bill.

Professional use by practitioners; administration of inhaled asthma medication. Provides that, pursuant to an order or standing protocol issued by the prescriber within the course of his professional practice, any school nurse, school board employee, employee of a local governing body, employee of a local health department, employee of a school for students with disabilities, or employee of an accredited private school who is authorized by a prescriber and trained in the administration of albuterol inhalers or nebulized albuterol may possess or administer an albuterol inhaler or nebulized albuterol to a student diagnosed with a condition requiring an albuterol inhaler or nebulized albuterol when the student is believed to be experiencing or about to experience an asthmatic crisis. The bill also provides that a school nurse, employee of a school board, employee of a local governing body, or employee of a local health department who is authorized by a prescriber and trained in the administration of albuterol inhalers or nebulized albuterol who provides, administers, or assists in the administration of an albuterol inhaler or nebulized albuterol for a student believed in good faith to be in need of such medication, or is the prescriber of such medication, is not liable for civil damages for ordinary negligence in acts or omissions resulting from the rendering of such treatment. This bill is identical to HB 860.

Landlord and tenant; victims of family abuse; evidence to mitigate low credit score; damages. Allows an applicant for a lease to recover actual damages, including all amounts paid to the landlord as an application fee, application deposit, or reimbursement for any of the landlord's out-of-pocket expenses that were charged to the applicant, along with attorney fees, if the landlord does not consider evidence of the applicant's status as a victim of family abuse to mitigate any adverse effect of the otherwise qualified applicant's low credit score.