Rep. Chris Runion

Special hunting and fishing license for disabledveterans; 50 percent disabled. Authorizes any resident veteranwho has a service-connected disability of 50 percent or more to receiveat no cost from the Department of Wildlife Resources a lifetime licenseto hunt and freshwater fish. Current law authorizes the provisionof such license at no cost to a veteran who is totally and permanentlydisabled and at half-cost to a veteran who is 70 percent disabled.

Absentee ballots; witness requirement; printedname and residence address. Requires that a witness to a voter's absentee ballot provide, in addition to his signature, his printedname and residence address.

Pandemic Remediation Task Force established. Establishes the 22-member Pandemic Remediation Task Force (the task force) as an advisory task force in the executive branch of state government, to be administered by the Department of Education, for the purpose of making recommendations on strategies for improving public education in the Commonwealth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that can be implemented in each region and local school division in order to achieve a measure of uniformity in such improvements across the Commonwealth. The bill requires the task force to (i) develop recommendations for policies and funding that would assist public elementary and secondary school students impacted by school closures and the remote learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic to adequately obtain core educational material that they may not have otherwise successfully retained during the course of such pandemic; (ii) develop a uniform strategy for public elementary and secondary schools to effectively identify students in need of remediation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide remediation coursework and resources to such students; (iii) consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student achievement gaps and make recommendations on the interventions and additional services, such as tutoring, mentoring, and services from private educational service providers, that may be necessary to ensure that such gaps do not widen further beyond pre-pandemic levels; and (iv) submit to the Governor and the General Assembly, no later than December 1, an annual report on its work. The task force has a sunset date of July 1, 2024.

Constitutional amendment (first reference);executive power; state of emergency; special session. Limitsthe authority of the Governor to issue an executive order declaringa state of emergency that restricts, limits, or prohibits otherwiselawful action by a private business, nonprofit entity, or individualfor a period more than 45 days in duration without approval by theGeneral Assembly. The Governor is required to convene a special sessionfor the purpose of the General Assembly approving the extension ofsuch executive order beyond the forty-fifth day after its originalissuance and if the General Assembly does not approve such extension,the Governor is prohibited from issuing a subsequent executive orderin the same form for the same declared emergency. The General Assemblyis permitted to extend the executive order to a date requested bythe Governor or to a date of the General Assembly's choosing, butit shall not approve the extension to a date beyond the first fullweek of the next regular session of the General Assembly, unlesssuch date is requested by the Governor.

Income tax deduction; multigenerational households.Creates a $1,000 deduction from Virginia adjusted gross income fortaxable years on and after January 1, 2021, for the head of household taxpayer or married taxpayers filing jointly of a multigenerational residence in the Commonwealth comprised of no less than two adultparent-child generations who are living together for the durationof the taxable year in which the deduction is claimed.

Voting Rights for Women Month. DesignatesNovember, in 2021 and in each succeeding year, as Voting Rights forWomen Month in Virginia.

Small agricultural generators; manufacturer licensees. Includes in the definition of "small agricultural generator" a customer that operates a small agricultural generating facility as part of a business that (i) is located within the certificated service territory of an electric cooperative and (ii) has been granted a distiller's, limited distiller's, brewery, or limited brewery manufacturers license by the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. This bill was incorporated into HB 1994.

Group Violence Intervention Board; Divisionof Group Violence Intervention; Project Ceasefire Grant Fund; ProjectExit Grant Fund. Establishes the Group Violence Intervention Boardto coordinate and assist federal, state, and local group violenceintervention efforts. The bill also establishes within the Departmentof Criminal Justice Services (the Department) the Division of Group Violence Intervention (the Division), to be headed by an executivedirector appointed by the Director of the Department. The bill providesthat the Division is responsible for (i) coordinating the effortsof members of state and local law enforcement, community members,and social services providers to combat group violence; (ii) servingas a clearinghouse for research, best practices, and strategies thatmay be utilized in the implementation, execution, and evaluationof group violence interventions; and (iii) implementing and administeringvarious federal, state, and local grant funds that aid group violence intervention efforts. Finally, the bill creates the Project CeasefireGrant Fund, which provides money to organizations that are involvedin group violence intervention efforts, and creates the Project Exit Grant Fund, which provides money to organizations that assist formergang members or individuals attempting to leave gangs.

Celebrating the life of David Anthony Rice.

Emergency Services and Disaster Law; limitationon duration of executive orders. Limits the duration of any executiveorder issued by the Governor pursuant to his powers under the EmergencyServices and Disaster Law to no more than 45 days from the date ofissuance. The bill provides that if the General Assembly does nottake any action on the rule, regulation, or order within the 45 daysduring which the rule, regulation, or order is effective, the Governorshall thereafter be prohibited from issuing the same or a similarrule, regulation, or order relating to the same emergency. Under current law, once issued, such executive orders are effective untilJune 30 following the next regular session of the General Assembly.