Constitutional amendment (second reference);marriage; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative rightto marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriageas only a union between one man and one woman as well as the relatedprovisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United StatesSupreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015). The amendment provides that the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of persons and requires the Commonwealthand its political subdivisions and agents to issue marriage licenses,recognize marriages, and treat all marriages equally under the law,regardless of the sex or gender of the parties to the marriage. Religiousorganizations and clergy acting in their religious capacity havethe right to refuse to perform any marriage.
Sponsored bills
Packaging Stewardship Program and Fund; established.Establishes the Packaging Stewardship Program (the Program), administeredby the Department of Environmental Quality. Under the Program, aproducer that sells products with packaging materials in the Commonwealthpays a fee to the Department based upon the amount of packaging used and whether or not it is easily recyclable. A producer may establishan alternative collection program to offset some or all of the fees.The fees are paid into the Packaging Stewardship Fund, establishedin the bill, and are used to reimburse participating localities for expenses related to recycling, invest in recycling infrastructureand education, and pay administrative costs related to the Program.The bill authorizes the Department to contract with a third partyto administer the Program.
Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act;terms and conditions of rental agreement; automatic renewal; noticeof rent increase. Requires a landlord that owns more than fourrental dwelling units to, in the case of any rental agreement thatprovides for automatic renewal of such agreement, provide separatewritten notice to the tenant notifying the tenant of any increasein rent. The bill provides that such notice shall be provided tothe tenant no less than 30 days before the automatic renewal takeseffect.
Retail Small Business Grant Program and Fund.Establishes the Retail Small Business Grant Program and Fund to supportexisting Virginia small businesses, attract new businesses, increasethe Commonwealth's tax base, create new job opportunities for Virginiaresidents, and enhance commercial activity in Virginia. The billprovides that an eligible Virginia small business, defined in thebill, is eligible for grants of up to $50,000. The total amount ofgrants awarded in a fiscal year is capped at $10 million.
Economic development; incentives to attractknowledge workers. Provides, for taxable years 2022 through 2027,an income tax deduction for 50 percent of the amount a qualified knowledge worker, defined in the bill, pays for residential highspeed internet access or $600, whichever is less. The bill providesa tax credit for qualified knowledge workers for the purchase ofa residential electric vehicle charger, in an amount equal to 50percent of the former federal tax credit for an electric vehiclecharger. The bill also provides an income tax credit for qualifiedknowledge workers in an amount equal to the sales tax paid for upto $5,000 of certain computer equipment. For the deduction and bothcredits, the amounts provided are doubled if the qualified knowledgeworker resides in a locality that has lost more than 10 percent ofits population since the 2010 census. Qualified knowledge workeris defined in the bill as an individual who establishes new domicilein Virginia and who possesses advanced skills in the field of information technology, including network engineers, software developers, datascientists, and artificial intelligence, machine learning, or quantumcomputing professionals. The bill provides that no more than $1 millionin credits shall be issued in any taxable year and that such creditsshall be allocated evenly between distressed and non-distressed localities.
Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Program; useof state funds. Allows the Department of Environmental Qualityto use state funds for costs associated with convening a work groupto develop recommendations and establish criteria for the VirginiaElectric Vehicle Grant Program. Current law prohibits the use ofstate funds for the Program.
Trees during development process; conservation and replacement. Changes the timeframe for minimum canopy coverage for all localities from 20 years to 10 years and removes special provisions that had allowed for a timeframe of 10 years for the City of Williamsburg and local ordinances adopted prior to July 1, 1990. The bill provides an additional one-quarter times the canopy area credit for preservation of trees that are taller than 30 feet, thereby increasing the canopy area credit from one and one-quarter to one and one-half.
Family caregiver tax credit. Creates a nonrefundableincome tax credit for taxable years 2022 through 2026 for expensesincurred by an individual in caring for an eligible family member,defined in the bill, who requires assistance with one or more activitiesof daily living, also defined in the bill. The credit equals 50 percentof eligible expenditures incurred by the caregiver up to $1,000. Inorder to qualify for the credit, the family caregiver must (i) notreceive any compensation or reimbursement for the eligible expendituresand (ii) have federal adjusted gross income that is no greater than$100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for married persons. The billrequires the Tax Commissioner to establish guidelines for claimingthe credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forwardby the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable yearfor which the credit was issued. The bill is a recommendation ofthe Joint Commission on Health Care.
Income tax credit; employers of G3 Program orcybersecurity graduates. Creates a nonrefundable individual andcorporate income tax credit for employers that hire eligible employeeswho are (i) graduates of the Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back Program(G3 Program) or (ii) graduates with a degree in cybersecurity froma Virginia four-year institution of higher education. The creditis available for taxable years 2022 through 2026, is equal to $1,000per eligible employee hired during the taxable year who works ina full-time position, and includes an aggregate annual cap of $5million.
Tribal nations; acknowledging harmful historyand policies in the Commonwealth. Expresses the sense of theHouse of Delegates in acknowledging with profound regret the existence, acceptance, and perpetuation of the dispossession of lands and theracist and assimilationist policies designed to erase the identity,culture, and sovereignty of tribal nations in the Commonwealth.