Rep. Ken Plum

Housing authorities; appointment of commissioners; exception. Provides an exception to the prohibition againsta local redevelopment and housing authority's appointment of an officeror employee of the city or county for which the authority was createdas a commissioner by allowing an authority to appoint as a commissionerone member of its city or town's council and the mayor of its cityor town, or his designee.

Community service work in lieu of payment offines and costs; underpaid work. Provides that in the program established by a court to provide an option to any person upon whoma fine and costs have been imposed to discharge all or part of thefine or costs by earning credits for the performance of community service work, underpaid work, as such term is defined in the bill,is added as an option for earning such credits before, during, orafter such person is incarcerated in a state or local correctionalfacility, provided that such underpaid work is authorized by thecourt. The bill makes offering such option for community servicework or underpaid work mandatory. The bill provides that a personwho is performing underpaid work shall be credited at the same rateas the community service work rate less any wages received for theunderpaid work. Under current law, a court is required to establisha program for providing an option for community service work in lieuof payment of fines and costs but offering such option was not mandatory.

Native plant species; state agencies. Directsthe Secretaries of Natural and Historic Resources, Agriculture andForestry, and Administration to coordinate the development of strategicactions for state agencies to take to prioritize the use of nativeplant species on state properties.

Paid sick leave; home health workers providingagency-directed services. Requires employers to provide paid sick leave to home health workers who provide agency-directed services.Under current law, employers are only required to provide paid sickleave to home health workers who provide consumer-directed services.The bill provides that "employer" includes the Commonwealth, anyof its agencies, institutions, or political subdivisions, and anypublic body.

Barrier crimes. Eliminates certain crimes from the definition of "barrier crime" and requires the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Board of Education, the State Board of Health, and the State Board of Social Services to each adopt regulations that develop and implement a waiver process for individuals who have been convicted of a barrier crime and who serve in a position or seek to serve in a position with any qualified entity subject to the regulations of the board. The bill eliminates current exceptions and time limit mandates, as such information is required to be set out in each agency's waiver process. The bill sets out information to be included in the regulations of the individual boards. The bill also directs the Departments of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Education, Health, and Social Services to each publish information about the agency's waiver process in an easily accessible format on a website maintained by the department. The bill includes additional requirements for each waiver process, such as if an individual's application for a waiver is denied, the department must state the basis for denial in writing and provide such explanation to the individual. The bill provides that although a waiver granted to an individual by one department shall not be transferrable to a position under another department, proof of receipt of a waiver from one department shall be considered positively by another department when reviewing an application for a waiver. Additionally, each department is required to notify the Department of State Police when a waiver has been granted within 10 days of issuing the decision in writing to the person who was subject to the waiver. In cases where a waiver has been granted, the bill also prohibits any business screening service from disseminating information regarding the barrier crime conviction that was the subject of such waiver unless it is clearly indicated that the waiver was granted, and the bill sets out a penalty for any business screening service that violates that prohibition. The bill prohibits any qualified entity from discharging or otherwise discriminating against a person for any reason concerning solely the barrier crime conviction that was the subject of a waiver that has been granted. The bill also exempts all documents relating to a waiver application from the Virginia Freedom of Information Act except for an application cover sheet and whether the waiver has been granted or denied or if the application is pending. Additionally, the bill eliminates the state-level barrier crimes requirements for foster and adoptive parents and provides that a child-placing agency shall not approve a foster or adoptive home if any individual has been convicted of crimes prohibited under federal law or is the subject of a founded complaint of abuse or neglect as maintained in registries pursuant to state and federal law. The bill has a delayed effective date of the earlier of (i) the first day of the fourth month following notification of the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the House Committee for Courts of Justice by the Superintendent of State Police that the Department of State Police has implemented the necessary system upgrades as required by this act or (ii) July 1, 2025; however, the provisions related to foster and adoptive parents become effective on July 1, 2022. The bill requires the Boards of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Education, Health, and Social Services to promulgate regulations by December 1, 2024, to implement the provision of the bill. The bill also requires the Secretaries of Education, Health and Human Resources, and Labor to provide recommendations on the development of a navigation system no later than July 1, 2024, for assisting applicants in navigating the waiver processes across each department. Individuals with barrier crime convictions serving in a position pursuant to a currently existing exception, waiver, or screening process that the bill eliminates shall continue to be subject to such exception, waiver, or screening process and shall not be terminated upon enactment of the bill or required to apply for a barrier crime conviction waiver so long as he continues to be employed by the same employer. The bill also permits the boards to have a phased implementation of the regulations not to exceed two years after the bill's enactment in order to prevent overwhelming department resources for receiving applications and to ensure that applications are answered in a timely manner. The bill also directs the Department of State Police to implement any necessary enhancements to the Criminal History and Rap Back Information System by the effective date of the first enactment of this act.  

Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers. Adds 911 dispatchers to the list of local employees eligible to receive enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service. Under current law, localities may provide such benefits to first responders, including firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and certain other hazardous duty positions.

Voter registration; restoration of politicalrights upon release from incarceration; certain adjudications.Provides that any person who loses his political rights as a resultof a felony conviction shall be invested with those rights upon hisrelease from incarceration and shall be entitled to register to vote.The bill directs the Department of Corrections and the State Boardof Local and Regional Jails to transmit to the Department of Electionscertain information for incarcerated persons with a pending dateof release and requires the Department of Elections to process theinformation and make the necessary changes to the voter registrationsystem to permit such persons to register to vote by the date ofthe person's scheduled date of release. On the date of an incarcerated person's release, the appropriate authority is required by the billto provide a voter registration application, information on returningthe form by mail or completing it by electronic means, and an officialrelease document to serve as a safety net for voter registration.The bill amends the language regarding adjudications of mental incompetencyfor purposes of being qualified to vote; a person adjudicated tolack the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitledto vote until that capacity has been reestablished.

Campaign finance; mandatory electronic filingfor all candidates. Requires all independent expenditure andcandidate campaign finance reports to be filed electronically withthe Department of Elections. Under current law, such expenditure andfinance reports can be filed either electronically or in writingwith State Board of Elections. The bill also shifts administrativeduties given to the State Board of Elections, such as the receiptof certain filings, to the Department of Elections.

Comprehensive plan; climate resilience.Requires a locality's comprehensive plan to consider strategies toaddress climate resilience in order to anticipate, prepare for, respondto, and adapt to changing conditions and hazardous events.

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.