Sponsored bills
Replaces the terms "husband" and "wife" as well as related terms with gender neutral terms throughout the Code to comport with the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. ___ (June 26, 2015). The bill makes the relevant law regarding children born as a result of assisted conception applicable to both same-sex and opposite-sex married couples. The bill also repeals the statutory prohibitions on same-sex marriages and civil unions or other arrangements between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges and obligations of marriage, and makes conforming changes to various laws involving married individuals and their rights stemming from marriage.
Ends the exclusion from coverage under the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act for a person who suffers an injury if there is jurisdiction under either the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act or the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. The bill provides that this exclusion, enacted in 2012, will not apply to a person who suffers an injury on or after July 1, 2019.
Authorizes the issuance of new driver privilege cards by the Department of Motor Vehicles to an applicant who (i) has reported income from Virginia sources on an individual tax return filed with the Commonwealth in the preceding 12 months and (ii) is not in violation of the insurance requirements for the registration of an uninsured motor vehicle. The bill provides that driver privilege cards shall confer the same privileges and shall be subject to the same provisions as driver's licenses and permits; however, driver privilege cards shall not (a) confer voting privileges, (b) permit an individual to waive any part of the driver examination, or (c) have their issuance be contingent upon the applicant's ability to produce proof of legal presence in the United States. The bill provides for the term "driver's license" to consistently refer to all driver's licenses, permits, driver privilege cards, and special identification cards issued by the Commonwealth or the comparable law of another jurisdiction. The bill allows the issuance of a limited-duration driver's license and special identification card to an applicant presenting valid documentary evidence that a federal court or federal agency having jurisdiction over immigration has authorized the applicant to be in the United States for a period of at least 30 days from the date of application. The bill authorizes the Tax Commissioner to provide to the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles information sufficient to verify that an applicant for a driver privilege card or permit reported income from Virginia sources on an individual tax return filed with the Commonwealth in the preceding 12 months. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2020.
States that the General Assembly supports the movement Green New Deal Virginia, focused on retooling the Commonwealth's economy with solutions that center on equity and justice.
Prohibits any person from making personal use of campaign contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee, or of items acquired using such contributions, for a strictly personal purpose that has no intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefit to the candidate's campaign or public office. Any person who contributes to a candidate or a candidate's campaign committee or who is qualified to vote for a candidate may file a written complaint with the State Board of Elections (State Board) alleging a violation of the personal use prohibition by such candidate, and the State Board is tasked with reviewing the specific use alleged in the complaint. Additionally, the State Board may initiate a review of a specific use of campaign contributions on its own motion. The subject of the review has 30 days to either (i) reimburse the campaign committee the complained-of amount or (ii) provide to the State Board documentation or other evidence that the use of the campaign funds had an intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefit to the campaign or the candidate's public office. If the subject of the review provides such documentation or other evidence, the State Board shall review the response and determine whether the use of campaign funds had any intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefit to the campaign or the candidate's public office. If the State Board determines that there were no intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefits and the complained-of amount has not been reimbursed, it shall call a public hearing. A person found by a unanimous vote of the State Board to have willfully and knowingly violated the prohibition on personal use of campaign funds must repay to the campaign committee the amount unlawfully converted to the personal use of the candidate or a member of the candidate's immediate family. The State Board may also assess an additional civil penalty, in an amount not to exceed $1,000. The bill also authorizes the State Board to provide, upon request, to any person subject to the personal use prohibition a formal advisory opinion regarding a specific use of campaign funds. The bill also requires the State Board to develop and publish guidance on the personal use prohibition.