Del. Terry Austin

Creates an Interstate 81 Committee, tasked with developing and updating a program related to Interstate 81 Corridor safety and improvements, and creates an Interstate 81 Corridor Improvement Fund (Fund). The bill provide revenues for the Fund through the creation of a new registration fee, a diesel tax, a regional gas tax, and a roads tax. The new registration fee would apply to non-passenger vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds. Additionally, private and for-hire nonpassenger vehicles would pay the existing registration fee at the rate currently paid by for-hire vehicles. Beginning July 1, 2021, a tax at the rate of 2.03 percent of the statewide average wholesale price of a gallon of diesel fuel would be imposed statewide on the sale of diesel fuel. A regional gas tax, like the tax imposed in the Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads regions, would be applied to the sale of gasoline and diesel at a rate of 2.1 percent of the statewide average price of a gallon of gasoline and diesel fuels. The existing roads tax, currently $0.035 per gallon of fuel, would be determined annually by the Commissioner by multiplying the average fuel economy (defined in the amendment as the total taxable miles driven in the Commonwealth divided by the total taxable gallons of fuel consumed in the Commonwealth, as reported on International Fuel Tax Agreement Returns) by $0.01125 for fiscal year 2020, and by $0.0225 for fiscal year 2021 and each year thereafter. All of the revenues generated by the regional gas tax would be deposited in the Fund. The other new revenues would be apportioned among the Fund, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Fund, and Commonwealth Transportation Board for use in other interstate corridors based upon total vehicle miles driven by vehicles classified as Class 6 or higher on Interstate 81, interstates within the boundaries of Planning District 8, and other interstate corridors, respectively, as compared with total vehicle miles driven on interstates in the Commonwealth by vehicles classified as Class 6 or higher. This bill is identical to

Provides that any person convicted of capital murder of a law-enforcement officer or certain other public safety officials who was 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense shall be sentenced to no less than a mandatory minimum term of confinement for life. This bill is identical to

Provides that prior to offering surplus property for sale to the public, the Department of General Services (the Department) shall notify the chief administrative officer of the locality within which the property is located as well as any economic development entity for such locality of the pending disposition of such property. The bill provides that the chief administrative officer or local economic development entity shall have up to 180 days from the date of such notification to submit a proposal to the Department for the use by the locality or the local economic development entity of such property in conjunction with a bona fide economic development activity. The bill requires the Department to review such proposal and provides that if the Department determines that such proposal is viable and could benefit the Commonwealth, the Department may negotiate with the chief administrative officer or the local economic development entity for the sale of such property to the locality or economic development entity. This bill is identical to

Requires the owner or operator of any coal combustion residuals (CCR) unit, defined in the bill to include a coal ash pond or landfill, within the Chesapeake Bay watershed at Bremo Power Station, Chesapeake Energy Center, Chesterfield Power Station, and Possum Point Power Station to close such CCR unit by removing all of the CCR for (i) recycling, known as encapsulated beneficial use, or (ii) deposition in a permitted and lined landfill that meets certain federal standards. The measure requires that any owner or operator beneficially reuse no less than 6.8 million cubic yards in aggregate of such removed CCR from no fewer than two of the sites. Such a closure project shall be completed within 15 years of its initiation and shall be accompanied by an offer by the owner or operator to provide connection to a municipal water supply for every residence within one-half mile, or if such connection is not feasible, the owner or operator shall offer to provide water testing for any such residence.

Provides that, in any proceeding in which a child is removed from his home, the court may order the parents or guardians of such child to provide the names and contact information for all persons with a legitimate interest to the local department of social services.

Requires health insurers, health care subscription plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder in individuals of any age. Currently, such coverage is required to be provided for individuals from age two through age 10. The provision applies with respect to insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on or after January 1, 2020. This bill is identical to

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 and certain employees develop the cancer. The measure will become effective if reenacted by the 2020 Session of the General Assembly. The measure also directs the 2020 Session of the General Assembly, in considering and enacting any legislation relating to workers' compensation and the presumption of compensability for certain cancers, to consider any research, findings, and recommendations from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission's review of the Virginia Workers' Compensation program. The provisions of this bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2020 Session of the General Assembly. This bill is identical to

Provides that a person who buys and removes timber from a landowner's property is guilty of timber theft if he fails to pay the landowner by the date specified in their agreement or, if there is no written agreement, within 60 days of removing the timber. The bill provides that a person who is convicted of timber theft is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and shall be ordered to pay three times the value of the timber removed in addition to any penalties imposed by the court. The bill provides that, following the passing of the payment deadline, a buyer's failure to pay within 10 days of receiving a demand for payment shall constitute prima facie evidence of the buyer's intent to violate the timber theft provision. An exception exists for a purchaser who made payment to a person he believed in good faith to be the rightful owner of the timber.

Allows a parent or legal custodian of a minor to delegate to another person by a properly executed power of attorney any powers regarding care, custody, or property of the minor for a period not exceeding 180 days. The bill provides that a parent or legal custodian who is a service member, as defined in the bill, may delegate such powers for a period of longer than 180 days while on active duty service, but specifies that such a period is not to exceed such active duty service plus 30 days. The bill provides that any such power of attorney shall be signed by all persons with authority to make decisions concerning the child, the person to whom powers are delegated under the power of attorney, and a representative of a licensed child-placing agency that assists parents and legal guardians with the process of delegating parental and legal custodial powers of their children. The bill specifies that such licensed child-placing agency will be subject to background checks and must develop and implement written policies for certain services and provide staff and provider training. The bill further requires that any person to whom any such powers are delegated shall comply with background check requirements established by regulations of the Board of Social Services or otherwise provided by law.

Allows certain Class A driver training schools to be third party testers for the skills test component of the commercial driver's license examination. This bill has a delayed effective date of October 1, 2019, and is identical to