Fair share fees. Authorizes an employer, pursuant to an agreement between the employer and a labor union or labor organization, to require as a condition of employment any employee who is not a member of such labor union or labor organization and is a member of a collective bargaining unit, where the labor union or labor organization is the exclusive representative of the members of the collective bargaining unit, to pay a fair share fee to compensate the labor union or labor organization for the costs of representing the nonmember employee. The bill defines a "fair share fee" as the pro rata share of the portion of a labor union's or labor organization's dues attributable to activities stemming from its duty to represent all employees in a collective bargaining unit without regard to membership in the labor union or labor organization, including (i) the cost of all activities germane to collective bargaining, administration, and enforcement of collective bargaining agreements; (ii) representation of employees before public bodies in matters that are germane to either collective bargaining agreements or employer-employee relations; (iii) representation of employees during grievance procedures; and (iv) labor union or labor organization governance and administration. Under the bill, a fair share fee does not include the cost of any political activities, lobbying, organizing, charity, donations, or community service activities undertaken by the labor union or labor organization, and in no case will the fair share fee exceed 60 percent of dues required of a similarly situated member of such labor union or labor organization.
Sponsored bills
Health care; decision making; end of life; penalties.Allows an adult diagnosed with a terminal condition to request and an attendinghealth care provider to prescribe a self-administered controlled substance forthe purpose of ending the patient's life in a humane and dignified manner. Thebill requires that a patient's request for a self-administered controlledsubstance to end his life must be given orally on two occasions and in writing,signed by the patient and one witness, and that the patient be given an expressopportunity to rescind his request at any time. The bill makes it a Class 2felony (i) to willfully and deliberately alter, forge, conceal, or destroy apatient's request, or rescission of request, for a self-administered controlledsubstance to end his life with the intent and effect of causing the patient'sdeath; (ii) to coerce, intimidate, or exert undue influence on a patient torequest a self-administered controlled substance for the purpose of ending hislife or to destroy the patient's rescission of such request with the intent andeffect of causing the patient's death; or (iii) to coerce, intimidate, or exertundue influence on a patient to forgo a self-administered controlled substancefor the purpose of ending the patient's life. The bill also grants immunityfrom civil or criminal liability and professional disciplinary action to anyperson who complies with the provisions of the bill and allows health careproviders to refuse to participate in the provision of a self-administeredcontrolled substance to a patient for the purpose of ending the patient's life.
War memorials for veterans. Removes a prohibition on (i) disturbing or interfering with any war monument or memorial erected by a locality or (ii) preventing citizens from maintaining such monument or memorial. The bill authorizes a locality to remove, relocate, or alter any such monument or memorial on the locality's public property upon the affirmative vote of its governing body, regardless of when the monument or memorial was erected, and removes certain criminal and civil penalties for such removal, relocation, or alteration. The bill also restricts bringing a cause of action pursuant to such penalties to the attorney for the locality in which the memorial or monument is located. Current law authorizes any person having an interest in the matter to bring such action if no action is brought within 60 days of the violation. The bill repeals an 1890 act of assembly related to the placement of a statue in the City of Alexandria. This bill was incorporated into HB 1537.
Determination of tie votes; recounts; special elections. Provides that, in elections for the General Assembly and local offices, if two or more persons have an equal number of votes, and a higher number than any other person, there shall be a recount of the vote without any action being required by any of the candidates receiving the equal number of votes. The bill also provides that, except in the case of a recount of an election for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General, if the recount court finds that each party to the recount has received an equal number of votes, there shall be a special election held to determine which candidate is elected to the office. Only one recount of any election is permitted. This bill was incorporated into HB 198.
Voter identification; repeal of photo identificationrequirements; additional forms of identification accepted; signed statement inlieu of required form of identification; penalty. Removes the requirementthat voters show a form of identification containing a photograph in order tobe allowed to vote. The bill requires a voter to show one of the following: hisvoter registration confirmation documents; his valid Virginia driver's license,his valid United States passport, or any other identification issued by theCommonwealth, one of its political subdivisions, or the United States; anyvalid student identification card issued by any institution of higher educationlocated in the Commonwealth or any private school located in the Commonwealth;any valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the voter andissued by an employer of the voter in the ordinary course of the employer'sbusiness; or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, governmentcheck, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and addressof the voter. A voter who does not show one of the required forms ofidentification when offering to vote is required to sign a statement that he isthe named registered voter he claims to be in order to be permitted to cast aballot. Such statement is signed subject to felony penalties for making falsestatements, punishable as a Class 5 felony. A voter who does not show one ofthe required forms of identification and does not complete or sign thestatement shall be offered a provisional ballot according to the provisions ofcurrent law. The bill adds language regarding identification requirements forcertain voters pursuant to the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Hate crimes; gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation; penalty. Adds gender, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation to the categories of victims whose intentional selection for a hate crime involving assault, assault and battery, or trespass for the purpose of damaging another's property results in a higher criminal penalty for the offense. The bill also adds gender, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation to the categories of hate crimes that are to be reported to the central repository of information regarding hate crimes maintained by the Virginia State Police. The bill provides that a person who is subjected to acts of intimidation or harassment, violence directed against his person, or vandalism to his real or personal property, where such acts are motivated by gender, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation, may bring a civil action to recover his damages. The bill also provides that no provider or user of an interactive computer service on the Internet shall be liable for any action voluntarily taken by it in good faith to restrict access to material that the provider or user considers to be intended to incite hatred on the basis of gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. This bill was incorporated into HB 618.
General Assembly meetings; streaming and recording. Requires the Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Clerk of theSenate to ensure that every (i) subcommittee or committee meetingof a standing committee of the General Assembly, regardless of meetingdate, and (ii) floor session of the House of Delegates or the Senate,including any joint session of the houses, is streamed with closedcaptioning, recorded and archived. The bill defines "stream" and specifiesthat a qualifying meeting is one the date and time of which havebeen scheduled on a public website of any agency of the General Assemblyfor at least one hour prior to the meeting and that takes place inthe State Capitol, the Pocahontas Building, or the General AssemblyBuilding in Richmond. The bill has a delayed effective date of October1, 2020.
Protective orders; prohibited contact; remotecontrol of appliance, utility, or device by electronic device. Clarifiesthat a court entering a protective order may, as a condition of suchprotective order, prohibit the respondent from using any electronicdevice to remotely control any appliance, utility, or device locatedon or within the petitioner's residence or the curtilage thereof.
Legal holidays; Indigenous Peoples Day. Removes official state observation of Columbus Day and replaces it with observationof Indigenous Peoples Day, honoring the historic, cultural, andcontemporary significance of indigenous peoples.
Official emblems and designations; state fruit.Designates the pawpaw fruit (Asimina triloba) as the state fruitof Virginia.