Del. Sam Rasoul

Pretrial data collection. Requires the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission to collect and disseminate, on an annual basis, statewide and locality-level data related to adults charged with criminal offenses punishable by confinement in jail or a term of imprisonment. The bill provides that any personal or case identifying information within the data shall not be subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and shall not be made publicly available. The bill provides that the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission shall not be required to submit such annual report prior to December 1, 2022. Additionally, the bill requires the Virginia State Crime Commission to provide the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission with the final dataset of all adults charged with a criminal offense punishable by confinement in jail or a term of imprisonment in October 2017 and that the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission make such statewide and locality-level data publicly available on a website established and maintained by the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission as (i) an electronic dataset, excluding any personal and case identifying information, that may be downloaded by members of the public by October 1, 2021, and (ii) an electronic interactive data dashboard tool that displays aggregated data based on characteristics or indicators selected by the user, by December 1, 2022. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia State Crime Commission. The bill incorporates HB 1945.

Department of Education; guidelines on excused student absences; civic or political engagement. Provides that, subject to guidelines established by the Department of Education, each school board (i) shall permit one school day-long excused absence per school year for any middle school or high school student in the local school division who is absent from school to engage in a civic or political event and (ii) may permit additional excused absences for such students who are absent for such purposes.

Essential health benefits; abortion coverage.Removes the prohibition on the provision of coverage for abortionsin any qualified health insurance plan that is sold or offered forsale through a health benefits exchange established or operatingin Virginia.

Alcoholic beverage control; license fee reform;delay; emergency. Delays the effective date of the 2020 alcoholicbeverage control license and fee reform from July 1, 2021, to January1, 2022. During the period of delay and subject to certain requirements,the bill allows on-premises wine or beer licensees to sell wine orbeer for off-premises consumption and allows such licensees, as wellas off-premises wine or beer licensees, to deliver wine or beer thatthe licensee is authorized to sell without a delivery permit. The bill contains a technical amendment and an emergency clause.

Student driver safety. Adopts measures aimedat improving student driver safety. The bill requires curriculumfor tenth grade health at public schools to include instruction onthe dangers of distracted driving and speeding, to be developed bythe Department of Education. Finally, the bill requires that a studentshow proof of a valid driver's license or driver privilege card before being issued a school parking pass at a public high school and thatschools use a common application for such parking passes.

Manufacture, import, sale, transfer, or possession of plastic firearms and unfinished frames or receivers and unserialized firearms; penalties. Creates a Class 5 felony for any person who manufactures, imports, sells, transfers, or possesses any firearm that, after removal of all parts other than a major component, as defined in the bill, is not detectable as a firearm by the types of detection devices, including X-ray machines, commonly used at airports for security screening. The bill updates language regarding the types of detection devices that are used at airports for detecting plastic firearms. The bill also creates several Class 1 misdemeanors, which are punishable as a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense, making it unlawful (i) for any person to possess, sell, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, transport, or receive an unfinished frame or receiver or firearm, unless the party possessing or receiving the unfinished frame or receiver or firearm is a federal firearms importer or manufacturer or the unfinished frame or receiver or firearm is imprinted with a serial number issued by a federal firearms importer or manufacturer and (ii) for any person to manufacture, cause to be manufactured, assemble, or cause to be assembled a firearm that is not imprinted with a serial number issued by a federal firearms importer or manufacturer in compliance with all federal laws and regulations regulating the manufacture and import of firearms. The bill creates exceptions for (i) any firearm that has been rendered permanently inoperable, (ii) an antique firearm, or (iii) any firearm or unfinished frame or receiver manufactured before October 22, 1968.

Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act; license plate readers. Prohibits law-enforcement and regulatory agencies from using license plate readers to collect and maintain personal information on individuals without a warrant. The bill provides that license plate data may be collected if intended for prompt evaluation and potential use in investigating suspected criminal activity, civil or regulatory violations, or terrorism, or in support of the Department of Motor Vehicle's (DMV) emissions inspection program. The data may only be retained for 30 days and shall not be subject to any outside inquiries or internal usage except for the investigation of a report of a missing person, suspected criminal activity, civil or regulatory violations, or terrorism by any person. The bill also prohibits an agency from acquiring personal information collected from license plate readers from a third-party private vendor if the agency would not have been permitted to collect or retain the information on its own, unless such license plate reader technology is being utilized as part of the DMV's emissions inspection program.

Compensation Board determining staffing and salaries for an attorney for the Commonwealth. Provides that the Compensation Board shall consider workload totals comprehensively, including the use of diversion programs and specialty dockets, when determining staffing and funding levels for an attorney for the Commonwealth and the office. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

Study; Department of Rail and Public Transportation; transit equity and modernization; report. Requests the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to conduct a two-year study of transit equity and modernization in the Commonwealth,with emphasis on transit services and engagement opportunities for underserved and underrepresented communities.

Campaign finance; prohibited personal use; child care exception. Prohibits any person from converting any moneys, securities, or like intangible personal property contributed to a candidate or a candidate's campaign committee to his personal use, the personal use of the candidate, or the personal use of a member of the candidate's immediate family. Current law prohibits such conversion of contributions to personal use specifically with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but excepts from "personal use" the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill directs the Attorney General to issue an advisory opinion explaining the provisions of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006 (§ 24.2-945 et seq.) that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and to provide an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the Attorney General's opinion and any new regulations promulgated by the Board.