Rep. Les Adams

Beneficial hardwood management practices. Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2022 through 2026 for expenses incurred by a taxpayer for the implementation of beneficial hardwood management practices. The credit equals the lesser of the actual expenses or $1,000. The bill requires the Tax Commissioner, in coordination with the State Forester, to establish guidelines for claiming the credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forward by the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable year for which the credit was issued. The credit is subject to an aggregate annual cap of $1 million that will be administered by the Department of Forestry on a first-come, first-served basis.

Powers of the Governor; limited duration of rules, regulations, and orders. Limits the initial duration of any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Governor pursuant to his powers under the Emergency Services and Disaster Law to no more than 30 days after the date of issuance. The bill provides that the Governor may extend the duration after the initial 30-day period for two additional 30-day periods. Upon each extension, the Governor is required to report to the General Assembly on the status of the continued need for the order. During each of the extension periods, the General Assembly may convene to consider and take action on the rule, regulation, or order. If the Governor deems it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth for the order to be in effect for more than 90 days, the General Assembly shall be convened to consider and take action on such extension. The bill provides that unless the General Assembly takes action on the rule, regulation, or order within such 90-day period encompassing the initial issuance and any extensions during which the rule, regulation, or order is effective, the Governor shall thereafter be prohibited from issuing the same or a similar rule, regulation, or order relating to the same emergency without the approval of the General Assembly.

Discretionary sentencing guidelines; midpoint for violent felony offenses. Clarifies the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission's (Commission) authority to recommend revisions to the discretionary sentencing guidelines based on historical sentencing data. The bill also requires the Commission to submit a report to the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia by October 1, 2022, documenting the impact on sentencing guideline midpoints for each offense if the Commission were to recommend changes to the midpoints based on analysis of historical sentencing data. The provisions of the first enactment of the bill clarifying the Commission's authority to recommend revisions to the discretionary sentencing guidelines based on historical sentencing data has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2023. This bill is identical to SB 423.

Office of the State Inspector General; investigations; prohibition on interference or exertion of undue influence by theGovernor, etc. Prohibits the Governor and the Governor's chiefof staff, counsel, director of policy, and Cabinet Secretaries frominterfering with or exerting undue influence upon any investigationby the Office of the State Inspector General of fraud, waste, abuse,or corruption by a state agency or nonstate agency or by any officeror employee of a state agency or nonstate agency.

New College Institute; noncredit workforce training. Permits the board of directors at New College Institute to providespecialized noncredit workforce training independent of local comprehensivecommunity colleges when such community colleges are unable to meetidentified industry needs. Under current law, if comprehensive communitycolleges are unable to meet identified industry needs, the boardmay seek to collaborate with other education providers or other publicand private organizations to provide specialized noncredit workforcetraining but does not have the explicit authority to provide suchtraining on its own.

Probation violation guidelines; use of sentencing revocation report and discretionary sentencing guidelines in revocation proceedings. Authorizes the Virginia Sentencing Commission to develop, maintain, and modify a system of statewide discretionary sentencing guidelines for use in hearings conducted in circuit courts in which the defendant is cited for violation of a condition or conditions of supervised probation imposed as a result of a felony conviction. The bill provides that a court would be presented with such guidelines when a defendant is cited for violating a condition or conditions of supervised probation imposed as a result of a felony conviction and such person is under the supervision of a state probation and parole officer. This bill is identical to SB 424.

Bail for a person accused of a crime that is an act of violence; notice to attorney for the Commonwealth. Requires a magistrate to transmit within 24 hours a copy of the checklist for bail determination form to the attorney for the Commonwealth when a magistrate conducts a bail hearing for a person arrested on a warrant or capias for an act of violence. The bill also provides that transmission of such copy to the attorney for the Commonwealth may be by facsimile or other electronic means. This bill is identical to SB 614.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable FloraLonette Davis Crittenden.

Nominating a person to be elected to a circuitcourt judgeship.

Election of a Circuit Court Judge.