Local land use approvals; extension of approvalsto address the COVID-19 pandemic. Extends from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, the sunset date for various local land use approvalsthat were valid and outstanding as of July 1, 2020.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable RobertTata.
Commending Daphne Tamara Fulson.
Commending the Honorable M. Kirkland Cox.
Adult adoption; investigation and report.Removes the requirement that an investigation and report be conductedwhen a petition is filed for the adoption of a person 18 years ofage or older on the basis of good cause shown and after a showingthat the person to be adopted is at least 15 years younger than the petitioner and the petitioner and the person to be adopted have knowneach other for at least one year prior to the filing of the petitionfor adoption.
Special license plates; Virginia National Guardretirees. Removes the fee for the issuance of a special licenseplate for retired members of the Virginia National Guard. Currently,such special license plates cost the same as the prescribed costfor a typical Virginia license plate.
Industrial hemp; federal hemp producer license; emergency. Updates Virginia's industrial hemp laws to address the new hemp producer license issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill changes drug laws to exclude the industrial hemp possessed by a federally licensed hemp producer from the definition of "marijuana" and to exclude certain amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in such industrial hemp from the prohibition on THC. The bill exempts federally licensed hemp producers from state industrial hemp registration requirements and adds such producers to the list of those eligible to receive funds from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund.The bill provides that no grower, agent of such grower, or federally licensed producer shall be prosecuted for possession of industrial hemp or Cannabis sativa with a THC concentration that does not exceed the concentration established in certain federal regulations and prohibits the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services from deeming a grower negligent if the grower makes reasonable efforts to grow industrial hemp but grows Cannabis sativa with a THC concentration that does not exceed the concentration established in federal regulations.The bill makes other changes to industrial hemp laws, including (i) limiting the application fee for registration of growers, dealers, and producers to $250; (ii) excluding from the definition of "dealer" any retail establishment that sells a completed product containing industrial hemp; (iii) making optional the monitoring and random testing of industrial hemp by the Commissioner and authorizing the random sampling of such hemp; (iv) removing the requirement that the Attorney General of the United States be notified when a Virginia grower, dealer, or processor exceeds the federal THC limit; and (v) directing the Commissioner to adopt regulations establishing a fee structure for registration.Finally, the bill exempts employees of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from prosecution for possession or distribution of industrial hemp when possession is necessary in the performance of their duties. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Sales tax; exemption for personal protectiveequipment; emergency. Establishes a retail sales and use taxexemption for personal protective equipment, defined in the bill.The exemption would be available to any business that has in placea COVID-19 safety protocol that complies with the Emergency TemporaryStandard promulgated by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industryand that meets other criteria. The exemption would sunset one dayafter the first day following the expiration of the last executiveorder issued by the Governor related to the COVID-19 pandemic andthe termination of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard andany permanent COVID-19 regulations adopted by the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board. The bill contains an emergency clause.
