Del. Lee J. Carter

Workers' compensation; foreign injuries.Provides that an injured employee is eligible for benefits underthe Virginia Workers' Compensation Act when a compensable accidenthappens while the employee is employed outside Virginia if (i) theemployment contract was not expressly for services exclusively tobe performed outside Virginia and (ii) either the employer's placeof business is in Virginia or the employee regularly performs workon the employer's behalf in Virginia and resides in Virginia.

Admission to bail; secure bond. Prohibitsa court from requiring the execution of a secure bond as a conditionof pretrial release of a person arrested for either a felony or misdemeanor offense.

Study; JLARC; reduction or elimination of tollson Midtown and Downtown Tunnels in Hampton Roads; report. Directsthe Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the feasibilityof reducing or eliminating tolls on the Midtown and Downtown Tunnelsin Hampton Roads.

Right to work. Repeals the provisions ofthe Code of Virginia that, among other things, prohibit any agreementor combination between an employer and a labor union or labor organizationwhereby (i) nonmembers of the union or organization are denied theright to work for the employer, (ii) membership in the union or organization is made a condition of employment or continuation ofemployment by such employer, or (iii) the union or organization acquiresan employment monopoly in any such enterprise.

Broadband services; prohibited features.Prohibits a provider of broadband services from offering or renewingservices to consumers within any locality in the Commonwealth inwhich certain media is throttled, blocked, or prioritized on the basisof its content, format, host address, or source.

Digital devices; deactivation or alteration of embedded software. Prohibits the original equipment manufacturer of a digital device from deactivating embedded software, defined in the bill, in the digital device or altering embedded software so as to substantially alter the functioning of the digital device as a response to its being repaired by an independent repair provider. The measure also provides that the original equipment manufacturer of a digital device shall not be liable to an owner of a digital device for any damages resulting from repair or modification to the digital device made at the request of the owner by an independent repair provider.

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.

Election day; extending polling hours. Extends from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. the time at which polls close on election day. The bill aligns candidate filing deadlines and party nomination deadlines with the closing of polls. This bill was incorporated into HB 1678.

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.

Official emblems and designations; state fruit.Designates the pawpaw fruit (Asimina triloba) as the state fruitof Virginia.