Absentee voting; return of absentee ballots;drop-off locations. Repeals the provisions of law providing forthe establishment of drop-off locations for the return of absenteeballots.
Concealed handgun permits; demonstration ofcompetence. Removes the requirement that concealed handgun permitapplicants demonstrate competence with a handgun by completing anin-person course and adds the option for applicants to demonstratecompetence by completing an electronic, video, or online course conductedby a state-certified or National Rifle Association-certified firearmsinstructor.
Emergency Services and Disaster Law; Commissioner of Health; emergency orders and regulations; limitations; civil penalty. Provides that neither the Board of Health nor the Commissioner of Health shall make any emergency order or regulation unless, on the basis of the evidence available to the Board, (i) such order or regulation is necessary to suppress a nuisance dangerous to the public health or a communicable, contagious, or infectious disease or other danger to the public life and health; (ii) no alternatives to the proposed order or regulation that are reasonable in light of the impact on quality of life and economic well-being exist; and (iii) the provisions of such order or regulation are narrowly tailored to address the nuisance dangerous to the public health or a communicable, contagious, or infectious disease or other danger to the public life and health. The bill also provides that the Governor shall not issue any emergency rule, regulation, or order unless, on the basis of the evidence available to the Governor, (a) such rule, regulation, or order is necessary to address a compelling circumstance; (b) no alternatives to the proposed rule, regulation, or order that are reasonable in light of the impact on quality of life and economic well-being exist; and (c) the provisions of such rule, regulation, or order are narrowly tailored to address the compelling circumstance.The bill provides that any order that limits the number of individuals who may gather together in person, in public or private, or categorizes individuals on the basis of their relationship to or association with such individuals and limits the categories of individuals with whom an individual who is not known or reasonably suspected to have been exposed to or infected with a communicable disease of public health threat may associate is presumed to negatively impact quality of life and economic well-being.The bill also limits the duration of any emergency rule, regulation, or order to 15 days; provides for one extension of such rule, regulation, or order; and provides that any person who violates such rule, regulation, or order shall be subject to a civil penalty of no more than $100 per violation. Under current law, any person who violates the provisions of an executive order is subject to a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Voter identification; identification containinga photograph required. Requires presentation of a form of identificationcontaining a photograph in order to vote. The bill repeals the provisionsof law permitting a voter who does not have one of the required formsof identification to vote after signing a statement, subject to felonypenalties for false statements, that he is the named registered voterhe claims to be. Instead, the bill provides that such voter is entitledto cast a provisional ballot.
Public charter schools; applications; reviewand approval. Permits the Board of Education (the Board) to receive,review, and rule upon applications for public charter schools andenter into agreements for the establishment of public charter schools.Under current law, the power to grant or deny a public charter schoolapplication and enter into an agreement for the establishment ofa public charter school rests solely with local school boards. Thebill also provides that the decision of the Board or a local schoolboard to grant or deny a public charter school application or torevoke or fail to renew a public charter school agreement is finaland is not subject to appeal. Current law contains an appeal processfor such decisions.
Local school boards; requirement for studentsto wear masks or other face coverings; evidentiary substantiation.Prohibits any local school board from requiring any student enrolledat a public elementary or secondary school in the local school divisionto wear a mask, face covering, or other covering of the student'snose and mouth at school, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsoredactivity unless the local school board substantiates such requirementwith evidence that (i) such requirement is necessary to suppress a nuisance dangerous to the public health or a communicable, contagious,or infectious disease or other danger to the public life and health;(ii) no reasonable alternatives to such requirement exist in lightof the impact on quality of life and economic well-being; and (iii)such requirement is narrowly tailored to address the nuisance dangerousto the public health or the communicable, contagious, or infectiousdisease or other danger to the public life and health.
Family life education instruction; school yeartime limit. Requires each school board that offers a family lifeeducation curriculum to limit instruction delivered to students pursuantto such curriculum to one hour per school year in each grade level.
Elections; absentee voting; ballots to be sortedand results to be reported by precinct. Provides that absentee ballots processed at a central absentee precinct must be sorted bythe precinct to which the voter who cast the absentee ballot is assignedand that the resulting vote totals from such ballots must be reportedseparately for each voter precinct.
Elections; time of certain local elections.Removes a provision that requires local elections for mayor, members of a local governing body, or members of an elected schoolboard to be held at the time of the November general election. Thebill allows cities and towns that made the transition between July1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, to provide by ordinance for its reversal.
