Rep. Wendell Walker

Celebrating the life of Michael Wayne Woods.

Commending the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Voter identification; identification containinga photograph required. Requires presentation of a form of identification containing 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 felony penalties for false statements, that he is the named registered voterhe claims to be. Instead, such voter would be entitled to cast aprovisional ballot.

Abolition Day. Designating December 6,in 2021 and in each succeeding year, as Abolition Day in Virginia.

Special license plates; NOT FORGOTTEN. Authorizesthe issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates for supportersof Americans listed as prisoners of war or missing in action bearingthe legend NOT FORGOTTEN. The bill requires that the design of suchplate incorporate the POW/MIA Flag as designated by the federal NationalPOW/MIA Flag Act. The bill exempts these special license plates fromthe requirement to obtain 450 prepaid applications for such plate.The bill provides that some of the license plate fees will be depositedin the POW/MIA Fund, established within the Department of Accounts,and paid annually to the National League of Families of American Prisonersand Missing in Southeast Asia and used to support its operation andprograms in Virginia.

In-person instruction; education vouchers; emergency. Requires, in the event that any school board does not provide theoption of in-person instruction as the sole method of instruction for any enrolled student, the parent of any such student who withdraws his child from attendance to receive, upon request, an educationvoucher in an amount equal to a prorated share of the applicableStandards of Quality per-pupil state funds appropriated for publicschool purposes and apportioned to the school division, includingthe per-pupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and anystate per-pupil share of special education funding for which thechild is eligible, to cover the expenses of providing in-person instructionin an alternative setting. The bill permits the Department of Educationto establish rules, regulations, or procedures for the issuance ofsuch education vouchers. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Virginia Law Enforcement Professional StandardsCommission Accreditation Grant Fund and Program. Establishesthe Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission AccreditationGrant Fund (the Fund) and the Virginia Law Enforcement ProfessionalStandards Commission Accreditation Grant Program (the Program). TheFund and Program shall be overseen by the Department of CriminalJustice Services. Disbursements from the Fund shall be made to law-enforcementagencies to pursue accreditation from the Virginia Law EnforcementProfessional Standards Commission.

Department of Health; certain communicationprohibited. Prohibits any person employed by or who has enteredinto a contract to provide services on behalf of the Department ofHealth or a local department of health from initiating communicationregarding health-related matters with a minor on behalf of the Departmentor local department of health without the consent of the minor'sparent, except as otherwise required by law.

Governing boards of public institutions of higher education; State Board for Community Colleges; communication; transparency. Requires the governing board of each public institution of highereducation and the State Board for Community Colleges to provide on their websites publicly available contact information for each boardmember, including each board member's email address, to ensure accessby the public and for the timely sharing of comprehensive information between the public and board members. The bill directs the StateCouncil of Higher Education for Virginia to conduct a review of compliancewith the bill and issue a report of its findings to the General Assemblyby November 1, 2021.

Destroying or tampering with firefightingor emergency medical services equipment or law-enforcement equipmentand vehicles; penalty. Increases from a Class 1 misdemeanor toa Class 6 felony the penalty for injuring, destroying, removing,or tampering with any firefighting equipment or apparatus, emergency medical services vehicle, or law-enforcement vehicle or equipment.The bill also adds to this prohibition such interference with anyother equipment or apparatus used by emergency medical services personnelor law-enforcement officers.