Rep. Tom Garrett

Commending Geline Bowman Williams.

Sexual abuse of certain children; penalty.Raises the penalty for sexual abuse of a child who is 13 or 14 yearsof age from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony.

Virginia Education Success Account Program established. Permits the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill,to apply for a one-year, renewable Virginia Education Success Accountthat consists of an amount that is equivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the schooldivision in which the qualified student resides, including the perpupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and any per pupil share of state special education funding for which the qualifiedstudent is eligible. The bill permits the parent of the qualifiedstudent to use the moneys in such account for certain qualified expensesof the qualified student, including tuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private elementary school or secondary schoolthat is located in the Commonwealth. The bill also contains provisionsrelating to program and account administration by the Departmentof the Treasury and a third party that serves as program administratorpursuant to a contract with the Department of the Treasury.

Virginia Fire and EMS Safety Loan Fund.Creates the Virginia Fire and EMS Safety Loan Fund, to be administeredby the Virginia Resources Authority. Under the bill, money in theFund would be used exclusively for the financing of purchases by localfire and EMS services of at least $50,000 (i) for capital projectsto construct or modernize facilities that house firefighting equipmentor vehicles or ambulance or rescue vehicles; (ii) of firefightingapparatus, ambulances, or rescue vehicles; and (iii) of protective, accessory, or communication equipment for firefighting or EMS services.The bill also establishes the Joint Fire and EMS Loan Board, whichshall be responsible for directing the distribution of loans fromthe Fund, with an emphasis on localities in need of financing assistanceto meet minimum standards.

Dangers and victims of communism; recognition;Standards of Learning and programs of instruction. Requires theGovernor to annually issue a proclamation setting the seventh dayof November as Victims of Communism Day and requiring such day tobe suitably observed in each public elementary and secondary schoolin the Commonwealth as a day honoring the approximately 100 millionindividuals who have fallen victim to communist regimes around theworld and to be suitably observed by a public exercise in the Capitoland elsewhere as the Governor may designate in such proclamation.The bill also requires the Board of Education to include in the historyand social science Standards of Learning in grades six through 12and each school board to emphasize in its Standards-aligned programof instruction in grades six through 12 the study of the dangersof communism.

Electors for President and Vice President; methodof allocating electoral votes. Revises the process by which theCommonwealth's electoral votes are allocated among the slates ofpresidential electors. The bill provides that the qualified votersof the Commonwealth will choose 11 of the Commonwealth's 13 electorsfor President and Vice President, with each voter voting for oneelector for the congressional district in which he is qualified tovote. The candidates for President and Vice President receiving thehighest number of votes cast in a congressional district are allocatedthe one electoral vote for that congressional district. The candidatesfor President and Vice President who represent the political party of the Governor serving at the time are allocated the two electoralvotes for the Commonwealth at large.

Income tax exclusion; veteran student loan forgiveness.Eliminates the sunset date and expands eligibility for the incometax exclusion for any income received by a disabled veteran of theArmed Forces of the United States from the discharge of federal studentloan indebtedness.

Constitutional amendment (first reference);Governor's term of office. Permits a Governor elected in 2029and thereafter to succeed himself in office. The amendment allowstwo four-year terms (either in succession or not in succession) butprohibits election to a third term. Service for more than two yearsof a partial term counts as service for one term.

Education Excellence for All Program established.Permits the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill, toapply for a one-year, renewable Education Excellence for All SavingsAccount, defined in the bill, that consists of an amount that isequivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standardsof Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposesand apportioned to the school division in which the qualified studentresides, including the per pupil share of state sales tax fundingin basic aid and any per pupil share of state special education fundingfor which the qualified student is eligible. The bill permits theparent of the qualified student to use the moneys in such accountfor certain qualified expenses of the qualified student, includingtuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private elementaryschool or secondary school that is located in the Commonwealth. Thebill also contains provisions relating to program and account administrationby the Department of the Treasury and a third party that serves asprogram administrator pursuant to a contract with the Department.

Power to arrest on property of owner. Providesthat, notwithstanding any other provision of law, any agent of theCommonwealth is prohibited from entering the property of anotherto remove the owner of such property or a family member of such personfrom such property (i) without the consent of such owner or suchowner's family member, unless such agent has probable cause to arrestfor a felony violation of a criminal offense, or (ii) to enforcequarantine or other health policies.