Virginia Human Rights Acts; discrimination onthe basis of disability. Adds discrimination on the basis ofdisability as an unlawful employment practice under the VirginiaHuman Rights Act. The bill also requires employers, defined in thebill, to make reasonable accommodation to the known physical and mentalimpairments of an otherwise qualified person with a disability, ifnecessary to assist such person in performing a particular job, unlessthe employer can demonstrate that the accommodation would imposean undue hardship on the employer. The bill also prohibits employersfrom taking any adverse action against an employee who requests oruses a reasonable accommodation, from denying employment or promotionopportunities to an otherwise qualified applicant or employee because such employer will be required to make reasonable accommodation tothe applicant or employee, or from requiring an employee to takeleave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to the known limitations related to the disability. The bill creates a cause of action against any employer who denies any of the rights to reasonable accommodation afforded by the bill and permits the court or juryto award compensatory damages, back pay, and other equitable relief.
Sponsored bills
National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol; Barbara Rose Johns. Authorizes, and directs the submission to the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library, that the vacant spot of the Commonwealth in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol be filled with a statue to commemorate Barbara Rose Johns. The request is subject to written approval by the Governor and is made in accordance with the recommendation by the Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol.
Work group; feasibility of transitioning to a unitary combined reporting system for corporate income tax purposes. Directs the Division of Legislative Services, in conjunction with the Department of Taxation, to establish a work group to assess the feasibility of transitioning to a unitary combined reporting system for corporate income tax purposes.
Virginia Redistricting Commission; removal of commissioners; emergency. Provides for the removal of a commissioner from the Virginia Redistricting Commission for neglect of duty or gross misconduct. Removal would require affirmative votes of at least six of the eight legislative commissioners and at least six of the eight citizen commissioners. Such a vote is required to be recorded and taken in a public meeting. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Celebrating the life of John F. Merchant.
Status offenders; willful and material violation of court order or terms of probation; notice; orders of disposition for violation. Removes the option for a court to order that a status offender be detained in a secure facility for a willful and material violation of a court order or term of probation.
Electric utilities; triennial review; ratesof return. Provides that the State Corporation Commission, in any triennial review proceeding, including the first triennial review proceeding conducted after January 1, 2021, for Dominion EnergyVirginia, may use any methodology it finds consistent with the publicinterest to determine fair rates of return on common equity for the utility's generation and distribution services. In any such triennialreview, regardless of whether the utility earned above or below itsauthorized rate of return during the test period under review, theCommission also may order any increases or decreases to the utility'srates for generation and distribution that it deems necessary andappropriate, as long as the resulting rates provide the utility with the opportunity to (i) fully recover its costs of providing its servicesand (ii) earn an authorized rate of return.
Electric utilities; period costs. Provides that in a triennial review proceeding, certain utility generation and distribution costs that are not proposed for recovery under various cost recovery mechanisms, at the State Corporation Commission's discretion, may be attributed to the test periods under review and deemed fully recovered or, if the utility has earned below a certain threshold, may be deferred for recovery over future periods. Under current law, such attribution is required unless the utility has earned below a certain threshold, in which case deferred recovery of the costs is required. The bill also eliminates provisions that limit any rate reduction ordered by the State Corporation Commission in the first triennial review of Dominion Energy Virginia after January 1, 2021, to $50 million in annual revenues and provides that in any triennial review, regardless of whether the Commission has ordered bill credits, the utility earned above its authorized rate of return during the test period under review, or the utility has made a request regarding any customer credit reinvestment offsets, the Commission may order any rate reduction it deems necessary and appropriate unless it finds that the resulting rates will not provide the utility with the opportunity to (i) fully recover its costs of providing its services and (ii) earn not less than a fair combined rate of return on its generation and distribution services. The provisions of the bill apply to the first triennial review of Dominion Energy Virginia conducted after January 1, 2021. This bill incorporates HB 1835.
Electric utilities; customer credit reinvestmentoffsets. Eliminates customer credit reinvestment offsets underwhich a utility is allowed, upon request, to reduce or eliminateamounts of overearnings that otherwise would be required to be creditedto customers by applying a customer credit reinvestment offset forexpenses on new solar and wind generation facilities and electricdistribution grid transformation projects.
County executive form of government; local budgets. Provides that a county that has adopted the county executive formof government (Albemarle and Prince William Counties) may carry overunspent funds from year to year for multiyear capital projects andoutstanding grants without having to reappropriate the funds.