Del. Rod Willett

Study; gold mining; prohibition on permitting;report. Directs the Secretary of Natural Resources, the Secretaryof Health and Human Resources, and the Secretary of Commerce andTrade to conduct a study of the mining of gold in the Commonwealth.The bill requires that the study be conducted in consultation withthe Virginia Council on Environmental Justice and appropriate stakeholders,including experts in mining, hydrology, toxicology, and other fields;environmental organizations; representatives of potentially affectedcommunities in localities with significant deposits of gold; and residentsof Native American communities in such counties. Thebill provides that the study shall evaluate the impacts of gold miningon public health, safety, and welfare; evaluate whether existing air and water quality regulations are sufficient; consider which processingand beneficiation techniques, including cyanide heap leaching andcyanide vat leaching, should be permitted; consider whether the dewateringof an open pit mine should be permitted; make a recommendation asto whether the issuance of any permit to operate a gold mine shouldbe prohibited; and report its findings to the General Assembly byJuly 1, 2023. The bill also prohibits the issuance of any permitby the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to operate a goldmine of an area larger than 10 acres until July 1, 2024.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act;landlord charges for security deposits, insurance premiums for damageinsurance, and insurance premiums for renter's insurance; filingof information regarding resident agent appointed by nonresidentproperty owner. Prohibits a landlord from requiring a tenantto pay a security deposit, insurance premiums for damage insurance,and insurance premiums for renter's insurance prior to the commencementof the tenancy that exceed the amount of two months' periodic rent.The bill permits a landlord, however, to add a monthly amount asadditional rent to recover additional costs of such damage insuranceor renter's insurance premiums. The bill also removes provisions allowing a landlord to permit a tenant to provide damage insurance coveragein lieu of the payment of a security deposit. Finally, the bill requiresnonresident property owners to file the name and office address ofthe agent appointed by such nonresident property owner in the officeof the clerk of the State Corporation Commission. Under current law,such information must be filed in the office of the clerk of thecourt in which deeds are recorded in the county or city in whichthe property lies.

Delinquent returns; enforcement; when approval required. Requires the Department of Taxation to request taxpayers who have failed to file tax returns when due to prepare and file such returns except where there is an indication that the taxpayer willfully failed to file the required returns or if there is an indication of fraud. All delinquent returns submitted by the taxpayer shall be enforced pursuant to factors outlined in the bill and through delinquency procedures for not more than six years of the taxpayer's returns. The approval of a manager designated by the Commissioner is required if the enforcement activity exceeds the six-year period.

Early childhood education; quality rating andimprovement system participation; School Readiness Committee.Delays until the 2022%962023 school year the requirement for allpublicly funded early childhood education providers to participate in a quality rating and improvement system to be established by theBoard of Education by July 1, 2021. The bill also delays from thefall of 2023 to the fall of 2024 the publication of initial qualityratings for such providers. The bill reinstates the School ReadinessCommittee and alters the composition and scope of the work of theSchool Readiness Committee.

Small renewable energy projects; energy storage.Includes in the definition of a "small renewable energy project"certain energy storage facilities and projects that include storagefacility components. Such facilities are eligible for special permitting,review, and inspection requirements. The bill directs the Departmentof Environmental Quality to promulgate initial regulations to implementthe provisions of the bill by January 1, 2022.

Paid sick leave. Requires employers to provide certain employees paid sick leave. An employee is eligible for paid sick leave under the bill if the employee is an essential worker and works on average at least 20 hours per week or 90 hours per month. The bill provides for an employee to earn at least one hour of paid sick leave benefit for every 30 hours worked. An employee shall not use more than 40 hours of earned paid sick leave in a year, unless the employer selects a higher limit. The bill provides that earned paid sick leave may be used for (i) an employee's mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; an employee's need for medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or an employee's need for preventive medical care or (ii) care of a family member with a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; care of a family member who needs medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or care of a family member who needs preventive medical care. The bill prohibits employers from taking certain retaliatory actions against employees related to leave. The bill provides for a hardship waiver for employers that demonstrate that providing paid sick leave threatens the financial viability of the employer, jeopardizes the ability of the employer to sustain operations, significantly degrades the quality of the employer's business operations, or creates a significant negative financial impact on the employer. The bill requires the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to promulgate regulations that (a) identify workers as essential based on the categories listed in the bill; (b) include reasonable requirements for recordkeeping, confidentiality, and notifying employees of their rights under provisions of the bill; (c) establish complaint, investigation, and enforcement procedures that include fines, not to exceed $500, for violations of provisions of the bill; (d) establish requirements for compensation and accrual of paid sick leave for employees employed and compensated on a fee-for-service basis; and (e) include procedures and requirements for an employer to qualify for a hardship waiver. The provisions of the bill do not apply to a retail business with fewer than 25 employees.

Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fundand Program established. Establishes the Get Skilled,Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fund and requires the Virginia Community College System to establish the G3 Program for the purpose of providing financial assistance from the Fund to certain low-income and middle-income Virginia students who are enrolled in an educational program at an associate-degree-granting public institution of higher educationthat leads to an occupation in a certain high-demand field. The billcontains provisions for student eligibility, financial assistanceaward amounts, and data reporting.

Nutrient credits; use by facility with certainstormwater discharge permit. Authorizes a facility that has beenissued a Virginia Pollution Discharge Elimination System (VPDES)permit regulating stormwater discharges to acquire, use, and transfernutrient credits for compliance with any waste load allocation establishedas an effluent limitation in its VPDES permit so long as the creditsmeet several requirements. Current law allows only a facility registeredunder the Industrial Stormwater General Permit to use nutrient creditsfor such purpose.

Alcoholic beverage control; local outdoor refreshment areas. Renames the "local special events" license as the "outdoor refreshment area" license. The bill allows the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to increase the frequency and duration of events held under such license after adoption of an ordinance by a locality requesting such increase in frequency and duration. Under current law, localities are limited to holding 16 events per year under such license, with each event lasting no more than three consecutive days, except during the effective dates of any rule, regulation, or order that is issued by the Governor or State Health Commissioner to meet a public health emergency and that effectively reduces allowable restaurant seating capacity. The bill also increases the state and local license fees for outdoor refreshment area licenses issued pursuant to a local ordinance. This bill incorporates HB 2051.

Board of Education; temporary extension of certain licenses. Requires the Board of Education to grant a two-year extension of the license of any individual licensed by the Board whose license expires on June 30, 2021, in order to provide the individual with sufficient additional time to complete the requirements for licensure.