Del. Buddy Fowler

Special hunting and fishing license for disabledveterans; 50 percent disabled. Authorizes any resident veteranwho has a service-connected disability of 50 percent or more to receiveat no cost from the Department of Wildlife Resources a lifetime licenseto hunt and freshwater fish. Current law authorizes the provisionof such license at no cost to a veteran who is totally and permanentlydisabled and at half-cost to a veteran who is 70 percent disabled.

Collective bargaining; prohibited considerationsduring negotiations. Prohibits any local ordinance or resolutiongranting or permitting collective bargaining from permitting considerationduring collective bargaining negotiations of any action or discussionregarding the hiring, firing, or disciplining of a local employee.All such actions and discussions shall be exempt from all collectivebargaining negotiations.

Absentee ballots; witness requirement; printedname and residence address. Requires that a witness to a voter's absentee ballot provide, in addition to his signature, his printedname and residence address.

Same-day voter registration; repeal. RepealsChapter 1153 of the Acts of Assembly of 2020, which provided thatany person who is qualified to register to vote would be permittedto do so up to and including on the day of the election, regardlessof the close of the registration records provided elsewhere in law.

Public education; student education accounts.Permits any school division to establish a program to create savingsaccounts for students to be used for alternative educational programs.The bill requires the Department of Education to establish policiesand procedures under which the parent of each student may use suchfunds on public or private educational programs.

Study; Health Professions Subcommittee of theCommittee on Health, Welfare and Institutions; options for reducingrates of medication abandonment and increasing patient medication adherence; report. Directs the Health Professions Subcommitteeof the Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions to study optionsfor reducing the rates of medication abandonment and increasing patientmedication adherence, including the feasibility of permitting healthplans and pharmacy benefits managers to make available in real timeto enrollees and their health care providers, upon request of suchhealth care provider made at the time a prescription drug is prescribedto an enrollee, information regarding the actual cost and any benefitsof the prescription drug and any health insurance coverage relatedto the prescription drug.

Constitutional amendment (first reference);executive power; state of emergency; special session. Limitsthe authority of the Governor to issue an executive order declaringa state of emergency that restricts, limits, or prohibits otherwiselawful action by a private business, nonprofit entity, or individualfor a period more than 45 days in duration without approval by theGeneral Assembly. The Governor is required to convene a special sessionfor the purpose of the General Assembly approving the extension ofsuch executive order beyond the forty-fifth day after its originalissuance and if the General Assembly does not approve such extension,the Governor is prohibited from issuing a subsequent executive orderin the same form for the same declared emergency. The General Assemblyis permitted to extend the executive order to a date requested bythe Governor or to a date of the General Assembly's choosing, butit shall not approve the extension to a date beyond the first fullweek of the next regular session of the General Assembly, unlesssuch date is requested by the Governor.

Income tax deduction; multigenerational households.Creates a $1,000 deduction from Virginia adjusted gross income fortaxable years on and after January 1, 2021, for the head of household taxpayer or married taxpayers filing jointly of a multigenerational residence in the Commonwealth comprised of no less than two adultparent-child generations who are living together for the durationof the taxable year in which the deduction is claimed.

Absentee voting; definition of postmark; legibility requirement. Requires an absentee ballot returned to the generalregistrar after the closing of the polls on election day to be legiblypostmarked on or before the date of the election in order to be counted.Current law does not specify that the postmark must be legible. Thebill defines postmark, for purposes of absentee ballots returnedafter the closing of the polls on election day, to mean (i) an officialUnited States Postal Service imprint indicating the date of mailingor any other official indicia of the United States Postal Serviceused to identify the date of mailing or (ii) the mailing confirmationdata of a commercial delivery service.

Conduct of elections; vote counting; requiredlive video recording. Requires the general registrar of each county and city to provide for a live video recording of each pollingplace while absentee ballots are cast, votes are counted, and returnsare completed, and of each central absentee precinct while ballots are handled and returns are completed. The general registrars arerequired to ensure the video coverage is recorded and retained untilthe deadline to request a recount has passed and, if any contestor recount is pending thereafter, until it has been concluded. The bill provides that each live video recording must include date andtime indicators and be linked to the official website of the countyor city. The Department of Elections is required to post links onits official website to the video coverage for viewing by the public.The bill provides that any disruption in video coverage shall notaffect or prevent the continued casting of absentee ballots, countingof votes, or completion of returns, and is not grounds for an electioncontest.