Del. Jeffrey L. Campbell

Commending Virginia Polytechnic Institute andState University.

Commending the Virginia Manufacturers Association.

Elections; voter identification containing photographrequired; who may register up to and including the day of the election;availability of absentee voting in person; return of absentee ballots.Requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph inorder to vote and provides that a voter who does not have one of the requiredforms of identification is entitled to cast a provisional ballot. The billrepeals a provision that would permit any person who is qualified to registerto vote to do so in person up to and including the day of the election andlimits the persons who are entitled to register to vote after the close ofregistration records to members of a uniformed service of the United States onactive duty, persons who are residing temporarily outside of the United States,and their spouses and dependents. The bill limits the period during whichabsentee voting in person is available from 45 days to the 10 days immediatelypreceding the date of the election, including both Saturdays. The bill requiresthat absentee ballots returned by mail be returned to the office of the generalregistrar by the close of polls on election day and be postmarked on or beforethe Saturday preceding the date of the election. The bill eliminates the use ofdrop-off locations for the return of absentee ballots. The bill requiresabsentee ballot applications to contain the last four digits of the applicant'ssocial security number and provides that the failure of an absentee ballot toinclude a witness signature is a material omission, rendering the ballot void.

Conformity with the Internal Revenue Code; cannabis licensees. Deconforms from federal law, as it applies to Virginiamedical and recreational cannabis licensees, the prohibition on adeduction or credit for any amount paid or incurred during the taxableyear in carrying on any trade or business if such trade or businessconsists of trafficking in a controlled substance prohibited by federallaw.

Illegal gambling and unlawful gaming; Illegal Gambling and Unlawful Gaming Investigation Unit; penalties. Increases criminal penalties for various violations of illegal gambling and unlawful gaming. The bill also establishes the Illegal Gambling and Unlawful Gaming Investigation Unit (the Unit) within the Department of State Police. The bill establishes the Illegal Gambling and Unlawful Gaming Fund for the purpose of funding the activities of the Unit.

Study; JLARC; development of a strategic plan for regional solid waste disposal in Southwest Virginia; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to conduct a one-year study of solid waste disposal in Southwest Virginia and the possible establishment of a regional solid waste disposal authority and regional landfill.

Elections; absentee voting; ballots to be sortedand results to be reported by precinct. Provides that absentee ballots processed at a central absentee precinct must be sorted bythe precinct to which the voter who cast the absentee ballot is assignedand that the resulting vote totals from such ballots must be reportedseparately for each voter precinct.

Sales tax; exemption for food purchased forhuman consumption and essential personal hygiene products. Exemptsfood purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygieneproducts (the grocery tax) from all state, regional, and local salestaxes.

Local school boards; composite index of local ability-to-pay; required local effort; adjustment in certain circumstances.Provides that in any case in which a local school board entersinto a comprehensive agreement with a private entity pursuant tothe Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of2002 whereby the private entity finances the construction of a newpublic school building in the local school division through the issuanceof bonds; leases the building to the local school board in an arrangementsuch as a certificate of participation, a double net lease, or atriple net lease; and expects the local school board to make leasepayments in an annual amount that approximates or is equal to theannual debt service on such bonds, the Department of Education shallnot consider 50 percent of such lease payments as capital outlayand debt service and therefore shall not subtract such payments inthe biennial calculation of net local expenditures for operationsor required local effort for the purpose of determining such localschool division's composite index of local ability-to-pay, if sorequested by the local school board.

Public health emergency; emergency orders andregulations; limitations. Provides that any emergency order orregulation adopted by the Board of Health shall be valid for no morethan 45 days and that such order may be extended by the Board fora subsequent period of 45 days, provided that the Board providesnotice and receives public comment on the order or regulation proposedto be extended, but that in no case shall such emergency order or regulation be valid for more than 18 months from the effective dateof the initial order or regulation. The bill also provides that inany case in which the Commissioner of Health exercises the authorityof the Board to enact an emergency order or regulation, such orderor regulation shall be valid for no more than 45 days from the effectivedate of the order or regulation unless the Board adopts an orderor regulation to such effect. Thebill also limits the duration of an emergency temporary standardadopted by the Safety and Health Codes Board to 45 days and providesfor an extension of such emergency temporary standard for a subsequentperiod of 45 days, provided that the Board provides notice and receivespublic comment on the emergency temporary standard proposed to beextended. However, no emergency temporary order shall be valid fora period of more than six months.