Del. Rip Sullivan

Claims; Winston Lamont Scott; compensation for wrongful incarceration. Provides relief in the amount of $159,535 to Winston Lamont Scott, who was wrongfully convicted of rape, carnal knowledge, and burglary in 1976. The compensation shall be awarded as a lump sum. Mr. Scott served over five years in prison. In March 2019, the Supreme Court of Virginia issued a writ of actual innocence to Mr. Scott and vacated his convictions based upon previously unavailable DNA evidence. The bill allows Mr. Scott to receive career and technical training within the Virginia Community College System free of tuition charges, up to a maximum of $10,000. The bill also provides that in the event that a wrongfully incarcerated person is 60 years of age or older or is terminally ill, the General Assembly may pay the compensation owed to such person as a lump sum or shorten the duration of any annuity purchased.

Recordation tax; supplemental writings. Providesthat recordation of a supplemental writing for certain deeds of trustand mortgages shall not be taxable, even if the supplemental writingrecites an increase in the principal amount of bonds or obligations.The deeds of trust or mortgages that qualify for this exemption arethose that convey property within the Commonwealth to secure obligationsoutside the Commonwealth and do not state an increase in the amountof the principal obligation secured that was apportioned to propertywithin the Commonwealth.

Electric utility regulation; energy efficiency standard. Requires Dominion Energy Virginia (DEV) and American Electric Power (AEP) to achieve incremental net annual savings in accordance with a schedule that starts in 2021, when savings are required to be at least 0.35 percent of the average annual energy retail sales by that utility in the three preceding calendar years, and increases the level of required savings until 2027 and thereafter, when savings are required to be at least two percent of the utility's average annual energy retail sales in the three preceding calendar years. The measure requires the utilities to retain an independent, qualified third-party evaluator to determine the utility's incremental net annual savings and other benefits of the program. The measure requires the State Corporation Commission, for any year that a utility meets the annual energy efficiency standard, to allow for the additional recovery of a margin on its program's operating expenses through a rate adjustment clause that provides the utility with a margin equal to the general rate of return on common equity. The Commission is directed to award an additional 20 basis points for each 0.1 percent of annual savings in excess of the required amount of savings, with a cap on total performance incentive awards in any year of 10 percent of the utility's total energy efficiency spending in that year. The measure also (i) increases the portion of the approved costs of certain utility energy efficiency programs that are required to be allocated to programs designed to benefit low-income, elderly, and disabled individuals from five percent to 15 percent of the approved costs of such programs and adds veterans to be benefited from such programs; (ii) requires the energy efficiency stakeholder process established for the purpose of providing input and feedback on the development of electric utilities' energy efficiency programs to include the participation of certain Commission personnel who participate in approval and oversight of utility efficiency programs; (iii) directs the Commission to increase the utility's rates to recover for revenue reductions related to energy efficiency programs if the revenue reductions have caused the utility, during the test period or periods under review, to earn more than 50 basis points below a fair combined rate of return on its generation and distribution services or, for any test period commencing after December 31, 2012, for DEV and after December 31, 2013, for AEP, more than 70 basis points below a fair combined rate of return on its generation and distribution services; (iv) allows certain large general service customers to avoid participation in energy efficiency programs and to avoid paying for the costs of such programs through a rate adjustment clause upon receiving an exemption from the Commission; and (v) provides that certain energy efficiency pilot programs may be deemed to be in the public interest.

Electric utilities; mandatory renewable energyportfolio standard. Replaces the existing voluntary renewableenergy portfolio standard (RPS) program with a mandatory renewableenergy portfolio standard program that requires each electric utilityto generate or purchase increasing percentages of electric powerthat is generated from renewable energy sources. The required percentagesstart at 14 percent of the total electric energy sold in 2021. Thereafterthe required percentages increase in steps until 2050 and thereafter,in which years 100 percent of the total electric energy sold is requiredto be renewable energy. The measure also requires that the sourcesof renewable energy be derived from one of several tiers, with requiredpercentages varying over time. A utility that fails to comply withan RPS standard established for a year is required to pay a deficiencypayment. The moneys paid as deficiency payments will be distributedby the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to programs for low-income,disability, veteran, and age-qualifying energy efficiency programsand renewable energy programs, energy efficiency measures for publicfacilities, and administrative costs. The measure also requires theState Corporation Commission to implement an energy storage deploymenttarget of 2,400 megawatts by 2035.

Commending John E. Potter.

Prohibited discrimination; public accommodations, employment, credit, and housing: causes of action; sexual orientation and gender identity. Creates explicit causes of action for unlawful discrimination in public accommodations and employment in the Virginia Human Rights Act. Currently, under the Act there is no cause of action for discrimination in public accommodations, and the only causes of action for discrimination in employment are for (i) unlawful discharge on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, including lactation, by employers employing more than five but fewer than 15 persons and (ii) unlawful discharge on the basis of age by employers employing more than five but fewer than 20 persons. The bill allows the causes of action to be pursued privately by the aggrieved person or, in certain circumstances, by the Attorney General. The bill prohibits discrimination in public and private employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill also codifies for state and local government employment the current prohibitions on discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, or status as a veteran. Additionally, the bill (a) prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a veteran; (b) prohibits discrimination in credit on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, disability, and status as a veteran; and (c) adds discrimination on the basis of an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a veteran as an unlawful housing practice. The bill makes technical amendments. This bill incorporates HB 3, HB 21, HB 23, HB 217, HB 1050, HB 1200, and HB 1512.

Transient occupancy tax; Arlington County. Removes the July 1, 2021, sunset date from Arlington County's authority to impose a transient occupancy tax at a rate not to exceed 0.25 percent to be used for the purpose of promoting tourism and business travel in the county. Under current law, in addition to this tax, Arlington County is authorized to impose a transient occupancy tax at a rate not to exceed five percent. This bill is identical to SB 107.

Commending Hattie Louise Jones.

Commending Shirley Morrow Marshall.

Commending King George County.