Del. Mike Webert

Commending Major Wayne R. Lee, Jr., USA, Ret.

Voter identification; identification containinga photograph required. Requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote. The bill repeals the provisionsof law permitting a voter who does not have one of the required formsof identification to vote after signing a statement, subject to felony penalties for false statements, that he is the named registered voterhe claims to be. Instead, such voter would be entitled to cast aprovisional ballot.

In-person instruction; education vouchers; emergency. Requires, in the event that any school board does not provide theoption of in-person instruction as the sole method of instruction for any enrolled student, the parent of any such student who withdraws his child from attendance to receive, upon request, an educationvoucher in an amount equal to a prorated share of the applicableStandards of Quality per-pupil state funds appropriated for publicschool purposes and apportioned to the school division, includingthe per-pupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and anystate per-pupil share of special education funding for which thechild is eligible, to cover the expenses of providing in-person instructionin an alternative setting. The bill permits the Department of Educationto establish rules, regulations, or procedures for the issuance ofsuch education vouchers. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Illegal gambling; skill games; temporary exemption for truck stops and alcoholic beverage control retail licensees. Delays by one additional year, from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022, the prohibition on the play or offering for play of skill games that was instituted in the 2020 Regular Session. The bill extends the one-year phase-out of existing skill games by one additional year to July 1, 2022, but decreases to 90 percent the total number of machines that a distributor may provide for play to truck stops and Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority retail licensees (ABC retail licensees) relative to the number of machines such distributor previously reported to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (the Authority) on July 1, 2020. The bill caps the total number of skill games that persons operating truck stops and ABC retail licensees may make available for play to no more than 20 and six, respectively. The bill extends the prohibition on distributors offering new skill games for play. The bill keeps oversight authority over skill games with the Authority. The bill extends the requirement that each distributor pay a monthly tax of $1,200 for each skill game provided for play during the previous month. Revenues will accrue one percent to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund, three percent to the Authority for the purposes of implementing the bill, 33 percent to the localities in which the skill games are located, one percent to the Family and Children's Trust Fund, two percent to the Virginia Breeders Fund, and 60 percent to the Commonwealth Transportation Fund. The bill extends the requirement that distributors report monthly to the Authority the number of skill games provided for play. Finally, the bill prohibits persons younger than 21 years of age from playing skill games or redeeming the evidence of winnings for them.

Alcoholic beverage control; local outdoor refreshment areas. Defines "outdoor refreshment area" and permits the governingbody of any locality in the Commonwealth to designate, by ordinance, up to three outdoor refreshment areas within such locality. The billprovides that such ordinance would permit the consumption of alcoholicbeverages within the outdoor refreshment area, provided that suchalcoholic beverages are purchased from a permanent retail on-premiseslicensee located within such designated area and are contained indisposable containers with a maximum capacity of no more than 16fluid ounces that clearly display the selling licensee's name orlogo. The bill requires the locality, prior to adopting such an ordinance,to create a public safety plan for each outdoor refreshment area.

Virginia Law Enforcement Professional StandardsCommission Accreditation Grant Fund and Program. Establishesthe Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission AccreditationGrant Fund (the Fund) and the Virginia Law Enforcement ProfessionalStandards Commission Accreditation Grant Program (the Program). TheFund and Program shall be overseen by the Department of CriminalJustice Services. Disbursements from the Fund shall be made to law-enforcementagencies to pursue accreditation from the Virginia Law EnforcementProfessional Standards Commission.

Local electoral boards and general registrar;disclosure of certain gifts and funding. Requires the disclosureof any gift, including money or services, given by a private individual,corporation, partnership, trust, or other third party to a localelectoral board or an office of the general registrar. Such disclosureis required to be made to the clerk of the governing body withinfive days of receipt and shall include the amount or value of thegift, the date of receipt, and the name and address of the donor.The disclosed information shall be posted on the official website of the county or city. The bill provides that the disclosure requirementsdo not apply to money or services paid out of the budget of the localityor provided through the general appropriation act established bythe General Assembly.

Local control of firearms; concealed handgunpermit. Provides that any local ordinance that prohibits thepossession, carrying, or transportation of any firearms, ammunition,or components or combination thereof on specified public propertyshall not apply to a person who has a valid concealed handgun permit.

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.

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.