Del. Mike Webert

Eliminating individual income tax liability.Eliminates individual income tax liability starting in taxable year2020 by reducing to zero the rate that applies to all taxable income.Entities such as trusts and partnerships, which also are taxed underthe individual income tax system, would continue to be subject totaxation at the same rates as they are under current law.

Bear damaging crops; kill permit. Requires the Director of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to authorize the killing of bear when they are found to be responsible for damaging crops, including during a harvest. The bill prohibits the Director from authorizing nonlethal control measures unless they are specifically requested by the owner or lessee of the land where the crop damage occurred.

Interstate Compact on Washington Area ProfessionalFootball Team Franchise Facility Incentives. Establishes an interstatecompact among the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland,and the District of Columbia (the party states) that prohibits theparty states from providing incentives for a Washington area professionalfootball team franchise facility, including tax incentives, stateor local appropriations, and loans. The bill provides that the compactwill not become effective unless the party states enact concurringlegislation prior to January 1, 2022.

Use of profane, threatening, or indecent languageover public airways or by other methods. Provides that usingobscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language,with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass any person, overany telephone or citizens band radio is no longer a crime punishableas a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Alcoholic beverage control; wine and beer licenses;farm store license. Defines "farm store" and creates a farm store license that authorizes the licensee to sell wine or beer to personsto whom wine or beer may be lawfully sold for on-premises consumption and in closed containers for off-premises consumption. The bill establishes state and local fees for farm store licenses and provides that inno event shall the sale of wine or beer exceed 25 percent of thetotal annual gross sales of the farm store.

Commending the Loudoun Hunt.

Public schools; firearm safety education program.Requires local school boards to provide firearm safety educationprograms for students in high school. The bill requires the Boardof Education to establish curriculum guidelines for the program,in consultation with the Department of State Police, and requiresthat the program be taught by a school resource officer, other law-enforcementofficer, or a United States Armed Forces instructor. The bill prohibitsthe use of firearms in the program. Current law allows local school boards to provide a firearm safety education program for studentsin the elementary grades and does not specify who may instruct suchprogram.

Alcoholic beverage control; distillers' licenses;remote stores and tasting rooms. Allows a licensed distillerwho operates a government store for the sale of spirits to (i) conducttastings and (ii) sell spirits for off-premises consumption at fiveadditional locations designated in the license.

License taxes; prohibition on rate increases;prohibition on new taxes. Provides that any locality that levieslicense taxes shall be prohibited from increasing the rate of thosetaxes above the rate imposed as of January 1, 2020. The bill alsoprohibits any locality that does not levy license taxes from levyingsuch a tax in the future.

Study; JLARC; feasibility of adjusting the compositeindex of local ability to pay and expanding access to the cost ofcompeting adjustment; report. Directs the Joint LegislativeAudit and Review Commission to study the feasibility of adjusting the composite index of local ability to pay and expanding accessto the cost of competing adjustment by (i) reviewing current statutory,constitutional, and budgetary provisions governing the calculationof Standards of Quality costs and funding; (ii) examining the componentsof the composite index of local ability to pay and the cost of competingadjustment; (iii) evaluating other states' public school fundingformulas; and (iv) hearing local concerns and seeking input fromvarious state and national experts, as applicable.