Rep. Phil Scott

Emergency Services and Disaster Law; limitation on duration of executive orders. Limits the duration of any executive order issued by the Governor pursuant to his powers under the Emergency Services and Disaster Law to no more than 30 days from the date of issuance unless the General Assembly votes to approve a period longer than 30 days by a two-thirds majority of all members elected to each house. If a special session is called to address the emergency, it shall take place by electronic means only. Under current law, once issued, such executive orders are effective until June 30 following the next adjournment of the regular session of the General Assembly. The bill contains technical amendments.

Family life education curriculum guidelines;human reproduction; viewing of ultrasound video recording. Requiresthe instruction on human reproduction contained in the Board of Education'sfamily life education curriculum guidelines to include the viewingof a video recording of an ultrasound of a live unborn human in theuterus.

Carrying a concealed handgun; permit not required. Allows any person who is otherwise eligible to obtain a concealedhandgun permit to carry a concealed handgun without a permit anywherehe may lawfully carry a handgun openly within the Commonwealth.

Protective orders; possession of firearms.Allows a person subject to a protective order to continue to possessany firearm while in his place of residence that was possessed by such person at the time of service, provided that he is not otherwiseprohibited by law from possessing a firearm. The bill removes therequirement that any person subject to a protective order must surrenderhis firearms within 24 hours of being served with a protective order.

Control of firearms by localities. Removesthe authority for a locality by ordinance to prohibit the possessionor carrying of firearms, ammunition, or components or any combinationthereof in (i) any building, or part thereof, owned or used by suchlocality for governmental purposes; (ii) any public park owned oroperated by the locality; (iii) any recreation or community centerfacility; or (iv) any public street, road, alley, or sidewalk or publicright-of-way or any other place of whatever nature that is open tothe public and is being used by or is adjacent to a permitted eventor an event that would otherwise require a permit. The bill providesthat any firearm received by the locality pursuant to a buy-back programshall be offered for sale by public auction or sealed bids to a personlicensed as a dealer. Current law provides that any such firearm shallbe destroyed by the locality unless the person surrendering the firearmrequests in writing that the firearm be offered for sale. The billalso limits the authority of localities and state governmental entitiesto bring lawsuits against certain firearms manufacturers and others.

Provision of abortion; abortion on the basisof genetic disorder, sex, or ethnicity prohibited; penalty. Removes from the list of persons who can perform first trimester abortionsany person jointly licensed by the Board of Medicine and Nursingas a nurse practitioner acting within such person's scope of practice.The bill adds procedures and processes, including the performanceof an ultrasound, required to effect a pregnant person's informedwritten consent to the performance of an abortion. The bill addslanguage classifying facilities that perform five or more first trimesterabortions per month as hospitals for the purpose of complying withregulations establishing minimum standards for hospitals. The billalso provides that a person who performs an abortion with knowledgethat the abortion is sought solely and exclusively on account ofa genetic disorder, the sex, or the ethnicity of the unborn childis guilty of a Class 4 felony.

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.

Virginia Credential Registry; established.Directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to createthe Virginia Credential Registry for the purpose of ensuring thatthe general public has access to essential information about alleducational and occupational credentials that are delivered, issued,funded, recognized, authorized, overseen, or governed in the Commonwealth.The bill describes such credentials as all degrees, certificates,certifications, licenses, apprenticeships, military training, diplomas,and badges that are available in the Commonwealth. The bill setsout other information required to be included in the Registry andrequires the Council to establish and populate the Registry no laterthan July 1, 2023, and report on its progress in implementing theVirginia Credential Registry to the General Assembly no later thanOctober 1, 2023.

Education Savings Account Program established; Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credits. Establishes the Education Savings Account Program, to be administered by the Department of Education, whereby the parent of any individual who is a resident of the Commonwealth and who is eligible to enroll in a public elementary or secondary school may apply for an Education Savings Account for his child into which the Department of Education deposits certain state and local funds and from which the parent makes certain enumerated qualifying expenses to educate his child in a setting and a manner other than full-time education in a public school. The bill requires the Program to be fully implemented prior to the beginning of the 2022–2023 school year.The bill also increases the value of the Education Improvement Scholarships income tax credit for a donation to a scholarship foundation from 65 percent to 100 percent of the donation. The bill removes the aggregate limit on tax credits per year, which under current law is $25 million, and removes individual minimum and maximum required donation amounts.The bill raises the threshold for students to qualify for scholarships to 1,000 percent of free or reduced-price lunch standards or, for eligible students with a disability, 1,200 percent of such standards. The bill grants scholarship foundations the discretion to determine what expenses may be funded by tax-credit-subsidized scholarships. Under current law, such expenses are limited by statute. The bill expands eligibility for scholarships to any student who is a Virginia resident and eligible to enroll in a Virginia primary or secondary school. Current law restricts eligibility to certain categories of students.The bill removes the requirement that scholarship-funded schools report test results of scholarship-funded students. The provisions of the bill pertaining to the Education Improvement Scholarships income tax credits apply starting with taxable year 2022.

Early childhood care and education; publiclyfunded providers; assessment of children. Provides that, exceptas otherwise required by federal law, no child who is enrolled ata publicly funded provider shall be required to participate in theVirginia Kindergarten Readiness Program or any other program forthe assessment of the child's cognitive ability, development, learning,or readiness for kindergarten.