Del. Bobby Orrock

Sales tax; exemption for food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products. Exempts food purchased for human consumption and essential personal hygiene products (the grocery tax) from all state, regional, and local sales taxes. The bill dedicates an amount equal to a 0.182 percent sales and use tax to cities and counties as a supplemental school payment. Such payment shall, from July 1, 2022, until July 1, 2024, be distributed based on each city and county's estimated average share of monthly distributions attributable to the tax on such food and hygiene products between February 2020 and December 2021. Beginning July 1, 2024, such payment shall be based upon each city and county's pro rata share of total local sales and use taxes.

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians; initiation of treatment with and dispensing and administration of vaccines. Allows pharmacists and pharmacy technicians acting under the supervision of a pharmacist to initiate treatment with and dispense and administer vaccines for COVID-19, nicotine replacement and other tobacco cessation therapies, and tests for COVID-19 and other coronaviruses to persons aged 18 years and older and vaccines included on the Immunization Schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and vaccines for COVID-19 and tests for COVID-19 and other coronaviruses to persons three years of age or older in accordance with a statewide protocol established by the Board of Medicine in collaboration with the Board of Pharmacy and the Department of Health. The bill also directs the Board of Medicine, in collaboration with the Board of Pharmacy and the Department of Health to develop such statewide protocol by November 1, 2022, and directs the Board of Pharmacy to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill also provides that when services related to the initiation of treatment with or dispensing or administration of a vaccination by a pharmacist, pharmacy technician, or pharmacy intern provided for by the state plan for medical assistance services are provided in accordance with the provisions of the bill, the Department of Medical Assistance Services shall provide reimbursement for such services. Finally, the bill provides that provisions related to administration of COVID-19 vaccines to and testing for COVID-19 of minors shall become effective upon the expiration of the provisions of the federal Declaration Under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act for Medical Countermeasures Against COVID-19 related to the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to and testing for COVID-19 of minors. This bill is identical to SB 672.

Powers of the Governor; limited duration of rules, regulations, and orders. Limits the initial duration of any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Governor pursuant to his powers under the Emergency Services and Disaster Law to no more than 30 days after the date of issuance. The bill provides that the Governor may extend the duration after the initial 30-day period for two additional 30-day periods. Upon each extension, the Governor is required to report to the General Assembly on the status of the continued need for the order. During each of the extension periods, the General Assembly may convene to consider and take action on the rule, regulation, or order. If the Governor deems it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth for the order to be in effect for more than 90 days, the General Assembly shall be convened to consider and take action on such extension. The bill provides that unless the General Assembly takes action on the rule, regulation, or order within such 90-day period encompassing the initial issuance and any extensions during which the rule, regulation, or order is effective, the Governor shall thereafter be prohibited from issuing the same or a similar rule, regulation, or order relating to the same emergency without the approval of the General Assembly.

Local credits for approved local volunteer activities. Enables localities, by ordinance, to provide a credit against taxesand fees imposed by the locality to an individual who provides approvedvolunteer services in the locality. As defined in the bill, "approvedvolunteer services" includes (i) volunteer first responders or (ii)individuals who perform volunteer services to a nonprofit organizationor to the locality, if such services are approved by the locality.The bill specifies that the credit shall not be applied against anyproperty taxes or payments in lieu of property taxes. The bill giveslocalities discretion to determine which taxes or fees are permissibleuses of the credit and which services qualify for the credit.

Virginia Employment Commission; administrative reforms; reporting requirements; electronic submissions; Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman established; emergency. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to calculate and report the (i) average unemployment insurance benefit levels, (ii) average income replacement of unemployment insurance benefits, and (iii) recipiency rate for unemployment insurance benefits in the Commonwealth as part of the Commission's annual balance sheet. The bill also requires the Commission, as part of its biennial strategic plan submitted to the Department of Planning and Budget, to develop and maintain an unemployment insurance Resiliency Plan that describes the specific actions the agency would take, depending on the level of increase in unemployment insurance (UI) claims, to address staffing, communications, and other relevant aspects of operations to ensure continued efficient and effective administration of the UI program.The bill creates within the Commission on Unemployment Compensation a subcommittee that shall be responsible for monitoring the Virginia Employment Commission's management of the unemployment insurance program. The subcommittee shall meet at least once each quarter and shall report annually, beginning on December 1, 2022, to the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Commerce and Energy, the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations. The bill also directs the Commission to convene an advisory committee composed of stakeholders and subject matter experts to review information related to UI claims.The bill requires employers to submit claim-related forms and separation information electronically, as well as other information and electronic tax payments upon the Commission's request, unless the employer has received a waiver by the Commission. The bill provides that a claim for unemployment benefits that has been determined invalid by the Virginia Employment Commission as a result of the claimant's monetary ineligibility shall first be reviewed upon a request for redetermination prior to filing an appeal. The bill also creates an Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman position for the purpose of providing information and assistance to persons seeking assistance in the unemployment compensation process and exempts confidential case files of the Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman from the mandatory disclosure provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The bill directs the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management to lead a multiagency work group to discuss strategies for staffing assistance and support for agencies that might need staffing assistance during emergencies. Additionally, the Virginia Employment Commission is directed to task its internal audit division to review and revise documents and online resources related to unemployment compensation. The bill contains an emergency clause and is identical to SB 219.

Public elementary and secondary schools; threat assessment team membership; law-enforcement liaison for certain school administrators. Requires, in the case of any public elementary or secondary school in which a school resource officer is employed, the threat assessment team for such school to include at least one such school resource officer. The bill requires the chief local law-enforcement officer for any local school division in which a public elementary or secondary school does not employ a school resource officer to designate a law-enforcement officer to receive, either in-person or online, the school safety training for public school personnel conducted by the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety in accordance with relevant law and requires such officer to serve as the law-enforcement liaison for the school administrator in such a school who has also received such training as prescribed by relevant law.