Rep. Marie March

Unemployment compensation; disqualificationfor benefits; misconduct does not include refusing COVID-19 vaccine.Provides that for the purposes of the Virginia Employment Commissiondetermining if an individual was separated or partially separatedfrom employment for misconduct and would be disqualified for unemploymentbenefits, the term "misconduct" does not include an employee's refusalto receive or receive in part any primary series or booster shotof a vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19.

Commending Virginia Polytechnic Institute andState University.

Commending the Virginia Manufacturers Association.

Multi-jurisdiction grand jury; elder abuse crimes. Adds the following to the list of crimes that a multi-jurisdiction grand jury may investigate: (i) financial exploitation of mentally incapacitated persons and (ii) abuse and neglect of incapacitated adults.

COVID-19 immunization; prohibition on requirement; discrimination prohibited. Prohibits the State Health Commissionerand the Board of Health, the Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Department of Health Professions and any regulatoryboard therein, and the Department of Social Services from requiringany person to undergo vaccination for COVID-19 and prohibits discriminationbased on a person's COVID-19 vaccination status (i) with regard to education, employment, insurance, or issuance of a driver's licenseor other state identification or (ii) in numerous other contexts.

Sales and use tax; payment card processing fees.Provides a sales and use tax exemption for the portion of anytransaction that is a payment card processing fee, defined in thebill. The bill also provides such an exemption from localmeals taxes.

Purchase of handguns; limitation on handgunpurchases. Removes the prohibition on any person who is not a licensed firearms dealer from purchasing more than one handgun ina 30-day period. Current law makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for aviolation of this provision, subject to certain exemptions.

Emergency laws; powers and duties of Governor;executive orders. Limits the Governor's powers as the Directorof Emergency Management by requiring that emergency rules, regulations,and executive orders be objectively necessary and required to control,restrict, allocate, or regulate the use, sale, production, and distributionof food, fuel, clothing and other commodities, materials, goods,services, and resources under any state or federal emergency servicesprograms, rather than necessary in the Governor's judgment. The billalso prohibits an emergency executive order from establishing anymoratoriums on the payment of rent to landlords in the Commonwealthunless pursuant to a confirmed order of quarantine or isolation. Finally, the bill limits the duration of any executive order issuedby the Governor to no more than 45 days from the date of issuanceand provides that if the General Assembly does not take any actionon the rule, regulation, or order within the 45 days during whichthe rule, regulation, or order is effective, the Governor shall thereafterbe prohibited from issuing the same or a similar rule, regulation,or order relating to the same emergency. Under current law, onceissued, such executive orders are effective until June 30 followingthe next regular session of the General Assembly.

Board of Education; policy on sexually explicitinstructional material. Requires the Board of Education to establish,and each local school board to comply with, a policy to require each public elementary or secondary school to (i) notify the parent ofany student whose teacher reasonably expects to provide instructionalmaterial that includes sexually explicit content, (ii) permit theparent of any student to review instructional material that includessexually explicit content upon request, and (iii) provide, as analternative to instructional material and related academic activitiesthat include sexually explicit content, nonexplicit instructionalmaterial and related academic activities to any student whose parentso requests.

Secretary of Commerce and Trade; task forceto study costs of business regulatory compliance; report. Directsthe Secretary of Commerce and Trade to establish a task force tostudy the costs associated with the management of regulatory compliancefor businesses in the Commonwealth. The task force shall report itsfindings and conclusions to the Governor and the General Assemblyby December 1, 2022.