Memorials for war veterans. Provides that a locality may remove, relocate, contextualize, or cover any monument or memorial for war veterans on the locality's public property, not including a monument or memorial located in a publicly owned cemetery, regardless of when the monument or memorial was erected, and removes certain criminal and civil penalties. Current law makes it unlawful to disturb or interfere with such monuments or memorials or to prevent citizens from taking proper measures and exercising proper means for the protection, preservation, and care of such monuments or memorials. Prior to removing, relocating, contextualizing, or covering any such publicly owned monument or memorial, the local governing body shall publish notice of such intent in a newspaper having general circulation in the locality. The notice shall specify the time and place of a public hearing at which interested persons may present their views, not less than 30 days after publication of the notice. After the completion of the hearing, the governing body may vote whether to remove, relocate, contextualize, or cover the monument or memorial. If the governing body votes to remove, relocate, contextualize, or cover the monument or memorial, the local governing body shall first, for a period of 30 days, offer the monument or memorial for relocation and placement to any museum, historical society, government, or military battlefield. The local governing body shall have sole authority to determine the final disposition of the monument or memorial. The bill authorizes the local governing body to call for an advisory referendum prior to voting on such motion. The bill repeals an 1890 act of assembly related to the placement of a statue in the City of Alexandria and does not apply to a monument or memorial located on the property of a public institution of higher education within the City of Lexington. The bill also provides that the Board of Historic Resources shall promulgate regulations governing the manner in which any monument or memorial may be contextualized. This bill incorporates HB1625 and is identical to SB 183.
Sponsored bills
Electric utilities; right to shop. Authorizes individual retail customers of electric energy to purchase electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy from any licensed competitive supplier of electric energy, including any incumbent electric utility. Currently, such customers may purchase electric power from such suppliers, other than an incumbent electric utility that is not the incumbent electric utility serving the exclusive territory in which the customer is located, only if their incumbent electric utility does not offer an approved tariff for electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy. The measure also provides that a cooperative utility customer eligible to take service under a tariff for electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy is prohibited from purchasing electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy from a licensed supplier, except such customer is authorized to continue purchasing renewable energy pursuant to the terms of a power purchase agreement in effect on the date the cooperative serving it filed with the Commission such tariff for electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy for the duration of such agreement. The provisions of the bill will not become effective unless reenacted by the 2021 Session of the General Assembly.
Chesterfield County School Board; recoveryhigh school. Permits the Chesterfield County School Board, withsuch funds as may be appropriated for such purpose pursuant to thegeneral appropriation act, to establish a recovery high school inthe school division as a year-round high school (i) for which enrollmentis open to any high school student who resides in Superintendent'sRegion 1 and is in the early stages of recovery from substance usedisorder or dependency and (ii) for the purpose of providing suchstudents with the academic, emotional, and social support necessaryto make progress toward earning a high school diploma and reintegratinginto a traditional high school setting.
Public schools; school resource officers andschool security officers; data. Requires the Department of CriminalJustice Services, in coordination with the Department of Educationand the Department of Juvenile Justice, to annually collect, report,and publish data related to incidents involving students and schoolresource officers or school security officers. The bill also requiresthe Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety to analyze and disseminatesubmitted data.
Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent De Jure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against African Americans; report; sunset. Creates the Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent De Jure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against African Americans to (i) study the current impact and long-term inequities of slavery and the subsequent state-sanctioned de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination practiced against African Americans and (ii) make recommendations to the General Assembly on appropriate remedies. The bill requires the Commission to annually submit a report on its interim activity and work to the Governor and the General Assembly. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2022.
Institutions of higher education; sexual violencepolicies; immunity from disciplinary action; certain students whomake reports. Requires the Virginia Community College System,Richard Bland College, each baccalaureate public institution of highereducation, and each nonprofit private institution of higher educationto include in its sexual violence policy a requirement that any enrolledstudent who (i) reports to any individual employed by the institutionthat an act of sexual violence occurred on campus, in or on a noncampusbuilding or property, or on public property, as such terms are definedin relevant law, and (ii) the institution determines, as a resultof any investigation relating to such alleged act of sexual violence,committed a separate, unrelated, nonviolent act that violates theinstitution's code, rules, or set of standards governing student conduct is immune from disciplinary action for such violation.
Statute of limitations; sexual abuse. Provides that for a cause of action accruing on or after July 1, 2020, every action for injury to the person resulting from sexual abuse shall be brought within 10 years after the cause of action accrues. This bill does not change the current 20-year statute of limitations for actions for injury to the person resulting from sexual abuse that occurred during the infancy or incapacity of such person.
Family day homes; storage of firearms. Requires that during hours of operation, all firearms in a licensed family day home, registered family day home, or family day home approved by a family day system be stored unloaded in a locked container, compartment, or cabinet, and that all ammunition be stored in a separate locked container, compartment, or cabinet. The bill requires that the key or combination to such locked containers, compartments, or cabinets be inaccessible to all children in the home. This bill is identical to SB 593.
Threats and harassment of certain officials and property; venue. Provides that certain crimes relating to threats and harassment may be prosecuted in the City of Richmond if venue cannot otherwise be established and the victim is (i) the Governor, Governor-elect, Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant Governor-elect, Attorney General, or Attorney General-elect, a member or employee of the General Assembly, a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, or a judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia and (ii) such official or employee was threatened or harassed while engaged in the performance of his public duties or because of his position with the Commonwealth. In addition, threats to damage property may be prosecuted in the City of Richmond if venue cannot otherwise be established and the property is owned by the Commonwealth and located in the Capitol District.
Driving after forfeiture of license. Specifiesthat a person is guilty of an offense of driving or operating a motorvehicle (i) after his driver's license has been revoked for certainoffenses; (ii) in violation of the terms of a restricted license; (iii) without an ignition interlock system if one is required; or(iv) if the person's license had been restricted, suspended, or revokedfor certain driving under the influence offenses, with a blood alcoholcontent of 0.02 percent or more, only if such person was drivingor operating the motor vehicle on a highway, as defined in Title46.2, Motor Vehicles.