Rep. Mike Cherry

Personal property tax; classification; sunsetdate. Removes the sunset date from the provision of law that authorizes localities to classify most motor vehicles as a class ofproperty subject to a different rate of tax or rate of assessmentfrom the rate applicable to the general class of tangible personalproperty. Under current law, such classification would expire beginningwith taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025.

Child abuse; mandatory reporters. Adds tothe list of persons who are required to report suspected child abuseor neglect employees of the Department of Labor and Industry whoseduties include ensuring compliance with child labor laws.

Fishing license requirements; exemptions; freefishing days. Increases from three to six the maximum numberof days that the Board of Wildlife Resources may designate as freefishing days for a person to fish in any inland waters of the Commonwealth without a fishing license.

Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaignfunds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions.Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or hiscampaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversionof contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at thedissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that acontribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if thecontribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment,obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking,holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used forthe ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holdingelective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate'schild care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity.The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may requestan advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The billdirects the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations similar tothose promulgated by the Federal Election Commission to implement theprovisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaignfinance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General'sguidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use ofcampaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board ofElections.

Comprehensive community colleges and schoolboards; dual enrollment agreements; parameters. Requires dualenrollment agreements between comprehensive community colleges andschool boards to permit any student to complete an associate degree,the Passport Program, or a one-year Uniform Certificate of GeneralStudies from a comprehensive community college concurrent with ahigh school diploma or high school equivalency program. Current lawrequires such agreements to specify options for students to completean associate degree, the Passport Program, or a one-year Uniform Certificate of General Studies from a comprehensive community college concurrent with a high school diploma.

Virginia Education Success Account Program established. Permits the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill,to apply for a one-year, renewable Virginia Education Success Accountthat consists of an amount that is equivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the schooldivision in which the qualified student resides, including the perpupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and any per pupil share of state special education funding for which the qualifiedstudent is eligible. The bill permits the parent of the qualifiedstudent to use the moneys in such account for certain qualified expensesof the qualified student, including tuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private elementary school or secondary schoolthat is located in the Commonwealth. The bill also contains provisionsrelating to program and account administration by the Departmentof the Treasury and a third party that serves as program administratorpursuant to a contract with the Department of the Treasury.

Constitutional amendment (first reference); qualifications of voters; felon disenfranchisement; automatic restoration of voting rights. Provides that the General Assembly shall provide by general law an exemption to the prohibition that disqualifies a convicted felon from being qualified to vote. The amendment allows the exemption to be created for a person who has been convicted of a nonviolent felony and who has completed his sentence of imprisonment, including any period of probation or postrelease supervision, and has made payment in full of any restitution, fines, or fees assessed against him as a result of his conviction, at which time his voting rights shall be restored. The amendment also permits the General Assembly to include in such law a provision that a person who had his voting rights restored pursuant to such law is not eligible for restoration under such law for any subsequent conviction of a nonviolent felony. The amendment retains the Governor's authority to restore the civil rights of persons convicted of any felony.

Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections.

Unauthorized creation of image of another; AI-generated image; penalties. Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who knowingly and intentionally creates any videographic or still image using artificial intelligence of any nonconsenting person if (i) that person is totally nude, performing sexual acts, clad in undergarments, or in a state of undress so as to expose the genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast and (ii) such videographic or still image appears to be or is intended to appear to be such nonconsenting person. The bill provides that if such nonconsenting person is under the age of 18, the offender is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

Virginia Retirement System; return to work for law-enforcement officers. Allows a retired law-enforcement officer to return to work full time as a law-enforcement officer and continue to receive his pension under the Virginia Retirement System. Such person shall be required to have a break in service of at least six calendar months before reemployment. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.