State subsidy of property tax exemptions fordisabled veterans and surviving spouses. Requires the Commonwealthto subsidize local real estate tax relief for disabled veterans andsurviving spouses of members of the United States Armed Forces killedin action when more than one percent of a locality's real estatetax base is lost due to such state-mandated tax relief programs.The Commonwealth would subsidize only that portion of tax-exemptreal estate that exceeds the one percent threshold. Thebill requires the Auditor of Public Accounts to establish an applicationprocess whereby a locality would demonstrate that more than one percentof its real estate tax base was lost. The Auditor would certify tothe Governor and the General Assembly those localities that wouldbe eligible for a subsidy, and the Governor would include in theBudget Bill a proposed appropriation of the amount of the state subsidyto be provided to localities certified as eligible localities.
Sponsored bills
Special Assistant to the Governor for DisabilityRights Advocacy; position created; report. Creates the positionof Special Assistant to the Governor for Disability Rights Advocacy (the Special Assistant) for the purpose of representing Virginianswith disabilities in a comprehensive and authoritative manner byensuring that all state agencies provide adequate services, resources,and accommodations to such persons. The bill directs the SpecialAssistant to submit an annual report to the Governor on or beforeDecember 1, through the Secretary of Health and Human Resources,that (i) outlines the key issues and problems discovered within stateagencies that impact people with disabilities; (ii) identifies thedetails of any plan of action implemented by the Special Assistantto address and remediate such issues and problems; (iii) provideslegislative recommendations that would improve processes and proceduresacross all state agencies with regard to the provision of services, resources, and accommodations to people with disabilities; and (iv)details such other matters as required by the Governor.
Agribusiness. Clarifies that existing agribusinessin the Commonwealth includes farmers markets and roadside farm markets.
Gun Violence Survivor Assistance Fund and GrantProgram. Establishes the Gun Violence Survivor Assistance Fundand Grant Program, to be administered by the Department of CriminalJustice Services for the purpose of providing grants to gun violencesurvivors who are in need of financial assistance to make accessibilityadaptations to their homes to accommodate a disability resultingfrom a gun violence-related injury.
Department of Veterans Services; hyperbaricoxygen therapy; data collection. Allows the Department of VeteransServices (the Department) to contract with any hospital in the Commonwealththat furnishes the treatment option of hyperbaric oxygen therapyto provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to any veteran in the Commonwealthwho has been certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairsor any branch of the United States Armed Forces as having post-traumaticstress disorder or traumatic brain injury. The Department shall includein any contract with such hospital to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapythe requirement that data be collected to assess the efficacy ofhyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans and any other informationdeemed relevant by the Department.
Consultation with federally recognized TribalNations; permits and reviews with potential impacts on environmental,cultural, and historic resources. Requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Department of Environmental Quality,the Department of Historic Resources, and the Virginia Marine ResourcesCommission to establish policies and procedures for consulting withfederally recognized Tribal Nations in the Commonwealth when evaluating certain permits and reviews with potential impacts on environmental,cultural, or historic resources or that would have tribal implications,as defined in the bill. The bill directs the Secretary of the Commonwealthto designate an Ombudsman for Tribal Consultation to facilitate communicationand consultation with Tribal Nations. The bill codifies ExecutiveOrder 82 (2021).
Division of Legislative Automated Systems; duties; cybersecurity department. Directs the Division of LegislativeAutomated Systems to create and manage a cybersecurity departmentto monitor the technological systems of the General Assembly of Virginiaand the agencies that directly serve the General Assembly for cybersecuritythreats and to respond to and mitigate the effects of such threats.The bill provides that any employee assigned to the department shallkeep all records, findings, and information related to his job confidentialand is subject to a $10,000 fine for any breach of confidentiality.
Larceny of a catalytic converter; penalty. Provides that any person who conspires, confederates, or combines with another to commit larceny or counsels, assists, aids, or abets another in the performance of a larceny of a catalytic converter from a motor vehicle where the value of such catalytic converter is less than $1,000 is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill was incorporated into SB 729.
Individual and corporate income tax credit;employers of National Guard members and self-employed National Guardmembers. Provides for taxable years 2022 through 2026 a nonrefundabletax credit against individual and corporate income taxes for (i)wages paid by an employer to an employee who is a Virginia NationalGuard member or (ii) income of a self-employed Virginia National Guardmember attributable to his business. The bill provides that the amountof the credit is 25 percent if such member was in a military paystatus for 65 days or more during the taxable year or 15 percentif such member was in a military pay status for 45 to 64 days duringthe taxable year. The credit is not allowed if such member was ina military pay status for fewer than 45 days during the taxable year.
Certified recovery residences. Requiresthe Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to adoptregulations requiring each certified recovery residence to includeone or more resident or nonresident staff persons who are employedby the provider for compensation and who are responsible for oversightor management of the recovery residence.