Emergency laws; civil relief; citizens of the Commonwealth furloughed or otherwise not receiving wages or payments due to closure of the federal government or declaration of Emergency by the Governor. Provides a 60-day stay of an unlawful detainer for nonpayment of rent for tenants and a 30-day stay of foreclosure proceedings for homeowners of, and owners who rent to a tenant, a one-family to four-family residential dwelling unit who request a stay and provide written proof, defined in the bill, that they are (i) an employee of the United States government, (ii) an independent contractor for the United States government, or (iii) an employee of a company under contract with the United States government who was furloughed or was or is otherwise not receiving wages or payments as a result of a closure of the United States government, defined in the bill. The bill requires homeowners and owners who rent to a tenant a one-family to four-family residential dwelling unit to request such stay of foreclosure proceedings within 90 days of a closure of the United States government or 90 days following the end of such closure, whichever is later. The bill also expands the available relief to any tenant, homeowner, or owner affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic public health crisis during the period for which the Governor has declared a state of emergency (the Emergency). The bill contains an emergency clause and provides that the expanded relief provisions shall expire 90 days following the end of the Emergency.
Sponsored bills
Labor and employment; collective bargaining; employees of counties, cities, and towns. Permits counties, cities, and towns to adopt local ordinances authorizing them to (i) recognize any labor union or other employee association as a bargaining agent of any public officers or employees, except for Constitutional officers and their employees, and including public school employees and (ii) collectively bargain or enter into any collective bargaining contract with any such union or association or its agents with respect to any matter relating to them or their employment. The bill provides that for any governing body of a county, city, or town that has not adopted an ordinance or resolution providing for collective bargaining, such governing body is required, within 120 days of receiving certification from a majority of public employees in a unit considered by such employees to be appropriate for the purposes of collective bargaining, to take a vote to adopt or not adopt an ordinance or resolution to provide for collective bargaining by such public employees and any other public employees deemed appropriate by the governing body. The bill provides that the prohibition against striking for public employees applies, irrespective of any such local ordinance. The bill has a delayed effective date of May 1, 2021. This bill is identical to SB 939.
Electric utilities; offshore wind development. Provides that the construction or purchase by a public utility of one or more offshore wind generation facilities located off the Commonwealth's Atlantic shoreline or in federal waters and interconnected directly into the Commonwealth, with an aggregate capacity of up to 5,200 megawatts, is in the public interest. The measure provides that construction by Dominion Energy Virginia of one or more new utility-owned and utility-operated generating facilities utilizing energy derived from offshore wind and located off the Commonwealth's Atlantic shoreline, with an aggregate rated capacity between 2,500 megawatts and 3,000 megawatts, along with electrical transmission or distribution facilities associated therewith for interconnection is in the public interest. The measure provides that the State Corporation Commission will determine the reasonableness and prudence of associated costs and will presume such costs to be reasonable and prudent if certain criteria are met. The measure requires the Commission to permit a portion of the nameplate capacity of any such facility, in the aggregate, to be allocated to (i) certain commercial and industrial customers or (ii) qualifying large general service customers, provided that no more than 10 percent of the offshore wind facility's capacity is allocated to qualifying large general service customers. The measure provides that such costs shall be allocated to all customers of the utility in the Commonwealth as a non-bypassable charge, irrespective of the generation supplier of any such customer except for customers who are eligible for a Percentage of Income Payment Program, certain commercial and industrial customers, and qualifying large general service customers. The measure requires the utility to submit a plan to the Commission that includes the following considerations: (a) options for utilizing local workers; (b) the economic development benefits of the project for the Commonwealth, including capital investments and job creation; (c) consultation with the Commonwealth's Chief Workforce Development Officer, the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, on opportunities to advance the Commonwealth's workforce and economic development goals, including furtherance of apprenticeship and other workforce training programs; and (d) giving priority to the hiring, apprenticeship, and training of veterans, local workers, and workers from historically economically disadvantaged communities. The measure provides that any such project is required to include an environmental and fisheries mitigation plan submitted to the Commission for the construction and operation of such offshore wind facilities. This bill incorporates HB 1607 and is identical to SB 860 and SB 998.
Surgical assistants; licensure. Defines "surgical assistant" and "practice of surgical assisting" and directs the Board of Medicine to establish criteria for the licensure of surgical assistants. Currently, the Board may issue a registration as a surgical assistant to eligible individuals. The bill clarifies that requiring the licensure of surgical assistants shall not be construed as prohibiting any professional licensed, certified, or registered by a health regulatory board from acting within the scope of his practice. The bill also establishes the Advisory Board on Surgical Assisting to assist the Board of Medicine regarding the establishment of qualifications for and regulation of licensed surgical assistants.
Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity; small business grant funds. Repeals the Small Business Jobs Grant Fund Program. Under the bill, any cash balances in the Small Business Jobs Grant Fund will be transferred to the Small Business Investment Grant Fund. The bill decreases the amount of an eligible grant under the Small Business Investment Grant Fund from the lesser of 50 percent of the qualified investment or $50,000 to the lesser of 25 percent of the qualified investment or $50,000. The bill also allows the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority to utilize the any cash balances transferred from the Small Business Jobs Grant Fund to the Small Business Investment Grant Fund to implement a grant program for certain small businesses affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic public health crisis during the period for which the Governor has declared a state of emergency. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Workers' compensation; post-traumatic stress disorder;law-enforcement officers and firefighters. Provides that post-traumaticstress disorder incurred by a law-enforcement officer or firefighter iscompensable under the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act if a mental healthprofessional examines a law-enforcement officer or firefighter and diagnosesthe individual as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result ofthe individual's undergoing a qualifying event, which includes an event occurringin the line of duty on or after July 1, 2020, in which a law-enforcementofficer or firefighter views a deceased minor, witnesses the death of a personor an incident involving the death of a person, witnesses an injury to a personwho subsequently dies, has physical contact with and treats an injured personwho subsequently dies, transports an injured person who subsequently dies, orwitnesses a traumatic physical injury that results in the loss of a vital bodypart or a vital body function that results in permanent disfigurement of thevictim. Other conditions for compensability include (i) if the post-traumaticstress disorder resulted from the law-enforcement officer or firefighter actingin the line of duty and, in the case of a firefighter, such firefightercomplied with certain federal Occupational Safety and Health Act standards;(ii) if the law-enforcement officer's or firefighter's undergoing a qualifyingevent was a substantial factor in causing his post-traumatic stress disorder;(iii) if such qualifying event, and not another event or source of stress, wasthe primary cause of the post-traumatic stress disorder; and (iv) if thepost-traumatic stress disorder did not result from any disciplinary action,work evaluation, job transfer, layoff, demotion, promotion, termination,retirement, or similar action of the officer or firefighter. The measureestablishes procedural requirements on employers that contest a claim for suchbenefits. The measure also establishes requirements for resilience and self-caretechnique training.
Employment; prohibited retaliatory action.Prohibits an employer from discharging, disciplining, threatening,discriminating against, penalizing, or taking other retaliatory actionagainst an employee regarding the employee's compensation, terms,conditions, location, or privileges of employment because the employee(i) reports a violation or suspected violation of any federal orstate law or regulation to a supervisor or to any governmental bodyor law-enforcement official; (ii) is requested by a governmentalbody or law-enforcement official to participate in an investigation,hearing, or inquiry; (iii) refuses to engage in a criminal act thatwould subject the employee to criminal liability; (iv) refuses an employer's order to perform an action that the employee believes,which belief has an objective basis in fact, violates any federalor state law or regulation and the employee informs the employerthat the order is being refused for that reason; or (v) providesinformation to or testifies before any governmental body or law-enforcementofficial conducting an investigation, hearing, or inquiry into anyalleged violation by the employer of federal or state law or regulation.A person who alleges a violation of this chapter may bring a civilaction seeking injunctive relief, reinstatement, and compensation for lost wages, benefits, and other remuneration.
Elections; same-day registration; in-personabsentee and election day voting. Provides an exception to theclosing of registration records for any person who (i) is qualifiedto register to vote, (ii) is unregistered or registered in a localityin which the person no longer resides but is otherwise entitledto vote by absentee ballot, (iii) desires to vote absentee in personat the time that they present themselves to be registered, and (iv) provides proof of residency. The bill also permits same-day registrantsto vote absentee and provides an excuse for election day absentee voting for such voters. The bill requires all voters who registerto vote under the provisions of this bill to fill out an absenteeapplication, including the required oath, in order to vote. Thisbill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2022.
Absentee voting; postage prepaid on return envelope. Requires the envelope provided to an absentee voter for the return of the absentee ballot to include prepaid postage. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2021 Session of the General Assembly.
Constitutional amendment (second resolution);personal property tax exemption; motor vehicle owned by a veteranwho is disabled. Provides that one motor vehicle of a veteranwho has a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disabilityshall be exempt from state and local taxes. The amendment provides that only automobiles and pickup trucks qualify for the exemption. Additionally, the exemption is only applicable on the date the motorvehicle is acquired or the effective date of the amendment, whicheveris later, and is not applicable for any period of time prior to theeffective date of the amendment.