Sports betting; mandatory permit issuance tocertain casino operators. Requires the Director of the Virginia Lottery to issue a permit to operate a sports betting platform toa casino operator that meets certain criteria.
Hate crimes; associational relationships; penalty.Redefines the categories of victims whose intentional selection fora hate crime involving assault, assault and battery, or trespass for the purpose of damaging another's property results in a higher criminalpenalty for the offense to include a person's actual or perceivedrace, color, ethnicity, religious conviction, national origin, gender,sex, disability, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientationor a person's actual or perceived association with another personor group of a certain actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity,religious conviction, national origin, gender, sex, disability, genderidentity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. The bill addsthese categories of victims whose intentional selection for a hatecrime involves malicious wounding and makes such crime punishableby a term of imprisonment of not less than five years, nor more than40 years. The bill also redefines these categories for the purposesof reporting hate crimes to the central repository of informationmaintained by the Virginia State Police, for civil actions to recoverdamages for vandalism, and for interactive computer service liability.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable AugustusBenton Chafin, Jr.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable RobertS. Bloxom, Sr.
Expungement of police and court records; misdemeanor and nonviolent felony convictions. Allows a person convicted of a misdemeanor or nonviolent felony to file a petition requesting expungement of the police and court records relating to the conviction if such person has (i) been free from any term of incarceration, probation, and postrelease supervision imposed as a result of such conviction for at least eight years; (ii) no prior or subsequent convictions other than traffic infractions; and (iii) no pending criminal proceeding.
Naturopathic doctors; license required.Requires the Board of Medicine to license and regulate naturopathicdoctors, defined in the bill as an individual, other than a doctorof medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, or podiatry, who may diagnose,treat, and help prevent diseases using a system of practice thatis based on the natural healing capacity of individuals, using physiological,psychological, or physical methods, and who may also use naturalmedicines, prescriptions, legend drugs, foods, herbs, or other naturalremedies, including light and air.
Common-law crime of suicide. Abolishes thecommon-law crime of suicide. Suicide is currently a common-law crimein Virginia, although there is no statutorily prescribed punishment.
Supplementing compensation of public defender.Requires the governing body of any county or city that electsto supplement the compensation of the attorney for the Commonwealth,or any of their deputies or employees, above the salary of any suchofficer, deputy, or employee, to supplement the compensation of thepublic defender, or any of his deputies or employees, in the sameamount as the supplement to the compensation of the attorney for the Commonwealth, or any of his deputies or employees.
Consumer lending. Replaces references to payday loans with the term "short-term loans." The measure caps the interest and fees that may be charged under a short-term loan at an annual rate of 36 percent, plus a maintenance fee; increases the maximum amount of such loans from $500 to $2,500; and sets the duration of such loans at a minimum of four months, subject to exceptions, and a maximum of 24 months. Short-term loan licensees are required to make a reasonable attempt to verify a borrower's income and may not collect fees and charges that exceed 50 percent of the original loan amount if such amount is equal to or less than $1,500 and 60 percent of the original loan amount if such amount is greater than $1,500. The measure amends the requirements for motor vehicle title loans, including requiring licensed lenders to use a database to determine a prospective borrower's eligibility for a loan and prohibiting loans to a borrower who has an outstanding short-term loan. The measure sets a 36-percent annual interest rate cap on open-end credit plans and allows a $50 annual participation fee. A violation of these provisions is made a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The measure amends provisions of the Consumer Finance Act to, among other things, allow licensed lenders to use the services of access partners and establish requirements that loans be between $300 and $35,000; be repayable in substantially equal installment payments; have a term of no fewer than six and no more than 120 months; charge not more than 36 percent annual interest and a loan processing fee; and require licensees to post a bond. The measure prohibits credit service businesses from advertising, offering, or performing other services in connection with an extension of credit that has an annual interest rate exceeding 36 percent, is for less than $5,000, has a term of less than one year, or is provided under an open-end credit plan. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021, and requires any person who would be required to be licensed under the provisions of the act to apply for a license by October 1, 2020. This bill is identical to SB 421.
Driver privilege cards; penalty. Authorizes the issuance of new driver privilege cards by the Department of Motor Vehicles to an applicant who (i) has reported income from Virginia sources or been claimed as a dependent on an individual tax return filed with the Commonwealth in the preceding 12 months and (ii) is not in violation of the insurance requirements for the registration of an uninsured motor vehicle. The bill provides that driver privilege cards shall confer the same privileges and shall be subject to the same provisions as driver's licenses and permits; however, driver privilege cards shall not (a) confer voting privileges, (b) permit an individual to waive any part of the driver examination, or (c) have their issuance be contingent upon the applicant's ability to produce proof of legal presence in the United States. The bill limits the release of certain information stored by the Department. The bill provides for the term "driver's license" to consistently refer to all driver's licenses, permits, driver privilege cards, and special identification cards issued by the Commonwealth or the comparable law of another jurisdiction. The bill allows the issuance of a limited-duration driver's license and special identification card to an applicant presenting valid documentary evidence that a federal court or federal agency having jurisdiction over immigration has authorized the applicant to be in the United States for a period of at least 30 days from the date of application. The bill authorizes the Tax Commissioner to provide to the Commissioner of the Department information sufficient to verify that an applicant for a driver privilege card or permit reported income from Virginia sources or was claimed as a dependent on an individual tax return filed with the Commonwealth in the preceding 12 months. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. This bill is identical to SB 34.
