Virginia Freedom of Information Act; applicability to certain records of the Office of Executive Secretary and judicial officers; duties of Executive Secretary to the Supreme Court. Provides that for the purposes of the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act that are applicable to access to public records, the Office of Executive Secretary to the Supreme Court shall be considered a public body and, except as otherwise expressly provided by law, shall have the same obligations to disclose public records as other custodians of public records. The bill clarifies that the public records provisions of the Freedom of Information Act do not apply to judicial officers or information created or maintained on behalf of judicial officers, but do apply to any administrative records of judicial officers that are maintained by the Office of Executive Secretary and unrelated to a record created, collected, received, or maintained in connection with a particular case. The bill also adds to the duties of the Executive Secretary a role as custodian of records of administrative functions performed by persons employed by him or acting under his direction and of aggregated data regarding Virginia courts that may be obtained from systems maintained by his office. Finally, the bill directs the Supreme Court of Virginia to revise the rules of practice and procedure as necessary to comply with the provisions provided for in the bill. This bill was incorporated into HB 671.
Sponsored bills
Income tax; subtraction for low-income military veterans with a permanent service-connected disability. Provides an income tax subtraction for the military retirement income received by a veteran who has been rated with a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability. The bill provides that the subtraction is available only to those taxpayers whose federal adjusted gross income is no greater than 150 percent of the federal poverty level for a four-person household. This bill was incorporated into HB 1619.
Issuing income tax refunds to certain taxpayersfrom the Taxpayer Relief Fund. Directs the Department of Taxationto issue income tax refunds of $110 for an individual or $220 formarried persons filing a joint return to taxpayers who lawfully obtainedan extension for filing their tax return and as a result were ineligibleto receive a similar refund issued pursuant to legislation enactedduring the 2019 Session of the General Assembly. The refund issuedunder the 2019 legislation was available only to taxpayers who filedprior to July 1, 2019.
Individual and corporate income tax credit;employers of National Guard members and self-employed National Guardmembers. Provides for taxable years 2020 through 2024 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 National Guard memberattributable to his business. The amount of the credit shall be 25percent if such member was in a military pay status for 65 days ormore during such taxable year or 15 percent if such member was ina military pay status for 45 days or more during such taxable year.The credit shall not be allowed if such member was in a militarypay status for less than 45 days during such taxable year.
Individual and corporate income tax credit;employers of National Guard members and self-employed National Guardmembers. Provides for taxable years 2020 through 2024 a nonrefundabletax credit against individual and corporate income taxes for (i) wages paid by an employer to an employee who is an active or reserveVirginia National Guard member or (ii) income of a self-employedactive or reserve Virginia National Guard member attributable to his business. The amount of the credit shall be 25 percent if such memberwas in a military pay status for 65 days or more during such taxableyear or 15 percent if such member was in a military pay status forat least 45 days but less than 65 days during such taxable year.The credit shall not be allowed if such member was in a military pay status for less than 45 days during such taxable year. The billallows a taxpayer to carry unused credits over for up to five taxableyears.
Institutions of higher education; intercollegiate athletics; student-athletes; compensation and representation. Prohibits any private institution of higher education, baccalaureate public institution of higher education, athletic association, athletic conference, or other organization with authority over intercollegiate athletics from (i) providing a prospective student-athlete with compensation that results from the use of the student's name, image, or likeness; (ii) prohibiting or preventing a student-athlete from earning from another individual or entity compensation that results from the use of the student's name, image, or likeness, except in certain limited circumstances; (iii) prohibiting or preventing a student-athlete from obtaining professional representation by an athlete agent or legal representation by an attorney licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth; or (iv) declaring ineligible for or revoking a scholarship provided to a student-athlete who earns compensation that results from the use of the student's name, image, or likeness. The bill prohibits any athletic association, athletic conference, or other organization with authority over intercollegiate athletics from prohibiting or preventing a private institution of higher education or baccalaureate public institution of higher education from becoming a member of or participating in intercollegiate athletics sponsored by such association, conference, or organization as a consequence of the compensation of a student-athlete at such institution that results from the use of the student-athlete's name, image, or likeness. The foregoing provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2024, and are limited to students enrolled at a private institution of higher education or baccalaureate public institution of higher education who participate in Division 1 football in the Football Bowl Subdivision at such institution.
Parental leave for school involvement. Requires employers to grant four hours of leave annually to employees whoare parents or guardians of, or who stand in loco parentis to, aschool-aged child in order to attend parent-teacher conferences,volunteer at the child's school, or otherwise be involved in thechild's school. The employer and employee must mutually agree tothe time for the leave, the leave need not be compensated, and theemployer may require both 48 hours' advance notice of the leave and written verification from the school of the employee's involvementin the school.
Commending the United States Women's NationalSoccer Team.