Rep. Kim Taylor

Commending the Virginia Manufacturers Association.

Multi-jurisdiction grand jury; elder abuse crimes. Adds the following to the list of crimes that a multi-jurisdiction grand jury may investigate: (i) financial exploitation of mentally incapacitated persons and (ii) abuse and neglect of incapacitated adults.

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum);qualifications of voters and the right to vote; persons not entitledto vote. Provides for a referendum at the November 8, 2022, generalelection to approve or reject an amendment that would provide forthe fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, revise the qualificationsof voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitledto vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically investedwith the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and updatethe existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentallyincompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lackthe capacity to understand the act of voting.

Telework expenses tax credit. Reinstatesthe telework expenses tax credit for taxable years 2022 through 2031.The previous version of the credit expired on January 1, 2019. Thebill removes requirements that were in place under the previous versionof the credit, such as requiring the employee and employer to signa telework agreement. The bill also eliminates a previous requirementthat credit claimants apply for and reserve credits in advance andinstead directs the Department of Taxation to develop proceduresfor claiming the credit.

Death of the parent or guardian of a child resultingfrom driving under the influence; child support. Provides thatin any case where a person was convicted of involuntary manslaughteras a result of driving a motor vehicle or operating a watercraft under the influence where the victim was the parent or legal guardianof a child, the person who has custody of such child may petitionthe sentencing court to order that the defendant pay child support.

Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Creditsprogram. Increases from 65 percent to 75 percent the tax creditfor the value of the monetary or marketable securities donation madeby a taxpayer to an eligible scholarship foundation.

Elections; absentee voting; ballots to be sortedand results to be reported by precinct. Provides that absentee ballots processed at a central absentee precinct must be sorted bythe precinct to which the voter who cast the absentee ballot is assignedand that the resulting vote totals from such ballots must be reportedseparately for each voter precinct.

Casino gaming; eligible host cities; limitson local referendums. Adds Petersburg to the list of cities eligibleto host a casino in the Commonwealth. The bill also provides thatthe governing body of any eligible host city that holds a local referendumon the question of whether casino gaming should be permitted in suchcity that subsequently fails shall be prohibited from holding anotherlocal referendum on the same question for a period of five yearsfrom the date of the last referendum.

Board of Education; standards for the maintenanceand operations, renovation, and new construction of public elementaryand secondary school buildings. Requires the Board of Education(the Board) to make recommendations to the General Assembly for amendmentsto the Standards of Quality to establish standards for the maintenanceand operations, renovation, and new construction of public elementaryand secondary school buildings. The bill requires such recommendationsto include standards for the percentage of the current replacementvalue of a public school building that a school board should budget for the maintenance and operations of the building and such otherstandards as the Board deems appropriate. The bill also requires the Board to solicit the input of relevant stakeholders and the publicin developing such recommendations. Finally, the bill requires theBoard to submit its recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Healthno later than December 1, 2022. This bill is a recommendation ofthe Commission on School Construction and Modernization.

Emergency custody and temporary detention orders; custody. Requires a facility or location to which a minor or adult who is subject to an emergency custody or temporary detention order is transported to accept custody of the minor or adult upon completion of transportation and arrival of the minor or adult at the facility and specifies that the primary law-enforcement agency shall provide transportation of a person who is involved in the involuntary commitment process, rather than a sheriff, as provided under current law.