Special license plates; AUTISM AWARENESS. Authorizes the issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates for supportersof the Northern Virginia Chapter and Tidewater Chapter of the AutismSociety of America and the Autism Society Central Virginia bearingthe legend AUTISM AWARENESS.
Group Violence Intervention Board; Divisionof Group Violence Intervention; Project Ceasefire Grant Fund; ProjectExile Grant Fund. Establishes the Group Violence InterventionBoard to coordinate and assist federal, state, and local group violenceintervention efforts. The bill also establishes within the Departmentof Criminal Justice Services (the Department) the Division of Group Violence Intervention (the Division), to be headed by an executivedirector appointed by the Director of the Department. The bill providesthat the Division is responsible for (i) coordinating the effortsof members of state and local law enforcement, community members,and social services providers to combat group violence; (ii) serving as a clearinghouse for research, best practices, and strategies thatmay be utilized in the implementation, execution, and evaluationof group violence interventions; and (iii) implementing and administeringvarious federal, state, and local grant funds that aid group violenceintervention efforts. Finally, the bill creates the Project CeasefireGrant Fund, which provides money to organizations that are involvedin group violence intervention efforts, and creates the Project ExileGrant Fund, which provides money to organizations that assist formergang members or individuals attempting to leave gangs.
Higher Education Advisory Committee; highereducation funding. Requires the Higher Education Advisory Committee(Advisory Committee) to (i) develop a methodology by which to ratethe performance of each public institution of higher education and(ii) review and make recommendations for changes to existing fundingmethodology and targeted financial incentives. The bill requiresthe Advisory Committee to consult with national and state policy experts and institutional innovators in other states and considertrends in the implementation of various performance-based fundingmodels, accounting for institutional differences. The Advisory Committee's recommendations shall be designed to achieve increased degree andcredential attainment within high-demand fields, reduction of averagetime-to-degree, improved affordability for Virginia students and families, reduction of debt of former students and graduates, andimproved graduate employment outcomes. The bill requires that suchrecommendations be designed to result in a funding methodology and targeted financial incentives that allocate at least 80 percent ofstate appropriations for public higher education according to a setof certain performance metrics. Such recommendations are requiredto be submitted to the General Assembly and the Governor no laterthan the first day of the regular session of the General Assemblyin 2021.
Virginia National Guard; state active duty for emergency response; pay and allowances for members. Establishes rates of pay and allowances for members of the Virginia National Guard and Virginia Defense Force.
Possession, purchase, and transport of certainfirearms in certain localities; withholding state funds. Allowsa person to lawfully possess, purchase, or transport a firearm orfirearms magazine that he would otherwise be lawfully permitted to possess, purchase, or transport on January 1, 2020, while he isin a locality that has adopted or enforced any ordinance, resolution,or motion that declares such locality a sanctuary for Second Amendmentrights. The bill also provides that no funds payable by the Commonwealthto a locality for any and all purposes shall be withheld from a localitysolely on the basis of such locality adopting or enforcing any ordinance,resolution, or motion that declares such locality a sanctuary for Second Amendment rights.
Common interest communities; Virginia Real Estate Time-Share Act. Amends language in the Virginia Real Estate Time-ShareAct to clarify the use of the terms "project" and "program" as theyrelate to registration of a time-share program. The bill also differentiatesbetween a time-share and time-share interest, defined in the bill,and removes unused definitions. The bill contains technical amendments.
Best interests of a child; frequent and continuingcontact with each parent. Provides that, while considering thebest interests of a child for the purposes of determining custodyor visitation arrangements, the court shall, when appropriate, assurefrequent and continuing contact with each parent.
Charitable Gaming Board; Texas Hold'em pokerevents. Allows certain qualified organization to conduct Texas Hold'em poker events in conjunction with its charitable gaming activities.The conditions under which a qualified organization may manage, operate,or contract with operators of or conduct Texas Hold'em poker gamesand tournaments shall be prescribed by the Charitable Gaming Board. In addition, the bill establishes the Problem Gambling Treatmentand Support Fund administered by the Commissioner of Behavioral Healthand Developmental Services to provide counseling and other supportservices for compulsive and problem gamblers, develop problem gamblingtreatment and prevention programs, and provide grants to supportingorganizations that provide assistance to compulsive gamblers.
Board of Medical Assistance Services; definitionof therapeutic day treatment. Directs the Board of Medical AssistanceServices to revise its regulations to define "therapeutic day treatment"as a preventive mental health support available in place of partialhospitalization and reformative care.
Firearm safety. Designates the last fullweek in September each year as Firearm Safety Awareness Week in Virginia.The bill also creates a sales tax holiday the last weekend in Septemberfor firearm safety items.
