Del. Alex Q. Askew

Refundable income tax credit for low-incometaxpayers. Allows low-income individuals and married personsto claim either (i) a nonrefundable income tax credit equal to $300for each individual, his spouse, and any dependents or (ii) a refundableincome tax credit equal to 20 percent of the federal earned incometax credit claimed that year by the individual or married persons.The provisions of the bill apply to taxable years beginning on andafter January 1, 2020, but before January 1, 2026.

Grand larceny; threshold. Increases from$500 to $1,500 the threshold amount of money taken or value of goodsor chattel taken at which the crime rises from petit larceny to grandlarceny. The bill increases the threshold by the same amount forthe classification of certain property crimes.

State subsidy of property tax exemptions fordisabled veterans and surviving spouses. Requires the Commonwealthto subsidize local real estate tax relief for disabled veterans andsurviving spouses of members of the armed forces killed in action.The Commonwealth would subsidize localities for the amount of realestate tax revenue lost due to these constitutionally mandated taxrelief programs. The bill requiresthe Auditor of Public Accounts to establish an annual applicationprocess whereby a locality would demonstrate the amount of its realestate tax base that was lost. The Auditor would certify such amountsto the Governor and the General Assembly, and the Governor would include in the Budget Bill a proposed appropriation of the amountof the state subsidy to be provided to localities.

Study; JLARC; effects of gun violence on communities;report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commissionto study the social, physical, emotional, and economic effects ofgun violence on communities across the Commonwealth.

Persons on conditional release; tracking device;penalty. Provides that any person civilly committed as a sexuallyviolent predator who alters, removes, or destroys any Global PositioningSystem (GPS) tracking device, or other similar device placed on suchperson as a condition of conditional release, is guilty of a Class6 felony.

Study; Albemarle-Pamlico Watershed; report.Requests the Department of Environmental Quality to study the Albemarle-Pamlico Watershed in Virginia, including land use, stormwater, groundwater,storm information, and flora and fauna.

Study; Department of Rail and Public Transportation; Commonwealth Corridor passenger rail service; report. Requeststhe Department of Rail and Public Transportation to study the feasibilityof an east-west Commonwealth Corridor passenger rail service connectingHampton Roads, Richmond, and the New River Valley.

Study; JLARC; teacher salaries and benefits in the Commonwealth; regional competitiveness of such salaries and benefits; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study teacher salaries and benefits in the Commonwealth, including the regional competitiveness of such salaries and benefits, by analyzing the relationship between (i) salaries and benefits provided to teachers in the Commonwealth, states adjoining the Commonwealth, and the District of Columbia and (ii) the recruitment and retention of teachers in each such state and the District of Columbia.

Study; Virginia State Crime Commission; thelow use of geriatric parole; report. Directs the Virginia StateCrime Commission to study the low use of geriatric parole and theappropriate structure for increasing the use of geriatric parole.

Study; JLARC; reduction or elimination of tollson Midtown and Downtown Tunnels in Hampton Roads; report. Directsthe Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the feasibilityof reducing or eliminating tolls on the Midtown and Downtown Tunnelsin Hampton Roads.