Del. Alex Q. Askew

Virginia Beach Sports or Entertainment Project; extend expiration date of tax incentive; modify financing structure. Provides that the City of Virginia Beach's entitlement to state sales and use tax revenue attributable to a sports or entertainment project, which under current law will expire on July 1, 2039, shall expire on July 1 following the twentieth anniversary of the completion of construction of the sports and entertainment project. The bill authorizes the City of Virginia Beach to work with a community development authority established by the City to develop a sports or entertainment district, and authorizes it to use funds from the Sports or Entertainment Project Financing Fund to pay for debt maintenance costs of such authority.

Public employment; limitations on inquiries by state agencies and localities regarding criminal arrests, charges, or convictions. Prohibits state agencies and localities from including on any employment application a question inquiring whether the prospective employee has ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any crime. The bill prohibits asking a prospective employee if he has ever been arrested or charged with or convicted of any crime unless the inquiry takes place during or after a staff interview of the prospective employee. The prohibition does not apply to applications for employment with law-enforcement agencies or positions related to law-enforcement agencies. The prohibition also does not apply to applications for state agency positions designated as sensitive or to state agencies that are expressly permitted to inquire into an individual's criminal arrests or charges for employment purposes pursuant to any provision of federal or state law. For localities, the prohibition also does not apply to positions for employment by the local school board. This bill incorporates HB 140.

Prohibited discrimination; public accommodations, employment, credit, and housing: causes of action; sexual orientation and gender identity. Creates explicit causes of action for unlawful discrimination in public accommodations and employment in the Virginia Human Rights Act. Currently, under the Act there is no cause of action for discrimination in public accommodations, and the only causes of action for discrimination in employment are for (i) unlawful discharge on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, including lactation, by employers employing more than five but fewer than 15 persons and (ii) unlawful discharge on the basis of age by employers employing more than five but fewer than 20 persons. The bill allows the causes of action to be pursued privately by the aggrieved person or, in certain circumstances, by the Attorney General. The bill prohibits discrimination in public and private employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill also codifies for state and local government employment the current prohibitions on discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, or status as a veteran. Additionally, the bill (a) prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a veteran; (b) prohibits discrimination in credit on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, disability, and status as a veteran; and (c) adds discrimination on the basis of an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a veteran as an unlawful housing practice. The bill makes technical amendments. This bill incorporates HB 3, HB 21, HB 23, HB 217, HB 1050, HB 1200, and HB 1512.

Local school boards; lead testing; report; parental notification. Requires each local school board's plan to test and remediate certain potable water sources to be consistent with guidance published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the Department of Health. The bill requires each local school board to submit such testing plan and report the results of any such test to the Department of Health. The bill also requires local school boards to take all necessary steps to notify parents if testing results indicate lead contamination that exceeds 10 parts per billion. The bill is identical to SB 392.

Holding handheld personal communications devices whiledriving a motor vehicle. Prohibits any person from holding a handheldpersonal communications device while driving a motor vehicle. Current lawprohibits (i) the reading of any email or text message and manually enteringletters or text in such a device as a means of communicating and (ii) holding apersonal communications device while driving in a work zone. The bill expandsthe exemptions to include handheld personal communications devices that arebeing held and used (a) as an amateur radio or a citizens band radio or (b) forofficial Department of Transportation or traffic incident management services.The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. This billincorporates HB 377, HB 387, HB 512, and HB 1672 and is identical to SB 160.

Taxes on wills and administrations; exemption for victims of the Virginia Beach mass shooting. Establishes an exemption from probate tax for a person killed or injured in the 2019 Virginia Beach mass shooting. The bill provides that if, prior to its enactment, a person eligible for a tax exemption pursuant to the bill paid tax to the Commonwealth or a locality for a will or grant of administration of a victim's estate, either the Commonwealth or the locality, as applicable, shall refund the tax. The bill contains an emergency clause and is identical to SB 93.

Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Actand Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; required disclosures;lead pipe. Requires the owner of a residential dwelling who hasactual knowledge of the existence of lead pipe in such dwelling unitto provide to a prospective purchaser a written disclosure that theproperty has lead pipe. Such disclosure shall be provided to the purchaser on a form provided by the Real Estate Board on its website. The billalso requires any landlord of a dwelling unit who has actual knowledgeof the existence of lead pipe in such dwelling unit to disclose thatinformation to a prospective tenant. Any tenant who is not providedwith such disclosure may terminate the lease agreement at any time within 60 days of discovery of the existence of lead pipe by providingwritten notice to the landlord. The bill defines "lead pipe" as anypipe or pipe or plumbing fixture, solder, or flux that does not meetthe federal Safe Drinking Water Act definition of "lead free."

Commending the Reverend Terry Davis Edwards.

Commending the Dochiki Civic and Social Club,Inc.

Commending Rosa B. Price.