Constitutional amendment (first reference); marriage between two individuals; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative right to marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman as well as the related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015). The amendment provides that the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of persons and prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from denying the issuance of a marriage license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The Commonwealth and its political subdivisions are required to recognize any lawful marriage between two parties and to treat such marriages equally under the law, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The amendment provides that religious organizations and clergy acting in their religious capacity have the right to refuse to perform any marriage.
Del. Cia Price
Sponsored bills
Health professions; universal licensure; requirements. Requires health regulatory boards within the Department of HealthProfessions to recognize licenses or certifications issued by otherUnited States jurisdictions, as defined in the bill, as fulfillmentfor licensure or certification in the Commonwealth if certain conditionsare met. The bill also requires such health regulatory boards torecognize work experience as fulfillment for licensure or certificationin the Commonwealth if certain conditions are met. The bill doesnot apply to licensure for physicians or dentists.
Family caregiver tax credit. Creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxable years 2024 through 2028 for expensesincurred by an individual in caring for an eligible family member,defined in the bill, who requires assistance with one or more activitiesof daily living, also defined in the bill. The credit equals 50 percentof eligible expenditures incurred by the caregiver up to $1,000. In order to qualify for the credit, the family caregiver must (i) notreceive any compensation or reimbursement for the eligible expendituresand (ii) have federal adjusted gross income that is no greater than$100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for married persons. The billrequires the Tax Commissioner to establish guidelines for claimingthe credit and provides that any unused credit may be carried forwardby the taxpayer for five taxable years following the taxable yearfor which the credit was issued.
Earned income tax credit. Allows eligiblelow-income taxpayers to claim a refundable income tax credit equalto 20 percent of the federal earned income tax credit claimed that year by the taxpayer for the same taxable year. The bill also statesthat individuals who would have been entitled to the federal equivalentof this credit but for the fact that the individual, the individual'sspouse, or one or more of the individual's children does not havea valid social security number are eligible to claim this credit.
Virginia Center for Firearm Violence Interventionand Prevention; Virginia Firearm Violence Intervention and PreventionFund; creation. Creates the Virginia Center for Firearm ViolenceIntervention and Prevention (the Center) within the Department ofCriminal Justice Services and the Virginia Firearm Violence Interventionand Prevention Fund, to be administered by the Center, to replacethe existing Virginia Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention Fund.
Medical assistance services; payment for essentialhygiene products. Directs the State Board of Health to includea provision for payment of medical assistance for the purchase of essential hygiene products in the state plan for medical assistanceservices.
Commending Dr. Willis L. Lonzer III.
Celebrating the life of Janet Marie Brooking.
Commending Peter A. Blake.
Commission on Legislature Modernization; report. Establishes the Commission on Legislature Modernization in the legislativebranch for the purpose of studying the operation and functionality of the General Assembly and identifying ways to make the legislaturemore effective, efficient, responsive, reflective, and transparenton behalf of all Virginians. The Commission will consist of 17 members,which shall include 9 legislators, 6 nonlegislative citizen members,and 2 ex officio members. The Commission shall be convened for aperiod of two years, every 10 years in the year ending in four, andshall terminate after the submission of its final report to the General Assembly at the end of its second year.