Del. Jerrauld C. "Jay" Jones

Research and development tax credits; sunset; aggregate caps. Extends the sunset date for both the research and development expenses tax credit and the major research and development expenses tax credit from January 1, 2022, to January 1, 2025. Beginning with taxable year 2021, the bill increases the aggregate cap of the research and development expenses tax credit from $7 million to $7.77 million and increases the aggregate cap of the major research and development expenses tax credit from $20 million to $24 million. For both credits, the bill moves back the annual deadline for applications for the credit from July 1 to September 1. This bill is identical to SB 110.

Virginia Spirits Board. Establishes the Virginia Spirits Board, within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Virginia Spirits Promotion Fund. The Board is composed of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, and nine gubernatorial-appointed nonlegislative citizens who represent coopers or maltsters and owners or operators of distilleries. Among its powers and duties, the Board is authorized to contract for research services to improve farming practices related to the growing of ingredients necessary for alcohol distillation in Virginia; enter into contracts with private and public entities to market, advertise, and promote the industry; and engage in revenue-producing activities. The Fund consists of general fund appropriations, fees from services rendered, and payments received for products, equipment, or goods supplied. The bill exempts contracts for advertising, marketing, or publishing that are entered into by the Board from certain provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act. This bill is identical to SB 583.

Housing; housing authorities; notice of intent to demolish, liquidate, or otherwise dispose of housing projects. Requires that any housing authority required to submit an application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to demolish, liquidate, or otherwise dispose of a housing project must also serve a notice of intent to demolish, liquidate, or otherwise dispose of such housing project, containing specified information, at least 12 months prior to any application submission date to (i) the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, (ii) any agency that would be responsible for administering tenant-based rental assistance to persons who would otherwise be displaced from the housing project, and (iii) each tenant residing in the housing project. The bill requires the authority to also provide such notice to any prospective tenant who is offered a rental agreement subsequent to the initial notice. During the 12-month period subsequent to the initial notice of intent to demolish, liquidate, or dispose of the housing project, the housing authority is prohibited from (a) increasing rent for any tenant above the amount authorized by any federal assistance program applicable to the housing project; (b) changing the terms of the rental agreement for any tenant, except as permitted under the existing rental agreement; or (c) evicting a tenant or demanding possession of any dwelling unit in the housing project, except for a lease violation or violation of law that threatens the health and safety of the building residents. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. This bill is identical to SB 708.

Landlord and tenant; victims of family abuse; evidence to mitigate low credit score; damages. Allows an applicant for a lease to recover actual damages, including all amounts paid to the landlord as an application fee, application deposit, or reimbursement for any of the landlord's out-of-pocket expenses that were charged to the applicant, along with attorney fees, if the landlord does not consider evidence of the applicant's status as a victim of family abuse to mitigate any adverse effect of the otherwise qualified applicant's low credit score.

Youth and Gang Violence Prevention Grant Fund and Program; creation. Establishes the Youth and Gang Violence Prevention Grant Fund and Program, to be administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services, for the purpose of awarding grants to the Cities of Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, and Roanoke for the purpose of performing community assessments for youth and gang violence prevention. Grants are to be awarded in an amount of $25,000 to each city to perform such an assessment. No more than $150,000 per year shall be allocated by the Program.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; return of security deposit. Requires the landlord to return the tenant's security deposit, minus any deductions or charges, within 45 days of the termination of the tenancy or the date the tenant vacates the dwelling unit, whichever occurs last. Under current law, the 45-day period to return the security deposit begins on the date of the termination of the tenancy. This bill is identical to SB 388.

Strategic lawsuits against public participation; specialmotion to dismiss; stay of discovery; special motion to quash; fees and costs.Establishes a procedure by which a party alleging that a claim filed against himis a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP), as defined in thebill, may file a special motion to dismiss within 45 days after service of sucha claim. The bill provides that the filing of such a special motion to dismissshall stay discovery proceedings related to the claim, pending the entry of anorder adjudicating the special motion to dismiss, unless the court allowslimited and specific discovery for good cause shown. The bill furtherestablishes a special motion to quash procedure for persons whose personalidentifying information is sought pursuant to a discovery order, request, orsubpoena in connection with an alleged SLAPP. The bill provides that a partyaggrieved by an entry of an order granting or denying a special motion to dismissor special motion to quash shall be permitted to submit a petition for anappeal to the Supreme Court of Virginia. The bill provides that a court shallaward reasonable expenses related to a special motion to dismiss or quash,including attorney fees and costs, if the moving party prevails, in whole or inpart, on such a special motion. The bill allows the court to award suchreasonable expenses to a prevailing responding party to a special motion todismiss or quash if the court finds that such a motion was filed in bad faithor solely with the intent to delay the underlying proceedings.

Transportation safety. Adopts several initiatives related to transportation and safety, including: (i) making it illegalto possess an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, (ii)requiring all passengers in a vehicle to wear safety belts and makingfailure to wear a safety belt a primary offense, (iii) prohibitingthe use of handheld personal communication devices, (iv) establishinga speed monitoring program in highway safety corridors that usesa vehicle sensor to take a picture of a vehicle traveling more than10 miles over the speed limit, subjecting the driver to a monetary fine, and (v) allowing localities to lower the speed limit below25 miles per hour in business and residential districts. The Commissionerof the Department of Motor Vehicles will establish an advisory committeeto oversee education and enforcement of policies such as the seatbeltand hands-free provisions. The bill also changes the vehicle inspectionsafety program to only require inspections of salvage vehicles thathave been rebuilt for highway use, converted electric vehicles, andoff-road motorcycles that have been converted to on-road use. Thebill contains numerous technical amendments.

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.