Petition for vacatur and expungement of convictionsand police and court records of victims of human trafficking.Allows any person who was a victim of human trafficking at the timeof an offense that led to a criminal charge or conviction of certaincrimes to petition the court to vacate such conviction and expungethe police and court records related to such conviction or to expungethe police and court records related to such charge. The bill provides that there is a rebuttable presumption that a person's participationin an offense was a result of having been a victim of human traffickingif there is official documentation, defined in the bill, of the petitioner'sstatus as a victim of human trafficking at the time of the offense.
Del. Karrie Delaney
Sponsored bills
Expungement of police and court records.Provides that a court that enters a nolle prosequi for a criminalcharge or dismisses such charge for any reason may, upon motion ofthe person charged, enter an order requiring the expungement of thepolice and court records relating to the charge.
Virginia Public Procurement Act; failure topay unemployment taxes. Prohibits state agencies from contractingfor goods and services from a nongovernmental source if that source,or any affiliate of the source, is required to remit unemployment taxes but fails or refuses to do so. The measure requires the Virginia Employment Commission to make a determination of whether a sourceis a prohibited source for failure or refusal to remit unemploymenttaxes and permits any aggrieved source to apply to the Commissionerof the Virginia Employment Commission for correction of the determination.The measure also provides that any source that fails to remit unemploymenttaxes for more than 10 covered employees shall be a prohibited sourcefor a period of two years.
Employment; wage inquiries; prohibited retaliatory action. Prohibits any public or private employer from (i) refusing to interview, hire, or employ an applicant for employment because the applicant does not provide wage history; (ii) retaliating against an applicant for employment because the applicant does not provide wage history; or (iii) relying on the wage history of an applicant to determine the wages offered by the employer to such individual. An applicant or employee who is aggrieved by a violation may bring a private action against the employer. The measure also prohibits an employer from taking other retaliatory action against an employee because the employee (a) reports a violation or suspected violation of any law to a supervisor or to any governmental body or law-enforcement official; (b) is requested by a governmental body or law-enforcement official to participate in an investigation, hearing, or inquiry; (c) refuses to engage in a criminal act that would subject the employee to criminal liability; (d) refuses an employer's order to perform an action that the employee believes violates any law; (e) provides information to or testifies before any governmental body or law-enforcement official conducting an investigation into any alleged violation by the employer; or (f) makes a prohibited wage inquiry. This bill was incorporated into HB 416.
Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatoryhousing practices; sexual orientation and gender identity. Addsdiscrimination on the basis of an individual's sexual orientationor gender identity as an unlawful housing practice. The bill defines"sexual orientation" and "gender identity." This bill was incorporatedinto HB 1663.
Commending Mission BBQ.
Commending the Garden Club of Virginia.
Custody and visitation arrangements; fostercare; adoption; use of cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil. Providesthat the use of cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil by a parent in a custodyor visitation case shall not serve as the sole basis for the denialor restriction of custody or visitation, if such parent has a writtencertification by a practitioner attesting to the benefit of suchuse. The bill further provides that such use by a foster parent shallnot be the sole reason a child is removed from a foster parent andthat such use by a prospective foster parent shall not be the solereason to deny such prospective foster parent eligibility to becomea foster parent. The bill also provides that such use by a petitionerfor adoption shall not be the sole reason for the denial of a finalorder of adoption by a circuit court.
Commending the Washington Nationals.
Constitution of the United States; Equal RightsAmendment. Ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitutionof the United States that was proposed by Congress in 1972. The jointresolution advocates the position that the 1972 Equal Rights Amendmentremains viable and may be ratified notwithstanding the expirationof the 10-year ratification period set out in the resolving clause,as amended, in the proposal adopted by Congress.