Del. Jay Leftwich

Provides that when a complaint is filed alleging that the website of a bank, trust company, savings institution, or credit union does not comply with applicable law regarding its accessibility by the vision impaired or hearing impaired, the action shall be commenced no sooner than 120 days after the claimant files a written statement of the nature of the claim. The bill further provides that a website of a bank, trust company, savings institution, or credit union is in compliance with Virginia's laws prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities if it meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA as developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative.

Provides that a registered sex offender who enters an emergency shelter designated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and operated in response to a declared state or local emergency shall, as soon as practicable after entry, notify a member of the shelter's staff who is responsible for providing security of such person's status as a registered sex offender. The bill provides that any person who fails to notify the shelter's staff of his status as a registered sex offender is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor. This bill provides that no person shall be denied entry solely on the basis of his status as a sex offender unless such entry is otherwise prohibited by law, but emergency shelter staff may deny entry of a person on such registry who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense for a period of time necessary to ensure the safety of other individuals admitted to the emergency shelter. This bill is identical to

Increases the membership of the State Board of Elections from three members to five members and increases the terms of Board members from four years to five years. Representation shall be given to each of the political parties having the highest and next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth at the preceding gubernatorial election, with three Board members being of the party of the Governor. Terms are initially staggered. The bill also grants to the Board the authority to appoint the Commissioner of Elections, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, and to remove the Commissioner of Elections. The appointment or removal of the Commissioner shall require an affirmative vote of four of the five Board members. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2020. This bill is identical to

Establishes the Virginia Redistricting Commission, a 16-member Commission tasked with establishing districts for the United States House of Representatives and for the Senate and the House of Delegates of the General Assembly. The Commission consists of eight legislative members and eight citizen members. The legislative members consist of four members of the Senate of Virginia and four members of the House of Delegates, with equal representation given to the political parties having the highest and next highest number of members in their respective houses. The citizen members are selected by a selection committee consisting of five retired judges of the circuit courts of Virginia, from lists submitted to the selection committee by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the leader in the House of Delegates of the political party having the next highest number of members in the House of Delegates, the President pro tempore of the Senate of Virginia, and the leader in the Senate of the political party having the next highest number of members in the Senate. The Commission is required to submit to the General Assembly plans of districts for the Senate and the House of Delegates of the General Assembly no later than 45 days following the receipt of census data and plans of districts for the United States House of Representatives no later than 60 days following the receipt of census data, or July 1 of that year, whichever occurs later. The measure requires certain vote thresholds for plans, depending on the type of district, in order to be submitted to the General Assembly. No amendments may be made to a plan by the General Assembly or the Governor. The measure requires additional plans to be submitted, or additional time to be given to submit a plan, in certain circumstances, and further provides that districts will be drawn by the Supreme Court of Virginia if such efforts fail.

Provides that, where a matter is pending in either the general district court or the circuit court, upon motion of the plaintiff seeking to amend the amount of the claim, the court shall order transfer of the matter to the court having jurisdiction over the claim without requiring a dismissal of the claim or a nonsuit. The bill further provides that, where such an amended claim provides the general district court and the circuit court with concurrent jurisdiction over such a claim, the court shall transfer the matter to either the general district court or the circuit court, as directed by the plaintiff, provided that such court otherwise has jurisdiction over the matter. The bill further provides that, except for good cause shown, no such order of transfer shall issue unless the motion to amend and transfer is made at least 10 days before trial. The bill further provides that the plaintiff shall pay filing and other fees to the clerk of the court to which the case is transferred, prepare and present the order of transfer to the transferring court for entry, and provide a certified copy of the transfer order to the receiving court.

Sets out sections in Title 15.2 that are currently carried by reference only. Locality descriptions are replaced with locality names, and various technical amendments are made. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Code Commission.

Requires the owner or operator of any coal combustion residuals (CCR) unit, defined in the bill to include a coal ash pond or landfill, within the Chesapeake Bay watershed at Bremo Power Station, Chesapeake Energy Center, Chesterfield Power Station, and Possum Point Power Station to close such CCR unit by removing all of the CCR for (i) recycling, known as encapsulated beneficial use, or (ii) deposition in a permitted and lined landfill that meets certain federal standards. The measure requires that any owner or operator beneficially reuse no less than 6.8 million cubic yards in aggregate of such removed CCR from no fewer than two of the sites. Such a closure project shall be completed within 15 years of its initiation and shall be accompanied by an offer by the owner or operator to provide connection to a municipal water supply for every residence within one-half mile, or if such connection is not feasible, the owner or operator shall offer to provide water testing for any such residence.

Requires health insurers, health care subscription plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder in individuals of any age. Currently, such coverage is required to be provided for individuals from age two through age 10. The provision applies with respect to insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on or after January 1, 2020. This bill is identical to