Study; Apprenticeship Council; electric vehicle charging infrastructure apprenticeship programs; report. Requests the Virginia Apprenticeship Council to study the need for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and maintenance and repair of EV infrastructure apprenticeship programs in the Commonwealth, noting the stated goal of the Commonwealth to reduce carbon emissions intensity across all sectors, including the transportation industry. In conducting its study, the Apprenticeship Council should consider a number of factors in studying the need for such apprenticeship programs. The Apprenticeship Council is further requested to report the results of an in-depth study of similar apprenticeship programs in other states to the General Assembly and to convene a stakeholder advisory group to discuss the need for electric vehicle charging infrastructure apprenticeship programs in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Apprenticeship Council to complete its meetings by November 30, 2022, and report its findings to the Governor and the Chairmen of the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Commerce and Labor and the House Committees on Education and Labor and Commerce.
Sponsored bills
Anti-Human Trafficking and Survivor Trust Fund.Creates the Anti-Human Trafficking and Survivor Trust Fund, whichshall be administered by a Board of Trustees and used for the supportand development of services for the prevention of human traffickingand the treatment and support of human trafficking victims.
Driver's license and learner's permit renewal;certain older applicants. Lowers from 75 years old to 70 yearsold the age at which a person shall not be issued a driver's licensefor a period of more than five years and at which an applicant fora driver's license or learner's permit renewal is required to appearin person and pass a vision examination or present a report of avision examination. The bill requires applicants for a driver's licenseor learner's permit renewal that are 70 years of age or older to provide a certification by a physician that the applicant is mentallyand physically capable of operating a motor vehicle. The bill authorizesthe Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner to issue a temporarylicense or permit to an applicant that does not have the certificationbut is otherwise eligible for renewal. The bill requires the Commissionerto establish a process whereby an applicant that is unable to obtaina certificate of fitness to drive may be evaluated to determine his fitness to drive.
Jury duty; allowance increase. Increasesthe jury duty allowance from $30 to $40 for each day of attendanceupon the court effective July 1, 2022; to $45 effective July 1, 2023;and to $50 effective July 1, 2024, and thereafter.
Department of Motor Vehicles; electronic credentials.Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue electroniccredentials and to create and operate a verification system for suchcredentials. Current law authorizes the Department to issue suchcredentials and operate a verification system but does not requirethe Department to do so.
Fraud-related crimes; penalties. Createsfelony offenses for crimes related to wire fraud, mail fraud, bankfraud, and health care fraud, each described in the bill, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than one nor more than 20 years.
Virginia Center for Firearm Violence Interventionand Prevention; Virginia Firearm Violence Intervention and PreventionFund; creation. Establishes the Virginia Center for Firearm ViolenceIntervention and Prevention (the Center) within the Department ofCriminal Justice Services and transfers to the Center the administrationof the existing Virginia Gun Violence Intervention and PreventionFund.
Civil actions filed on behalf of multiple persons. Provides that a circuit court may enter an order joining, coordinating, consolidating, or transferring civil actions upon finding that separatecivil actions brought by a plaintiff on behalf of multiple similarlysituated persons involve common questions of law or fact and ariseout of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactionsor occurrences. The bill requires the Supreme Court to promulgaterules no later than November 1, 2022, governing such actions. Thebill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023.
Workers' compensation; anxiety disorder or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters.Provides that an anxiety disorder or depressive disorder, as both are defined in the bill, incurred by a law-enforcement officer or firefighter is compensable under the Virginia Workers' CompensationAct on the same basis as post-traumatic stress disorder. The billprovides that a mental health professional must diagnose the law-enforcementofficer or firefighter as suffering from anxiety disorder or depressivedisorder as a result of a qualifying event, as defined in the Code,and includes other conditions for compensability.
Constitutional amendment (second reference);marriage; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative rightto marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriageas only a union between one man and one woman as well as the relatedprovisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United StatesSupreme 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 requires the Commonwealthand its political subdivisions and agents to issue marriage licenses,recognize marriages, and treat all marriages equally under the law,regardless of the sex or gender of the parties to the marriage. Religiousorganizations and clergy acting in their religious capacity havethe right to refuse to perform any marriage.