Del. Kelly Fowler

Additional local sales and use tax to support schools. Authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent, with the revenue used only for capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools. Under the bill, the tax can only be imposed if it is initiated by a resolution of the local governing body and approved by the voters in a referendum. The bill requires the governing body to specify in the enacting ordinance the time period, not to exceed 20 years, for which the tax would be imposed, and revenue from the tax is required to be used solely for capital projects for new construction or major renovation of schools in the locality enacting the tax. Under current law, only Charlotte County, Gloucester County, Halifax County, Henry County, Mecklenburg County, Northampton County, Patrick County, Pittsylvania County, and the City of Danville are authorized to impose such a tax.

Literary Fund; loans; application process; maximum loan amounts; rates of interest; closing costs; waiting lists. Makes several changes to the provisions relating to loans from the Literary Fund to finance the construction and renovation of public elementary and secondary school buildings in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Board of Education (the Board) to establish an annual open application process for Literary Fund loans to occur during the period that the Board deems most suitable. The bill increases from $7.5 million to $25 million the maximum Literary Fund loan amount and permits the Board to increase such maximum to up to $35 million for loans for any school construction or renovation project that facilitates the consolidation of schools. The bill requires the Board to fix the interest rate on all loans made from the Literary Fund at not less than one percent per year, not more than three percent per year, and at increments of one half of one percent per year between such minimum and maximum rates, payable annually, and to utilize a sliding scale based on the local school division's composite index of local ability to pay to determine the interest rate on each such loan. Under current law, such rates are required to be set between two and six percent per year. The bill requires the Board to establish a competitive program for the award of up to $25,000 to a school division that receives a Literary Fund loan for the purpose of subsidizing all or a portion of the closing costs for such loan. The bill also permits the Board to remove any project that has been inactive for at least five years from any Literary Fund loan project waiting list that it maintains. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on School Construction and Modernization.

Commercial sex trafficking, prostitution, etc.;mistake of age defense. Provides that a defendant's ignoranceof the victim's age, the victim's misrepresentation of his age, orthe defendant's belief that the victim was an adult shall not beraised as a defense in a prosecution for certain crimes related tocommercial sex trafficking and prostitution involving a minor victim.

Study; Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission; common interest communities; report. Requests the Joint LegislativeAudit and Review Commission to study the overall efficiency and effectivenessof common interest communities, with special regard to the accountabilitystructure available for the enforcement of the provisions in thegoverning documents of associations subject to the Property Owners'Association Act.

Campaign finance; prohibited contributions tocandidates. Prohibits any candidate from soliciting or acceptinga contribution from any public service corporation or any politicalaction committee established and administered by such a corporation.

Property Owners' Association Act; access toassociation records; electronic participation in association meetings.Clarifies that all books and records kept by or on behalf ofan association shall be made available to a member in good standingor his authorized agent in a manner consistent with the association'sroutine practices and procedure for the keeping and production ofsuch books and records, to include both physical and electronic methodsof production. Current law makes no mention of the electronic productionof such books and records. The bill also permits members to participatein any meeting of the association through electronic communicationmeans if doing so has been authorized by the board of directors. Such members shall be deemed present for quorum purposes and may voteat the meeting so long as the board of directors has implementedcertain policies regarding access to and participation in the meeting.

Elections; form of ballot; party identificationof candidates on ballots; constitutional officers. Extends toelections for constitutional officers the requirement that ballotsidentify the nominating political party for party candidates andidentify independent candidates as such. Currently, this requirementapplies only to federal, statewide, and General Assembly elections.

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.

Study; JLARC; efficiency of the legislativesystem; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and ReviewCommission (JLARC) to study the efficiency of the legislative systemin the Commonwealth. In conducting its study, JLARC shall (i) analyzetrends in the volume of legislation, number of days spent in session,and costs associated with the legislative process by year; (ii) examinethe pros and cons of the legislative system as it currently existsand make recommendations regarding improvements to key elements ofthe legislative system, including the timing of regular sessions,committee size and scheduling, organizational processes, legislativedeadlines, bill introduction limits, and staffing; (iii) comparethe legislative systems of other states to Virginia's legislatureand identify processes that may be implemented to improve the GeneralAssembly's efficiency; and (iv) recommend procedural and legislativeactions regarding the legislative system that would serve to increaselegislative efficiency.

Teacher compensation; at or above national average.Requires that public school teachers be compensated at a rate thatis at or above the national average. Under current law, compensationat such rate is aspirational. The bill requires state funding tobe provided pursuant to the general appropriation act in a sum sufficientto fund a 4.5 percent annual increase for public school teacher salaries,effective from the 2023-24 school year through the 2027-28 schoolyear. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023.