Increases the membership of the State Board of Elections (Board) from three members to six members and increases the terms of Board members from four years to six years. Equal representation shall be given to each of the political parties having the highest and next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth at the last preceding gubernatorial election. Appointments are to be made with due consideration of geographical representation and no two Board members are to reside in the same congressional district. Terms are initially staggered. The bill also grants to the Board the authority to appoint and remove the Commissioner of Elections, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, to head the Department of Elections and to act as the principal administrative officer. The appointment or removal of the Commissioner shall require an affirmative vote of five of the six Board members. The bill requires the Board to submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2019.
Sponsored bills
Provides that any person who drives a motor vehicle on any highway while using a handheld personal communications device where such use substantially diverts the driver's attention from the operation of the motor vehicle is guilty of distracted driving. Current law prohibits only the reading of an email or text message on the device and manually entering letters or text in the device as a means of communication. The bill provides that distracted driving is punishable as a traffic infraction with a fine of not more than $500 and a mandatory minimum fine of $250 if the violation occurs in a highway work zone.
Provides that a person is guilty of felony homicide, which constitutes second degree murder and is punishable by confinement of not less than five nor more than 40 years, if the underlying felonious act that resulted in the killing of another involved the manufacture, sale, gift, or distribution of a Schedule I or II controlled substance to another and (i) such other person's death results from his use of the controlled substance and (ii) the controlled substance is the proximate cause of his death. The bill also provides that venue for a prosecution of this crime shall lie in the locality where the underlying felony occurred, where the use of the controlled substance occurred, or where death occurred. This bill serves to overrule the Court of Appeals of Virginia decision in Woodard v. Commonwealth, 61 Va. App. 567, 739 S.E.2d 220 (2013), aff'd, 287 Va. 276, 754 S.E.2d 309 (2014).
Establishes the position of Commonwealth Broadband Chief Advisor (Chief Advisor) within the Office of the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to serve as Virginia's single point of contact and integration for broadband issues, efforts, and initiatives and to increase the availability and affordability of broadband throughout all regions of the Commonwealth.
Exempts from the prohibition against importing, possessing, transporting, purchasing, or selling any nonindigenous aquatic nuisance species without a permit any Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan certified restaurant or retail market that purchases from an HACCP certified dealer or sells processed snakehead fish of the family Channidae.
Establishes the Cybersecurity Student Loan Repayment Grant Program, to be administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (the Council), whereby renewable grants of up to $20,000 of matching state and employer funds are provided on a competitive basis to an individual who (i) either (a) graduated within the past year from a public institution of higher education or regionally accredited private institution of higher education with an undergraduate or graduate degree in computer science or another academic program recognized by the Council to prepare an individual for a career in cybersecurity and who resides in the Commonwealth or (b) has served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, was discharged or released within the past year from such service under conditions other than dishonorable, gained experience or received training in computer science during such service, and resides in the Commonwealth and (ii) accepts an offer of employment in a computer science position with any federal or state organization, including any federal or state military or defense organization, that is located in the Commonwealth or any private organization that contractually provides cybersecurity services for any such federal or state organization and that is located in the Commonwealth. The bill contains provisions relating to program administration and dissemination of information and reporting on the program.
Creates the Henrietta Lacks Commission to establish through a public-private partnership the Henrietta Lacks Life Sciences Center in Halifax County as a cancer research and treatment center designed to (i) transform and accelerate cancer research and treatment through the use of biodata tools, (ii) provide tailored cancer treatment medicine to an underserved portion of rural Southside Virginia, and (iii) incubate new biotech businesses across the Southside Virginia region. The bill requires the Commission to annually submit a report on its interim activity and work to the Governor and General Assembly. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2021.