Prohibits the conversion of any contributed moneys, securities, or like intangible personal property by any person to the personal use of a candidate or member of the candidate's immediate family or an intimate partner of the candidate or a member of the candidate's immediate family if (i) such use yields a grossly disproportionate and unreasonable benefit to the recipient or candidate relative to the benefit realized by the candidate's campaign or public office, (ii) the fair market value of converted property grossly exceeds the benefit realized by the candidate's campaign or public office, (iii) a reasonable and prudent person would not ordinarily authorize such expenditure as beneficial to the campaign, and (iv) such use is made with a knowing, willing, reckless, or negligent disregard for the financial interests of the campaign. Complaints of alleged violations may be made by any person to the State Board of Elections. The subject of the complaint has 30 days to provide to the State Board documentation or other evidence that the use of campaign funds was permissible. The State Board shall call a hearing if it determines, after reviewing any response made by the subject of the complaint, that the use of campaign funds was impermissible. A person found by the State Board to have willfully and knowingly violated this section shall repay to the campaign committee the amount unlawfully converted. The State Board may also assess an additional civil penalty, in an amount not to exceed the amount unlawfully converted. Complaints may be declared factually meritless by the State Board when, viewing the facts in the light most favorable to the complaining party, it finds there is no credible allegation of a violation and such complaints shall be exempt from public disclosure for a period of time immediately preceding an election.
Sen. Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.
Sponsored bills
Provides that direct agreement between a patient, the patient's legal representative, or the patient's employer and a health care provider for ongoing primary care services in exchange for the payment of a monthly periodic fee is not health insurance or a health maintenance organization, if patients are not required to pay monthly periodic fees prior to initiation of the direct agreement coverage period. The measure also provides that a health care provider who participates in a direct primary care practice may participate in a health insurance carrier network so long as the provider is willing and able to meet the terms and conditions of network membership set by the health insurance carrier. The measure establishes requirements for disclosures regarding direct primary care agreements, including a list of the services covered under the agreement. This bill is identical to
Authorizes an investor-owned electric utility to petition the State Corporation Commission for approval of a rate adjustment clause for recovery of the costs of one or more pumped hydroelectricity generation and storage facilities that utilize associated on-site or off-site renewable energy resources as all or a portion of their power source and such facilities and associated resources are located in the coalfield region of the Commonwealth. The measure provides that the requirement that a utility demonstrate that it has considered and weighed alternative options, including third-party market alternatives, in its selection process does not apply to these generation and storage facilities. The construction of these generation and storage facilities is declared to be in the public interest, and in determining whether to approve such facility, the Commission is directed to liberally construe the provisions of Title 56.
Authorizes the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to establish an operational and programmatic efficiency and effectiveness review and assessment of state agencies, under a contract with a United States-based private management consulting firm. The purpose of the review and assessment is to provide an objective and independent cost-savings assessment of the Commonwealth's organizational structure and its programs in order to provide information to the Governor and the General Assembly to effect savings in expenditures, a reduction in duplication of effort, and programmatic efficiencies in the operation of state government. The bill also (i) provides certain required terms for the contract with the private entity and (ii) requires the Commission to submit a report to the General Assembly on the results of any review and assessment by December 1 of the year in which the review is conducted.
Waives any penalties related to taxes administered by the Department of Taxation for a small business during its first two years of operation as long as the business enters into an installment agreement with the Tax Commissioner for the payment of taxes. However, the bill provides that the Department of Taxation shall not be required to waive penalties for conversion of trust taxes or failure to remit state sales or withholding taxes.
Requires the Commonwealth Data Point website administered by the Auditor of Public Accounts to include information for major categories of spending for each state agency and institution, including each independent agency. Currently, the Commonwealth Data Point website includes such information for only secretariats and major state agencies. In addition, the bill provides that the database shall include the name, phone number, and email address for a contact at each agency or institution. This bill is identical to
Provides that any person who knowingly provides any material support to an individual or organization whose primary objective is to commit an act of terrorism and does so with the intent to further such objective is guilty of a Class 3 felony. If the provision of such material support results in the death of any person, the penalty is increased to a Class 2 felony. The bill also expands the definition of an act of terrorism to include an act committed outside the Commonwealth that would meet the definition of an act of violence if such act were committed within the Commonwealth. This bill incorporates
Provides that a service agreement offered by an automobile club does not constitute insurance. The measure also provides that the types of services related to motor travel or to the operation, use, or maintenance of a motor vehicle that may be supplied by an automobile club are not limited to towing service, emergency road service, indemnification service, guaranteed arrest bond certificate service, discount service, financial service, theft service, map service, or touring service.
Creates a new program of parental leave benefits for full-time state employees with one or more years of continuous employment with the Commonwealth who (i) adopt an infant under one year of age or (ii) are the natural father of an infant under one year of age. The amount of leave would be equivalent to the amount of paid leave awarded to an employee pursuant to short-term disability for maternity leave. The bill specifies that the parental leave coverage shall apply only to eligible state employees who take custody of an infant in the course of an adoption on or after July 1, 2018, or, for a natural father, for an infant born on or after July 1, 2018. The Department of Human Resource Management is directed to develop guidelines and policies for implementing the parental leave benefits. The bill also directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to analyze parental leave benefits for state employees in other states and the costs of providing such benefits to the employees of the Commonwealth. The bill has a reenactment clause that applies to all provisions of the bill except the JLARC study, which is effective July 1, 2017.
Creates a new permit that allows tour companies guiding individuals for compensation on a culinary walking tour to licensed on-premises retail establishments to collect as one fee from tour participants (i) the licensee's fee for the food and alcoholic beverages served as part of the tour and (ii) a fee for the culinary walking tour service. The bill requires the tour company to remit to the licensee any fee collected for the food and alcoholic beverages served as part of the tour. The bill provides that food cooked or prepared on the premises of such licensed on-premises retail establishments shall be served at each such establishment on the tour.