Absentee voting; return of absentee ballots;drop-off locations. Repeals the provisions of law providing forthe establishment of drop-off locations for the return of absenteeballots.
Celebrating the life of James J.L. Stegmaier.
Celebrating the life of Rebecca Kellam Chalmers.
Public elementary and secondary schools and public school-based early childhood care and education programs; student instruction; masks; emergency. Requires, except in the case of the 10 unscheduled remote learning days otherwise permitted by law or in certain cases of student discipline, each school board to offer in-person instruction, as defined in the bill, to each student enrolled in the local school division in a public elementary or secondary school for at least the minimum number of required annual instructional hours and to each student enrolled in the local school division in a public school-based early childhood care and education program for the entirety of the instructional time provided pursuant to such program. The bill permits, notwithstanding any other provision of law or any regulation, rule, or policy implemented by a school board, school division, school official, or other state or local authority, the parent of any child enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school, or in any school-based early childhood care and education program, to elect for such child to not wear a mask while on school property. The bill provides that no parent making such an election shall be required to provide a reason or any certification of the child's health or education status and no student shall suffer any adverse disciplinary or academic consequences as a result of this parental election. The bill requires each local school division to comply with the foregoing provisions relating to masks no later than March 1, 2022. The bill clarifies that none of the foregoing provisions shall be construed to affect the authority granted to the Governor to achieve the purposes of relevant emergency services and disaster law with regard to a communicable disease of public health threat. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Employer-mandated vaccinations for COVID-19;required exemptions; civil penalties. Prohibits an employer fromrequiring its employees to receive a vaccine for the prevention ofCOVID-19 unless such employer provides individual exemptions that allow an employee to opt out from such requirement on the basis of(i) medical reasons, including pregnancy or anticipated pregnancy; (ii) religious reasons; (iii) immunity from COVID-19; (iv) periodictesting; or (v) the use of employer-provided personal protectiveequipment. The bill provides requirements for an employee to claimsuch exemptions. The bill prohibits an employer from discriminationagainst an employee who claims such an exemption. The bill also providesfor civil penalties not to exceed $10,000 by an employer with fewerthan 100 employees or $50,000 by an employer with 100 or more employeesfor violations of the bill's requirements.
Home instruction and private school tax credit.Creates an individual, nonrefundable income tax credit for taxableyears 2022 through 2026, for amounts paid by the parent or legalguardian of a child for the child's home instruction expenses or tuitionfor attending an accredited private school in Virginia. The creditshall equal the lesser of the amount actually paid in the taxableyear for such costs or half of the average state standards of quality funding per student per year. The credit may be taken for instruction-relatedmaterials, courses, or programs used in home instruction or for privateschool tuition. The credit is available for two years per child andcan be carried forward for five taxable years.
Absentee voting; permanent absentee voter listrepealed. Repeals the provisions of law by which any registered voter may apply to receive absentee ballots for all elections inwhich he is eligible to vote and remains on the list until the voterrequests in writing to be removed from the list, the voter's registrationis canceled or placed on inactive status pursuant to law, or thevoter moves to a different address not in the same county or cityof his registration.
Parental Choice Education Savings Accounts established. Permits the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill,to apply to the school division in which the qualified student residesfor a one-year, renewable Parental Choice Education Savings Accountthat consists of an amount that is equivalent to a certain percentageof all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state fundsappropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the residentschool division in which the qualified student resides, includingthe per pupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and anystate per pupil share of special education funding for which the qualified student is eligible. The bill permits the parent of the qualifiedstudent to use the moneys in such account for certain education-relatedexpenses of the qualified student, including tuition, deposits, fees,and required textbooks at a private elementary school or secondaryschool that is located in the Commonwealth. The bill also contains provisions relating to auditing, rescinding, and reviewing expensesmade from such accounts.
Constitutional amendment (first reference);education; state appropriations to private schools. Removes the requirement that private schools be nonsectarian in order to be eligiblefor appropriation of state funds.
Absentee voting; excuse required to vote absenteeby mail; excuse required to vote absentee in person prior to thesecond Saturday preceding an election. Requires a registeredvoter to provide a reason for being absent or unable to vote at hispolling place on election day in order to receive an absentee ballotto vote by mail. Registered voters offering to vote absentee in personare similarly required by the bill to provide a reason until thesecond Saturday immediately preceding an election, at which timean excuse is not required to vote absentee in person. The bill providesthat an application for an absentee ballot is required to receivean absentee ballot by mail and to vote absentee in person beforethe second Saturday immediately preceding an election. The bill alsorepeals the permanent absentee voter list and limits the special annual application to those voters with an illness or disability.
