Sen. Lamont Bagby

License plate readers; penalties. Provides requirements for the use of license plate readers, defined in thebill, by law-enforcement agencies. The bill requires such agenciesto enter into an agreement with the license plate reader owners orother responsible non-law-enforcement entity to operate a data trust,defined in the bill, to store the data collected by a license platereader and requires any such law-enforcement agency to apply to thedata trust for access to such data. The bill limits the use of licenseplate readers to scanning, detecting, and identifying license plate numbers for the purpose of identifying vehicles involved in certaincrimes.

Advisory Council on Sickle Cell Disease; established;report. Establishes the Advisory Council on Sickle Cell Diseaseto advise the State Health Commissioner on the efforts to improveawareness of sickle cell disease and the needs of individuals withsickle cell disease. The bill requires the Board of Health to reportannually by December 1 to the Governor and the General Assemblyregarding its activities and recommendations.

The Virginia African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and Indigenous Education Advisory Board; establishment.

Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaignfunds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions.Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or hiscampaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversionof contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at thedissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that acontribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if thecontribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment,obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking,holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used forthe ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holdingelective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate'schild care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity.The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may requestan advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The billdirects the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations similar tothose promulgated by the Federal Election Commission to implement theprovisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaignfinance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General'sguidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use ofcampaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board ofElections.

Content manufacturing tax credit. Removesthe sunset for the motion picture tax credit, which currently isset to expire after taxable year 2026, and expands and redesignatesthe tax credit as the content manufacturing tax credit. The billincreases the total amount of credits that can be allocated to taxpayers to $46.5 million beginning in fiscal year 2024; however, shouldless than $100 million worth of certain new investments, as describedby the bill, occur in Virginia by January 1, 2027, the cap will bereduced to $10 million per fiscal year. Thebill also amends the definition of the "qualifying expenses" eligiblefor the content manufacturing tax credit to mean certain amountsspent in connection with the production of an eligible project filmedin the Commonwealth. The bill defines "eligible project" to be theproduction of a motion picture or an episodic television series.

Commending Major General Timothy P. Williams,VNG.

Elections; form of ballot; party identificationof candidates; constitutional offices. Provides that any candidatefor a constitutional office who is nominated by a political partyor at a primary election shall be identified on the ballot by thename of his political party. Currently, only candidates for federal,statewide, and General Assembly offices are so identified. The constitutionaloffices are those of the treasurer, sheriff, attorney for the Commonwealth,clerk of court, and commissioner of the revenue.

Commending John Ray Grisham, Jr.

Celebrating the life of Shawn Soares.

Commending the Honorable Dr. Luke E. Torian.