Virginia National Guard; state active duty for emergency response; pay and allowances for members. Provides that whenever called to state active duty in response to certain emergencies, members of the National Guard and the Virginia Defense Force receive pay and allowance equal to their rank and years of service, as determined by the Department of Military Affairs. The bill also authorizes the Adjutant General to increase state active duty pay on an annual basis by a rate not to exceed the most recent percentage increase in basic pay for members of the Armed Forces. Current law provides that (i) officers of the National Guard receive the same pay and allowances as prescribed for members of like rank in the United States Armed Forces, (ii) members of the National Guard receive the same pay and allowances as if they were on a day of Annual Training, and (iii) members of the Virginia Defense Force called to state active duty receive the same pay and allowances as persons of like grade in the National Guard for a day of Annual Training, capped at 25 years of service. The provisions of the bills are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
Sponsored bills
Public school teachers; technical professionallicenses; eligibility criteria. Requires the Board of Education,pursuant to regulation, to permit any individual who seeks a technicalprofessional license to substitute the successful completion of anintensive, job-embedded, three-year program of professional developmentfor the nine semester hours of professional studies required forsuch license.
Department of Transportation; primary evacuationroutes. Directs the Virginia Department of Transportation (the Department), in consultation with the Department of Emergency Management,to develop, maintain, and make publicly available a map of primaryevacuation routes in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Departmentto review the transportation infrastructure along such routes and submit a report with such findings and any recommended improvementsto the General Assembly at least once every five years.
Specialty dockets; veterans docket. Providesthat any veterans docket authorized and established as a local specialtydocket in accordance with the Rules of Supreme Court of Virginiashall be deemed a "Veterans Treatment Court Program," as that termis used under federal law or by any other entity, for the purposesof applying for, qualifying for, or receiving any federal grants,other federal money, or money from any other entity designated toassist or fund such state programs. The bill contains an emergencyclause.
Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for certain diseases. Adds cancers of the colon, brain, or testes to the list of cancers that are presumed to be an occupational disease covered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act when firefighters or certain employees develop the cancer. The presumption shall not apply for any individual who was diagnosed with one of the conditions before July 1, 2020. The measure removes the compensability requirement that the employee who develops cancer had contact with a toxic substance encountered in the line of duty. The bill also reduces the number of years of service needed to qualify for the presumption from 12 to five for various types of cancer. For hypertension or heart disease, the bill adds a requirement that an individual complete five years of service in their position in order to qualify. This bill is identical to SB 9.
Carnal knowledge of pretrial or posttrial offender;bail bondsmen; penalty. Increases to a Class 6 felony from aClass 1 misdemeanor the penalty for an owner or employee of a bailbond company that posted bond for a person to carnally know suchperson if the owner or employee has the authority to revoke the person'sbond.
Virginia Defense Force; maximum age for recruitment. Permits the Adjutant General of Virginia to recruit members to the Virginia Defense Force who are between the ages of 65 and 75. Under current law, the Adjutant General is only permitted to retain existing members of the Virginia Defense Force once they have attained the age of 65.
Research and development tax credits; sunset; aggregate caps. Extends the sunset date for both the research and development expenses tax credit and the major research and development expenses tax credit from January 1, 2022, to January 1, 2025. Beginning with taxable year 2021, the bill increases the aggregate cap of the research and development expenses tax credit from $7 million to $7.77 million and increases the aggregate cap of the major research and development expenses tax credit from $20 million to $24 million. For both credits, the bill moves back the annual deadline for applications for the credit from July 1 to September 1. This bill is identical to SB 110.
Overweight permits; forest products. Clarifies that the definition of forest products for the purpose of qualifying for an overweight permit for hauling forest products includes wood pellets. This bill is identical to SB 328.
Kinship Guardianship Assistance program; eligibility; fictive kin. Expands eligibility for the Kinship Guardianship Assistance program by allowing payments to be made to fictive kin who receive custody of a child of whom they had been the foster parent. This bill incorporates HB 917 and is identical to SB 178.