Minor victims of sex trafficking; arrest and prosecution; services. Provides that no minor shall be subject to arrest, delinquency charges, or prosecution for (i) a status offense, (ii) an act that would be a misdemeanor if committed by an adult, or (iii) an act that would be a felony if committed by an adult other than a violent juvenile felony if the minor (a) is a victim of sex trafficking or severe forms of trafficking and (b) committed such offense as a direct result of being solicited, invited, recruited, encouraged, forced, intimidated, or deceived by another to engage in acts of prostitution or unlawful sexual intercourse for money or its equivalent, regardless of whether any other person has been charged or convicted of an offense related to the sex trafficking of such minor. The bill also clarifies that it is not a defense to a commercial sex trafficking charge where the adult committed such violation with a person under 18 years of age that such person under 18 years of age consented to any of the prohibited acts.The bill also provides that the local department of social services shall refer any child suspected or determined to be a victim of sex trafficking to an available victim assistance organization that provides comprehensive trauma-informed services designed to alleviate the adverse effects of trafficking and victimization and to aid in the child's healing, including assistance with case management, placement, access to educational and legal services, and mental health services.
Sponsored bills
Fines and costs; period of limitations on collection.Changes the period of limitations for the collection of courtfines and costs from within 60 years from the date of the offenseor delinquency giving rise to imposition of such penalty if imposedby a circuit court or within 30 years if imposed by a general districtcourt to within three years from the date of the judgment whetherimposed by a circuit court or general district court. The bill also states that upon the expiration of the period of limitations, thefines imposed and costs taxed are extinguished and there shall beno right to collect the debt and that the period of limitations shallnot be extended or revived on account of a partial payment; a writtenor verbal affirmation of any fines, monetary penalties, or costs; or a change in collection methods.
Jury duty; allowance increase. Increasesthe jury duty allowance from $30 to $40 for each day of attendanceupon the court effective July 1, 2022; to $45 effective July 1, 2023;and to $50 effective July 1, 2024, and thereafter.
Grounds for divorce; cruelty, abuse, desertion,or abandonment; waiting period. Eliminates the one-year waitingperiod for being decreed a divorce on the grounds of cruelty, reasonableapprehension of bodily hurt, or willful desertion or abandonment.
Department of Flood Control; Commonwealth FloodPlan. Creates the Commonwealth Flood Board as a policy boardin the executive branch. The bill provides that the Board's dutiesshall include, among others, overseeing the development, implementation,and updating of the Commonwealth Flood Plan. The bill also createsthe Department of Flood Control under the authority of the Secretaryof Natural and Historic Resources to provide technical expertise in all aspects related to flood control, management, mitigation, abatement,and recovery. The Commonwealth Flooding Scientific and TechnicalAdvisory Committee is also established in the bill as an advisorycommittee of the Commonwealth Flood Board to assist the Commonwealthin developing and implementing the Commonwealth Flood Plan.
Water quality; consideration of economic orsocial development. Requires the State Water Control Board toanalyze the economic or social impact on residents who and communitiesthat have historically been economically or socially disadvantagedwhen considering any project or development that would constitutea new or increased discharge of effluent into high quality water.
Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act;landlord obligations; tenant safety. Requires a landlord whoowns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percentinterest in more than four rental dwelling units, to require allemployees and applicants for employment to submit to fingerprintingand provide personal descriptive information to be forwarded alongwith the employee's or applicant's fingerprints through the CentralCriminal Records Exchange and the Federal Bureau of Investigationfor the purpose of obtaining criminal history record informationregarding such employee or applicant. The bill allows a landlordto disqualify from employment any person who has been convicted ofor found guilty of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendereto, regardless of adjudication, a violent crime committed in anyjurisdiction. The bill also provides that a landlord must (i) establishwritten policies and procedure for the storage and management of,access to, and return of all keys for each rental dwelling unit;(ii) regulate the secure storage of and access to unissued keys;and (iii) maintain a written log for the issuance and return of allkeys. Finally, pursuant to the bill, all relevant landlords must submit certain information on a quarterly basis to the Department of Housingand Community Development to prove compliance with the provisionsoutlined in the bill.
Celebrating the life of Mildred Fayette OdomGraves.
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exclusions to application of chapter; local administrative investigations; disclosure. Adds email addresses as information that, when furnished in confidence to the local governing body, with respect to complainants in local investigations are exempt from disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The bill expands the applicability of the exemption to zoning enforcement complaints for all such complaints, not just individual enforcement complaints. The bill also adds local public health and safety, nuisance, and waste and recycling complaints to the list of complainants whose personal information is exempt from disclosure.
Commending the Reverend Dr. Geoffrey V. Guns.