Sen. Jeremy McPike

Commending William H. Goodwin, Jr.

Virginia Lottery Board; Casino Gaming Establishment Location Commission; penalties. Authorizes casino gaming in the Commonwealth to be regulated by the Virginia Lottery Board. The bill specifies the licensing requirements for casino gaming and imposes criminal and civil penalties for violations of the casino gaming law. The bill establishes qualified locations for casino gaming operations, imposes a tax of 27 percent on the adjusted gross receipts of licensees, and provides for how the tax proceeds are disbursed. The bill also requires the Board to establish and implement a voluntary exclusion program and establishes the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund, administered by the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, to provide counseling and other support services for compulsive and problem gamblers, develop problem gambling treatment and prevention programs, and provide grants to support organizations that provide assistance to compulsive gamblers. The bill creates a 14-member Casino Gaming Establishment Location Commission to evaluate and select proposals for the operation and development of casino gaming establishments and details qualifications for Commission members. Weighted criteria are established that must be considered by the Commission when evaluating proposals. The Commission sunsets on July 1, 2023. In addition, the bill provides for (i) a five-year moratorium on the authorization by the Virginia Racing Commission of any additional satellite facilities and (ii) the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Lottery Board to establish an ongoing stakeholder group to enable collaboration among problem gambling prevention and treatment providers and casino gaming operators. The bill requires the Board to promulgate emergency regulations to implement the provisions of this bill. This bill was incorporated into SB 36.

Virginia Lottery Board; regulation of the manufacturing, distributing, operating, servicing, hosting, and playing of videogame terminals; penalties. Authorizes the manufacturing, distributing, operating, servicing, hosting, and playing of video game terminalsin the Commonwealth, to be regulated by the Virginia Lottery Board.The bill specifies the licensing requirements for the manufacture,distribution, operating, servicing, and hosting of video game terminals,requires employees of such licensees to be registered with the LotteryDepartment, and imposes criminal and civil penalties for violationsof the law and regulations related to video game terminals. The billprohibits any host location licensee from offering more than fiveelectronic gaming devices to the public for play at such host location'sestablishment. The bill imposes a 10 percent tax on all gross profitsfrom the play of video game terminals and provides for how the taxproceeds are disbursed. The bill also establishes the Problem GamblingTreatment and Support Fund, administered by the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, to provide counseling and othersupport services for compulsive and problem gamblers, develop problemgambling treatment and prevention programs, and provide grants tosupport organizations that provide assistance to compulsive gamblers.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable Mary T.Christian.

Collective bargaining for public employees.Repeals the existing prohibition on collective bargaining by publicemployees. The bill creates the Public Employee Relations Board,which will determine appropriate bargaining units and provide forcertification and decertification elections for exclusive bargainingrepresentatives of state employees and local government employees.The measure requires public employers and employee organizationsthat are exclusive bargaining representatives to meet at reasonabletimes to negotiate in good faith with respect to wages, hours, andother terms and conditions of employment. The measure repeals a provisionenacted in 2013 that declares that, in any procedure providing for the designation, selection, or authorization of a labor organizationto represent employees, the right of an individual employee to voteby secret ballot is a fundamental right that shall be guaranteedfrom infringement.

Commending James McAllister.

Department of Motor Vehicles; issuance of certain documents; citizenship requirement. Removes the citizenship and legal presence requirements for obtaining a driver's license or special identification card. The bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to cancel any (i) REAL ID-compliant driver's license or special identification card and (ii) commercial driver's license or commercial learner's permit if the Department is notified by a federal agency that the individual to whom such document was issued is not in compliance with the citizenship and lawful residency requirements for such license, card, or permit. The bill has a delayed effective date of October 2, 2020, and contains technical amendments. This bill was incorporated into SB 34.

Right to reproductive choice. Provides thatevery individual has a fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptionand that a pregnant person has a fundamental right to choose to carrya pregnancy to term, give birth to a child, or terminate a pregnancy.The bill states that the Commonwealth shall not, in the regulationor provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information, denyor interfere with an individual's fundamental rights, including individualsunder state control or supervision. The bill states that any stateor local official who is charged with violating provisions of thissection shall be subject to an action in federal or state court forinjunctive relief and damages. Such action may be brought by any person or entity that may be aggrieved by such official's actions.

Workers' compensation; occupation disease presumptions; PTSD. Establishes a presumption that if certain firefighters, law-enforcement officers, hazardous materials officers, animal protection police officers, or 9-1-1 emergency call takers, dispatchers, or similarly situated employees (i) receive a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from a licensed physician, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed professional counselor, or licensed clinical social worker; (ii) suffer death or any impairment resulting in total or partial disability from work caused by the PTSD; and (iii) receive a statement from such a provider that the PTSD was caused by a single critical event or multiple exposures to critical events that occurred in the course of the employment, then the PTSD is an occupational disease, suffered in the line of duty, that is covered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act unless such presumption is overcome by a preponderance of competent evidence to the contrary. The measure provides that a "critical event" includes an event that results in serious injury or death to an individual; deals with a minor who has been injured, killed, abused, exploited, or a victim of a crime; deals with mass casualties; results in injury to or the death of a coworker; involves an immediate threat to the life of the claimant or another individual; or involves the abuse, cruelty, injury, exploitation, or death of an animal. This bill was incorporated into SB 561.

Constitution of the United States; Equal RightsAmendment. Ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitutionof the United States that was proposed by Congress in 1972.