Sen. Jennifer T. Wexton

The resolution is a recommendation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission.

Prohibits discrimination in public employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, as defined in the bill. The bill also codifies for state and local government employment the current prohibitions on discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, or status as a veteran.

Requires health insurers, health care subscription plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder in individuals from age two through age 18. Currently, such coverage is required to be provided for individuals from age two through age 10. The provision applies with respect to insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on or after January 1, 2019. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

Provides that outdoor tethering of a companion animal shall not meet the requirement that an animal be given adequate shelter, unless the animal is actively engaged in an agricultural or hunting activity, when it is conducted(i) when the temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower or 85 degrees Fahrenheit or higher; (ii) during a heat advisory; or (iii) during a severe weather warning. The bill provides that a tether shall meet the requirement that an animal be given adequate space if it is four times the length of the animal or 15 feet in length, whichever is greater, and does not cause injury or pain or weigh more than one-tenth of the animal's body weight. The bill exempts agricultural animals from existing provisions related to tethering. The bill also authorizes any locality to adopt ordinances that parallel and make more stringent the state law regarding the care of companion animals.

Prohibits any person from acting as a qualified education loan servicer without first obtaining a license from the State Corporation Commission (SCC) and establishes procedures pertaining to such licenses. Banks, credit unions, certain wholly-owned subsidiaries of banks and credit unions, and nonprofit institutions of higher education are exempt from the licensing provisions. The servicing of a qualified education loan encompasses (i) receiving any scheduled periodic payments from a qualified education loan borrower pursuant to the terms of a qualified education loan; (ii) applying the payments of principal and interest and such other payments, with respect to the amounts received from a qualified education loan borrower, as may be required pursuant to the terms of a qualified education loan; and (iii) performing other administrative services with respect to a qualified education loan. Qualified education loan servicers are prohibited from, among other things, (a) misrepresenting the amount, nature, or terms of any fee or payment due or claimed to be due on a qualified education loan, the terms and conditions of the loan agreement, or the borrower's obligations under the loan; (b) knowingly misapplying or recklessly applying loan payments to the outstanding balance of a qualified education loan; and (c) failing to report both the favorable and unfavorable payment history of the borrower to a nationally recognized consumer credit bureau at least annually if the loan servicer regularly reports information to such a credit bureau. Violations are subject to a civil penalty not exceeding $2,500. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2019, but provides that applications shall be accepted, and investigations commenced, by the SCC beginning October 1, 2018.

Repeals the requirement that the driver's license of a person convicted of any violation of the law who fails or refuses to provide for immediate payment of fines or costs be suspended. The bill provides that the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles shall return or reinstate any person's driver's license that was suspended prior to July 1, 2018, solely for nonpayment of fines or costs, provided that such person has paid the applicable reinstatement fee. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act. This bill incorporates