Sen. Dave Marsden

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.

Holding handheld personal communications devices while driving a motor vehicle. Prohibits any person from holding a handheld personal communications device while driving a motor vehicle. Current law prohibits (i) the reading of any email or text message and manually entering letters or text in such a device as a means of communicating and (ii) holding a personal communications device while driving in a work zone. The bill expands the exemptions to include handheld personal communications devices that are being held and used (a) as an amateur radio or a citizens band radio or (b) for official Department of Transportation or traffic incident management services. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. This bill incorporates SB 136 and SB 944 and is identical to HB 874.

Bail bondsman; petition for return of deposit for surrender of principal; deposited funds credited to Literary Fund. Provides that if a bail bondsman does not petition the court for the return of funds deposited for the surrender of his principal within 15 days from the surrender of the principal, the deposited funds shall be paid into the state treasury to be credited to the Literary Fund. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and the Judicial Council.

Juvenile offenders; parole. Provides that any person sentenced to a term of life imprisonment for a single felony offense or multiple felony offenses committed while that person was a juvenile and who has served at least 20 years of such sentence and any person who has active sentences that total more than 20 years for a single felony offense or multiple felony offenses committed while that person was a juvenile and who has served at least 20 years of such sentences shall be eligible for parole. This bill is identical to HB 35.

Credit unions; director compensation. Provides that compensation of members of a credit union's board of directors and members of the credit and supervisory committees shall be determined by a written policy approved by the board of directors, provided that annual compensation for an individual member does not exceed $6,000. The measure removes the existing prohibition on compensating members of a credit union's board of directors for services as a member of the board. This bill is identical to HB 813.

Scanning information from driver's license. Allows a merchant to scan the machine-readable zone of an individual's Department of Motor Vehicles-issued identification card or driver's license in order to verify authenticity of the identification card or driver's license or to verify the identity of the individual when the individual requests a service pursuant to a membership or a service agreement. Currently, a merchant is allowed to conduct such a scan for identity verification purposes if the individual pays for goods or services with a method other than cash, returns an item, or requests a refund or an exchange. The measure also allows a merchant to retain information obtained from the machine-readable zone of the identification card or driver's license for such a verification purpose. However, the merchant must destroy the retained information when the purpose for which it was provided and retained has been satisfied.

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 his position in order to qualify. This bill incorporates SB 58, SB 381, and SB 531 and is identical to HB 783.

Solar energy projects; national standards. Authorizesa locality to include in its zoning ordinance provisions to incorporategenerally accepted national standards for the use of solar panelsand battery technologies for solar photovoltaic (electric energy)projects. The bill contains an enactment clause that applies suchgenerally accepted national standards to any such projects in theCommonwealth, notwithstanding any other provision of law, generalor special.

Conditional zoning for solar photovoltaic projects. Authorizes any locality with a planning commission to include reasonable regulations and provisions for conditional zoning for solar photovoltaic(electric energy) projects of more than five megawatts, as measuredin alternating current (AC) generation capacity. The bill authorizes the governing body of such locality to accept a proffered conditionthat includes (i) dedication of real property of substantial valueor (ii) substantial cash payments for or construction of substantialpublic improvements, the need for which is not generated solely bythe granting of a conditional use permit or a rezoning itself, solong as such proffered conditions are reasonably related to the project.The bill also authorizes a zoning ordinance to include reasonableregulations to implement certain provisions related to conditionalproffers.

Comprehensive animal care; enforceable underVirginia Consumer Protection Act. Subjects certain animal carestatutes to enforcement under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act(§ 59.1-196 et seq.). These statutes relate to the misrepresentationof animals' conditions, the posting of information about dogs, andwritten notice of consumer remedies required to be provided by petshops, pet dealers, and animal boarding establishments.