Sen. Dick Saslaw

Campaign finance; disbursement of surplus funds;prohibited conversion to personal use. Amends the current lawsregarding the disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution ofa campaign or political committee so that such restrictions wouldapply throughout the life of a campaign or political committee. Suchrestrictions include the prohibition against the conversion of anymoney, securities, or like intangible personal property that hasbeen contributed to a campaign or political committee to the personaluse of any person.

Transit funding. Raises the existing regional transportation fee, a grantor's tax, from $0.15 per $100 to $0.20per $100 for localities in the Northern Virginia Transportation Authoritythat are also members of the Northern Virginia Transportation District.The bill requires half of the revenues to be deposited in the NorthernVirginia Transportation Authority Fund and half to be deposited inthe Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) CapitalFund. The rate of tax in the other localities will remain at $0.15per $100, with one-third of the revenues to be retained by the locality to be used for transportation purposes and the other two-thirds tobe deposited in the Northern Virginia Transportation District Fund.The bill also raises the existing transient occupancy tax in thelocalities located in the Northern Virginia Transportation Districtfrom $2 to $3, with all of the revenues from the tax being used tosupport WMATA.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable Mary T.Christian.

Presidential electors; National Popular Vote Compact. Enters Virginia into an interstate compact known as the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote. Article II of the Constitution of the United States gives the states exclusive and plenary authority to decide the manner of awarding their electoral votes. Under the compact, Virginia agrees to award its electoral votes to the presidential ticket that receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The compact goes into effect when states cumulatively possessing a majority of the electoral votes have joined the compact. A state may withdraw from the compact; however, a withdrawal occurring within six months of the end of a President's term shall not become effective until a President or Vice President has qualified to serve the next term. This bill was incorporated into HB 177.

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.

Expungement of police and court records; acquittals.Provides that a court that enters a judgment acquitting a personof a criminal charge shall also enter an order requiring the expungement of the police and court records relating to the charge. Currently,such a person may file a separate petition for the expungement ofsuch records; however, except in certain cases involving misdemeanorcharges, the person is not entitled to an order of expungement, andthe court hearing the petition must find that the continued existenceand possible dissemination of such records causes or may cause circumstancesthat constitute a manifest injustice to such person before such anorder will be entered.

Nominating a person to be elected to the VirginiaWorkers' Compensation Commission.

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.

Commending the Washington Nationals.