Sen. Mark Peake

Commending Sandra Gioia Treadway.

Local tax credits; emergency services providers. Enables localities to by ordinance provide a credit against taxes and fees imposed by the locality to an individual who provides approved emergency services in the locality. As defined in the bill, "approved emergency services" include professional or volunteer local law enforcement or first responders who provide emergency services to a nonprofit organization or to the locality. The bill specifies that the credit shall not be applied against any property taxes or payments in lieu of property taxes but otherwise gives localities discretion to determine which taxes or fees are permissible uses of the credit. Under current law, localities may only provide such credit to volunteer first responders.

Felony homicide; certain drug offenses; penalty. Provides that a person is guilty of felony homicide, which constitutessecond degree murder and is punishable by confinement of not lessthan five nor more than 40 years, if the underlying felonious actthat resulted in the killing of another involved the manufacture,sale, gift, or distribution of a Schedule I or II controlled substanceto another and (i) such other person's death results from his useof the controlled substance and (ii) the controlled substance is the proximate cause of his death. The bill provides that venue fora prosecution of this crime shall lie in the locality where the underlyingfelony occurred, where the use of the controlled substance occurred,or where death occurred. The bill also provides that if a persongave or distributed a Schedule I or II controlled substance onlyas an accommodation to another individual who is not an inmate ina community correctional facility, local correctional facility, orstate correctional facility, or in the custody of an employee thereof,and not with intent to profit thereby from any consideration receivedor expected nor to induce the recipient of the controlled substanceto use or become addicted to or dependent upon such controlled substance,he is guilty of a Class 5 felony.

Elections; voter identification; identificationcontaining a photograph required. Requires presentation of aform of identification containing a photograph in order to vote.The bill repeals the provisions of law permitting a voter who doesnot have one of the required forms of identification to vote aftersigning a statement, subject to felony penalties for false statements,that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Instead, thebill provides that such voter is entitled to cast a provisionalballot.

Absentee voting; availability of absentee votingin person. Limits the availability of absentee voting in personto the three-week period immediately preceding an election. Undercurrent law, absentee voting in person is available beginning onthe forty-fifth day prior to an election.

Voter registration; registering in person upto the day of the election. Provides that any person who is qualifiedto register to vote is only entitled to register in person up tothe day of the election at the office of the general registrar inthe locality in which such person resides. Under current law, suchpersons are also entitled to register to vote on the day of the electionin the precinct in which they reside.

Voter registration; verification of social securitynumbers; provisional registration status. Requires the general registrar toverify that the name, date of birth, and social security number provided by anapplicant on the voter registration application match the information on filein the Social Security Administration database or other database approved bythe State Board of Elections before registering such applicant. If theinformation provided by the applicant does not match the information on file insuch database, the applicant (i) is provisionally registered to vote andnotified as to what steps are needed to be fully registered to vote and (ii) ispermitted to vote by provisional ballot but such ballot shall not be counteduntil the voter presents certain information. The bill also requires thegeneral registrar to verify annually no later than August 1 that the name, dateof birth, and social security number in the registration record of eachregistered voter in the registrar's jurisdiction match the information on filewith the Social Security Administration or other database approved by the StateBoard and, in accordance with current law, to initiate the cancellation of theregistration of any voter whose registration record information does not matchthe database information. The State Board is authorized to approve the use ofany government database to the extent required to enable each general registrarto carry out the provisions of the bill and to promulgate rules for the use ofsuch database. The Department of Elections is required to provide each generalregistrar access to the Social Security Administration database and any otherdatabase approved by the State Board. The Department is further required toenter into any agreement with any federal or state agency to facilitate suchaccess. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.

State Air Pollution Control Board; regulations; low-emissions and zero-emissions vehicle standards. Repeals theState Air Pollution Control Board's authority to implement low-emissionsand zero-emissions vehicle standards that apply for vehicles witha model year of 2025 and later.

Constitutional amendments (first reference);executive branch of government; Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General; term limits. Prohibits any person from being eligible to be elected to more than two terms as Lieutenant Governor or Attorney General. The amendments provide that service for a partial term does not preclude serving the allowed number of full terms and applies the limits to terms of service to persons elected to serve as Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General in 2029 and thereafter.

Punishment for conviction of fourth or subsequent misdemeanor larceny; penalty. Provides that any person convictedof a fourth or subsequent larceny offense, regardless of whether theprior convictions were misdemeanors or felonies, or any combinationthereof, is guilty of a Class 6 felony.