Sen. Mark Peake

Commending Christopher M. Calkins.

Commending James L. Agnew.

Transportation funding; statewide prioritizationprocess. Requires the Commonwealth Transportation Board, whenadministering SMART SCALE, to ensure that projects are evaluatedfor district grant program funds and high-priority funds separately,and that the projects selected in one program do not impact the otherprogram. The bill requires the Board to weight congestion mitigation at at least 55 percent in the Northern Virginia and Hampton Roadshighway construction districts. The bill requires that projects eligiblefor district grant program funds receive a district-specific scoreand an overall score.

Commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. RobertRussa Moton.

Redistricting; Virginia Redistricting Commission; localredistricting commissions. Establishes the Virginia RedistrictingCommission (the Commission) pursuant to Article II, Sections 6 and 6-A of theConstitution of Virginia. The Commission, tasked with establishing districtsfor the United States House of Representatives and for the Senate and the Houseof Delegates of the General Assembly, will consist of eight legislativecommissioners and eight citizen commissioners. The legislative commissioners consistof four members of the Senate of Virginia and four members of the House ofDelegates, with equal representation given to the political parties having thehighest and next highest number of members in their respective houses. Thecitizen commissioners are chosen by a selection committee consisting of fiveretired judges of the circuit courts of Virginia, from lists submitted to theselection committee by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the leader in theHouse of Delegates of the political party having the next highest number ofmembers in the House of Delegates, the President pro tempore of the Senate ofVirginia, and the leader in the Senate of the political party having the nexthighest number of members in the Senate. The bill contains eligibilityrequirements for the citizen commissioners, including restrictions on holdingor having held partisan national or state public office. As part of theapplication process for service on the Commission, the Division of LegislativeServices acts as a repository for applications submitted by interested personsand is tasked with screening out applicants who are ineligible or submitincomplete applications. The applications of the citizen candidates selected bypolitical leadership and submitted for consideration to the selection committeeare public records. The bill also directs the Division of Legislative Services toprovide staff support to the Commission in the redistricting of congressionaland state legislative districts. The Commission is required to submit to theGeneral Assembly plans of districts within certain time periods, and the billsets out criteria by which the districts are to be drawn, including equalpopulation, racial and ethnic fairness, respect for existing politicalboundaries, contiguity, compactness, and communities of interest. Provisions toensure public participation in the redistricting process are included. Ifefforts to establish districts fail, the Supreme Court of Virginia isresponsible for establishing districts, and the bill directs the Court to enacta rule by March 1, 2021, establishing a procedure for implementing thisrequirement. Additionally, the bill requires the establishment of localredistricting commissions in each county, city, and town in which members ofthe governing body are elected from districts or wards and other than entirelyat large. These commissions will each consist of four commissioners appointedby the governing body, with equal representation given to the political partieshaving the highest and next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth forGovernor at the last preceding gubernatorial election.The bill has a contingent effective date of November 15, 2020,provided that the voters approve the amendments to Article II of theConstitution of Virginia, amending Section 6 and adding Section 6-A, at theNovember 2020 general election.

Carrying dangerous weapon to place of religious worship; repeal. Repeals the code section related to carrying dangerous weapons in places of worship.

Personal income tax deduction; veterans witha 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability.Provides an additional personal income tax deduction of $930 forveterans who have been rated with a 100 percent service-connected,permanent, and total disability. This deduction is allowed regardlessof whether the taxpayer itemizes deductions for the taxable yearfor federal income tax purposes.

Carrying concealed handgun with a permit; employeesof any agency of the Commonwealth or political subdivision thereof.Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law or anyrule, regulation, or workplace policy to the contrary, an employeeof any agency of the Commonwealth or a political subdivision thereofwith a valid concealed handgun permit may possess or carry a concealedhandgun at his workplace. The bill provides, however, that any agencyof the Commonwealth or a political subdivision thereof may prohibit employees from possessing or carrying a concealed handgun at theirworkplace only if such agency of the Commonwealth or a politicalsubdivision thereof has employed law-enforcement officers or armedsecurity officers to provide protection at such workplace, and suchofficers are stationed within the workplace building during operatinghours.

State subsidy of property tax exemptions fordisabled veterans and surviving spouses. Requires the Commonwealthto subsidize local real estate tax relief for disabled veterans andsurviving spouses of members of the armed forces killed in actionwhen more than one percent of a locality's real estate tax base islost due to such state-mandated tax relief programs. The Commonwealthwould subsidize only that portion of tax exempt real estate thatexceeds the one percent threshold. Thebill requires the Auditor of Public Accounts to establish an applicationprocess whereby a locality would demonstrate that more than one percentof its real estate tax base was lost. The Auditor would certify tothe Governor and the General Assembly those localities that wouldbe eligible for a subsidy, and the Governor would include in theBudget Bill a proposed appropriation of the amount of the state subsidyto be provided to localities certified as eligible localities.

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum);reapportionment; technical adjustments permitted. Provides for a referendum at the November 3, 2020, election to approve or rejectan amendment that would allow the General Assembly to make technicaladjustments to legislative election district boundaries in the periodbetween decennial reapportionments, provided that the adjustment'ssole purpose is to align legislative election district boundarieswith the boundaries of voting precincts established in counties andcities.