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2016 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections

Chairman: Jill Holtzman Vogel

Clerk: Hobie Lehman
Staff: Meg Burruss
Date of Meeting: February 9, 2016
Time and Place: 4:00PM / Senate Room A

H.B. 4

Patron: Bell, Richard P.

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); right to work. Provides for a referendum at the November 8, 2016, election to approve or reject an amendment to prohibit any agreement or combination between an employer and a labor union or labor organization whereby (i) nonmembers of the union or organization are denied the right to work for the employer, (ii) membership to the union or organization is made a condition of employment or continuation of employment by such employer, or (iii) the union or organization acquires an employment monopoly in any such enterprise.

A BILL to provide for the submission to the voters of a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Virginia adding to Article I a section numbered 11-A, relating to the right to work.

16100597D

H.B. 88

Patron: Cole

General registrars and members of electoral boards; annual training; office closures. Requires each member of an electoral board to attend an annual training program provided by the State Board of Elections in the first year of his appointment and in the first year of any subsequent reappointment. The bill also requires the general registrars to attend an existing annual training program provided by the State Board; currently, a general registrar may designate a staff member to attend. The bill also provides for the closure of the offices of the general registrars for training purposes.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-106, 24.2-111, 24.2-114, and 24.2-411 of the Code of Virginia, relating to general registrars and members of electoral boards; annual training; office closures.

16101785D

H.B. 104

Patron: O'Bannon

Voting equipment; locking and sealing of voting and counting machines after election. Provides that if a voting or counting machine secured by removal of a data storage device containing the only record of votes cast for any office or on any question and the machine itself does not contain such a record, that machine is not required to remain locked and sealed until the deadline to request a recount has passed or any contest or recount has been concluded. The sealed envelopes containing the equipment keys for such machines are required to be delivered to the electoral board no later than noon on the day following the election. The bill also provides that the requirements for locking and sealing voting equipment do not apply to any ballot marking device and its data storage device provided to meet accessibility requirements, where the number of persons voting in the election or the number of votes cast for any office or on any question are not recorded by the ballot marking device. All other voting systems are subject to current provisions for the locking and sealing of equipment.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-659 of the Code of Virginia, relating to voting equipment; locking and sealing of voting and counting machines after election.

16101461D

H.B. 105

Patron: O'Bannon

Contests of election for certain elections; service of process. Requires that contestees in a contest of (i) a primary election for the United States House of Representatives, the General Assembly, or a local office or (ii) any election for a local office be served by the contestant with a copy of the complaint within 30 days following the date of the election in the case of a general election and within 10 days following the date of the election in the case of a primary or special election held on a date other than that of a general election.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-808 of the Code of Virginia, relating to contests of election for certain elections; service of process.

16101462D

H.B. 205

Patron: Webert

Election day program; permitted activities of participants. Allows election pages participating in the election day program for high school students to assist in the arrangement of voting equipment, furniture, and any other materials for the conduct of the election. The bill would also allow election pages to assist in the counting of unmarked ballots prior to the opening of the polls, at the direction and under the direct supervision of the chief officer of election, but prohibits election pages from handling or touching ballots in any other circumstance. Currently, participants in the election day program are prohibited from handling or touching ballots, voting machines, and other official election materials.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-604 of the Code of Virginia, relating to election day program; permitted activities of participants.

16100010D

H.B. 254

Patron: Cole

House of Delegates districts; technical adjustment. Changes district assignments of certain census blocks between Districts 28 and 88 in the City of Fredericksburg in order to place all of current Precinct 401, presently divided between the two districts, in District 28. Both districts will continue to have a deviation of less than one percent from the ideal district population.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 24.2 a section numbered 24.2-304.04, relating to technical adjustments of certain House of Delegates district boundaries.

16101784D

H.B. 456

Patron: Murphy

Absentee ballots; electronic transmission by general registrars. Provides that when a voter who is eligible to request to receive certain absentee voting materials, including the absentee ballot, by electronic transmission so requests, the email address or fax number used by the general registrars to send such materials shall be the official email address or fax number of the office of the general registrar. The bill does not provide for the return by electronic means of a voted absentee ballot.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-706 of the Code of Virginia, relating to absentee ballots; electronic transmission by general registrar.

16101435D

H.B. 865

Patron: Hugo

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); property tax exemption for surviving spouse of certain emergency services providers. Provides for a referendum at the November 8, 2016, election to approve or reject an amendment allowing the General Assembly to provide a local option to exempt from taxation the real property of the surviving spouse of any law-enforcement officer, firefighter, search and rescue personnel, or emergency medical services personnel who was killed in the line of duty. The amendment provides that the surviving spouse must occupy the real property as his or her principal place of residence and that the exemption ceases if the surviving spouse remarries.

A BILL to provide for the submission to the voters of a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Virginia adding in Article X a section numbered 6-B, relating to real property tax exemptions.

16101467D

H.B. 1145

Patron: Cole

Local electoral boards; reassigning certain duties related to elections administration. Reassigns duties of the electoral boards related to elections administration to the general registrars. When performing these duties, the general registrars are acting in their capacity as directors of elections.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-101, 24.2-115, 24.2-115.1, 24.2-117, 24.2-216, 24.2-310, 24.2-406, 24.2-511, 24.2-527, 24.2-604, 24.2-604.1, 24.2-609, 24.2-610, 24.2-612, 24.2-614, 24.2-616 through 24.2-620, 24.2-627, 24.2-631 through 24.2-639, 24.2-641, 24.2-642, 24.2-647, 24.2-659, 24.2-668, 24.2-683, 24.2-684, and 24.2-712 of the Code of Virginia, relating to local electoral boards; reassigning certain duties related to elections administration; technical amendments to terminology.

16103268D

H.J.R. 2

Patron: Bell, Richard P.

Constitutional amendment (second resolution); right to work. Provides that any agreement or combination between any employer and any labor union or labor organization whereby persons not members of such union or organization are denied the right to work for the employer, or whereby such membership is made a condition of employment or continuation of employment by such employer, or whereby any such union or organization acquires an employment monopoly in any enterprise, is against public policy and constitutes an illegal combination or conspiracy and is void.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia by adding in Article I a section numbered 11-A, relating to the right to work.

16100588D

H.J.R. 123

Patron: Hugo

Constitutional amendment (second resolution); real property tax exemption. Provides that the General Assembly may provide for a local option to exempt from taxation the real property that is the primary residence of the surviving spouse of any law-enforcement officer, firefighter, search and rescue personnel, or emergency medical services personnel killed in the line of duty. Such tax exemption may not be claimed by a surviving spouse who has remarried.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia by adding in Article X a section numbered 6-B, relating to real property tax exemptions.

16101303D

S.B. 303

Patron: Ebbin

State Board of Elections; meetings to hear complaints. Requires the State Board of Elections to meet on the Tuesday immediately preceding any election to hear and consider action on any complaints received by the Department of Elections. The bill also authorizes the State Board to conduct a subsequent meeting, upon the call of the chair or the call of two members, to hear any new complaints. Such meeting shall be held no later than the Friday immediately preceding the election and notice shall be posted on the official website of the Department of Elections no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting. The State Board may refer any complaint to the Attorney General for investigation and prosecution.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-103 of the Code of Virginia, relating to duties of the State Board of Elections; meetings to hear complaints.

16102244D

S.B. 723

Patron: Chase

Campaign finance; contributions from out-of-state sources prohibited. Prohibits any candidate for the General Assembly or his campaign committee from soliciting or accepting a contribution from any person, corporation, campaign committee, political committee, out-of-state political committee, or federal political action committee who resides or whose headquarters is located outside of the Commonwealth. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the entity has registered with the State Board of Elections or operates or does business in the Commonwealth.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 24.2-947.3:2, relating to campaign finance; contributions from out-of-state sources prohibited.

16104268D

S.B. 766

Patron: Suetterlein

Method of nominating party candidates; incumbent selection. Removes the power of incumbent officeholders in some cases to insist on a primary as the method of nominating political party candidates and removes the power of General Assembly incumbents seeking reelection to determine the method of nomination. The bill does not affect the current power of duly constituted authorities of the political party to determine the method of nominating party candidates.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-509 and 24.2-516 of the Code of Virginia, relating to method of nominating party candidates; incumbent selection.

16102599D