SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2017 SESSION

  • print version
Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections

Chairman: Jill Holtzman Vogel

Clerk: Hobie Lehman, E. Greenwood
Staff: Meg Lamb
Date of Meeting: February 14, 2017
Time and Place: 15 Minutes After the Senate Adjourns / Senate Room A
updated to add SJR 390

H.B. 1399 Elections, State Board of, and local electoral boards; appointments, proportion of political party.

Patron: Cole

State Board of Elections and local electoral boards; appointments; proportion of political party representation. Provides that in the appointment of members to the State Board of Elections and to the local electoral boards, one member shall be of the political party having the highest number of members in the House of Delegates, one member shall be of the political party having the highest number of members in the Senate of Virginia, and one member shall be of the political party of the Governor. If all three members are of the same political party, one member shall be of the political party having cast the next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth for Governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election. Representation on both the State Board of Elections and each local electoral board is to be given to each of the political parties having the highest and next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth for Governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-102 and 24.2-106 of the Code of Virginia, relating to appointments to the State Board of Elections and local electoral boards; proportion of political party representation.

17100217D

H.B. 1409 House of Delegates and Senate districts; General Assembly authorized to make technical adjustments.

Patron: Cole

House of Delegates and Senate district boundaries. Authorizes the General Assembly to make technical adjustments to legislative districts subsequent to the decennial redistricting solely for the purpose of causing legislative district boundaries to coincide with local voting precincts. Any adjustment shall change districts only to the extent necessary to accomplish this purpose and shall be consistent with the criteria for districts established for the preceding decennial redistricting.

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 House of Delegates and Senate districts.

17100433D

H.B. 1428 Absentee voting; photo identification required with application.

Patron: Fowler

Absentee voting; photo identification required with application. Requires any voter submitting an application for an absentee ballot by mail or by electronic or telephonic transmission to a facsimile device to submit with his application a copy of one of the forms of identification acceptable under current law. The bill exempts military and overseas voters and persons with a disability from this requirement.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-701 of the Code of Virginia, relating to absentee voting; photo identification required with application.

17104477D

H.B. 1431 Voter registration drives; compensation prohibitions.

Patron: Cole

Voter registration drives; compensation prohibition. Prohibits any individual or group conducting a voter registration drive from compensating its volunteers or employees on the basis of the number of completed voter registration applications the volunteer or employee collects. The bill also prohibits volunteers and employees from accepting compensation based on the number of completed voter registration applications he collects.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-416.6 of the Code of Virginia, relating to voter registration drives; compensation prohibitions.

17104463D

H.B. 1598 Voter registration; proof of citizenship required to register to vote in certain elections.

Patron: Cole

Voter registration; proof of citizenship required to register to vote in certain elections. Requires persons applying to register to vote to provide proof of United States citizenship in a form enumerated in the bill. An applicant who does not provide such proof of citizenship shall be registered to vote in federal elections only. An applicant who does provide such proof of citizenship shall be registered to vote in federal, state, and local elections. The bill provides that any person who is registered in the Commonwealth on January 1, 2018, will be deemed to have provided proof of citizenship. The bill directs the general registrars to indicate on each registered voter's registration record whether such voter is registered to vote in federal, state, and local elections or in federal elections only.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-404, 24.2-417, and 24.2-418 of the Code of Virginia, relating to voter registration; proof of citizenship required to register to vote in certain elections.

17100743D

H.B. 1696 Filling vacancies in the United States Senate.

Patron: Marshall, D.W.

Filling vacancies in the United States Senate. Removes the language limiting the date at which a special election can be held to fill a vacancy occurring in the representation of the Commonwealth in the United States Senate. The bill also removes the authority of the Governor to make a temporary appointment to fill such a vacancy. The bill allows the Governor to immediately issue a writ to call an election upon receipt of written notification by a Senator or Senator-elect of his resignation and makes such resignation irrevocable after the date stated by him for his resignation or after the forty-fifth date before the date set for the special election.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-207 of the Code of Virginia, relating to filling vacancies in the United States Senate.

17101077D

H.B. 1730 Description of duties and responsibilities of local electoral boards; Dept. of Elections to provide.

Patron: Ransone

Description of duties and responsibilities of local electoral boards; Department of Elections to provide annually to certain entities. Requires the State Board of Elections, with the cooperation of the local electoral boards and general registrars, to develop a description of the duties and responsibilities of the local electoral boards. The Department of Elections is required to provide this description to the clerks of the circuit courts, the chairmen of the state and district political party committees, the general registrars, and the local electoral boards.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 24.2-106.01, relating to description of duties and responsibilities of local electoral boards; Department of Elections to provide annually to certain entities.

17102121D

H.B. 1912 Absentee voting; eligibility of persons granted protective order.

Patron: Yost

Absentee voting; eligibility of persons granted protective order. Entitles a person to vote absentee if the person has been granted a protective order issued by or under the authority of any court of competent jurisdiction.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-700 and 24.2-701 of the Code of Virginia, relating to absentee voting; eligibility of persons granted a protective order.

17102030D

H.B. 1933 Candidate withdrawal; notice of withdrawal, information to voters.

Patron: Carr

Candidate withdrawal; notice of withdrawal; information to voters. Provides that a candidate who has qualified to have his named printed on the ballot for an election is not deemed to have withdrawn from such election until he has submitted a signed written notice declaring his intent to withdraw and that notice has been received by the general registrar. The Department of Elections is required to include in its candidate guidance documents the requirements and process for candidate withdrawal. The bill also provides that when ballots are not corrected to delete a candidate's name, the general registrar shall provide a list of candidates who have withdrawn to be posted in each polling place and made available to the public.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-612.1 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 24.2-612.2, relating to candidate withdrawal; notice of withdrawal; information to voters.

17104433D

H.B. 2136 Washington Metrorail Safety Commission Interstate Compact; Va. authorized to become a signatory.

Patron: LeMunyon

Washington Metrorail Safety Commission Interstate Compact. Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission Interstate Compact. The compact establishes a state safety oversight authority for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Rail System, pursuant to the mandate of federal law, to review, approve, oversee, and enforce the safety of the WMATA Rail System. The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to negotiate, on the Commonwealth's behalf, the terms for revision of the WMATA Compact with the other signatories to the WMATA Compact. The bill contains an emergency clause.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Title 33.2 a chapter numbered 31.1, consisting of a section numbered 33.2-3101, relating to the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission Interstate Compact.

17104697D

EMERGENCY

H.B. 2179 Form of ballot; order of independent candidates, required paperwork.

Patron: Sickles

Form of ballot; order of independent candidates. Provides that when there is more than one independent candidate for an office, their names shall appear on the ballot in an order determined by the priority of time of filing all required paperwork for the office. In the event that two or more candidates file simultaneously, the order of filing is determined by lot by the electoral board. Currently, this order applies only to the names of candidates for school board, and the names of all other independent candidates appear alphabetically.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-613 of the Code of Virginia, relating to form of ballot; order of independent candidates.

17101229D

H.B. 2343 Voter registration list maintenance; voters identified as having duplicate registrations.

Patron: Bell, Robert B.

Voter registration list maintenance; voters identified as having duplicate registrations. Requires the Department of Elections to provide to the general registrars a list of registered voters who have been found through list comparisons and data-matching exchanges with other states to be registered in another state.

 A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-114 and 24.2-404.4 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 5 of Chapter 4 of Title 24.2 a section numbered 24.2-426.1, relating to voter registration list maintenance; voters identified as having duplicate registrations.

17104858D

H.B. 2364 Public officers; automatic suspension upon conviction of felony.

Patron: Heretick

Public officers; automatic suspension upon conviction of felony. Provides that any officer who is convicted of a felony under the laws of any state or the United States shall be automatically suspended upon such conviction, regardless of any appeals, pleadings, delays, or motions. The bill contains an emergency clause.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-236 of the Code of Virginia, relating to officers; automatic suspension upon conviction of felony.

17104186D

EMERGENCY

H.B. 2397 Candidates; petition signature requirements in certain towns.

Patron: Pillion

Candidate petitions; signature requirements for candidates in certain towns. Requires petitions for candidates for the governing body or elected school board of towns to contain a minimum of (i) 125 signatures of qualified voters in towns with more than 3,500 registered voters and (ii) 50 signatures of qualified voters in towns with at least 1,500 but not more than 3,500 registered voters. No candidate petition is required for local offices in towns with fewer than 1,500 registered voters.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-506 and 24.2-521 of the Code of Virginia, relating to petition signature requirements for candidates in certain towns.

17104786D

H.B. 2415 Ballots; number ordered to be printed.

Patron: Garrett

Ballots; number ordered to be printed. Requires the general registrars to consider the number of active registered voters and historical election data, including voter turnout, when determining the number of ballots to order to be printed for an election.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-612 of the Code of Virginia, relating to ballots; number ordered to be printed.

17104213D

H.J.R. 545 Constitutional amendment; powers of General Assembly, etc.

Patron: Head

Constitutional amendment (first resolution); powers of General Assembly; suspension or nullification of administrative rule or regulation. Provides that the General Assembly may suspend or nullify any or all portions of any administrative rule or regulation by a joint resolution agreed to by a majority of the members elected to each house. When the General Assembly is not in a regular session, the standing committees of each house acting jointly or the joint legislative commissions as designated by the General Assembly may suspend any or all portions of any administrative rule or regulation until the end of the next regular session.

Proposing an amendment to Section 14 of Article IV of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to powers of the General Assembly; suspension or nullification of administrative rule or regulation.

17100155D

H.J.R. 562 Const. amend. (first resolution); real property tax; exemption for surviving spouse of disabled vet.

Patron: Miyares

Constitutional amendment (first resolution); real property tax; exemption for surviving spouse of a disabled veteran. Provides that the real property tax exemption for the principal residence of the surviving spouse of a disabled military veteran applies without any restriction on the spouse's moving to a different principal place of residence.

Proposing an amendment to Section 6-A of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to real property tax; exemption.

17102260D

H.J.R. 693 Constitutional amendment (first resolution); Transportation Funds.

Patron: LaRock

Constitutional amendment (first resolution); Transportation Funds. Requires the General Assembly to maintain permanent and separate Transportation Funds to include the Commonwealth Transportation Fund, Transportation Trust Fund, Highway Maintenance and Operating Fund, and other funds established by general law for transportation. The amendment directs that revenues dedicated to Transportation Funds on January 1, 2018, by general law, other than a general appropriation law, shall be deposited to the Transportation Funds, unless the General Assembly by general law, other than a general appropriation law, alters the revenues dedicated to the Funds. The amendment limits the use of Fund moneys to transportation and related purposes. The amendment specifies that the General Assembly may borrow from the Funds for other purposes only by a vote of two-thirds plus one of the members voting in each house and that the loan must be repaid with reasonable interest within four years.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia by adding in Article X a section numbered 7-B, relating to special funds for transportation purposes.

17103013D

S.J.R. 390 Confirming Governor's appointments of certain persons.

Patron: Vogel

Confirming Governor's appointments of certain persons. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Terry McAuliffe after January 7, 2017, and communicated to the General Assembly February 7, 2017.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated February 7, 2017.

17105298D