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2018 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Rules

Chairman: Ryan T. McDougle

Clerk: Susan Clarke Schaar, H. Lehman
Staff: Ginny Edwards
Date of Meeting: February 28, 2018
Time and Place: Upon Second Recess of the Senate / SR 3, The Capitol
Updated to add HJR 130 and HJR 151

H.B. 122

Patron: Cole

Campaign finance; prohibited personal use; civil penalty. Adds a definition of "personal use" and prohibits the use of contributions, or conversions of items acquired using contributions, to a candidate or campaign committee for a strictly personal purpose with no intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefit to the candidate's campaign or public office. Complaints of alleged violations may be made to the State Board of Elections (State Board) by any person who contributed to the candidate or candidate's campaign committee. The subject of the complaint has 30 days to either (i) reimburse the campaign committee the complained-of amount or (ii) provide to the State Board documentation or other evidence that the use of the campaign funds had an intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefit to the campaign or the candidate's public office. If the subject of the complaint provides such documentation or other evidence, the State Board shall review the response made by the subject of the complaint, and determine whether the use of campaign funds had any intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefit to the campaign or the candidate's public office. The bill amends the Freedom of Information Act to allow closed meetings for the State Board to review such complaints. If the State Board determines that there were no intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefits and the complained-of amount has not been reimbursed, it shall call a public hearing. If the complaining party declines to participate in the hearing, the complaint shall be dismissed. A person found by a unanimous vote of the State Board to have willfully and knowingly violated the prohibition on personal use of campaign contributions must repay to the campaign committee the amount unlawfully converted to the personal use of the candidate or a member of the candidate's immediate family and must return to the complaining party the full amount of the complaining party's contribution to the campaign. The State Board may also assess an additional civil penalty, in an amount not to exceed $ 250. The person found to be in violation may seek review under the Administrative Process Act. The bill authorizes the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council (Council) to issue formal advisory opinions regarding the provisions governing the personal use of campaign funds pursuant to the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006 (§ 24.2-945 et seq.). A person who has relied on such an opinion in good faith after he provides full disclosure of the facts will not be subject to the penalties outlined in the bill. In addition, the Council will be required to develop and publish guidance on the provisions of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds. The bill has an effective date of July 1, 2019.

H.B. 212

Patron: Wright

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act; school boards and school board employees. Excludes school boards that govern a local school division located in Planning District 1 or in Buckingham, Cumberland, or Lunenburg County from the prohibition against hiring, under certain circumstances, a school division employee who is related to a member of the school board.

H.B. 246

Patron: Habeeb

Virginia Code Commission; duties. Limits the duties of the Virginia Code Commission relating to the codification of laws enacted by the General Assembly to codifying only those laws for which the General Assembly has expressed its intent for such laws to be codified through the title of the bills relating to such laws. The bill also prohibits the Commission from excluding from the Code of Virginia a law for which the General Assembly has expressed its intent for the same to be codified through the title of the bill.

In addition, beginning with the 2018 Regular Session of the General Assembly, the Commission will be required to arrange for (i) the printing or (ii) the publication on a legislative branch agency website of all enactments of a chapter of the acts of assembly if any provision of the chapter is codified as a law. Such enactments will be printed or published on a legislative branch agency website as they appear in the chapter of the acts of assembly.

Currently, the Commission is charged with maintaining a Code of the general and permanent statutes of the Commonwealth. In carrying out this charge, the Commission may codify laws for which the title of the related bill did not provide for any change to the Code (Section 1 bills and certain final enactment clauses) and may exclude from the Code laws for which the title of the related bill actually provided for changes to the Code.

H.B. 337

Patron: Head

Commission on Employee Retirement Security and Pension Reform; membership. Removes the Speaker of the House of Delegates as a permanent member of the Commission on Employee Retirement Security and Pension Reform and increases the number of Delegates appointed by the Speaker to the Commission from three to four.

H.B. 371

Patron: Robinson

Sexual harassment training; legislative branch. Requires General Assembly members, full-time legislative staff of General Assembly members compensated with state appropriations, and full-time employees of each legislative branch agency to complete sexual harassment training once every two calendar years. Substantially similar training shall be offered by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Office of the Clerk of the Senate and provided for their respective members and their staff. All other legislative branch employees shall complete the sexual harassment training course offered by either Clerk. The training must be available online 24 hours per day, seven days per week and be substantially similar to any sexual harassment training course offered through the Commonwealth of Virginia Learning Center administered by the Department of Human Resource Management. Persons elected to the General Assembly or commencing or recommencing full-time employment in the legislative branch will have 90 days from the election or their dates of hire to complete the training. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2019. This bill incorporates HB 1057.

H.B. 376

Patron: Davis

Secure and Resilient Commonwealth Panel; membership. Changes the appointing authorities for the members of the Secure and Resilient Commonwealth Panel who are selected from the Subcommittees on Public Safety of both houses from the subcommittees themselves to the Speaker of the House for the House subcommittee and the Senate Committee on Rules for the Senate subcommittee. The bill increases the membership of the Panel by adding an additional delegate appointed by the Speaker and an additional senator appointed by Senate Committee on Rules. The option of appointing committee staff to the Panel is removed.

H.B. 384

Patron: Keam

Secretary of Transportation; review of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors membership; report. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a review of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors membership provisions.

H.B. 530

Patron: Thomas

Virginia Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation. Provides for the Speaker of the House of Delegates to make appointments of members of the House of Delegates to serve on intergovernmental boards, committees, and commissions. Currently, appointments to intergovernmental boards, committees, and commissions of (i) state and local government officials, excluding General Assembly members, are made by the Virginia Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation; (ii) members of the Senate are made by the Commission on Interstate Cooperation of the Senate, subject to the approval of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules; and (iii) members of the House of Delegates are made by the Commission on Interstate Cooperation of the House of Delegates, subject to the approval of the Speaker of the House of Delegates.

H.B. 764

Patron: Jones, S.C.

Consortium Comprehensive Cancer Center Advisory Board established. Establishes as an independent advisory board in state government a 13-member Consortium Comprehensive Cancer Center Advisory Board, consisting of the President of Virginia Commonwealth University or his designee, one member of the Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors, the Vice President for Health Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University or his designee, the President of the University of Virginia or his designee, one member of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors, the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs at the University of Virginia or his designee, one representative of Eastern Virginia Medical School, one representative of Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute, and five other nonlegislative citizen members, to study the requirements for designation as a consortium Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute and make recommendations to Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia relating to the process for establishing a joint National Cancer Institute-designated consortium Comprehensive Cancer Center, including recommendations relating to a joint leadership structure, research integration, and programmatic integration. The provisions of the bill sunset on July 1, 2021.

H.B. 847

Patron: Peace

Capitol Square Preservation Council. Changes the title of the chief officer of the Capitol Square Preservation Council from the Executive Director to the Chief Administrative Officer and authorizes the Council to enter into partnerships, joint ventures, and other collaborative relationships. The bill authorizes the Chief Administrative Officer to employ an Architectural Historian who will serve as curator for the architectural, historical, archeological, and landscape features of Capitol Square. The bill also makes a technical change.

H.B. 901

Patron: Freitas

Department of Transportation to develop and submit for approval an expedited land use permit process; rights-of-way. Directs the Department of Transportation (Department) to develop and submit for approval to the Federal Highway Administration an expedited land use permit process by which public or private utility companies that offer communication services via microtrenching can apply to use any right-of-way of the Department.

H.B. 990

Patron: Gilbert

Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council; deadline extensions. Clarifies that the authority of the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council (Council) to grant extensions from the deadline for filing disclosure forms does not extend to filings made by a candidate for public office, as such candidate filings are not filed with the Council.

H.B. 991

Patron: Gilbert

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act; disclosures; Virginia College Savings Plan. Adds the Board of the Virginia College Savings Plan to the list of independent government entities whose members are required to file a disclosure statement of their personal interests pursuant to the State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act. The bill contains a technical amendment to reflect the transition of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to an authority.

H.B. 992

Patron: Gilbert

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act; disclosure statements; multiple positions. Provides that only one disclosure statement per calendar year is required under the State and Local Government Conflict of Interest Act for an individual who, subsequent to filing the required disclosure statement for the individual's current position or office, holds or seeks a different position or office that also requires the filing of a disclosure statement. An individual who has filed the required statement and is reappointed to the same position or office is not required to file a second statement if the reappointment occurs within 12 months of the earlier filing.

H.B. 1086

Patron: Heretick

Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads; membership. Adds three legislative members, two from the House of Delegates and one from the Senate, to the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads. The bill provides that nonlegislative members shall have experience in at least one of the following fields: (i) transit planning, transportation planning, or land use planning; (ii) transit or transportation management or management of other public sector operations; (iii) public budgeting or finance; (iv) corporate communications; (v) government oversight; or (vi) local or state government.

H.B. 1160

Patron: Brewer

Commission on the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program; appointments. Provides that the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the Senate Committee on Rules shall each appoint one director of a local alcohol safety action program to the Commission on the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program upon the consideration of the recommendations of the legislative members of the Commission. Currently, the two directors of local alcohol safety action programs appointed to the Commission are appointed by the legislative members serving on the Commission.

H.B. 1297

Patron: Hugo

Virginia-Israel Advisory Board; transfer to legislative branch. Transfers the Virginia-Israel Advisory Board (the Board) from the executive branch to the legislative branch. The bill also changes the membership of the Board by increasing the number of citizen appointments by the Speaker of the House of Delegates from six to seven and the number of citizen appointments by the Senate Committee on Rules from six to seven and by decreasing the number of appointments of the Governor from 13 to 11. The Board is given the authority to appoint all staff positions supporting its operations. Funding for the costs of expenses of the members and the operations of the Board, including staffing needs, are to be made from such funds as appropriated by the General Assembly. The Virginia-Israel Advisory Board is currently an advisory board in the executive branch of government staffed by the Office of the Governor.

H.B. 1324

Patron: Cole

Joint subcommittee of House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections to review gubernatorial appointments; membership. Provides for the Speaker of the House of Delegates to appoint the five delegates on the joint subcommittee of the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections charged with reviewing gubernatorial appointments and for the Senate Committee on Rules to appoint the three senators on the joint subcommittee. Currently, the Chairman of the House Committee on Privileges and Elections appoints the five delegates on the joint subcommittee, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections appoints the three senators on the joint subcommittee.

H.B. 1415

Patron: Edmunds

Henrietta Lacks Commission; report; sunset. Creates the Henrietta Lacks Commission to establish, through a public-private partnership, the Henrietta Lacks Life Sciences Center in Halifax County as a cancer research and treatment center designed to (i) transform and accelerate cancer research and treatment through the use of biodata tools, (ii) provide tailored cancer treatment medicine to an underserved portion of rural Southern Virginia, and (iii) incubate new biotech businesses across the Southside Virginia region. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2021.

H.B. 1505

Patron: Gilbert

Capitol Police; concurrent jurisdiction. Clarifies that in any case involving the theft or misappropriation of the personal property of any member or employee of the General Assembly, the Capitol Police shall have concurrent jurisdiction with law-enforcement officers of any county contiguous to the City of Richmond.

H.B. 1540

Patron: Landes

Commission on Civic Education; sunset; membership. Extends the sunset provision of the Commission on Civic Education from July 1, 2019, to July 1, 2020. The bill also increases the Commission's membership from 15 to 19 by adding one member of the House of Delegates, one member of the Senate, and two nonlegislative citizen members.

H.J.R. 16

Patron: Adams, D.M.

Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month. Designates March, in 2019 and in each succeeding year, as Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month in Virginia.

H.J.R. 19

Patron: Bell, Richard P.

Study; joint committee; the future of public elementary and secondary education in the Commonwealth; report. Continues for one additional year the Joint Committee of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health to Study the Future of Public Elementary and Secondary Education in the Commonwealth, consisting of seven members of the House Committee on Education and six members of the Senate.

H.J.R. 23

Patron: Kilgore

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act.

H.J.R. 26

Patron: Stolle

Study; continuing the Joint Subcommittee on Coastal Flooding; report. Continues the Joint Subcommittee on Coastal Flooding for two additional years, through the 2019 interim.

H.J.R. 30

Patron: Cole

Victims of Communism Memorial Day. Designating November 7, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as Victims of Communism Memorial Day in Virginia.

H.J.R. 31

Patron: Tyler

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The resolution is a recommendation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission.

H.J.R. 37

Patron: McQuinn

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Green v. County School Board of New Kent County. The resolution is the recommendation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission

H.J.R. 38

Patron: McQuinn

I am my brother and sister's keeper Day. Designates the Friday after Thanksgiving, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as I am my brother and sister's keeper Day in Virginia.

H.J.R. 42

Patron: Rush

General Casimir Pulaski Day. Designates October 11, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as General Casimir Pulaski Day in Virginia.

H.J.R. 55

Patron: Keam

Endometriosis Awareness Month. Designates March, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as Endometriosis Awareness Month in Virginia.

H.J.R. 59

Patron: Head

Celebrate Transportation Day. Designates the Thursday before Memorial Day, in 2019 and in each succeeding year, as Celebrate Transportation Day.

H.J.R. 64

Patron: Freitas

General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Day. Designates October 15, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Day in Virginia.

H.J.R. 65

Patron: Freitas

Commemorating the life and legacy of Captain Andrew Maples, Jr., USA.

H.J.R. 67

Patron: Freitas

Commemorating the life and legacy of Sergeant Clinton Greaves, USA, Ret.

H.J.R. 76

Patron: Murphy

Women Veterans Week. Designates the third full week of March, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as Women Veterans Week in Virginia.

H.J.R. 77

Patron: Boysko

Study; Center for Innovative Technology; feasibility of a statewide dig once policy; report. Directs the Secretary of the Commerce and Trade to request the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) to study the feasibility of a statewide dig once policy, including the installation of conduits with bridge construction projects. In conducting its study, CIT shall examine the feasibility of a blanket policy for all nine of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) districts and shall consult various stakeholders, such as the Virginia Broadband Advisory Council, VDOT, telecommunication and cable providers, and utility providers.

H.J.R. 81

Patron: Delaney

Fall Prevention Awareness Week. Designates the third full week of September, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as Fall Prevention Awareness Week in Virginia.

H.J.R. 86

Patron: Carr

Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The resolution is the recommendation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission.

H.J.R. 87

Patron: O'Quinn

Study; joint subcommittee to study adding additional lanes on Interstate 81 between Winchester and Bristol; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study the feasibility of adding additional lanes on Interstate 81 between Winchester and Bristol.

H.J.R. 90

Patron: Robinson

National Beer Day. Designates April 7, in 2019 and in each succeeding year, as National Beer Day in Virginia. The resolution incorporates HJ 116.

H.J.R. 95

Patron: Guzman

Pollinator Awareness Week. Designates the last full week of June, in 2019 and in each succeeding year, as Pollinator Awareness Week in Virginia.

H.J.R. 98

Patron: Byron

Study; Department of Taxation; appeals concerning valuation of business property; report. Directs the Department of Taxation to study and make recommendations on the appeals process for valuation of real and personal property of businesses.

H.J.R. 101

Patron: Toscano

Study; Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy; use of energy storage devices; report. Requests the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, as directed through the Virginia Solar Energy Development and Energy Storage Authority, to conduct a two-year study to determine what regulatory reforms and market incentives are necessary to increase the use of energy storage devices in the Commonwealth.

H.J.R. 103

Patron: Torian

Study; Christopher Newport University; state-run retirement savings plan for people without employer-provided plans; report. Requests Christopher Newport University to study the feasibility and merits of a state-run retirement savings plan for employers and their employees who do not have access to an employer-provided retirement savings plan.

H.J.R. 114

Patron: Hugo

Drug-free Pain Management Awareness Month. Designates September, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as Drug-free Pain Management Awareness Month in Virginia.

H.J.R. 118

Patron: Bell, Robert B.

Study; Department of Social Services; regulation of independent living communities. Report. Requests the Department of Social Services to study regulation of independent living communities. The Department shall examine the operations of independent living communities and the level of services provided therein, including residential health care services coordinated through third-party providers and determine whether some or all independent living communities should be regulated and to what extent and by what agency. The Department shall also determine whether the Commonwealth should establish the Office of the Independent Living Community Ombudsman to receive, record, and respond to complaints submitted by residents and other citizens regarding the operations of independent living communities.

H.J.R. 130

Patron: Freitas


Commending the Free Burma Rangers.

H.J.R. 131

Patron: Bulova

Tamil New Year Day. Designating April 14, in 2019 and in each succeeding year, as Tamil New Year Day in Virginia.

H.J.R. 135

Patron: McGuire

Makar Sankranti Day in Virginia. Designates January 14, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as Makar Sankranti Day in Virginia.

H.J.R. 137

Patron: Peace

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Charles C. Green et al. v. County School Board of New Kent County, Virginia et al.

H.J.R. 142

Patron: Hodges

Recovery Sunday. Designating the third Sunday of September, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as Recovery Sunday in Virginia.

H.J.R. 144

Patron: Keam

Sorensen Day. Designates February 13, 2018, as Sorensen Day in Virginia, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.

H.J.R. 151

Patron: Miyares

Commending the 1987 Washington Redskins replacement players.

H.J.R. 178

Patron: Hope

Electrical Safety Month. Designating May, in 2018 and in each succeeding year, as Electrical Safety Month in Virginia.

H.J.R. 235

Patron: Bell, Robert B.

Commending Beth Laine.

H.J.R. 285

Patron: Sullivan

Commending the Honorable Robert H. Brink.

H.J.R. 325

Patron: Freitas

Commemorating the life and legacy of Peter Francisco.

S.J.R. 162

Patron: Dunnavant

Commending the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, Inc.

S.J.R. 207

Patron: Reeves

Commending the Virginia Department of Veterans Services Benefits section.