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2021 SPECIAL SESSION I

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Senate Committee on Rules

Chair: Mamie E. Locke

Clerk: Susan Clarke Schaar, H. Lehman
Staff: Lily Jones
Date of Meeting: February 12, 2021
Time and Place: 11 AM / Public can register to speak on GA website.
https://virginia-senate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3

H.B. 1789 Auditor of Public Accounts; audits of certain political subdivisions.

Patron: McNamara

Auditor of Public Accounts; audits of certain political subdivisions. Extends from three months to five months after the end of its fiscal year the period within which certain authorities, commissions, districts, or other political subdivisions with an unelected governing body must have an annual financial transactions audit performed and filed with Auditor of Public Accounts. The bill retains the three month audit requirement for each authority, commission, district, or other political subdivision with an unelected governing body and which is required to be reported in the Commonwealth's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report as determined by the State Comptroller and the Auditor of Public Accounts.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 30-140 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Auditor of Public Accounts; audits of certain political subdivisions.

21103285D

H.B. 1978 Legislative Staff Development Fund; created, effective date.

Patron: Reid

Legislative Staff Development Fund. Establishes the Legislative Staff Development Fund (Fund) to encourage and support the professional development of legislative staff. The bill defines "legislative staff" as salaried staff of a member of the House of Delegates, Senate of Virginia, or the Division of Legislative Services. The bill increases the annual lobbyist registration fee for for-profit entities from $100 to $400 and directs the $300 increase to be deposited into the Fund for the purposes described in the bill. Under the bill, any moneys remaining in the Fund at the end of each fiscal year that have not been expended for the purposes described in the bill shall revert to the general fund and be used exclusively to fund the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council. The bill has a delayed effective date of May 1, 2022.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 2.2-424 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Title 30 a chapter numbered 1.2, consisting of a section numbered 30-19.21, relating to the Legislative Staff Development Fund.

21103175D

H.B. 1990 Criminal justice legislation; racial and ethnic impact statements.

Patron: Aird

Racial and ethnic impact statements for criminal justice legislation. Provides that the Chair of the House Committee for Courts of Justice or the Chair of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary may request the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to review and prepare a racial and ethnic impact statement for a proposed criminal justice bill to outline its potential impact on racial and ethnic disparities within the Commonwealth. The bill requires JLARC to provide copies of the impact statement to the requesting chair and the patron of the proposed bill. No more than three racial and ethnic impact statements may be requested by the Chair of the House Committee for Courts of Justice and no more than two racial and ethnic impact statements may be requested by the Chair of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for completion during a single regular session of the General Assembly.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 30-19.1:13, relating to racial and ethnic impact statements for criminal justice legislation.

21101711D

H.B. 2213 Gold; Secretary of Natural Resources, et al., to study mining and processing.

Patron: Guzman


Work group; gold mining; prohibition on permitting; report. Directs the Secretary of Natural Resources, the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to establish a work group to study the mining of gold in the Commonwealth. The bill requires that the study be conducted in consultation with the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice and appropriate stakeholders, including experts in mining, hydrology, toxicology, and other fields; environmental organizations; representatives of potentially affected communities in localities with significant deposits of gold; and residents of Native American communities in such counties.

The bill provides that the work group shall evaluate the impacts of gold mining on public health, safety, and welfare; evaluate whether existing air and water quality regulations are sufficient to protect air and water quality from the mining and processing of gold; and evaluate whether existing bonding, reclamation, closure, and long-term monitoring of sites for such mining or processing are sufficient; and report its findings to the General Assembly by July 1, 2022. The bill also prohibits the issuance of any permit by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to operate a gold mine of an area larger than 10 acres until July 1, 2023.

A BILL to require the establishment of a work group to study the mining and processing of gold in the Commonwealth, and to prohibit the issuance of certain mining permits; report.

21104164D

H.B. 2271 Universal health care; Joint Commission on Health Care to study options for financing.

Patron: Samirah

Joint Commission on Health Care; contract for study of options for financing universal health care. Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to enter into a contract with a qualified entity to study options for financing universal health care in the Commonwealth. The Secretary shall report the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the qualified entity to the General Assembly by October 1, 2022.

A BILL to require the Joint Commission on Health Care to enter into a contract for a study of options for financing universal health care in the Commonwealth.

21103635D

H.B. 2295 Firearm; carrying within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, state-owned bldgs.

Patron: Levine

Carrying a firearm within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, into building owned or leased by the Commonwealth, etc.; penalty. Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for a person to carry any firearm within (i) the Capitol of Virginia; (ii) Capitol Square and the surrounding area, as described in the bill; (iii) any building, parking lot, or parking structure owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof; (iv) any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth where employees of the Commonwealth perform their official duties; or (v) any building where the General Assembly meets or conducts its business. The bill provides exceptions for law-enforcement officers, court officers, authorized security personnel, and active military personnel while in the conduct of such person's official duties; any retired law-enforcement officer who is visiting a gun range owned or leased by the Commonwealth; and any state employee of a state or juvenile correctional facility who is authorized to carry a firearm while in the conduct of such employee's official duties. The bill provides that an individual who lawfully possesses a firearm may keep such firearm in his locked vehicle in a parking lot or parking structure described in clause (iii) so long as the firearm is (a) secured, (b) not visible, and (c) in a container or compartment inside of the vehicle. The bill requires that notice of the provisions prohibiting the carrying of such firearms be posted at each of the public entrances to Capitol Square and such buildings, parking lots, and parking structures. The bill also provides that any firearm carried in violation of these provisions is subject to seizure by a law-enforcement officer and forfeiture to the Commonwealth.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 18.2-283.2, relating to carrying a firearm within Capitol Square and the surrounding area, into building owned or leased by the Commonwealth, etc.; penalty.

21104055D

H.J.R. 522 Staffing levels, employment conditions, and compensation at DOC; continued study, appropriations.

Patron: Tyler

Study; staffing levels, employment conditions, and compensation at the Virginia Department of Corrections; report. Continues the joint committee of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions; the House Committee on Public Safety; the Senate Committee on the Judiciary; and the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services established by House Joint Resolution 29 (2020) to study staffing levels, employment conditions, and compensation at the Virginia Department of Corrections. The resolution directs the joint committee to conclude its work by November 30, 2021, and to report its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Continuing the Joint Committee of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions; the House Committee on Public Safety; the Senate Committee on the Judiciary; and the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services Studying Staffing Levels, Employment Conditions, and Compensation at the Virginia Department of Corrections. Report.

21101691D

H.J.R. 526 Comprehensive campaign finance reform; joint subcommittee to study.

Patron: Bulova

Study; joint subcommittee to study comprehensive campaign finance reform; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study comprehensive campaign finance reform in the Commonwealth. In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee is tasked with examining the costs of campaigning in the Commonwealth, the effectiveness of the Commonwealth's present disclosure laws and their enforcement, the constitutional options available to regulate campaign finances, and the desirability of specific revisions in the Commonwealth's laws, including the implementation of contribution limits, all with the aim of promoting the integrity of, and public confidence in, the Commonwealth's campaign finance system.

Establishing a joint subcommittee to study comprehensive campaign finance reform. Report.

21103529D

H.J.R. 527 Invasive plant species; DCR, et al., to study the sale and use of species.

Patron: Bulova

Study; Department of Conservation and Recreation and Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; invasive plant species work group; report. Requests the Department of Conservation and Recreation, jointly with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to establish a work group to study the sale and use of invasive plant species. The resolution requests that the departments work with several state agencies, conservation nonprofits, and plant industry and agriculture groups to develop recommendations regarding statutory and regulatory changes intended to reduce or eliminate the sale and use of invasive plant species in the Commonwealth and promote the sale and use of native plants.

Requesting the Department of Conservation and Recreation, jointly with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to study the sale and use of invasive plant species. Report.

21102405D

H.J.R. 542 Transit equity and modernization; Department of Rail and Public Transportation to study.

Patron: McQuinn

Study; Department of Rail and Public Transportation; transit equity and modernization; report. Requests the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to conduct a two-year study of transit equity and modernization in the Commonwealth, with emphasis on transit services and engagement opportunities for underserved and underrepresented communities.

Requesting the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to study transit equity and modernization in the Commonwealth. Report.

21104000D

H.J.R. 567 Income tax, state; JLARC to study increasing the progressivity of Virginia's system.

Patron: Watts

Study; JLARC; increasing the progressivity of Virginia's individual income tax system; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study increasing the progressivity of Virginia's individual income tax system to make it more progressive and fair in response to economic dynamics.

Directing the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study increasing the progressivity of Virginia's individual income tax system. Report.

21102685D

H.J.R. 578 Criminal justice, behavioral health, & other records; DBHDS to study feasibility of secure database.

Patron: Price

Study; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; database of criminal justice, behavioral health, and other human services records; report. Requests the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to establish a work group to study the feasibility of developing a secure, de-identified, renewable, and relational database of criminal justice, behavioral health, and other human services records to facilitate development of more effective interventions.

 Requesting the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to study the feasibility of developing a secure, de-identified, renewable, and relational database of criminal justice, behavioral health, and other human services records to facilitate the development of more effective interventions. Report.

21102974D