Virginia 2022 Regular Session All Bills
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB244
Introduced
1/10/22
Refer
1/10/22
Organ donors; unpaid leave; civil penalty. Requires that an employer that employs 15 or more employees provide eligible employees with (i) up to 60 business days of unpaid organ donation leave in any 12-month period to serve as an organ donor and (ii) up to 30 business days of unpaid organ donation leave in any 12-month period to serve as a bone marrow donor. The bill requires the employer to restore the employee's position following the leave, to continue to provide coverage for the employee under any health benefit plan, and to pay the employee any commission earned prior to the leave. The bill prohibits the employer from taking retaliatory action against the employee for taking organ donation leave. The bill requires the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to enforce its provisions and provides for civil penalties for violations of its requirements.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB245
Introduced
1/10/22
Refer
1/10/22
Public hospitals; medical debt collection practices. Requires the University of Virginia Medical Center (the Medical Center) and the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority (the Authority) to make payment plans available to each person who incurs a debt related to medical treatment. The bill (i) requires that such payment plans be provided in writing and cap monthly payments at no more than five percent of the person's household income, (ii) provides that the first payment under such payment plan shall not be due until a date that is at least 90 days after the date on which treatment was provided or the date on which the person discharged, and (iii) provides that a person who has made at least 10 payments pursuant to the payment plan in a 12-month period shall be deemed to be in compliance with the payment plan. The bill also prohibits the Medical Center and the Authority from charging interest or late fees for medical debt, requires the Medical Center and Authority to make information available in writing in languages other than English spoken in the service area and via oral translation service for other languages, prohibits the Medical Center and the Authority from selling medical debt to any person other than an organization that purchases medical debt for the purpose of paying such debt in full, and requires the Medical Center and the Authority to establish a Financial Assistance Ombudsman Office to assist patients and other persons with issues related to financial assistance, payment plans, and debt collection.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB246
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
1/20/22
Engrossed
1/26/22
Refer
2/23/22
Law-enforcement officer; purpose of traffic stop. Provides that the operator of a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer that has stopped on the signal of any law-enforcement officer shall exhibit his registration card, learner's permit, or temporary driver's permit for the purpose of establishing his identity upon being advised of the purpose of the stop within a reasonable time by the law-enforcement officer. Current law requires that such materials be exhibited upon the law-enforcement officer's request.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB247
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
1/20/22
Engrossed
1/26/22
Refer
2/21/22
Report Pass
2/22/22
Enrolled
3/1/22
Chaptered
4/11/22
Passed
4/11/22
Careless driving; vulnerable road users. Provides that a person is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor if he operates a vehicle in a careless or distracted manner and causes the death or serious bodily injury of a vulnerable road user. Current law only imposes the penalty if such careless or distracted operation causes serious bodily injury to the vulnerable road user. The bill also allows a court to suspend the driver's license or restrict the driver's license of a person convicted of careless driving for up to six months.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB248
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
1/25/22
Engrossed
1/28/22
Refer
2/21/22
Report Pass
2/23/22
Enrolled
3/2/22
Chaptered
4/11/22
Passed
4/11/22
Fertilizer; digestate. Clarifies that a regulated product, for the purposes of fertilizer law, includes digestate. Digestate is defined in the bill as a biologically stable material derived from the process of anaerobic digestion. The bill also includes digestate in fertilizer labeling requirements.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB249
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
2/7/22
Report Pass
2/10/22
Engrossed
2/14/22
Refer
2/22/22
Report Pass
3/2/22
Engrossed
3/7/22
Engrossed
3/8/22
Enrolled
3/10/22
Chaptered
4/11/22
Passed
4/11/22
Sexual abuse of animals; penalty. Provides that any person who knowingly (i) engages in sexual contact with an animal; (ii) causes another person by force, threat, or intimidation to engage in sexual contact with an animal; (iii) advertises, solicits, offers, sells, purchases, or possesses an animal with the intent that the animal be subject to sexual contact; (iv) permits sexual contact with an animal to be conducted on any premises under his ownership or control; or (v) produces, distributes, publishes, sells, transmits, finances, possesses, or possesses with the intent to distribute, publish, sell, or transmit an obscene item depicting a person engaged in sexual contact with an animal is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides that any person convicted of sexual abuse of an animal shall be prohibited from possessing, owning, or exercising control over any animal and may be ordered to attend an appropriate treatment program or obtain psychiatric or psychological counseling. Sexual abuse of animals; penalty. Provides that any person who knowingly (i) engages in sexual contact with an animal; (ii) causes another person by force, threat, or intimidation to engage in sexual contact with an animal; (iii) advertises, solicits, offers, sells, purchases, or possesses an animal with the intent that the animal be subject to sexual contact; (iv) permits sexual contact with an animal to be conducted on any premises under his ownership or control; or (v) produces, distributes, publishes, sells, transmits, finances, possesses, or possesses with the intent to distribute, publish, sell, or transmit an obscene item depicting a person engaged in sexual contact with an animal is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides that any person convicted of sexual abuse of an animal shall be prohibited from possessing, owning, or exercising control over any animal and may be ordered to attend an appropriate treatment program or obtain psychiatric or psychological counseling.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB25
Introduced
12/22/21
Refer
12/22/21
Report Pass
1/19/22
Engrossed
1/21/22
Refer
2/22/22
Report Pass
2/23/22
Engrossed
2/28/22
Engrossed
3/2/22
Enrolled
3/7/22
Chaptered
4/8/22
Passed
4/8/22
Local cigarette tax; unsold inventory. Requires any locality that increases its cigarette tax rate to allow, for one calendar year after the increase, a person with unsold inventory to pay the tax increase on the unsold inventory by filing a return, rather than requiring the use of a stamp or meter impression. The bill imposes a duty on regional cigarette tax boards to effectuate the policy.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB250
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
1/25/22
Report Pass
2/2/22
Engrossed
2/4/22
Refer
2/18/22
Report Pass
2/23/22
Engrossed
2/28/22
Enrolled
3/2/22
Vetoed
4/11/22
Nonhazardous solid waste fees. Increases the annual fees for nonhazardous solid waste management facilities and indexes the fees annually based on the change in the Consumer Price Index. Nonhazardous solid waste fees. Increases the annual fees for nonhazardous solid waste management facilities and indexes the fees annually based on the change in the Consumer Price Index.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB251
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
1/31/22
Report Pass
2/8/22
Engrossed
2/10/22
Refer
2/22/22
Report Pass
3/4/22
Refer
3/9/22
Northern Virginia Transportation Authority; pedestrian and bicyclist projects. Directs the Department of Transportation to convene a work group, which includes certain specified parties, to assess and identify projected pedestrian, bicycling, and traffic infrastructure needs and associated budgeting and funding needs. The bill provides that the work group shall submit a report of the gathered information to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Transportation and Appropriations and the Senate Committees on Transportation and Finance and Appropriations no later than October 1, 2022. Northern Virginia Transportation Authority; pedestrian and bicyclist projects. Directs the Department of Transportation to convene a work group, which includes certain specified parties, to assess and identify projected pedestrian, bicycling, and traffic infrastructure needs and associated budgeting and funding needs. The bill provides that the work group shall submit a report of the gathered information to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Transportation and Appropriations and the Senate Committees on Transportation and Finance and Appropriations no later than October 1, 2022.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB252
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Elimination of mandatory minimum sentences; modification of sentence to mandatory minimum term of confinement for felony offenses; report. Except for aggravated murder of a law-enforcement officer, eliminates all mandatory minimum sentences of confinement from the Code of Virginia. The bill directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to establish a work group to evaluate the feasibility of resentencing persons previously convicted of a felony offense that was punishable by a mandatory minimum term of confinement and to report its findings by November 1, 2022.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB253
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
1/31/22
Engrossed
2/2/22
Refer
2/22/22
Report Pass
3/4/22
Enrolled
3/11/22
Chaptered
4/11/22
Passed
4/11/22
Charter; City of Hampton; election; term dates. Changes the effective resignation date of a candidate for mayor from June 30 to the day before his successor commences his term and removes the specified commencement date. Charter; City of Hampton; election; term dates. Changes the effective resignation date of a candidate for mayor from June 30 to the day before his successor commences his term and removes the specified commencement date.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB254
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
1/28/22
Engrossed
2/4/22
Engrossed
2/7/22
Refer
2/21/22
Report Pass
2/22/22
Enrolled
3/1/22
Chaptered
4/5/22
Passed
4/5/22
Alcoholic beverage control; delivery of alcoholic beverages; third-party delivery license; container. Creates a third-party delivery license that authorizes the licensee to deliver alcoholic beverages purchased by consumers from other retail licensees. The bill establishes conditions for the issuance of third-party delivery licenses, imposes eligibility requirements for delivery personnel, and sets forth requirements for a delivery to be made by such delivery personnel. The bill imposes a $2,500 fine for first-time violations of the delivery requirements and a $5,000 fine for second and subsequent violations. The bill also establishes container requirements for certain alcoholic beverages sold for off-premises consumption or delivery. The bill requires that such alcoholic beverages, if not contained in the manufacturer's original sealed container, (i) be enclosed in a container that has no straw holes or other openings and is sealed in a manner that allows a person to readily discern whether the container has been opened or tampered with; (ii) display the name of the licensee from which the alcoholic beverages were purchased; (iii) be clearly marked with the phrase "contains alcoholic beverages"; (iv) have a maximum volume of 16 ounces per beverage for certain beverages; and (v) be stored in the trunk of the vehicle, in an area that is rear of the driver's seat, in a locked container or compartment, or, in the case of delivery by bicycle, in a compartment behind the bicyclist during delivery. The bill also excludes from the rebuttable presumption in current law that a person is consuming alcohol while driving any person who is delivering an alcoholic beverage in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill directs the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to collect data regarding the compliance of third-party delivery licensees with the provisions of the bill and report such data to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services by November 1, 2023. The bill extends from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2024, the sunset on prior legislation that allowed certain licensees to sell mixed beverages for off-premises consumption.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB255
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
1/24/22
Zoning; wireless communications infrastructure; application process. Provides that in its consideration of certain communications infrastructure applications, a locality shall not disapprove an application if (i) the proposed new structure provides additional wireless coverage or capacity for first responders or (ii) the proposed tower is not within a four-mile radius of an existing tower that is part of the applicant's network. Additional changes in the bill provide that a locality shall not be prohibited from disapproving certain applications for any zoning approval required for non-administrative review-eligible projects on the basis of the fact that the proposed height of any wireless support structure, wireless facility, or wireless support structure with attached wireless facilities exceeds 200 feet above ground level. Current law sets the limit at 50 feet above ground level.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB256
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
1/20/22
Report Pass
2/9/22
Engrossed
2/11/22
Refer
2/21/22
Report Pass
2/23/22
Engrossed
2/28/22
Engrossed
3/2/22
Enrolled
3/7/22
Chaptered
4/11/22
Passed
4/11/22
Department of Military Affairs; recruitment. Authorizes the Department of Military Affairs to utilize grant funding to recruit qualified applicants for service in the Virginia National Guard. The bill states that the yearly funding amount for such recruitment shall be at the discretion of the Adjutant General and the Department of Military Affairs and not exceed $50,000 per fiscal year.
VA
Virginia 2022 Regular Session
Virginia Senate Bill SB257
Introduced
1/11/22
Refer
1/11/22
Report Pass
1/18/22
Report Pass
1/26/22
Engrossed
2/1/22
Engrossed
2/2/22
Refer
2/23/22
Department of Health Professions; Counseling Compact review; report. Directs the Department of Health Professions to review the merits of the Commonwealth entering into the Counseling Compact, an interstate compact to facilitate the interstate practice of licensed professional counselors. The bill requires the Department to report its findings to the General Assembly no later than September 1, 2022. Department of Health Professions; Counseling Compact review; report. Directs the Department of Health Professions to review the merits of the Commonwealth entering into the Counseling Compact, an interstate compact to facilitate the interstate practice of licensed professional counselors. The bill requires the Department to report its findings to the General Assembly no later than September 1, 2022.