Absentee voting; processing absentee ballots returned before election day; processing upon receipt. Requires the general registrars to complete the initial processing of absentee ballots that are returned before election day within three business days of receipt. Under current law, registrars are directed to mark the date of receipt in the voter's record and examine the ballot envelope to verify completion of the required voter affirmation when an absentee ballot is returned but are not subject to a deadline for doing so.
Requisite training and education achievements of physician assistants. Permits the Board of Medicine to grant provisional licensure as a physician assistant to applicants pending the results of an examination, as defined in the bill. Such provisional license is valid for six months or until an applicant obtains full licensure, whichever is shorter. The bill directs the Board to revoke the provisional licensure of an applicant who fails an examination but provides that an applicant may reapply for provisional licensure if such applicant has failed no more than one examination. Under current law, the Board may grant provisional licensure pending the outcome of an examination at its discretion.
School crossing zones. Expands the definitionof "school crossing zone" to include areas surrounding schools wherethe presence of students reasonably requires a special warning tomotorists and provides that the term "school" includes public institutionsof higher education and nonprofit private institutions of highereducation. Currently, the definition of "school crossing zone" includesonly areas surrounding schools where the presence of children requiressuch warning. Existing provisions of law allowing photo speed monitoringdevices to be installed in school crossing zones will apply to anylocation that meets the expanded definition.
Photo-monitoring system for traffic signals;proof of violation; retired law-enforcement officials. Allowsa locality to employ a retired sworn law-enforcement officer, asdefined in the bill, to review photographs, microphotographs, videotape, or other recorded images produced by the locality's traffic lightsignal violation monitoring system or traffic control device violationmonitoring system. The bill allows such review to serve as primafacie evidence of the facts contained therein.
Board of Social Work; licensure of clinicalsocial workers; examination alternative; regulation amendments.Directs the Board of Social Work to amend the regulations for thelicensure of clinical social workers to allow applicants to utilizean examination alternative, which shall consist of at least 1,500hours of supervised experience that is obtained within the five calendaryears immediately preceding the date of application. The bill clarifiesthat the examination alternative shall be in addition to any othersupervised clinical experience required for licensure.
Pedestrian control signals; applicability to persons riding bicycles and other devices. Allows persons riding a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, moped, or motorized skateboard or scooter to, while remaining in the travel lane, follow the pedestrian control signal corresponding to the person's direction of travel, provided that they travel straight or turn right and yield to pedestrians lawfully in the crosswalk and any vehicle approaching the intersection from the right.
Exception to stopping requirement; bicycle,electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assistedbicycle, or motorized skateboard or scooter. Authorizes the operatorof a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electricpower-assisted bicycle, or motorized skateboard or scooter to yieldinstead of stop at an intersection of two highways controlled bya stop sign if (i) each intersecting highway has no more than threemotor vehicle travel lanes; (ii) the operator is at least 15 yearsold or accompanied by an adult; (iii) the operator slows to a reasonablespeed based on existing highway conditions; and (iv) before proceedinginto the intersection, the person yields the right-of-way to anypedestrian lawfully within the crosswalk and to the driver of anothervehicle approaching or entering such intersection from another direction.
Bicycles, certain other vehicles, and pedestrians. Makes various changes to provisions relating to the operation of bicycles and certain other vehicles and relating to pedestrians. The bill authorizes the operator of a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, or motorized skateboard or scooter to yield instead of stop at an intersection of two highways controlled by a stop sign if certain conditions are met. For purposes of describing when such vehicles are not required to ride as close to the right curb or edge as possible, the bill replaces the term "substandard width lane" with the description that such travel lane is less than 15 feet wide or not wide enough to allow an overtaking motor vehicle to pass safely in the same lane. The bill specifies that if the lane of travel is less than 15 feet wide, a motor vehicle overtaking a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, moped, animal, or animal-drawn vehicle shall change lanes and may drive to the left of a highway centerline when it is safe to do so. The bill removes the requirement for persons riding bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, or motorized skateboards or scooters on a highway two abreast to move into a single-file formation and limits the requirement that such persons not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic to apply only on roadways with only one travel lane per direction and a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour or more.
Conservation of trees; Town of Vienna. Allowsthe Town of Vienna, by ordinance, to require that a subdivision ordevelopment provide for the preservation or replacement of treeson the development site such that the minimum tree canopy 10 yearsafter development is projected to meet specified coverage criteria.Under current law, the criteria apply to tree canopy coverage 20 years after development.
Department of Health; local government; alternativeand conventional onsite sewage systems. Requires the Board ofHealth to establish a procedure for the Department of Health to prepare and submit a quarterly report to each local government thatprovides an accurate record of private properties categorized bythe presence of an alternative or conventional onsite sewage systemwithin each such local government.
Electronic execution of estate planning documents; Uniform Electronic Wills Act. Permits trusts, advance medical directives, and refusals to make anatomical gifts to be signed and notarized, as appropriate, by electronic means. The bill also codifies the Uniform Electronic Wills Act, which permits a testator to execute a will by electronic means. The Act requires that the will be signed by two witnesses who are in the physical or electronic presence of the testator and acknowledged by the testator and attesting witnesses in the physical or electronic presence of a notary public.
Gaming in the Commonwealth; prohibition on useof term "casino" by non-casino gaming operators; civil penalties.Prohibits any applicant for licensure or permit or any personlicensed or permitted to conduct charitable gaming, horse racing,or sports betting in the Commonwealth from using the term "casino"in its entity name, in any advertisement in association with itsproduct or service, or in any manner prohibited by regulation. Thebill provides for a civil penalty of up to $50,000 for each violation.
