Del. Les Adams

Commending Louis Rodman Whitaker, Jr.

Human rights and fair housing; religious organizations; promotion of religious principles. Provides that nothing in the Virginia Human Rights Act prohibits a religious corporation, association, or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society, from taking any action to promote the religious principles for which it is established or maintained. The bill exempts any place of accommodation owned by or operated on behalf of a religious corporation, association, or society from the nondiscrimination in public places of accommodation provisions of the Virginia Human Rights Act. Under current law, such places of accommodation are exempt only when not open to the public. The bill adds preschools to the list of educational institutions that are exempt from discriminatory hiring practices with respect to the hiring and employment of employees of a particular religion when such institutions are owned, supported, controlled, or managed by a particular religion or religious corporation, association, or society. The bill clarifies that the term "religion" includes all aspects of religious observance and practice as well as belief for the purposes of the exemption from discrimination in employment of individuals employed to perform work associated with the activities of a particular religion by a religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society. The bill removes provisions allowing (i) a court or jury in a civil action that finds unlawful discrimination has occurred to order such affirmative action as may be appropriate and (ii) the Attorney General to seek to obtain such relief as would be available to a private party when he intervenes in a civil action for unlawful discrimination. The bill also removes the provision of the exemption for religious organizations under the Virginia Fair Housing Law that denies such exemption where the membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, or disability.

Voter registration; registration permittedup to and including the day of the election. Repeals a provisionthat would permit any person who is qualified to register to voteto register to vote in person up to and including the day of theelection, notwithstanding any deadline for the close of registration records. The repeal will limit the persons who are entitled to registerto vote after the close of registration records to (i) any member of a uniformed service of the United States who is on active duty,(ii) any person residing temporarily outside of the United States,and (iii) the spouse or dependent residing with someone listed in(i) or (ii).

Commending Virginia Polytechnic Institute andState University.

Window tinting; vehicle stop. Removes theprohibition on a law-enforcement officer from stopping a motor vehiclefor a violation of provisions related to window tinting and the prohibitionof evidence discovered or obtained at such stop from being admissiblein court.

Emergency Services and Disaster Law; limitationon duration of executive orders. Limits the duration of any executiveorder issued by the Governor pursuant to his powers under the EmergencyServices and Disaster Law to no more than 60 days from the date ofissuance. The bill provides that if the General Assembly does nottake any action on the rule, regulation, or order within the 60 daysduring which the rule, regulation, or order is effective, the Governorshall thereafter be prohibited from issuing the same or a similar rule, regulation, or order relating to the same emergency. Undercurrent law, once issued, such executive orders are effective untilJune 30 following the next adjournment of the regular session ofthe General Assembly. The bill contains technical amendments.

Admission to bail; rebuttable presumptions.Creates a rebuttable presumption against releasing a person on hisown recognizance or an unsecured bond in certain circumstances detailedin the bill. The bill provides that such presumption may be rebuttedif the judicial officer finds, by clear and convincing evidence,that such person is not a flight risk and his liberty will not constitutean unreasonable danger to himself, family or household members, orthe public. The bill also provides for an appeal, upon notice by the Commonwealth, of a district court's decision to release a personon his own recognizance or an unsecured bond over the presumption.

Maximum number of judges in each judicial district. Increases from two to three the maximum number of authorized generaldistrict court judges in the Twenty-second Judicial District.

Certificate of public need; inpatient psychiatricservices and facilities. Requires the Commissioner of Health(the Commissioner) to impose conditions related to the provisionof care to individuals who are the subject of a temporary detention order on certificates of public need for projects involving inpatientpsychiatric services and facilities and provides that when determiningthe public need for a proposed project involving an inpatient psychiatricservice or facility, the Commissioner shall not take into considerationexisting inpatient psychiatric services or facilities or the impactof approving the application and issuing the certificate of publicneed for the proposed project on an existing inpatient psychiatricservice or facility if the existing inpatient psychiatric serviceor facility does not provide an adequate amount of service to individualswho are subject to a temporary detention order, as determined bythe Commissioner in accordance with regulations of the Board of Health(the Board). The bill directs the Board to adopt regulations establishinga process by which the Commissioner shall annually establish theamount of services for individuals who are subject to a temporarydetention order that an existing inpatient psychiatric service orfacility must provide.

Commending Liberty University.