Del. Tommy Wright

Income tax; age deduction; increase income thresholdfor married filers. Increases to $100,000 the threshold at whichthe income tax deduction for taxpayers 65 or older is reduced basedon income, as such threshold applies to married taxpayers filingjointly or separately. Under current law, the threshold for marriedtaxpayers is $75,000 and the threshold for individual taxpayers is$50,000.

Group Violence Intervention Board; Divisionof Group Violence Intervention; Project Ceasefire Grant Fund; ProjectExile Grant Fund. Establishes the Group Violence InterventionBoard to coordinate and assist federal, state, and local group violenceintervention efforts. The bill also establishes within the Departmentof Criminal Justice Services (the Department) the Division of Group Violence Intervention (the Division), to be headed by an executivedirector appointed by the Director of the Department. The bill providesthat the Division is responsible for (i) coordinating the effortsof members of state and local law enforcement, community members,and social services providers to combat group violence; (ii) serving as a clearinghouse for research, best practices, and strategies thatmay be utilized in the implementation, execution, and evaluationof group violence interventions; and (iii) implementing and administeringvarious federal, state, and local grant funds that aid group violenceintervention efforts. Finally, the bill creates the Project CeasefireGrant Fund, which provides money to organizations that are involvedin group violence intervention efforts, and creates the Project ExileGrant Fund, which provides money to organizations that assist formergang members or individuals attempting to leave gangs.

Virginia National Guard; state active duty for emergency response; pay and allowances for members. Establishes rates of pay and allowances for members of the Virginia National Guard and Virginia Defense Force.

Possession, purchase, and transport of certainfirearms in certain localities; withholding state funds. Allowsa person to lawfully possess, purchase, or transport a firearm orfirearms magazine that he would otherwise be lawfully permitted to possess, purchase, or transport on January 1, 2020, while he isin a locality that has adopted or enforced any ordinance, resolution,or motion that declares such locality a sanctuary for Second Amendmentrights. The bill also provides that no funds payable by the Commonwealthto a locality for any and all purposes shall be withheld from a localitysolely on the basis of such locality adopting or enforcing any ordinance,resolution, or motion that declares such locality a sanctuary for Second Amendment rights.

Mountain ridges; prohibition on construction;local ordinance. Prohibits the construction of any building morethan 50 feet tall at any elevation within 100 feet of the crest ofa vulnerable mountain ridge, as defined in the bill. The bill providesan exception for construction that complies with a county or cityordinance adopted to mitigate the effect of such structures on viewsof the ridge. The bill also authorizes any city or county to optout of the prohibition on construction by referendum if the petitionfor such referendum is made prior to January 1, 2022. The bill directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to produce maps showing vulnerable mountain ridges in Virginia and authorizes the Departmentto develop a model ridge conservation ordinance.

Individual and corporate income tax credit;employers of National Guard members and self-employed National Guardmembers. Provides for taxable years 2020 through 2024 a nonrefundabletax credit against individual and corporate income taxes for (i) wages paid by an employer to an employee who is a Virginia NationalGuard member or (ii) income of a self-employed National Guard memberattributable to his business. The amount of the credit shall be 25percent if such member was in a military pay status for 65 days ormore during such taxable year or 15 percent if such member was ina military pay status for 45 days or more during such taxable year.The credit shall not be allowed if such member was in a militarypay status for less than 45 days during such taxable year.

Individual and corporate income tax credit;employers of National Guard members and self-employed National Guardmembers. Provides for taxable years 2020 through 2024 a nonrefundabletax credit against individual and corporate income taxes for (i) wages paid by an employer to an employee who is an active or reserveVirginia National Guard member or (ii) income of a self-employedactive or reserve Virginia National Guard member attributable to his business. The amount of the credit shall be 25 percent if such memberwas in a military pay status for 65 days or more during such taxableyear or 15 percent if such member was in a military pay status forat least 45 days but less than 65 days during such taxable year.The credit shall not be allowed if such member was in a military pay status for less than 45 days during such taxable year. The billallows a taxpayer to carry unused credits over for up to five taxableyears.

Commending the Washington Nationals.

Commending The American Legion Auxiliary.

Commending New Gilfield Reformed Zion UnionApostolic Church.