Sen. Jennifer L McClellan

Health services; obsolete provisions. Removesthe requirement that the Department of Behavioral Health and DevelopmentalServices develop and biennially update a six-year Comprehensive StatePlan for Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Plan).Since the Plan was initially required in 1998, other reporting requirementshave been enacted that have rendered the Plan obsolete. The billalso removes obsolete provisions of the Uniform Act on Adoption andMedical Assistance. This bill is a recommendation of the VirginiaCode Commission.

Commercial driver's license examinations. Authorizes governmental entities, including comprehensive community colleges in the Virginia Community College System, certified as third party testers to test and train drivers employed by another governmental entity or enrolled in a commercial driver training course offered by a community college. The bill repeals the prohibition on applicants 18 years of age and older retaking skills tests within 15 days. Current law authorizes such reexamination upon payment of a $2 fee.

Science Museum of Virginia; conveyance of easement; Children's Museum of Richmond; City of Richmond. Authorizes theScience Museum of Virginia to convey certain right-of-way easementsto the Children's Museum of Richmond.

Virginia Health Benefit Exchange; marketing. Requires the Virginia Health Benefit Exchange to prepare an annual marketing plan that includes consumer outreach, licensed health insurance agents, and navigator programs. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to HB 312.

Elections; voting systems; reporting absentee results by precinct. Includes in the definition of "voting system" on-demand ballot printing systems and ballot marking devices used to manufacture or mark ballots to be cast by voters on electronic voting and counting machines. The bill also requires general registrars to report to the Department of Elections the number and results of absentee ballots cast by voters assigned to each precinct in the registrar's locality. The Department is directed by the bill to establish standards for ascertaining and reporting such information. This bill incorporates SB 306 and is identical to HB 927.

Central Virginia Transportation Authority; membership. Adds the Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Region Airport Commission as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority. This bill is identical to HB 138.

Virginia Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Historic Preservation Fund established. Establishes the Virginia Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Historic Preservation Fund for the purpose of awarding grants to eligible state-recognized and federally recognized Indian tribes, private nonprofit organizations, and localities for the eligible costs of acquiring land or permanent protective interest therein, and of undertaking preservation activities on such land, that is of cultural or historic significance to Black, indigenous, or people of color communities. The bill provides that land or interests acquired with grant funds shall grant the Board of Historic Resources or other holder a perpetual preservation interest in the property. This bill is identical to HB 141.

Historical African American cemeteries. Changes the date of establishment that qualifies historical African American cemeteries for appropriated funds to care for such cemeteries from prior to January 1, 1900, to prior to January 1, 1948, and provides that the total number of graves in a qualifying cemetery shall be the number of markers of African Americans who were interred in such cemetery prior to January 1, 1948. Under current law, the total number of graves is the number of markers of African Americans who lived at any time between January 1, 1800, and January 1, 1900. This bill is identical to HB 140.

Special license plates; United States Navy;Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Fund. Authorizes the issuanceof revenue-sharing special license plates with a design that incorporatesthe emblem of the United States Navy to active members and certainveterans of the United States Navy. The bill provides that unremarriedsurviving spouses of such service members may also be issued suchspecial license plates. The bill creates the Navy-Marine Corps ReliefSociety Fund to utilize funds from the license plate fees to supportthe Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in Virginia.

Misdemeanor sexual offenses where the victim is a minor; statute of limitations; penalty. Provides that the prosecution of the misdemeanor offense of causing or encouraging acts rendering children delinquent where the alleged adult offender has consensual sexual intercourse with a minor who is 15 years of age or older at the time of the offense shall be commenced no later than five years after the victim reaches majority provided that the alleged adult offender was more than three years older than the victim at the time of the offense. Under current law, the prosecution of such offense shall be commenced within one year after commission of the offense.