75+ of the Best New Bills – and Bills “Carried Over” from 2020 – for the 2021 Virginia General Assembly Session

According to VPAP: “This week, 10 new bills were filed for the 2021 session of the General Assembly. An additional 385 were carried over from the 2020 regular session.” Here are the new bills – not counting commemorating/commending resolutions – followed by some bills from 2020 that jumped out at me, the vast majority because I think they should pass in the 2021 General Assembly session (sources: VPAP, LIS). Note that this list isn’t comprehensive, as there are a bunch more excellent bills, but I just wanted to give a good flavor for the breadth and scope of the many important areas to be covered in 2021.

NEW BILLS FOR 2021

• SB 1098: Unmanned aircraft; exempts an owner from the requirement to register. Chief Patron: Sen. Barbara Favola (D)
• HB 1735: Alcoholic beverage control; privileges of farm winery licensees and limited brewery licensees. Chief Patron: Del. Lee Ware (R)
• HB 1736: School nurses; excludes positions from certain requirements, school board to employ in each school. Chief Patron: Del. Dawn Adams (D)
• HB 1737:  Nurse practitioners; practice without a practice agreement. Chief Patron: Del. Dawn Adams (D)
• HB 1738: Alcoholic beverage control; local outdoor refreshment areas. Chief Patron: Del. Will Wampler (R)
• HB 1739: State parks; discounted rental and service fees, military and veterans. Chief Patron: Del. Will Wampler (R)
• SB 1097: Absentee voting; witness signature not required. Chief Patron: Sen. Barbara Favola (D)
• SJ 270: Constitutional amendment; marriage (first reference). Chief Patron: Sen. Adam Ebbin (D)
• SJ 271: Constitutional amendment; Governor’s term of office (first reference). Chief Patron: Sen. Adam Ebbin (D)

Of these, the ones that jump out at me are Sen. Adam Ebbin (D)’s SJ 270 and S 271, both of which I strongly support; and SB 1097 by Sen. Barbara Favola (D), which I also strongly support. Obviously, it’s long past time that Virginia’s constitution was rid of the odious “Marshall-Newman” anti-same-sex-marriage amendment. As for Virginia’s governor, to me it’s an absolute no-brainer that he or she should be able to serve two terms, as in basically every other state.

As for carryover bills from 2020, there are numerous good ones that should pass in 2021, such as:

• SB 550 Dating relationship abuse; penalty. “Expands the crime of assault and battery against a family or household member to include persons in a dating relationship, as defined in the bill.” Chief Patron: Sen. John Bell (D)
• SB 660 Virginia Equal Pay Act; civil penalties. “Prohibits public and private employers from discriminating between employees on the basis of membership in a protected class in the payment of wages or other compensation…” Chief Patron: Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D)
• SB 669 Animal testing; breeding. “Prohibits any person from breeding a dog or cat for the express purpose of producing offspring for (i) use in research, experimentation, or testing that is not required pursuant to federal law or regulation or (ii) sale to a manufacturer, institution of higher learning, or contract testing facility outside the United States.” Chief Patron: Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D)
• SJ 14 Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters, restoration of civil rights (first reference). “Authorizes the General Assembly to provide by general law for the restoration of civil rights for persons convicted of a felony.” Chief Patron: Sen. Creigh Deeds (D)
• SB 887 Voter registration; automatic voter registration. Chief Patron: Sen. Adam Ebbin (D)
• SB 91 Parole; application of statutes. “Repeals the abolition of parole.” Chief Patron: Sen. John Edwards (D)
• SB 537 Mandatory minimum punishment; limitation. “Provides that mandatory minimum punishments shall not apply to any sentence imposed for an offense committed on or after July 1, 2020.”  Chief Patron: Sen. John Edwards (D)
• SB 490 Firearms; purchase, possession, etc., following a conviction. “Prohibits a person who has been convicted of stalking, sexual battery, or assault and battery of a family or household member from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm.” Chief Patron: Sen. Barbara Favola (D)
• SB 486 Food waste; to study VDACS sources, scale, and prevention of food waste. Chief Patron: Sen. Barbara Favola (D)
• SB 917 Reproductive health services; health benefit plans to cover costs of specified health care services. Chief Patron: Sen. Mamie Locke (D)
• SJ 8 Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters and the right to vote. “The bill removes from current constitutional qualifications to vote not having been convicted of a felony and not having been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent.” Chief Patron: Sen. Mamie Locke (D)
• SB 97 Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices, effective clause. Chief Patron: Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D)
• SJ 59 Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters, restoration of rights. Chief Patron: Sen. Joe Morrissey (D)
• SB 1061 C-PACE loans; residential dwellings and condominiums. Chief Patron: Sen. Chap Petersen (D)
• SB 842 Electric energy; customer choice. Chief Patron: Sen. Chap Petersen (D)
• SJ 2 Constitutional amendment; personal reproductive liberty (first reference). Chief Patron: Sen. Dick Saslaw (D)
• SB 637 Estate tax; reinstatement. Chief Patron: Sen. Scott Surovell (D)
• SB 449 Death penalty; abolishes penalty, including those persons currently under a death sentence. Chief Patron: Sen. Scott Surovell (D)
• HB 7 Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices. Chief Patron: Del. Jeff Bourne (D)
• HJ 2 Constitutional amendment; real property tax exemption for affordable housing (first reference). Chief Patron: Del. Jeff Bourne (D)
• HB 1507 Marijuana; possession. “Allows for possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use.” Chief Patron: Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy (D)
• HJ 80 Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters, restoration of rights. Chief Patron: Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy (D)
• HB 87 Marijuana; legalization of simple possession, penalties. Chief Patron: Del. Lee Carter (D)
• HB 1624 Trees; conservation during land development process. Chief Patron: Del. Joshua Cole (D)
• HB 547 Virginia Energy and Economy Transition Council; established, report. Chief Patron: Del. Karrie Delaney (D)
• HB 1480 Pet shops; local regulation on sale of animals. Chief Patron: Del. Wendy Gooditis (D)
• HB 476 Police and court records; expungement of certain misdemeanor and nonviolent felony convictions. Chief Patron: Del. Elizabeth Guzman (D)
• HB 579 Health insurance; coverage for mammograms. Chief Patron: Del. Elizabeth Guzman (D)
• HB 269 Marijuana; legalization of simple marijuana possession, penalty. Chief Patron: Del. Steve Heretick (D)
• HB 1120 Tobacco products; tax on all tobacco products, penalties. Chief Patron: Del. Patrick Hope (D)
• HB 1283 Tobacco products retailers; registration, purchase, possession, and sale of products, penalties. Chief Patron: Del. Patrick Hope (D)
• HB 1119 Flavored tobacco products; sale prohibited, civil penalty. Chief Patron: Del. Patrick Hope (D)
• HB 1713 Health insurance; essential health benefits, abortion coverage. Chief Patron: Del. Sally Hudson (D)
• HB 1433 Criminal history information; destruction of information for certain charges and convictions. Chief Patron: Del. Jay Jones (D)
• HB 1677 Electric utility regulation; retail customer choice. Chief Patron: Del. Mark Keam (D)
• HB 403 Safe days for employees; private employers required to allow days. Chief Patron: Del. Mark Keam (D)
• HB 705 State air, waste, and water boards; permit authority, appointment of members. Chief Patron: Del. Mark Keam (D)
• HB 1338 Smoking; prohibited in multi-unit residential building, civil penalty. Chief Patron: Del. Mark Keam (D)
• HB 1706 Pesticides; prohibits the manufacture, distribution, etc., for use of chlorpyrifos. Chief Patron: Del. Kaye Kory (D)
• HB 1067 Electric utilities; net energy metering. Chief Patron: Del. Kaye Kory (D)
• HB 526 Reproductive health services; health benefit plans to cover the costs of specified services, etc. Chief Patron: Del. Kaye Kory (D)
• HB 93 Flavored tobacco products; sale or distribution prohibited, civil penalty. Chief Patron: Del. Kaye Kory (D)
• HB 1329 Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas; local governments to designate Areas, etc. Chief Patron: Del. Kaye Kory (D)
• HB 1045 Tree-replacement ordinance; banking. Chief Patron: Del. Paul Krizek (D)
• HB 333 Virginia Minimum Wage Act; exclusions. “liminates the exclusion in the Virginia Minimum Wage Act for persons whose earning capacity is impaired by physical deficiency, mental illness, or intellectual disability.” Chief Patron: Del. Paul Krizek (D)
• HB 177 Presidential electors; National Popular Vote Compact. Chief Patron: Del. Mark Levine (D)
• HB 182 General Assembly; streaming and recording of meetings. Chief Patron: Del. Mark Levine (D)
• HB 865 Misdemeanor drug offenses, certain; expungement. Chief Patron: Del. Mark Levine (D)
• HB 961 Assault firearms, certain firearm magazines, etc.; prohibiting sale, transport, etc., penalties. Chief Patron: Del. Mark Levine (D)
• HB 219 Voter registration; automatic voter registration. Chief Patron: Del. Alfonso Lopez (D)
• HB 215 Voter registration; preregistration for persons age 16 or older. Chief Patron: Del. Alfonso Lopez (D)
• HB 1185 Nicotine vapor products; sale, penalties. Chief Patron: Del. Alfonso Lopez (D)
• HB 221 Tree conservation ordinance; Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act locality, designated trees. Chief Patron: Del. Martha Mugler (D)
• HB 673 Cruelty to children; increases penalty to a Class 4 felony. Chief Patron: Del. Mike Mullin (D)
• HB 1288 Firearms; purchase, possession, etc., following certain convictions, penalty. Chief Patron: Del. Kathleen Murphy (D)
• HB 338 Virginia Minimum Wage Act; removes exemption for persons employed in domestic service, etc. Chief Patron: Del. Cia Price (D)
• HB 1445 Reproductive health services; health benefit plans to cover costs of specified health care services. Chief Patron: Del. Cia Price (D)
• HB 339 Virginia Minimum Wage Act; removes certain exemption. Chief Patron: Del. Cia Price (D)
• HB 360 Elections; voter-nominated open primary elections, ranked choice voting for certain elections. Chief Patron: Del. Sam Rasoul (D)
• HB 1036 Preventive services; coverage for outpatient mental health screenings or visits. Chief Patron: Del. Sam Rasoul (D)
• HB 1727 Feral cats; trap, neuter, and return programs. Chief Patron: Del. David Reid (D)
• HB 1392 FOIA Ombudsman; powers and duties, report. Chief Patron: Del. Danica Roem (D)
• HB 39 Health benefit plans; enrollment by pregnant individuals. Chief Patron: Del. Ibraheem Samirah (D)
• HB 530 Health care coverage; qualified health plans. Chief Patron: Del. Ibraheem Samirah (D)
• HB 1545 Discretionary sentencing guideline midpoints; act of domestic terrorism enhancement. Chief Patron: Del. Ibraheem Samirah (D)
• HB 294 Police and court records; expungement of records, misdemeanor convictions. Chief Patron: Del. Don Scott (D)
• HJ 113 Constitutional amendment; marriage (first reference). Chief Patron: Del. Mark Sickles (D)
• HB 848 Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; unlawful conversion of political contributions to personal use. Chief Patron: Del. Marcus Simon (D)
• HB 830 Charges and convictions, certain; expungement. Chief Patron: Del. Rip Sullivan (D)
• HB 203 Absentee voting; counting military and overseas absentee ballots received after close of polls. Chief Patron: Del. Kathy Tran (D)
• HB 736 Estate tax; reinstatement. Chief Patron: Del. Vivian Watts (D)
• HB 729 Transit funding; raises the existing regional transportation fee, etc. Chief Patron: Del. Vivian Watts (D)
• HB 672 State, regional, and local planning; climate change. “Establishes a policy of the Commonwealth to prevent and to minimize actions that contribute to the detrimental effects of climate change in the Commonwealth. The bill requires any state agency to examine any new regulation in furtherance of this policy.” Chief Patron: Del. Rodney Willett (D)