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SPONSORED LEGISLATION
HB466 - Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states.
Dan I. Helmer, Kannan Srinivasan, Laura Jane Cohen
Last updated 6 months ago
24 Co-Sponsors
Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. Provides that the Superintendent of State Police, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, shall determine whether states meet the statutory qualifications for Virginia to recognize the concealed handgun permit of a person from another state. Under current law, any out-of-state permit is recognized in the Commonwealth provided that (i) the issuing authority provides the means for instantaneous verification of the validity of all such permits or licenses issued within that state, accessible 24 hours a day; (ii) the permit or license holder carries a photo identification issued by a government agency of any state or by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Department of State and displays the permit or license and such identification upon demand by a law-enforcement officer; and (iii) the permit or license holder has not previously had a Virginia concealed handgun permit revoked. The bill also provides that a Virginia resident who has not been issued a valid resident concealed handgun permit may not use a concealed handgun or concealed weapon permit or license issued by another state to carry a concealed handgun in the Commonwealth. Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. Provides that the Superintendent of State Police, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, shall determine whether states meet the statutory qualifications for Virginia to recognize the concealed handgun permit of a person from another state. Under current law, any out-of-state permit is recognized in the Commonwealth provided that (i) the issuing authority provides the means for instantaneous verification of the validity of all such permits or licenses issued within that state, accessible 24 hours a day; (ii) the permit or license holder carries a photo identification issued by a government agency of any state or by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Department of State and displays the permit or license and such identification upon demand by a law-enforcement officer; and (iii) the permit or license holder has not previously had a Virginia concealed handgun permit revoked. The bill also provides that a Virginia resident who has not been issued a valid resident concealed handgun permit may not use a concealed handgun or concealed weapon permit or license issued by another state to carry a concealed handgun in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Superintendent of State Police, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, to review any agreements for reciprocal recognition that are in place with any other states as of July 1, 2024, to determine whether the requirements and qualifications of those states' laws are adequate to prevent possession of a permit or license by persons who would be denied a permit in the Commonwealth and revoke any reciprocity agreement or recognition of any states that do not meet such requirements or qualifications by December 1, 2024. The bill requires the Attorney General to provide a written explanation for any determination that a state's laws are adequate to prevent possession of such permit or license by persons who would be denied such permit in the Commonwealth.
STATUS
Vetoed
HB949 - Hazardous Substance Facility Response Plans; reporting of substance discharge, etc.
Alfonso H. Lopez, Shelly Anne Simonds
Last updated 6 months ago
2 Co-Sponsors
Hazardous Substance Facility Response Plans; civil penalties. Requires any person that is required to submit a facility response plan under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Water Act Hazardous Substance Worst Case Discharge Planning Regulations to submit evidence of an EPA-approved facility response plan to the Department of Environmental Quality within a certain time period and to comply with such plan. The bill provides certain requirements for reporting, recordkeeping, and inspection and authorizes the Department to initiate a civil action to obtain certain equitable relief for violations of the bill's provisions. The bill imposes civil penalties for any person that negligently, willfully, or knowingly (i) discharges or causes to discharge a hazardous substance from a facility or (ii) fails to implement or comply with an EPA-approved facility response plan. Finally, the bill provides a delayed effective date of the next fiscal year immediately following the effective date of the EPA's final rule on Clean Water Act Hazardous Substance Worst Case Discharge Planning and requires the Department to develop guidance to implement the provisions of the bill in the six months preceding such effective date. Hazardous Substance Facility Response Plans; civil penalties. Requires any person that is required to submit a facility response plan under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Water Act Hazardous Substance Worst Case Discharge Planning Regulations to submit evidence of an EPA-approved facility response plan to the Department of Environmental Quality within a certain time period and to comply with such plan. The bill provides certain requirements for reporting, recordkeeping, and inspection and authorizes the Department to initiate a civil action to obtain certain equitable relief for violations of the bill's provisions. The bill imposes civil penalties for any person that negligently, willfully, or knowingly (i) discharges or causes to discharge a hazardous substance from a facility or (ii) fails to implement or comply with an EPA-approved facility response plan. Finally, the bill provides a delayed effective date of the next fiscal year immediately following the effective date of the EPA's final rule on Clean Water Act Hazardous Substance Worst Case Discharge Planning and requires the Department to develop guidance to implement the provisions of the bill in the six months preceding such effective date.
STATUS
Vetoed
HJR21 - Higher educational institutions, public; SCHEV to study guaranteed first-year admission policy.
Holly M. Seibold, Nadarius E. Clark, Rozia A. Henson
Last updated 9 months ago
10 Co-Sponsors
Study; State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth; guaranteed first-year admission; report. Requests the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to study the feasibility of implementing a guaranteed first-year admission policy at each public institution of higher education for certain high school graduates in the Commonwealth and report its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Study; State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth; guaranteed first-year admission; report. Requests the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to study the feasibility of implementing a guaranteed first-year admission policy at each public institution of higher education for certain high school graduates in the Commonwealth and report its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
STATUS
Introduced
HJR2 - Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters, right to vote, persons not entitled to vote.
Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Bonita Grace Anthony, Alex Q. Askew
Last updated 10 months ago
40 Co-Sponsors
Constitutional amendment (first reference); qualifications of voters; right to vote; persons not entitled to vote. Provides that every person who meets the qualifications of voters set forth in the Constitution of Virginia shall have the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth and that such right shall not be abridged by law, except for persons who have been convicted of a felony and persons who have been adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting. A person who has been convicted of a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote. Currently, in order to be qualified to vote a person convicted of a felony must have his civil rights restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority. The amendment also provides that a person adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction as lacking the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitled to vote during this period of incapacity until his capacity has been reestablished as prescribed by law. Currently, the Constitution of Virginia provides that a person who has been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent is not qualified to vote until his competency is reestablished.
STATUS
Introduced
HB100 - Child labor offenses; increases civil penalties.
Holly M. Seibold, Bonita Grace Anthony, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker
Last updated 6 months ago
45 Co-Sponsors
Child labor offenses; civil penalties. Increases from $10,000 to $25,000 the civil penalty for each violation of child labor laws that results in the employment of a child who is seriously injured or dies in the course of employment. The bill also increases from $1,000 to $2,500 the maximum civil penalty for each other violation of child labor laws and provides that such civil penalty shall not be less than $500. The bill directs the Department of Labor and Industry to convene a stakeholder work group to develop education and outreach plans to inform young workers and employers about child labor laws.
STATUS
Passed
HJR9 - Constitutional amendment; marriage between two individuals.
Mark D. Sickles, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, David L. Bulova
Last updated 9 months ago
28 Co-Sponsors
Constitutional amendment (first reference); marriage between two individuals; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative right to marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman as well as the related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015). The amendment provides that the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of persons and prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from denying the issuance of a marriage license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The Commonwealth and its political subdivisions are required to recognize any lawful marriage between two parties and to treat such marriages equally under the law, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The amendment provides that religious organizations and clergy acting in their religious capacity have the right to refuse to perform any marriage. Constitutional amendment (first reference); marriage between two individuals; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative right to marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman as well as the related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015). The amendment provides that the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of persons and prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from denying the issuance of a marriage license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The Commonwealth and its political subdivisions are required to recognize any lawful marriage between two parties and to treat such marriages equally under the law, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The amendment provides that religious organizations and clergy acting in their religious capacity have the right to refuse to perform any marriage.
STATUS
Introduced
HB40 - Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds, complaints, hearings, civil penalty.
Marcus B. Simon, Mike A. Cherry, Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler
Last updated 9 months ago
29 Co-Sponsors
Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations similar to those promulgated by the Federal Election Commission to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections.
STATUS
Introduced
HB351 - Firearm; locking device required for purchase, households where minor resides, penalty.
Nadarius E. Clark, Dan I. Helmer, Katrina E. Callsen
Last updated 6 months ago
24 Co-Sponsors
Firearm locking device required for purchase of a firearm; warning against accessibility to children; penalty. Requires any person who purchases a firearm to either (i) obtain or purchase from a licensed dealer a locking device for such firearm if a minor is present in such person's residence for 14 days or more in a calendar month or (ii) complete a certification statement on a form provided by the Department of State Police certifying that a minor is not present in such person's residence for 14 days or more in a calendar month, with exceptions enumerated in the bill. Accordingly, the bill provides that it is unlawful for any licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer any firearm to any person, other than a licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer, unless (a) the firearm is accompanied by a warning, in conspicuous and legible type in capital letters printed on a separate sheet of paper included within the packaging enclosing the firearm, that firearms should be locked and kept away from children and that there may be civil and criminal liability for failing to do so and (b) the transferee (1) obtains or purchases a locking device for such firearm if a minor is present in such person's residence for 14 days or more in a calendar month or (2) completes the certification statement. A violation of either provision is a Class 3 misdemeanor. Firearm locking device required for purchase of a firearm; warning against accessibility to children; penalty. Requires any person who purchases a firearm to either (i) obtain or purchase from a licensed dealer a locking device for such firearm if a minor is present in such person's residence for 14 days or more in a calendar month or (ii) complete a certification statement on a form provided by the Department of State Police certifying that a minor is not present in such person's residence for 14 days or more in a calendar month, with exceptions enumerated in the bill. Accordingly, the bill provides that it is unlawful for any licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer any firearm to any person, other than a licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer, unless (a) the firearm is accompanied by a warning, in conspicuous and legible type in capital letters printed on a separate sheet of paper included within the packaging enclosing the firearm, that firearms should be locked and kept away from children and that there may be civil and criminal liability for failing to do so and (b) the transferee (1) obtains or purchases a locking device for such firearm if a minor is present in such person's residence for 14 days or more in a calendar month or (2) completes the certification statement. A violation of either provision is a Class 3 misdemeanor.
STATUS
Vetoed
HB157 - Minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees, temporary foreign workers.
Adele Y. McClure, Phil M. Hernandez, Bonita Grace Anthony
Last updated 6 months ago
31 Co-Sponsors
Minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees; temporary foreign workers. Eliminates the exemptions from Virginia's minimum wage requirements for (i) persons employed as farm laborers or farm employees and (ii) certain temporary foreign workers.
STATUS
Vetoed
HJR17 - Disability Pride Month; designating as July 2024 and each succeeding year thereafter.
Joshua G. Cole, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Betsy B. Carr
Last updated 7 months ago
19 Co-Sponsors
Disability Pride Month. Designates July, in 2024 and in each succeeding year, as Disability Pride Month in Virginia.
STATUS
Passed
BIOGRAPHY
INCUMBENT
Representative from Virginia district HD-049
COMMITTEES
Virginia House
BIRTH
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ABOUT
Alfonso H. Lopez was born on December 29, 1972 in New York City. He earned his B.A. in government from the College of William & Mary in 1995 and his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1998. Alfonso served in the Clinton Administration focusing on education policy and later taught middle school in Guadalajara, Mexico as a teaching fellow. He also worked as an attorney and small business owner before being elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2012.read less
OFFICES HELD
Virginia House from Virginia
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