Summary: Virginia Minority Business Commission; report. Establishes a 13-member legislative Commission to promote the growthand competitiveness of Virginia minority-owned businesses. The bill provides that the Commission sunsets on July 1, 2023.

Summary: Elections; voter registration; extended time for persons to register in person. Provides any person who is qualified to vote is entitled to register to vote in person up to and including the day of the election at the office of the general registrar in the locality in which the person resides or at the polling place for the precinct in which the person resides. Under current law, registration records close for registration purposes, whether in person or by other means, 21 days prior to a primary or general election. The bill has a delayed effective date of October 1, 2022. The bill incorporates HB 187.

Summary: Elections administration; Department of Elections; position of Director of Operations. Directs the Department of Elections to employ a Director of Operations, who will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations at the Department and ensuring (i) fulfillment of the Department's mission and responsibilities; (ii) compliance with state and federal election laws and regulations; and (iii) compliance with the Department's business, administrative, and financial policies. The bill provides that the Director of Operations position is a full-time classified position subject to the Virginia Personnel Act. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.

Summary: Virginia National Guard member benefits; healthsavings accounts. Provides that a member of the Virginia NationalGuard may elect to receive, in lieu of any tuition assistance grants,a matching contribution from the state to a health savings account.The Department of Military Affairs shall establish a health savingsaccount for any member who elects to receive this benefit. The matchingcontribution shall equal the member's contribution up to the maximumamount allowable by federal law. In order to qualify, a member must(i) have a minimum remaining obligation of two years, (ii) have satisfactorilycompleted required initial active duty service, (iii) be satisfactorilyperforming duty in accordance with regulations of the National Guard,and (iv) be eligible for such an account under federal law. The billalso provides that in the event that a member ceases to be eligiblefor a health savings account, by reason of being called to activeduty military service or otherwise, all contributions from the stateshall stop and the Department of Military Affairs shall provide noticeto the member of the loss of eligibility.

Summary: Commission on Economic Opportunity for Virginiansin Aspiring and Diverse Communities; sunset. Extends from July1, 2020, to July 1, 2022, the sunset date for the Commission on EconomicOpportunity for Virginians in Aspiring and Diverse Communities.

Summary: Elections; preclearance of certain covered practices required. Requires the governing body of a covered jurisdiction, prior to enacting or seeking to administer any voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or any standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting, that is a covered practice, to either (i) institute an action in the circuit court for the jurisdiction for a declaratory judgment that the covered practice neither has the purpose or effect of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race or color or membership in a language minority group nor will it result in the retrogression in the position of members of a racial or ethnic group with respect to their effective exercise of the electoral franchise or (ii) submit such covered practice to the Office of the Attorney General for issuance of a certification that no objection exists to the enactment or administration by the covered jurisdiction of the covered practice. A covered practice cannot be given effect until the circuit court has entered such judgement or the Attorney General has issued such certification. The bill provides to a covered jurisdiction the right to appeal an objection by the Attorney General and to an aggrieved citizen the right to appeal the Attorney General's issuance of a certification of no objection. A "covered jurisdiction" is defined to mean any county, city, or town that is determined by the Attorney General to have a voting age population that contains two or more racial or ethnic groups, each constituting at least 20 percent of its voting age population. The bill also defines "covered practice."

Summary: Commission on Wellness and Opportunity established. Creates the 23-member Commission on Wellness and Opportunity in the legislative branch to study and make recommendations relating to establishing the mission and vision of what health and wellness means for Virginia by examining various dimensions of health and wellness, including but not limited to physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and social wellness, and utilizing the comprehensive theoretical framework of "the social determinants of health"; identifying and defining measurable opportunities and outcomes that build community competence around well-being; and making policy recommendations for improving the quality of life for the people of the Commonwealth. The Commission shall meet at least quarterly. The bill provides that the Commission will sunset on July 1, 2025.

Summary: General registrars; certification requirement; removal from office. Provides for a certification program to be conducted by the State Board of Elections for the general registrars. The bill requires each general registrar to complete the certification program and receive his certification within the 12 months following initial appointment or any subsequent reappointment; failure to do so shall result in removal from office. The State Board is authorized to grant a waiver requested by a local electoral board to extend, on a case-by-case basis, the 12-month deadline. The State Board is required to develop a training curriculum for the certification program and standards for completing the program and maintaining certification, including required hours of annual training. No fees shall be charged to a general registrar for any required training as part of the certification program.