Summary: Absentee voting; photo identification required with application. Requires any voter submitting an application for an absentee ballot by mail or by electronic or telephonic transmission to a facsimile device to submit with his application a copy of one of the forms of identification acceptable under current law. The bill exempts military and overseas voters and persons with a disability from this requirement. This bill is identical to SB 872.

Summary: Claims; Keith Allen Harward. Provides relief in the amount of $1,548,439 to Keith Allen Harward, who was incarcerated from 1983 until 2016 after being convicted of first degree murder. In 2016 he was granted a Writ of Actual Innocence by the Supreme Court of Virginia based upon DNA evidence that excluded Mr. Harward as the perpetrator of the crime. Mr. Harward's relief would be paid as follows: (i) an initial lump sum of $309,688 to be paid within 60 days immediately following the execution of a release by Mr. Harward from any present or future claims he may have and (ii) the sum of $1,238,751 to purchase an annuity before October 1, 2017, for the primary benefit of Mr. Harward with the terms structured in his best interests. In addition, the bill entitles Mr. Harward to receive up to $10,000 for tuition for career and technical training within the Virginia Community College System. This bill is identical to SB 1479.

Summary: Capital outlay plan. Updates the six-year capital outlay plan for projects to be funded entirely or partially from general fund-supported resources. This bill is identical to SB 1045.

Summary: Prior authorization of bonds to fund certainrevenue-producing capital projects at institutions of higher learning;Virginia State University. Expands the scope of a revenue-producingcapital project at Virginia State University funded by a prior bondauthorization. The bill has an emergency clause.

Summary: Bonds for institutions of higher education. Authorizes issuance of bonds in an amount up to $13,637,000 for revenue-producing capital projects at institutions of higher education. The bill contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to SB 1369.

Summary: Auditor of Public Accounts; online database; register of funds expended. Requires the Commonwealth Data Point website administered by the Auditor of Public Accounts to include information for major categories of spending for each state agency and institution, including each independent agency. Currently, the Commonwealth Data Point website includes such information for only secretariats and major state agencies. In addition, the bill provides that the database shall include the name, phone number, and email address for a contact at each agency or institution. This bill is identical to SB 1307.

Summary: Virginia Retirement System; stress testing and reporting policies. Requires the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) to formally adopt stress testing and additional reporting policies. The bill requires VRS to analyze and regularly report on projections of benefit levels, pension costs, liabilities, and debt reduction under various scenarios; to provide a detailed online statement of investment policy and include investment performance data in certain timeframes up to 25 years; and to report investment performance and expenses such as carried interest fees.

Summary: Board of Health to adopt regulations to include neonatal abstinence syndrome on the list of reportable diseases. Requires the Board of Health to adopt regulations to include neonatal abstinence syndrome on the list of diseases that shall be required to be reported. This bill is identical to SB 1323.

Summary: Child care providers; criminal history background check; penalty. Requires the following individuals to undergo a fingerprint-based national criminal history background check: (i) applicants for employment by, employees of, applicants to serve as volunteers with, and volunteers with any licensed family day system, child day center exempt from licensure pursuant to § 63.2-1716, registered family day home, or family day home approved by a family day system; (ii) applicants for licensure as a family day system, registration as a family day home, or approval as a family day home by a family day system, as well as their agents and any adult living in such family day home; and (iii) individuals who apply for or enter into a contract with the Department of Social Services under which a child day center, family day home, or child day program will provide child care services funded by the Child Care and Development Block Grant, as well as the applicant's current or prospective employees and volunteers, agents, and any adult living in the child day center or family day home. The bill also mandates that all background checks required pursuant to §§ 63.2-1720.1 and 63.2-1721.1 be completed by September 30, 2017, or by the date specified on any federal waiver obtained by the Commonwealth, and every five years thereafter. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2018. The bill further provides that if any provision of the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 establishing a corresponding requirement is repealed prior to July 1, 2018, the provision of the bill establishing such requirement shall expire upon the date of such repeal. This bill is identical to SB 897.

Summary: Comprehensive harm reduction program; public health emergency. Authorizes the Commissioner of Health (the Commissioner) to establish and operate local or regional comprehensive harm reduction programs during a declared public health emergency that include the provision of sterile and disposal of used hypodermic needles and syringes. The objectives of the programs are to reduce the spread of HIV, viral hepatitis, and other blood-borne diseases in Virginia, to reduce the transmission of blood-borne diseases through needlestick injuries to law-enforcement and other emergency personnel, and to provide information to individuals who inject drugs regarding addiction recovery treatment services. The programs will be located in at-risk communities, in accordance with criteria established by the Department of Health. The bill requires the Commissioner to establish standards and protocols for the comprehensive harm reduction programs and requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Public Safety to approve such standards and protocols.The bill also provides that the Commissioner may authorize persons who are not otherwise authorized by law to dispense or distribute hypodermic needles and syringes to do so as part of a comprehensive harm reduction program during a declared public health emergency.The bill requires the Department of Health to submit, to the Governor and to the General Assembly, a progress report concerning any such program established under this bill by October 1, 2018, and a report evaluating the effectiveness of any such program by October 1, 2019. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2020.

Summary: Victims of domestic violence, etc.; firearms safety or training course. Creates the Virginia Firearms Safety and Training for Sexual and Domestic Violence Victims Fund. The bill provides that the Department of Criminal Justice Services may distribute funds from the Fund to reimburse an entity that offers a firearms safety or training course or class approved by the Department free of charge to victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, stalking, or family abuse. The Department would not be permitted to issue reimbursements in excess of the amount available in the Fund. The bill also requires that, upon the issuance of a protective order, the petitioner for the order be provided with a list of such approved courses or classes. This bill is identical to SB 1300.

Summary: Virginia Veteran and Family Support program; report. Updates the purposes and priorities of the Virginia Veteran and Family Support program to, in a cost-effective manner, refer veterans to mental health, physical rehabilitation, and other services as needed to help them achieve individually identified goals and to monitor their progress toward achieving those goals. The program is available to veterans and members of the Virginia National Guard in the Commonwealth, residents of the Commonwealth in the Armed Forces Reserves who are not in active federal service, and family members of covered military members who have been affected by the covered military members' service and deployments and who are located in the Commonwealth. The bill requires an annual report on the program be sent to the Governor and the General Assembly.

Summary: Property conveyance; Department of Conservation and Recreation; Widewater Beach Subdivision. Authorizes the Department of Conservation and Recreation to convey certain real property in Stafford County to the Widewater Beach Subdivision Citizens Association, Inc.

Summary: Commonwealth's Development Opportunity Fund; limitation on use of moneys from the Fund. Provides that unless an exception has been granted by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, moneys in the Commonwealth's Development Opportunity Fund shall not be used for any economic development project involving a business that relocates or expands its operations in one or more Virginia localities while simultaneously closing its operations or substantially reducing the number of its employees in another Virginia locality. Under current law, this limitation on the use of the Fund is stated as a general policy rather than as a requirement. The bill also requires the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to provide written notice to the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees at least 48 hours prior to the final approval of the grant or loan. Currently, the notice must be provided promptly, and a time frame is not specified.

Summary: Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995. Renames the Transportation Public-Private Partnership Advisory Committee the Transportation Public-Private Partnership Steering Committee (the Steering Committee) and provides that the Deputy Secretary of Transportation shall serve as the chairman of the Steering Committee. The bill provides that, under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995, a responsible public entity may grant approval for the development and/or operation of a transportation facility by a private entity if that private entity can develop and/or operate the transportation facility for less cost than the Department of Transportation (VDOT) or the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT). The bill requires the chief executive officer of the responsible public entity to certify in writing to the Governor and the General Assembly that there has been no material change to the finding that a public-private partnership is in the best interest of the public since the finding was issued and that the public contribution requested by the private entity does not exceed the maximum public contribution. The bill clarifies that the finding of public interest by the Steering Committee shall be made after receipt of responses to the request for qualifications and prior to the issuance of the first draft request for proposals. The bill requires the responsible public entity, when such entity is VDOT or DRPT, to ensure competition through the procurement process and develop a public sector analysis of the cost for the responsible entity to develop and/or operate the transportation facility. The bill requires VDOT or DRPT and the Steering Committee to review the public sector analysis prior to the initiation of any procurement. The bill adds to the information required to be included in the finding of public interest a description of the benefits expected to be realized by the responsible public entity and a public sector analysis demonstrating that the private sector can deliver the project for less cost than the responsible public entity. This bill is identical to SB 1322.