23106161D
HOUSE BILL NO. 2461
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the House Committee on General Laws
on February 2, 2023)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Durant)
A BILL to direct state agencies to report to the Secretary of Finance the total amount of fines, fees, and interest imposed due to COVID-19 penalties and provide reimbursements.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. §1. All state agencies shall report to the Secretary of Finance the total amount of fines, fees, and interest imposed on individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations, including any withdrawal, suspension, or cancellation of an individual's license or certification, resulting from violations of the Commonwealth's COVID-19 practices, guidelines, rules, or operating procedures and any state contracts that were not awarded as a result of noncompliance with the Commonwealth's COVID-19 guidelines. All state agencies shall include in such report the fund into which such amounts were deposited. The Secretary of Finance, in consultation with the Cabinet Secretaries with responsibility for the impacted agencies, shall develop procedures to provide reimbursement to such individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations up to the amount of fines, fees, or interest previously paid for such violations. Such procedures developed by the Secretary of Finance shall provide for the reimbursement to such individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations of such amounts from the fund into which the original amounts were deposited. The Director of the Department of Planning and Budget is authorized to transfer such amounts from the general fund to the appropriate state agencies for purposes of the reimbursement of such individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations pursuant to the procedure developed by the Secretary of Finance.

2. That the provisions of this act shall expire on July 1, 2025.