Public schools; interscholastic sports and athletics; guidelines and policies on student-athlete extreme heat safety and protection; development and implementation. Requires the Board of Education to develop, biennially review and update as necessary, and distribute to each local school division guidelines on policies relating to extreme heat safety and protection for student-athletes. The bill requires each school board to develop and update, in accordance with the guidelines developed by the Board of Education, policies on student-athlete extreme heat safety and protection that (i) are consistent with any heat guidelines based on Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) levels developed by an organization or entity whose purpose it is to regulate or govern interscholastic athletics programs in the Commonwealth; (ii) establish tiered heat-acclimatization and modification procedures for outdoor athletics practices or games based on the WBGT levels to reduce the risks associated with extreme heat faced by student-athletes; (iii) require student-athletes to be given unhindered access to hydration at all times; (iv) include procedures relating to preventing, recognizing, and addressing heat-related illnesses; and (v) establish a process for reporting and investigating any instance in which a student-athlete experiences a heat-related illness requiring emergency medical treatment or resulting in death. This bill is identical to SB 1104.
Use of unmanned aircraft systems by public bodies; employees. Allows a law-enforcement officer or an employee of a law-enforcement agency to deploy an unmanned aircraft system without a warrant (i) following an accident where a report is required pursuant to relevant law to survey the scene of such accident for the purpose of crash reconstruction and record the scene by photographic or video images or (ii) to (a) aerially survey a primary residence of the subject of the arrest warrant to formulate a plan to execute an existing arrest warrant or capias for a felony offense or (b) locate a person sought for arrest when such person has fled from a law-enforcement officer and a law-enforcement officer remains in hot pursuit of such person. Current law allows a law-enforcement officer to operate an unmanned aircraft system under such conditions. The bill also permits a law-enforcement officer to deploy an unmanned aircraft system without a warrant where such officer is investigating unmanned aircraft systems surrounding or over property of the federal or state government, public critical infrastructure, or nongovernment-operated prison or jail facilities.
Higher education; financial assistance; Virginia National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program; eligibility criteria. Makes several changes to the Virginia National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program, including (i) making the provisions relating to the requirements and conditions for eligibility for and award of grants under the Program subject to regulations as prescribed by the Adjutant General, (ii) eliminating the requirement to satisfy financial obligations with the institution of higher education at the beginning of each semester, (iii) simplifying the requirements relating to academic performance and good standing, and (iv) providing that, upon acceptance of an application for a grant, grant funds are to be disbursed to the applicable institution of higher education for credit against the recipient student's account. This bill is identical to HB 1595.
Commission on Women's Health established; report. Establishes the Commission on Women's Health as a permanent commission in the legislative branch of state government for the purpose of studying and making recommendations on issues related to women's and maternal health. The Commission consists of 15 members, 10 of whom are legislative members and five of whom are nonlegislative citizen members with significant experience or expertise in women's or maternal health policy.
Elections; prohibited activities; distribution of referendum materials. Adds "referendum" to the description of materials that are prohibited from being distributed within certain areas while voting and registration activities are being conducted.
Transient occupancy tax; administration. Provides that an accommodations provider shall not be required to transmit a transient occupancy tax return to a locality if (i) all retail sales of accommodations owned by the accommodations provider are facilitated by an accommodations intermediary and (ii) the accommodations provider attests to the locality that all such sales were facilitated by an accommodations intermediary. Such attestation shall be effective for 12 months beginning with the month in which the attestation is made, and annual attestations shall be due thereafter on a date set by the locality. However, such accommodations provider shall be required to transmit returns for the retail sale of any accommodations not facilitated by an accommodations intermediary.The bill also requires that information provided by an accommodations intermediary to a local commissioner of the revenue, treasurer, or any other local tax or revenue officer or employee of a county, city, or town for transient occupancy tax purposes shall be confidential and shall not be divulged to any other department or official of the locality or any other political subdivision of the Commonwealth. Such information shall be used by such officials only for the purpose of levying and collecting retail sales and use tax, transient occupancy tax, and any other taxes imposed on the sale of accommodations. This bill is identical to SB 1402.
Electric cooperative subsidiaries; customers exceeding 90 megawatts demand. Permits electric cooperatives, through one or more of their affiliates, to make unregulated sales of electric power to certain customers that contract for electric utility services to serve a demand that is reasonably expected to exceed 90 megawatts. This bill is identical to HB 2644.
Virginia Public Procurement Act; purchase of testing kits during a disaster caused by a communicable disease of public health threat; exemption. Clarifies that the current exemption from the provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act for the purchase of personal protective equipment by the Governor for private, nongovernmental entities during a disaster caused by a communicable disease of public health threat for which a state of emergency has been declared includes communicable disease testing kits and associated safety equipment and supplies. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth.
Captain Matthew "Chevy" Chiaverotti Memorial Bridge. Designates the bridge on Interstate 264 over South Rosemont Road in Virginia Beach the "Captain Matthew "Chevy" Chiaverotti Memorial Bridge."
Motor vehicle dealers; recall and warranty costs; right of first refusal. Clarifies various requirements for the reimbursement of motor vehicle dealers for costs related to vehicle recalls and warranties. The bill also clarifies the timeline for a manufacturer or distributor to notify a dealer that it is exercising its right of first refusal related to the sale or transfer of a dealership. This bill is identical to SB 1308.
Department of Education; development of guidelines and information relating to virtual or online learning; public health emergencies. Provides for the Department of Education to develop and post on its official website guidelines and information relating to virtual or online learning. Such guidelines and information shall include (i) statewide policies relating to virtual learning, (ii) the availability of online or virtual learning options and pertinent information on such options, and (iii) guidelines for educators and schools relating to online or virtual learning policies and best practices. In addition, the bill requires each K-12 school in the Commonwealth to include as a component of its annual safety audit a review of the school's plan for school closures during public health emergencies. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth and is identical to HB 2640.
School boards; threat assessment teams and procedures; parental notification of student determined to pose a threat of violence or physical harm to self or others; provision of certain recognition and response materials required. Requires each division superintendent or his designee to provide materials on recognition of and strategies for responding to behavior indicating that a student poses a threat of violence or physical harm to himself or others to the parent or legal guardian of any student who, according to a preliminary determination from a threat assessment team, poses such a threat. The bill specifies that the provision of such materials shall occur either in the initial attempt to immediately notify such student's parent or legal guardian pursuant to applicable law or through a separate communication to such student's parent or legal guardian made as soon as practicable thereafter. The bill (i) requires such materials to be selected in accordance with the criteria and guidelines developed by the Board of Education pursuant to the provisions of the bill; (ii) requires such materials to include information on the requirements set forth in applicable law relating to the safe storage of firearms in the presence of minors; and (iii) permits such materials to include guidance on best practices and strategies for limiting a student's access to lethal means, including firearms and medications.
