Quitclaim and release property rights. Authorizesthe Department of Conservation and Recreation to quitclaim and releasecertain real property rights related to a portion of real estateowned by the Department related to an offsite ingress and egresseasement serving the Biscuit Run property in Albemarle County.
Institutions of higher education; students who report act of hazing or bullying experienced as result of report of act of hazing; on-campus mental and behavioral health support. Requires each public institution of higher education and nonprofit private institution of higher education to provide information about on-campus individuals or entities that are qualified to provide the appropriate ongoing mental and behavioral health support to any student who reports to the institution an act of hazing or an act of bullying experienced as the result of a report of an act of hazing.
Office of Education Economics; administration of the Virginia Education and Workforce Longitudinal Data System; report. Renames the Virginia Longitudinal Data System as the Virginia Education and Workforce Longitudinal Data System (the System), shifts the duty to administer the System from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to the Office of Education Economics (the Office) of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and establishes several duties for the Office relating to the administration of the System, including collaborating with the Office of Data Governance and Analytics, developing a strategic plan, overseeing compliance regarding the protection of data shared with the System, and establishing the research agenda for the System. The bill requires the Virginia Information Technologies Agency to provide technical assistance to the Office relating to the administration of the System.
Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; conservation officers. Extends membership in the Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System (VaLORS) to conservation officers of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025, and provides that such membership would apply only to service earned on or after July 1, 2025. The bill contains a reenactment clause.
Days of operation of clerks' offices; clerks'authority to close office. Allows the clerk of the circuit courtof any county or city to close the clerk's office on (i) ChristmasEve; (ii) any day when such clerk determines that operation of theclerk's office, under prevailing conditions, would constitute a threatto the health and safety of the clerk's office personnel or the generalpublic; (iii) any day or portion of a day that the Governor declaresas a holiday for state employees; and (iv) any day or portion ofa day on which the Governor, Supreme Court, or Judicial Council authorizesstate offices to be closed. Under current law, the clerk may onlyclose the clerk's office once a judge authorizes such clerk to doso.
Naloxone or other opioid antagonists; possession and administration by state agencies. Requires state agencies to possess naloxone or other opioid antagonists used for overdose reversal to a person who is believed to be experiencing or about to experience a life-threatening opioid overdose and permits employees of any state agency to possess and administer naloxone or other opioid antagonists. The bill also directs the Department of Health to post on its website informational resources relating to the use of naloxone and other opioid antagonists for opioid overdose reversal and prevention in public places. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Health to develop a plan for the procurement and distribution of naloxone or other opioid antagonists to each state agency and for the possession of naloxone or other opioid antagonists by each state agency and to report its progress in developing such plan to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2024.
Parole Board; voting requirements. Provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, if the Parole Board adopts a rule or regulation requiring the concurrence of four or more members of the Board to grant discretionary parole or conditional release, in the event that there are less than four members but at least three members on the Parole Board, then such requirement shall be satisfied upon a unanimous vote of the members on the Board.
Department of Education; establishment of Farm to School Program Task Force. Requires the Department of Education to establish and appoint such members as it deems necessary or appropriate to the Farm to School Program Task Force for the purpose of increasing student access throughout the Commonwealth to high-quality farm to school programs, defined in the bill as programs (i) whereby public schools purchase and feature prominently in school meals locally produced food or (ii) that involve experiential student learning opportunities relating to local food and agriculture, including school and community garden programs and local farm visits. The bill requires the Task Force to collaborate with local school boards, community-based organizations, farmers, relevant state and local agencies, and other relevant stakeholders to (a) assess existing farm to school programs within the Commonwealth to identify and disseminate to each local school board best practices for implementing and sustaining such programs, (b) establish and distribute to each local school board a guidance document for the establishment and operation of school garden programs, (c) provide information and resources to each local school board to assist it in leveraging grant funds to support farm to school programs, and (d) collect such data and make such policy recommendations to local school boards, the Board of Education, and the General Assembly as it deems appropriate. This bill is identical to HB 830.
Public elementary and secondary schools; possession and administration of undesignated glucagon; school board policies; donations. Permits any local school board to adopt and implement policies for the possession and administration of undesignated nasal or injectable glucagon in each public elementary or secondary school in the local school division, provided that such policies are consistent with the guidance outlined in the most recent revision of the Diabetes Management In School: Manual for Unlicensed Personnel published by the Department of Education and include guidance on several items enumerated in the bill. The bill also permits any public elementary or secondary school to maintain a supply of nasal or injectable glucagon in any secure location that is immediately accessible to any school nurse or other employee trained in the administration of nasal and injectable glucagon prescribed to the school by a prescriber. The bill requires any such school to ensure that such a supply consists of at least two doses. The bill permits any school nurse or other authorized employee who is trained in the administration of nasal and injectable glucagon consistent with the guidance outlined in the most recent revision of the Diabetes Management In School: Manual for Unlicensed Personnel published by the Department to administer nasal or injectable glucagon from undesignated inventory with parental consent and if the student's prescribed glucagon is not available on school grounds or has expired. The bill permits any school board to accept donations of nasal or injectable glucagon from a wholesale distributor of glucagon or donations of money from any individual to purchase nasal or injectable glucagon for the purpose of maintenance and administration in a public school in the local school division as permitted pursuant to the aforementioned provisions of the bill.
Trustees; settlement of accounts; notice andstatements to beneficiaries; requirements. Provides that when(i) a trust terminates pursuant to the terms of the trust, (ii) atrust terminates early, (iii) a trustee resigns or is removed, or(iv) a trustee is seeking discharge of an interim account periodwhen the trust is continuing, a trustee may obtain a settlement ofaccounts if the trustee sends the beneficiary notice and certain required accounting statements and the beneficiary does not objectwithin 45 days after the trustee sends such notice. The bill providesthat if a beneficiary or other party who received such notice and statements properly objects, the trustee or qualified beneficiaryor other party shall either submit such objection in writing to thecourt for resolution or resolve the objection by a nonjudicial settlement agreement or other written agreement. The bill also provides thatwhen a qualified beneficiary has failed to object within the 45-dayperiod or consents to such action of the trustee, the beneficiary or other party is prohibited from bringing a claim against the trusteefor challenging the validity of (i) the trust or (ii) the periodof such interim accounts.
Bridges; state of good repair; allocation offunds. Designates bridges with a general condition rating, definedin the bill, of no more than five for at least one major bridge componentas eligible for state of good repair funds. Currently, bridges mustbe structurally deficient to be eligible. The bill authorizes theuse of state of good repair funds for improvements anticipated toextend the useful life of a bridge by at least 10 years. The billapplies to new project allocations made by the Commonwealth TransportationBoard after June 1, 2025.
Public schools; fire drills; timing and frequency. Requires the first of the two fire drills required during the first20 days of each public school session to be conducted during thefirst 10 days of such school session. The bill also requires everypublic school to hold additional fire drills during the remainderof such school session as required by the Statewide Fire PreventionCode, which currently requires such additional fire drills to be conducted on a monthly basis. Current law requires at least two additionalfire drills to be conducted during the remainder of the public schoolsession after the two fire drills required during the first 20 daysof each such school session.
