Department of Education; annual teacher compensation review; report. Requires the Department of Education to conduct an annual review of teacher compensation that takes into consideration the Commonwealth's compensation for teachers relative to member states in the Southern Regional Education Board. The bill requires the Department to report its findings to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the School Board by June 1 of each year. Current law requires the Director of Human Resource Management to complete a biennial review of teacher compensation.
Nuclear energy; strategic plan. Directs the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, and the Secretary of Education to work in coordination with the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to develop a strategic plan for the role of nuclear energy in the Commonwealth's overall strategy for moving toward renewable and carbon-free energy. The plan shall be completed by October 1, 2020, and updated every four years thereafter. This bill is identical to SB 549.
Opening of the school year; Northern Neck Technical Center. Permits the school board of any school division from which students attend Northern Neck Technical Center to set the school calendar so that the first day that students are required to attend school is earlier than Labor Day, including earlier than 14 days before Labor Day.
Width requirements for passenger buses. Repeals provisions whereby the Commissioner of Highways and the Commonwealth Transportation Board may permit certain counties to operate passenger buses wider than 96 inches but no wider than 102 inches. Existing law prohibits vehicles other than school buses from exceeding 102 inches in total outside width and prohibits school buses from exceeding 100 inches in total outside width. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Code Commission.
Wildlife Corridor Action Plan; road construction projects. Directs the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, in collaboration with the Department of Transportation and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, to create a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan (the Plan). The Plan shall identify wildlife corridors, defined as areas connecting fragmented wildlife habitats that are separated by human activities or infrastructure, and recommend wildlife crossing projects intended to promote driver safety and wildlife connectivity. The bill requires the Plan to be submitted to the Chairs of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources by September 1, 2022, and every four years thereafter. The bill also provides that the Department of Transportation shall (i) include the impact on any wildlife corridor identified in the Plan in any environmental impact report for a highway construction project and (ii) consider measures for the mitigation of harm caused to wildlife by a highway in the design options for the construction of such highway. This bill is identical to HB 1695.
Fees collected by circuit court clerks for recording and indexing; use of fee in preserving permanent records of the circuit courts. Increases by $2 the fees for the recording and indexing of certain documents. The bill further increases from $1.50 to $3.50 the portion of the recording and indexing fee collected by circuit court clerks that is designated for use in preserving the permanent records of the circuit courts. This bill is identical to HB 306.
Electric utilities; notice before terminating service.Prohibits an electric utility from terminating the residential service of acustomer for nonpayment for metered services when the electric utility believesthat the customer is receiving or has received electric utility services forwhich the customer was not properly billed as the result of tampering with theelectric utility's meter until the electric utility has (i) retrieved the meterfrom the customer's premises, which may be done without providing prior noticeto the customer; (ii) immediately replaced it with a new meter; and (iii)tested the suspected meter to determine whether the meter has been tamperedwith. The measure requires the electric utility to provide the customer with adetailed invoice billing the customer for the amount owed by the customer as aresult of the meter's failure. The electric utility is required to provide thecustomer one full billing period to pay the amount billed in such invoice. Themeasure authorizes a customer to petition the State Corporation Commission fora review of an electric utility's finding, the results of a test, or theutility's calculation of the amount owed. These requirements do not apply if(a) the condition of a customer's wiring, equipment, or appliances is eitherunsafe or unsuitable for receiving the utility service; (b) the customer's useof the utility service or equipment interferes with or may be detrimental tothe utility's facilities or to the provision of utility service by the utilityto any other customer; or (c) electric service is furnished over a line that isnot owned or leased by the utility and the line is either not in a safe andsuitable condition or is inadequate to receive electric utility service.
Minority language accessibility; voting and election materials. Requires the State Board of Elections to prescribe, and a covered locality to provide, voting and election materials in languages other than English. A county, city, or town is designated by the State Board as a covered locality if the State Board determines, in consultation with the Director of the Census, based on the 2010 American Community Survey census data and subsequent American Community Survey data in five-year increments, or comparable census data, that (i) either (a) more than five percent of the citizens of voting age of such county, city, or town are members of a single language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process; (b) more than 10,000 of the citizens of voting age of such county, city, or town are members of a single language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process; or (c) in the case of a county, city, or town containing all or any part of an Indian reservation, more than five percent of the American Indian citizens of voting age within the Indian reservation are members of a single language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process and (ii) the illiteracy rate of the citizens of the language minority as a group is higher than the national illiteracy rate. The bill also allows the State Board to make available voting and election materials in any additional languages other than those required as it deems necessary and appropriate. The State Board may accept voting and election materials translated by volunteers but shall verify the accuracy of such translations prior to making the translated materials available to a county, city, or town, or any voter. The bill has a delayed effective date of September 1, 2021.
Charter; City of Virginia Beach. Provides that a Virginia Beach city council member from one of the residence districts who decides to run for an at-large seat on the council shall tender his resignation as a council member not less than 10 days prior to the date for the filing of petitions. Similarly, a city council member from one of the at-large seats who decides to run for a residence district seat on the council shall tender his resignation as a council member not less than 10 days prior to the filing date. The unexpired portion of the term of any such council member who has resigned shall be filled at the same general election, or by special election if the seat is to be filled by special election. This bill is identical to HB 464.
Advanced Production Grant Program and Fund. Creates the Advanced Production Grant Program and Fund to make grant payments to an eligible business transportation manufacturer and producer that engages in the production of business trucks and that makes a capital investment of at least $58 million at a facility in Pittsylvania County and creates at least 703 new full-time jobs at the facility. The eligible company would be eligible for an aggregate of $7 million in grants paid out over a five-year period if it meets such performance parameters and complies with the terms of a memorandum of understanding agreed upon by the qualified company, the Commonwealth, and the Virginia Economic Development Authority. This bill is identical to HB 1733.
Capitol Police; concurrent jurisdiction. Provides that a Capitol Police officer who is a detector canine handler has concurrent jurisdiction with the law-enforcement officers of another jurisdiction that has requested the assistance of the Capitol Police in the detection of firearms, ammunition, explosives, propellants, or incendiaries. This bill is identical to SB 996.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Grant Program; creation. Creates the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Grant Program to make grant payments to an eligible pharmaceutical manufacturer that makes a capital investment of at least $1 billion at a facility in Rockingham County and creates at least 152 new full-time jobs at the facility. The pharmaceutical manufacturer would be eligible for an aggregate of $7.5 million in grants paid out over a three-year period if it meets such performance parameters. The bill also makes available, subject to appropriation, $2.525 million to a comprehensive community college and baccalaureate public institution of higher education in or near Rockingham County to support the workforce development needs of the manufacturer and other research and development companies in the area. This bill is identical to HB 1498.
