Virginia Bills

Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to develop compulsory training standards for law-enforcement officers regarding mental health awareness. The bill also emergency medical services personnel, and firefighters other than volunteer firefighters to participate in a mental health awareness program created or certified by the Mental Health Work Group, established in the Department of Fire Programs.

Requires that the staff of a local correctional facility screen persons admitted to the facility for mental illness using a scientifically validated instrument designated by the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The bill provides that if the screening indicates that a person may have a mental illness, an assessment of his need for mental services shall be conducted within 72 hours of the time of the screening by a qualified mental health professional, which is defined in the bill. The bill requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services, in consultation with the State Board of Corrections and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, to (i) ensure that local and regional correctional facilities are aware of the aforementioned requirements and (ii) develop and deliver a training program for employees of such facilities regarding the administration of such instrument. This bill incorporates

Prohibits students in preschool through grade three from being suspended for more than 10 days or expelled except for drug offenses, firearm offenses, certain criminal acts, or if the underlying conduct involves other weapons, inappropriate sexual behavior, or serious bodily injury.

Prohibits a long-term suspension from extending beyond 60 school days unless the school board or the superintendent finds that the student's behavior could constitute an offense of an enumerated crime if the offense occurred at school, on school property, or at a school-sponsored event. The bill requires the school board or the superintendent to conduct a review of any suspension that exceeds 60 days at the end of each grading period to determine if the student can return to school early.

Prohibits any person from acting as a qualified education loan servicer without first obtaining a license from the State Corporation Commission and establishes procedures pertaining to such licenses. Banks and credit unions are exempt from the licensing provisions. The servicing of a qualified education loan encompasses (i) receiving any scheduled periodic payments from a qualified education loan borrower pursuant to the terms of a qualified education loan; (ii) applying the payments of principal and interest and such other payments with respect to the amounts received from a qualified education loan borrower, as may be required pursuant to the terms of a qualified education loan; and (iii) performing other administrative services with respect to a qualified education loan. Qualified education loan servicers are prohibited from, among other things, (a) misrepresenting the amount, nature, or terms of any fee or payment due or claimed to be due on a qualified education loan, the terms and conditions of the loan agreement, or the borrower's obligations under the loan; (b) knowingly misapplying or recklessly applying qualified education loan payments to the outstanding balance of a qualified education loan; and (c) failing to report both the favorable and unfavorable payment history of the borrower to a nationally recognized consumer credit bureau at least annually if the loan servicer regularly reports information to such a credit bureau. Violations are subject to a civil penalty not exceeding $2,500. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2018.

Provides a uniform procedure for the way in which wireless communications infrastructure is approved by localities and approved and installed in public rights-of-way.

Prohibits dog owners from allowing dogs to run at large on the property of another after the landowner has given notice to the dog owner to keep the dog off of the property. The bill provides for a civil penalty of $100 per dog enforced by animal control, conservation police, and other law-enforcement officers for each violation. Notice may be given verbally, in writing, with signs, or with blue tree markings.