Virginia Bills

Authorizes the issuance of new driver privilege cards by the Department of Motor Vehicles to an individual who has (i) reported income from Virginia sources on an individual tax return filed with the Commonwealth in the preceding 12 months and (ii) is not in violation of the insurance requirements of Article 8 (§ 46.2-705 et seq.) (Registration of Uninsured Motor Vehicles) of Chapter 6 of Title 46.2. The bill provides that driver privilege cards shall confer the same privileges and shall be subject to the same provisions as driver's licenses and permits; however, driver privilege cards shall not (a) confer voting privileges, (b) permit an individual to waive any part of the driver examination, or (c) have their issuance be contingent upon the applicant's ability to produce proof of legal presence in the United States. The bill provides for the term "driver's license" to consistently refer to all driver's licenses, permits, driver privilege cards, and special identification cards issued by the Commonwealth or the comparable law of another jurisdiction. The bill allows the issuance of a limited-duration driver's license and special identification card to an applicant presenting valid documentary evidence that a federal court or federal agency having jurisdiction over immigration has authorized the applicant to be in the United States for a period of at least 30 days from the date of application. The bill authorizes the Tax Commissioner to provide to the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles information sufficient to verify that an applicant for a driver privilege card or permit reported income from Virginia sources on an individual tax return filed with the Commonwealth in the preceding 12 months. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2019.

Creates the Virginia Public School Improvement Program to offer maximum educational options and flexibility for parents, teachers, and students. The bill authorizes any local school board to designate or approve any public school within its school division to participate in the Program if (i) a majority of parents and teachers of students at the school have petitioned the school board to participate in the Program, (ii) it does not meet the requirements to be fully accredited, or (iii) the school's pass rates for English and mathematics are below the division-wide average. Local school boards would continue to receive state basic school aid funding for participating schools, and participating schools would be exempt from certain school division policies and state regulations but would have to meet Standards of Quality, Standards of Learning, Standards of Accreditation, and certain federal requirements. Participation in the Program can be rescinded (a) by petition of a majority of parents and teachers, (b) if the school makes application to operate as a charter school, (c) if the school violates the stipulated contract with the local school board, or (d) if students at a participating school fail to achieve satisfactory academic progress each year for two consecutive school years. The bill requires the Board of Education to establish guidelines to assist school boards in implementing the Program in the school division and provide technical assistance to school boards upon request.

Creates in the state treasury the First Chance Trust Fund (Trust Fund), consisting of (i) any appropriated funds, gifts, donations, grants, bequests, or other funds received on its behalf; (ii) payments required to be withheld by the Department of Corrections on any public contract that exceeds $5,000,000 annually in an amount equal to one percent of the total annual value of such public contract; and (iii) any payments permitted to be withheld by any other agency of the Commonwealth on any public contract that exceeds $5,000,000 annually in an amount no greater than one percent of the total annual value of such public contract. The bill establishes, and requires the Board of Corrections to administer, the First Chance Program (the Program) whereby moneys from the Trust Fund are utilized to award (a) a scholarship to attend a public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to any student who attends a public high school that is located in a region of the Commonwealth that has a high school dropout rate, poverty rate, or incarceration rate that is higher than the relevant average rate in the Commonwealth or (b) a grant to any private, nonprofit social services organization that is located in a region of the Commonwealth that has a high school dropout rate, poverty rate, or incarceration rate that is higher than the relevant average rate in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Board of Corrections to report annually to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Courts of Justice, the Senate Committee on Courts of Justice, and the Senate Committee on Finance on the revenues of and expenditures from the Trust Fund in the prior fiscal year and the number, amount, type, and recipients of scholarships and grants made pursuant to the Program in the prior fiscal year.