Del. Patrick Hope

State correctional facilities; fees. Reducesor eliminates certain fees associated with inmates in state correctional facilities. The bill provides that the cost of items within a state correctional facility's store or commissary shall not exceed 10 percentof the typical market rate for the same goods or services and thatthe fee associated with electronic visitation and messaging systemsshall not exceed the actual costs of establishing and operating suchsystems. The bill eliminates fees associated with the use of telephonesystems and the provision of an inmate's medical records upon his discharge. The bill provides that upon discharge from a state correctional facility an inmate shall receive, in the form of a check, an electronictransfer, or a debit or other account card, the balance of the inmate'spersonal trust account.

Permanent protective orders; Hope Card Programcreated. Requires the Office of the Executive Secretary of theSupreme Court of Virginia to develop and all district courts andcircuit courts to implement the Hope Card Program (the Program) forthe issuance of a Hope Card to any person who has been issued a permanentprotective order by any district court or circuit court. The billprovides that a Hope Card issued pursuant to the Program shall bea durable, plastic, wallet-sized card containing, to the extent possible,essential information about the protective order, such as the identifyinginformation and characteristics of the person subject to the protectiveorder, the issuance and expiration date of the protective order, the terms of the protective order, and the names of any other personsprotected by the protective order.

Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent DeJure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against AfricanAmericans; expiration. Extends from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2024,the expiration of the Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent DeJure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against AfricanAmericans. The bill also provides for the nonlegislative citizen membersof the Commission to continue to serve for the duration of the extension.This bill is identical to SB 151.

Person under a disability; parties unknown.Includes in the definition of "person under a disability" personsmade defendants by the general description of "parties unknown" insuits involving real property. This bill is a recommendation of theBoyd-Graves Conference.

High school family life education curricula; optional instruction on human trafficking. Permits any family life education curriculum offered by a local school division in high school to incorporate age-appropriate elements of effective and evidence-based programs on the prevention, recognition, and awareness of human trafficking of children.

Virginia Literacy Act; early student literacy; evidence-based literacy instruction; science-based reading research. Makes several changes relating to early student literacy, including requiring (i) each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education or alternative certification program that provides training for any individual seeking initial licensure with an endorsement in a certain area, including as a reading specialist, to demonstrate mastery of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction, as such terms are defined in the bill; (ii) the literacy assessment required of individuals seeking initial teacher licensure with endorsements in certain areas to include a rigorous test of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction; (iii) each local school board to establish a divisionwide literacy plan; (iv) each local school board to employ one reading specialist for each 550 students in kindergarten through grade three; and (v) each local school board to provide a program of literacy instruction whereby, among other things, (a) the program provides reading intervention services to students in kindergarten through grade three who demonstrate deficiencies based on their individual performance on the Standards of Learning reading assessment or an early literacy screener provided or approved by the Department of Education; (b) a reading specialist, in collaboration with the teacher of any student who receives such reading intervention services, develops, oversees implementation of, and monitors student progress on a student reading plan; and (c) each student who receives such reading intervention services is assessed utilizing either the early literacy screener provided or approved by the Department or the grade-level reading Standards of Learning assessment again at the end of that school year. The provisions of the bill become effective beginning with the 2024–2025 school year. This bill is identical to SB 616.

Local Food and Farming Infrastructure GrantProgram. Increases from $25,000 to $50,000 the amount of a grantthat may be made to a political subdivision for projects that supportlocal food production and sustainable agriculture.

Hospitals; direct readmission of certain postpartum patients. Directs the Department of Health (the Department) to develop recommendations for protocols for hospitals that provide obstetrical services for (i) admission or transfer of any pregnant woman who presents herself while in labor or while experiencing a perinatal emergency and (ii) direct readmission, if appropriate, to the hospital of any patient who received obstetrical services from the hospital, experiences postpartum complications requiring immediate medical care, and is referred to the hospital by the patient's health care provider. The bill requires the Department to make such recommendations available to every hospital in the Commonwealth that provides obstetrical services by December 15, 2022.

Breeding of dogs and cats for research; reporting.Requires any person who or entity that breeds dogs and cats for animal testing facilities to report certain to the State Veterinarianon a monthly basis. The report shall include information regardingthe birth, acquisition, death, sale, transfer, or other dispositionof a dog or cat in the prior month.

Dissemination of consumer information about noxious weeds and invasive plants. Requires the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to develop model signs for retail establishments that sell plants that may be used to explain the benefits of native plants and the harm of noxious weeds and other invasive plants. The bill also directs the Commissioner to develop model labels that may be used for the wholesale and retail sale of plants that indicate the common and scientific name of the plant, as well as whether it is native or invasive.