Del. Patrick Hope

Public schools; English language learners. Requires state funding to be provided to support new divisionwide ratiosof English learner students in average daily membership to full-time equivalent teaching positions, as follows: (i) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level one, one position per 25students; (ii) for each English language learner identified as proficiencylevel two, one position per 30 students; (iii) for each English languagelearner identified as proficiency level three, one position per 40 students; and (iv) for all other English language learners, one positionper 50 students.

Study; Department of Transportation; transitequity and engagement opportunities for people with disabilities;report. Requests the Department of Transportation to study transitequity and modernization in the Commonwealth, with an emphasis ontransit services and engagement opportunities for people with disabilities.

Civil action for the deprivation of rights;duties and liabilities of certain employers. Creates a civilcause of action for the deprivation of any rights, privileges, orimmunities pursuant to the constitutions and laws of the United Statesand the Commonwealth due to the acts or omissions of either a publicemployer or its employee and provides that a plaintiff may maintainan action to establish liability and recover compensatory damages,punitive damages, and equitable relief against the public employerand its employee. The bill provides that sovereign immunity is nota defense to such an action. The bill further provides that publicemployers owe a duty of reasonable care to third parties in the hiring,supervision, training, retention, and use of their employees andthat a person who claims to have suffered injury or sustained damagescaused, in whole or in part, by a breach of this duty may maintainan action to establish liability and recover compensatory damages,punitive damages, and equitable relief against such public employer.

Campaign finance; prohibited personal use ofcampaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisoryopinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributionsto a candidate or a candidate's campaign committee for their personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributionswith regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution ofa campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contributionis considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution,in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation,or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking,holding, or maintaining public office but excepts from "personaluse" the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning foror holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds topay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as adirect result of campaign activity. Any person subject to the personaluse ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Electionson such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections toadopt emergency regulations similar to those promulgated by the FederalElection Commission to implement the provisions of the bill and toprovide an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the Attorney General's opinion and any new regulations promulgatedby the State Board of Elections.

Paid sick leave; health care providers and grocery store workers. Requires employers to provide paid sick leave to health care providers, grocery store workers, and home health workers who provide agency-directed services. Under current law, employers are only required to provide paid sick leave to home health workers who provide consumer-directed services. The bill removes requirements that workers work on average at least 20 hours per week or 90 hours per month to be eligible for paid sick leave. Additionally, the bill provides that certain health care providers may waive their right to accrue and use paid sick leave and provides an exemption for certain other health care providers.

Produce Rx Program established; report.Directs the Department of Social Services to establish a Produce Rx Program as a three-year pilot program to incentivize consumptionof qualifying fruits and vegetables by eligible individuals for whomincreased consumption of fruits and vegetables is recommended bya qualified care provider, as such terms are defined in the bill,and to report to the Governor and the General Assembly by December1 of each year on the operation of the Program.

Court appearance of a person not free on bail.Makes various changes to provisions regarding bail hearings, including(i) the appointment of counsel for the accused, (ii) the informationprovided to counsel for the accused, (iii) a requirement that counselfor the accused be provided with adequate time to confer with theaccused prior to any bail hearing, and (iv) the compensation of counselfor the accused. Effective in due course, the bill provides thatthe chief judge in each circuit shall create a plan to be completedby October 1, 2022, that establishes the means by which the jurisdictionwill meet these requirements. The remainder of the bill has a delayedeffective date of January 1, 2023.

Virginia Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino,and Indigenous Education Advisory Board; establishment. Establishesthe 29-member Virginia Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino,and Indigenous Education Advisory Board as an advisory board in theexecutive branch of state government for the purpose of advisingthe Governor, his Cabinet members, and the General Assembly on the current ways that Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and Indigenous history is described in the relevant Standards of Learning and associated curriculum frameworks; how that content is taught in classrooms;and strategies to develop Asian American and Pacific Islander historyand social studies elective courses, Latino history and social studies elective courses, and Indigenous history and social studies electivecourses.

Beverage container deposit and redemption program;established; civil and criminal penalties. Establishes a beveragecontainer deposit, refund, and redemption program involving distributors,retailers, and consumers. The program would be run by a Producer Responsibility Organization under the Department of Environmental Quality. The billcreates an advisory committee, requires reporting, and imposes civiland criminal penalties for violation.

Public school buses; seat belts. Requiresthe Board of Education to make regulations to require each new publicschool bus purchased for the transportation of students to be equippedwith a seat belt consisting of a lap belt and shoulder strap or harnessin every seat. The bill requires each school board to ensure thatno later than July 1, 2040, each school bus that it uses for thetransportation of students is equipped with a seat belt in every seat.