Handheld speed monitoring devices; civil penalty.Authorizes law-enforcement officers to operate handheld photo speedmonitoring devices, defined in the bill, in or around school crossingzones and highway work zones for the purpose of recording images ofvehicles that are traveling at speeds of at least 10 miles per hourabove the posted school crossing zone or highway work zone speed limitwithin such school crossing zone or highway work zone when such highwaywork zone is indicated by conspicuously placed signs displaying themaximum speed limit and the use of such handheld photo speed monitoringdevice. The bill provides that the operator of a vehicle shall beliable for a monetary civil penalty, not to exceed $125, if such vehicleis found to be traveling at speeds of at least 10 miles per hour abovethe posted highway work zone or school crossing zone speed limit bythe handheld photo speed monitoring device. The bill provides thatif the summons for a violation is issued by mail the violation shallnot be reported on the driver's operating record or to the driver'sinsurance agency, but if the violation is personally issued by anofficer at the time of the violation, such violation shall be partof the driver's record and used for insurance purposes. The bill providesthat the civil penalty will be paid to the locality in which the violationoccurred. This bill was incorporated into HB 1442.
Sponsored bills
Virginia Diverse Educator Scholarship Fund and Program established. Establishes the Virginia Diverse Educator Scholarship Fund and Program, to be administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, for the purpose of annually providing to each Historically Black College or University in the Commonwealth (Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University) such sums as are necessary for each such institution to annually provide scholarships on a competitive basis to no more than two students who (i) identify as African American, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, Native American or Native Alaskan, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; (ii) are accepted to or enrolled in such institution's education preparation program; and (iii) are eligible for a federal Pell Grant to attend such institution. The bill provides that each such scholarship would consist of the following sums: (a) the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, and textbooks at such institution; (b) the recipient's teacher licensure fees; (c) $5,000 toward teacher professional development activities for the recipient, including coursework, seminars, and conferences; and (d) $10,000 toward mentorship of the recipient by an experienced teacher who is deemed by the relevant school board to be highly effective and able to provide high quality mentorship. The bill requires each student who is awarded a scholarship pursuant to the Program to agree in writing to (1) teach in a public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth in which at least 75 percent of the enrolled students qualify for free or reduced price lunch or are members of families whose income is below the federal poverty guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon graduation for a period that is at least as long as the period during which the recipient used scholarship funds to attend a Historically Black College or University and (2) be mentored by an experienced teacher, as described in clause (d), during such period of employment.
Standards of Quality; work-based learning; teacher leadersand mentors; principal mentors; certain personnel positions and initiatives. Makesseveral changes to the Standards of Quality, including requiring the establishmentof units in the Department of Education to oversee work-based learning andprincipal mentorship statewide in Standard 1 and requiring the Board ofEducation to establish and oversee the local implementation of teacher leaderand teacher mentor programs in Standard 5. The bill also makes several changesrelating to school personnel in Standard 2, including (i) establishingschoolwide ratios of students to teachers in certain schools with highconcentrations of poverty and granting flexibility to provide compensationadjustments to teachers in such schools; (ii) requiring each school board toassign licensed personnel in a manner that provides an equitable distributionof experienced, effective teachers and other personnel among all schools in thelocal school division; (iii) requiring each school board to employ teacherleaders and teacher mentors at specified student-to-position ratios; (iv)requiring state funding in addition to basic aid to support at-risk studentsand granting flexibility in the use of such funds by school boards; (v)lowering the ratio of English language learner students to teachers; (vi)requiring each school board to employ reading specialists and establishing astudent-to-position ratio for such specialists; (vii) requiring school boardsto employ one full-time principal in each elementary school; (viii) loweringthe ratio of students to assistant principals and school counselors inelementary, middle, and high schools; and (ix) requiring each school board toprovide at least four specialized student support positions, including schoolsocial workers, school psychologists, school nurses, and other licensed healthand behavioral positions, per 1,000 students.
Commission to Investigate the May 31, 2019, Virginia Beach Mass Shooting; report. Establishes an independent commission to investigate the May 31, 2019, Virginia Beach mass shooting (the Commission). The Commission consists of 21 members appointed as follows: five members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, five members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and 10 members appointed by the Governor. The Superintendent of State Police serves ex officio as a nonvoting member. The Commission is charged with investigating the underlying motive for the May 31, 2019, Virginia Beach mass shooting, investigating the gunman's entire prior employment history with the City of Virginia Beach and his interactions with coworkers and supervisors, determining how the gunman was able to carry out his actions, identifying any obstacles confronted by first responders, identifying and examining the security procedures and protocols in place immediately prior to the shootings, examining the post-shooting communications between law enforcement and families of the victims, and developing recommendations regarding improvements that can be made in the Commonwealth's laws, policies, procedures, systems, and institutions, as well as those of other governmental agencies and private providers.The Office of the State Inspector General or such other person or entity under the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security staffs the Commission, as designated by the Governor. The expenses of the Commission are paid from existing appropriations to the Office of the State Inspector General or any agency under the Secretary, as determined by the Governor. The Commission has a sunset date of November 1, 2022.
Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund and Program; handbook. Establishes the Virginia Brownfield Renewable Energy and Coal Mine Grant Fund and Program. The fund and program shall be administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy for the purpose of awarding grants to renewable energy projects that are located on brownfields or previously coal mined lands. Grants are to be awarded on a basis of $500 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on previously coal mined lands and $100 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields.No more than $10 million shall be awarded to any previously coal mined lands project and no more than $5 million to any single brownfield project. No more than $35 million shall be allocated per year by the grant program. Of the $35 million, $20 million shall be reserved for previously coal mined lands projects. If less than $20 million is distributed to such projects, the remaining funds may be reallocated to brownfield projects. The bill also provides that, subject to appropriation, the Department shall, in consultation with stakeholders, develop a guidebook for renewable energy and energy storage development on brownfields and previously coal mined lands.
Department of Motor Vehicles; religious exemption;social security number. Provides that a person with a sincerelyheld religious belief prohibiting the use of a social security numberis exempt from providing such number to the Department of Motor Vehiclesin order to obtain a driver's license, temporary driver's permit,learner's permit, motorcycle learner's permit, or special identificationcard. In addition, until January 1, 2021, when a person who qualifies for such exemption applies for a reissuance of such license, permit,or card, the Department is authorized to remove the applicant's socialsecurity number on file with the Department, if the applicant requestssuch removal.
Paid family and medical leave program. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to establish and administera paid family and medical leave program with benefits beginning January 1, 2023. Under the program, benefits are paid to eligible employees for family and medical leave. Funding for the program isprovided through premiums assessed to employers and employees beginningin 2022. The amount of a benefit is 80 percent of the employee'saverage weekly wage, not to exceed 80 percent of the state weeklywage, which amount is required to be adjusted annually to reflectchanges in the statewide average weekly wage. The measure caps theduration of paid leave at 12 weeks in any application year. The billprovides self-employed individuals the option of participating inthe program.
Deputy sheriffs; minimum salary. Providesthat the minimum salary for all deputy sheriffs, both law enforcementand non-law enforcement, shall be set at the compensation board minimumplus a 20 percent supplement. The bill provides that in any localitydesignated as high or above average according to the Commission onLocal Government's Fiscal Stress Index as of July 1, 2020, the Commonwealthshall pay the entire sum of the difference between the current salarypaid in such locality and the compensation board minimum plus the20 percent supplement.
Department of Human Resource Management; health insurance for local school board employees. Allows local school boards to elect to have all of their employees and retirees, as well as the dependents of such employees and retirees, be eligible to participate in the state employee health insurance plan in lieu of the current state-administered local health insurance plan. Any participating local school board shall be responsible for whatever portion of the cost of such insurance is not paid by the employee, except any portion that the General Assembly elects to pay.
Possession of marijuana. Allows for possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use.