Del. Vivian Watts

Requires the Virginia Community College System, in consultation with the Department of Labor and Industry, to develop and deliver uniform, related instruction for registered apprenticeships in high-demand programs, as determined by the Virginia Board of Workforce Development and the Virginia Employment Commission, and for which coursework is not otherwise available. The bill requires such instruction to be available statewide and to be delivered in a face-to-face, online, or blended format.

Adds to the list of persons who are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect ministers, priests, rabbis, imams, and duly accredited practitioners of any religious organization or denomination usually referred to as a church; however, the bill exempts such clergy members from the mandatory reporting requirement when the information supporting the suspicion of child abuse or neglect (i) is required by the doctrine of the religious organization or denomination to be kept confidential or (ii) would be subject to the exemptions set forth in § 8.01-400 or 19.2-271.3 if offered as evidence in court. This bill is identical to

Requires any school principal who receives notice that a circuit court, general district court, juvenile and domestic relations court, or magistrate has issued a protective order for the protection of a child who is enrolled at a public elementary or secondary school where such principal is employed, or any other order prohibiting contact with such a child, including an order issued as a condition of pretrial or posttrial supervision, to subsequently notify certain school personnel that such order has been issued. The bill also requires the Board of Education to establish guidelines and develop model policies to aid school boards in the implementation of such notification.

Provides that the Department of Forensic Science (Department) shall maintain a statewide electronic tracking system for physical evidence recovery kits where such kits will be assigned a unique identification number to track each kit from its distribution as an uncollected kit to the health care provider through to its destruction. The bill provides that the Department shall provide access to the tracking system to health care providers, law-enforcement agencies, the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The bill also provides that a health care provider shall inform the victim of sexual assault of the unique identification number assigned to the physical evidence recovery kit utilized by the health care provider during the forensic medical examination and provide the victim with information regarding the physical evidence recovery kit tracking system. The bill provides that records entered into the physical evidence recovery kit tracking system are confidential and are not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2020.

Requires health insurers, health care subscription plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder in individuals of any age. Currently, such coverage is required to be provided for individuals from age two through age 10. The provision applies with respect to insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on or after January 1, 2020. This bill is identical to

Adds cancers of the colon, brain, or testes to the list of cancers that are presumed to be an occupational disease covered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act when firefighters and certain employees develop the cancer. The measure will become effective if reenacted by the 2020 Session of the General Assembly. The measure also directs the 2020 Session of the General Assembly, in considering and enacting any legislation relating to workers' compensation and the presumption of compensability for certain cancers, to consider any research, findings, and recommendations from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission's review of the Virginia Workers' Compensation program. The provisions of this bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2020 Session of the General Assembly. This bill is identical to

Aligns the state review process of underperforming schools and school divisions with the new Standards for Accreditation adopted by the Board of Education (Board). The bill requires the Board to establish a review process to assist schools not meeting the standards established by the Board. The Board shall establish a corrective action plan process for any such school within its division, including a requirement that each school board submit a corrective action plan for any school in the local school division that does not meet the established standards. The bill requires a school board of a school division that does not demonstrate progress in developing or implementing such corrective action plan to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Board. The bill also requires the school board of an underperforming school division to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Board prior to developing a corrective action plan.

Eliminates annual assessments levied by the Common Interest Community Board. The bill allows for the collection of application, renewal, and annual reporting fees set by the Board in accordance with a biennial assessment of the Common Interest Community Management Information Fund similar to the assessment required by the Callahan Act (§ 54.1-113), but at no time shall such fee exceed $25 unless such fee is based on the number of units or lots in the association.

Provides that any financial institution staff who suspects that an adult has been financially exploited may provide supporting information and records to the local department of social services or the adult protective services hotline, in addition to reporting such suspected exploitation to such local department or such hotline provided for under current law.

Requires any high school family life education curriculum offered by a local school division to incorporate age-appropriate elements of effective and evidence-based programs on the law and meaning of consent. Under current law, such elements are permissive in any high school family life education curriculum.