Del. Kathy Tran

Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial resolution (SJ 434), not a policy bill. It formally commends Dr. William Ferguson Reid for his service, with no legal effect or impact on any individuals or policies. The resolution passed both the Senate and House by voice vote in February 2025. As a symbolic gesture, it expresses legislative recognition but does not create any new requirements or change existing law.

Secure storage of firearms; penalties. Creates a Class 4 misdemeanor for any person who fails to securely store a firearm on any premises where such person knows, or reasonably should know, that a minor or a person who is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm is, or is likely to be, present. The bill increases the penalty to a Class 1 misdemeanor if a minor or a person who is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm obtains such firearm. The bill includes certain exceptions and requires firearms dealers to post a notice stating firearm storage requirements and the penalty for improperly storing such firearms. The bill also creates a Class 4 misdemeanor for any person who fails to report to law enforcement the theft or loss of a firearm from a vehicle and a Class 1 misdemeanor if another person obtains such firearm. Finally, the bill requires the Superintendent of State Police, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Health, to create a public awareness campaign on the importance of the secure storage of firearms by January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis resolution formally commends Linda Ford for her contributions. It passed unanimously in both the Senate and House via voice vote, with final passage recorded on February 19, 2025. As a ceremonial resolution, it does not create new laws or affect policies, funding, or regulations. It serves solely to recognize an individual's service.

Poor debtor's exemption; depository institution account exemption. Allows a householder to hold exempt from creditor process up to $500 held in a depository institution. The bill provides that a depository institution shall, upon receipt of an order of garnishment, attachment, or other levy, answer such order and, if the householder maintains a deposit account or accounts with such depository institution, state that (i) the total amount in such account or accounts does not exceed $500 or (ii) the total amount in such account or accounts does exceed $500 and that the amount of funds in excess of $500 is being held by such institution pending further order of the court. The bill further provides that, beginning on April 1, 2027, any increases in exempt amounts shall be adjusted at three-year intervals to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The bill provides that such adjustments shall be calculated by the Department of Planning and Budget.

Public education; early childhood care and education; funding formula calculations; Early Childhood Care and Education Fund established; report. Requires the Department of Education to (i) establish and maintain a funding formula for the provision of early childhood care and education services that establishes the minimum funding and number of slots per biennium for such providers based on a cost of quality rate per child, actual data from the prior year, unserved waitlists, and a multiplier based on enrollment and parent demand growth in prior biennia; (ii) make disbursements from the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund, established in the bill, to support the provision of early childhood care and education services in accordance with the funding formula set forth in the bill; and (iii) submit to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education a report on the status of the Fund, including the data used to calculate the minimum funding and number of slots per biennium established pursuant to the funding formula. The bill requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to submit to the General Assembly by November 1 of each year a report on Fund revenues, distributions, and balances. The bill contains a reenactment clause.

Public campaign financing; counties and cities may establish for certain offices. Authorizes the governing body of a county or city to establish by ordinance a system of public campaign financing for elected local offices. The bill specifies certain requirements for a system of public campaign financing established by a governing body, including the provision of a public election fund to be administered by the treasurer of the county or city. A system of public campaign financing established by a county or city is permitted to more stringently regulate the campaign finance activity of participating candidates and shall be subject to regulation and oversight by the State Board of Elections to ensure its conformity with state law and policy to the extent practicable.

Statewide unified public-private system for early childhood care and education in the Commonwealth; state goal; capacity and family choice. Requires the statewide, unified, public-private system for early childhood care and education in the Commonwealth to be established with the goal of increasing and maintaining capacity systemwide to provide each family with meaningful access to high-quality and affordable choices among publicly funded, federally funded, mixed delivery, and private providers.

Department of Education; Child Care Subsidy Program waiting list; additional priority group; target timeline for assigning slots to priority groups. Requires the Department of Education to amend its Child Care Subsidy Program Guidance Manual to add a seventh priority group to the Child Care Subsidy Program waiting list that consists of any family that meets all other Program eligibility criteria and includes a parent who is employed for at least 30 hours per week by a publicly funded child care provider in the Commonwealth that serves children from birth to age five, excluding employment by a local school division but including employment by a Head Start program that is located within a public school building. The bill also directs the Department of Education to require local departments of social services to target a maximum of 30 days for moving priority group families from the waiting list into services; regularly assess, in coordination with the Department of Social Services, the length of time it takes for priority groups to be assigned slots; and provide quarterly updates, beginning October 1, 2025, to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education on such timeline and any other barriers experienced by families in priority groups on the waiting list in accessing services.

Deaths by suicide of veterans or military service members; inquiry by State Registrar of Vital Records; Department of Veterans Services annual report. Requires the State Registrar of Vital Records, when a death certificate is filed and lists suicide as the cause of death, to make an inquiry into whether the decedent was a veteran or military service member and to provide any information concerning the suicide of such veteran or military service member to the Department of Veterans Services. The bill also provides that the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services may request, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner shall deliver to the Commissioner, a copy of an autopsy report of a veteran or military service member whose cause and manner of death is determined to be a suicide. The bill also reestablishes the position of Suicide Prevention Coordinator as the Suicide Prevention Program and requires such Program to, in coordination with the State Police, compile and analyze data relating to such suicides to be included in the annual report submitted by the Department to the Governor and the General Assembly.

Department of Human Resource Management; State Government Internship Coordinator. Requires the Department of Human Resource Management to establish and employ a State Government Internship Coordinator to attract high quality interns to the service of the Commonwealth with the goal of developing such interns to support their ability to compete for positions in agencies of the Commonwealth upon conclusion of their internships and completion of their educational programs. The bill also requires the Department to establish and administer a system to provide professional development opportunities for state agency interns, intern supervisors, and human resources staff.