Del. Kathy Tran

Commending Dr. Ben Fitzgerald III.

Commending Margaret L. Sanner.

Commending the ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Early childhood care and education; expansionof Head Start program availability at comprehensive community colleges; work group. Requires the Department of Education and the VirginiaCommunity College System to convene a stakeholder work group to evaluateand provide recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committeeon Education and Health and the House Committee on Education by October1, 2024, on expanding the availability of Head Start programs atcomprehensive community colleges.

Department of Transportation; quick-build traffic calming projects; report. Requires the Department of Transportation to convene a work group with relevant stakeholders to develop a process for localities in Planning District 8 to plan, prioritize, and implement quick-build traffic calming projects to address safety issues in school crossing zones.

Local prohibition or regulation of gas-poweredleaf blowers; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may byordinance prohibit or regulate the use of gas-powered leaf blowers.The ordinance may include provisions for a civil penalty.

Collective bargaining by public employees; labor organization representation. Repeals the existing prohibitionon collective bargaining by public employees. The bill creates thePublic Employee Relations Board, which shall determine appropriatebargaining units and provide for certification and decertificationelections for exclusive bargaining representatives of state employeesand local government employees. The bill requires public employersand employee organizations that are exclusive bargaining representativesto meet at reasonable times to negotiate in good faith with respectto wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. Thebill repeals a provision that declares that, in any procedure providingfor the designation, selection, or authorization of a labor organizationto represent employees, the right of an individual employee to voteby secret ballot is a fundamental right that shall be guaranteed from infringement.

The Virginia African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and Indigenous Education Advisory Board; establishment.

Vehicle exhaust systems; operation in certainlocations. Expands the locations for which operation of a motor vehicle, moped, or motorized skateboard or foot-scooter that doesnot comply with requirements for mufflers and a vehicle that doesnot comply with the requirements for exhaust systems is prohibitedto include any driveway or premises of a church, school, recreationalfacility, or business; any governmental property open to the public;any industrial establishment providing parking space for customers,patrons, or employees; and any highway under construction or not yetopen to the public.

State plan for medical assistance services;adult hearing screenings; audiological examinations; hearing aids.Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to amend the stateplan for medical assistance services to include a provision for paymentof medical assistance for all medically necessary (i) adult hearingscreenings; (ii) audiological examinations; (iii) initial purchasesor replacements of hearing aids, up to $1,500 per year; and (iv)hearing aid batteries, up to 60 batteries per year.