Public defender offices; Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and County of Prince William. Establishes a public defender office for the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and the County of Prince William. This bill is identical to SB 72.
Electric utilities; electric school bus pilot program. Authorizes Dominion Energy Virginia to implement a pilot program under which it will deploy electric school buses in participating school divisions in its service territory. The initial phase of the pilot program is limited to the deployment of 50 electric school buses at a cost of up to $13.5 million. In each of the five years thereafter, the pilot program may be expanded by up to 200 additional electric school buses at a cost of up to $54 million per year. The pilot program provides that (i) the utility may use vehicle-to-grid technology to access electricity in the storage batteries of the electric school buses when they are not in use and (ii) the primary purpose of electric school buses is student transportation and if the Phase II utility's use of the battery compromises the school boards' ability to transport the students either through bus unavailability or insufficient charge, then the Phase II utility will compensate the school board. The duration of the pilot program shall not exceed 10 years, though the utility may petition the State Corporation Commission to make it permanent. Program costs, including the incremental cost of the electric school buses, are recoverable through the utility's base rates.
Electric utilities; mandatory renewable energyportfolio standard. Replaces the existing voluntary renewableenergy portfolio standard (RPS) program with a mandatory renewableenergy portfolio standard program that requires each electric utilityto generate or purchase increasing percentages of electric powerthat is generated from renewable energy sources. The required percentagesstart at 14 percent of the total electric energy sold in 2021. Thereafterthe required percentages increase in steps until 2050 and thereafter,in which years 100 percent of the total electric energy sold is requiredto be renewable energy. The measure also requires that the sourcesof renewable energy be derived from one of several tiers, with requiredpercentages varying over time. A utility that fails to comply withan RPS standard established for a year is required to pay a deficiencypayment. The moneys paid as deficiency payments will be distributedby the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to programs for low-income,disability, veteran, and age-qualifying energy efficiency programsand renewable energy programs, energy efficiency measures for publicfacilities, and administrative costs. The measure also requires theState Corporation Commission to implement an energy storage deploymenttarget of 2,400 megawatts by 2035.
School boards; teachers; planning time and planning periods. Requires each local school board to ensure that each elementary school teacher has an average of one 45-minute period per school day of planning time and that each middle and high school teacher is provided an average of one planning period per school day or the equivalent, which shall be at least 45 minutes or one class period, whichever is longer. The bill permits local school boards and teachers to enter into an appropriate contractual arrangement providing for compensation in lieu of such planning time or period. Under current law, public elementary school teachers are guaranteed at least an average of 30 minutes of planning time per school day during a school week.
Prohibited discrimination; public accommodations, employment, credit, and housing: causes of action; sexual orientation and gender identity. Creates explicit causes of action for unlawful discrimination in public accommodations and employment in the Virginia Human Rights Act. Currently, under the Act there is no cause of action for discrimination in public accommodations, and the only causes of action for discrimination in employment are for (i) unlawful discharge on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, including lactation, by employers employing more than five but fewer than 15 persons and (ii) unlawful discharge on the basis of age by employers employing more than five but fewer than 20 persons. The bill allows the causes of action to be pursued privately by the aggrieved person or, in certain circumstances, by the Attorney General. The bill prohibits discrimination in public and private employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill also codifies for state and local government employment the current prohibitions on discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, or status as a veteran. Additionally, the bill (a) prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a veteran; (b) prohibits discrimination in credit on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, disability, and status as a veteran; and (c) adds discrimination on the basis of an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a veteran as an unlawful housing practice. The bill makes technical amendments. This bill incorporates HB 3, HB 21, HB 23, HB 217, HB 1050, HB 1200, and HB 1512.
Solar energy projects; national standards. Authorizes a locality to include in its zoning ordinance provisions to incorporate generally accepted national environmental protection and product safety standards for the use of solar panels and battery technologies for solar photovoltaic (electric energy) projects. The bill contains an enactment clause that applies such generally accepted national standards to any such projects in the Commonwealth, notwithstanding any other provision of law, general or special.
Management of the menhaden fishery. Requires the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to adopt regulations necessary to manage Atlantic menhaden, including those necessary to comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. The bill repeals several Code sections relating to quotas, allocation of allowable landings, and administrative procedures that will be included in a regulatory framework for managing the fishery. The bill directs the Commissioner of Marine Resources to establish a Menhaden Management Advisory Committee to provide guidance to the Commission. This bill incorporates HB 79 and is identical to SB 791. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Commending Bob Brown.
Commending the Prince William County PoliceDepartment.
Commending GCubed Enterprises.
