Del. Michelle Maldonado

Maddy summaryThis House resolution nominates Lisa A. Seward to serve as a judge on the Fifteenth Judicial District's juvenile and domestic relations court. The document officially proposes her election for a six-year term beginning on June 16, 2024. By passing this measure, the House of Delegates initiates the process for voters to select her for this specific judicial position.

Maddy summaryThis House Resolution nominates three individuals to serve as judges on the Fifteenth Judicial District Court. Vincent S. Donoghue and Julia H. Sichol are nominated for terms beginning July 1, 2024, while Mayo J. Wilson is nominated for a term starting November 1, 2024. The resolution does not create new laws but formally recommends these specific candidates for election to fill existing judicial positions.

Teacher and support staff compensation; at orabove national average. Requires that public school teachersbe compensated at a rate that is at or above the national averageteacher salary. Under current law, compensation at such rate is aspirational.The bill also requires that public school instructional and noninstructionalsupport staff be compensated at a rate that is at or above the nationalaverage salary for such staff. The bill requires state funding tobe provided pursuant to the general appropriation act in a sum sufficientto fund an annual increase for public school teacher and instructionaland noninstructional support staff salaries such that, no later thanthe 2028-2029 school year, such individuals are compensated at arate that is at or above the respective national average salary.

Prohibiting employer seeking wage or salaryhistory of prospective employees; wage or salary range transparency;cause of action; civil penalty. Prohibits a prospective employerfrom (i) seeking the wage or salary history of a prospective employee;(ii) relying on the wage or salary history of a prospective employeein determining the wages or salary the prospective employee is tobe paid upon hire; (iii) relying on the wage or salary history ofa prospective employee in considering the prospective employee foremployment; (iv) refusing to interview, hire, employ, or promotea prospective employee or otherwise retaliating against a prospectiveemployee for not providing wage or salary history; and (v) failing or refusing to disclose in each public and internal posting for eachjob, promotion, transfer, or other employment opportunity the wage,salary, or wage or salary range. The bill establishes a cause ofaction for an aggrieved prospective employee or employee and providesthat an employer that violates such prohibitions is liable to theaggrieved prospective employee or employee for statutory damagesbetween $1,000 and $10,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater,reasonable attorney fees and costs, and any other legal and equitablerelief as may be appropriate. The bill also provides for civil penaltiesfor violations not to exceed $1,000 for a first violation, $2,000for a second violation, and $4,000 for a third or subsequent violation.

Railroad safety; civil penalties. Adds various requirements for railroad companies, including (i) prohibiting placing stationary cars or trains on its track within 1,500 feet on bothsides of any crossing of a railroad with a highway; (ii) prohibitingtrains that exceed 8,500 feet in length on any mainline or branchline; (iii) requiring a crew of at least two qualified individualson all trains, locomotives, or light engines used in connection withmoving freight; (iv) requiring warning signs or devices for certaintrack obstructions that could endanger a railroad company employee; and (v) requiring walkways adjacent to yard tracks where employeesregularly perform switching service. The bill requires that finesfor a violation of the train-length requirement be deposited in theShortline Railway Preservation and Development Fund for railway safetyprojects.

Commission on Electric Utility Regulation; evaluation of infrastructure necessary for electric vehicle charging facilities. Directs the State Corporation Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide technical assistance to the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation (the Commission) if the Commission evaluates the design and deployment of the electrical distribution infrastructure necessary to support the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities in new developments consisting of single-family and multifamily residential units. The bill requires the Commission to engage representatives from the residential and commercial development industries, private sector utility consultants, and other stakeholders if it conducts such an evaluation.

Arrest, prosecution, and disciplinary proceduresand penalties for individuals experiencing or reporting overdoseswhile incarcerated. Provides that no individual incarceratedin a local, regional, or state correctional facility shall be subjectto arrest or prosecution for or disciplinary procedures or penaltiesrelated to the unlawful purchase, possession, or consumption of alcohol;possession of a controlled substance; possession of marijuana; intoxicationin public; or possession of controlled paraphernalia if (i) suchindividual seeks or obtains emergency medical attention for himselfor another individual experiencing an overdose or is experiencingan overdose and another individual seeks or obtains emergency medicalattention for him and (ii) the evidence for a prosecution or disciplinaryprocedures and penalties of one of the enumerated offenses would have been obtained only as a result of an individual seeking or obtaining emergency medical attention. The bill also provides that no correctional officer, deputy sheriff, or jail officer acting in a good faith shallbe found liable for false arrest if it is later determined that theperson arrested was immune from prosecution or disciplinary proceduresor penalties.

Earned sentence credits; incarceration prior to entry of final order of conviction. Provides that a person's eligibility for earned sentence credits shall include any period of time actually spent in any state or local correctional facility, state hospital, or juvenile detention facility for the offense such person was held deducted from such person's term of incarceration or detention. The bill also provides that all time actually spent by a person in confinement or detention shall be used in calculating such person's earned sentence credits.The bill provides that the provisions shall apply retroactively to any person who is confined in any correctional facility on July 1, 2025, and if it is determined that, upon retroactive application of the provisions, the release date of any such person passed prior to the effective date of this act, the person shall be released upon approval of an appropriate release plan and within 60 days of such determination unless otherwise mandated by court order; however, no person shall have a claim for wrongful incarceration on the basis of such retroactive application. If a person is released prior to completion of any reentry programs deemed necessary by the Department of Corrections on the person's most recent annual review or prior to completion of any programs mandated by court order, the person shall be required to complete such programs under probation, provided probation is mandated by the court and current community resources are sufficient to facilitate completion of the aforementioned programs. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.

Paid family and medical leave insurance program; notice requirements; civil action. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to establish and administer a paid family and medical leave insurance program with benefits beginning January 1, 2027. Under the program, benefits are paid to covered individuals, as defined in the bill, for family and medical leave. The bill specifies that covered individuals shall not include state employees, constitutional and other local officers, and employees of local school divisions and that funding for the program is provided through premiums assessed to employers and employees beginning January 1, 2026. The bill provides that the amount of a benefit is 80 percent of the employee's average weekly wage, not to exceed 80 percent of the state weekly wage, which amount is required to be adjusted annually to reflect changes in the statewide average weekly wage. The bill caps the duration of paid leave at 12 weeks in any application year and provides self-employed individuals the option of participating in the program. Finally, the bill requires the Commission to update its 2021 Paid Family and Medical Leave study to include an assessment of the budgetary impacts of extending the benefits of the program to exempt individuals.

Concealed handgun permits; reciprocity with other states. Provides that the Superintendent of State Police, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, shall determine whether states meet the statutory qualifications for Virginia to recognize the concealed handgun permit of a person from another state. Under current law, any out-of-state permit is recognized in the Commonwealth provided that (i) the issuing authority provides the means for instantaneous verification of the validity of all such permits or licenses issued within that state, accessible 24 hours a day; (ii) the permit or license holder carries a photo identification issued by a government agency of any state or by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Department of State and displays the permit or license and such identification upon demand by a law-enforcement officer; and (iii) the permit or license holder has not previously had a Virginia concealed handgun permit revoked. The bill also provides that a Virginia resident who has not been issued a valid resident concealed handgun permit may not use a concealed handgun or concealed weapon permit or license issued by another state to carry a concealed handgun in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Superintendent of State Police, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, to review any agreements for reciprocal recognition that are in place with any other states as of July 1, 2024, to determine whether the requirements and qualifications of those states' laws are adequate to prevent possession of a permit or license by persons who would be denied a permit in the Commonwealth and revoke any reciprocity agreement or recognition of any states that do not meet such requirements or qualifications by December 1, 2024. The bill requires the Attorney General to provide a written explanation for any determination that a state's laws are adequate to prevent possession of such permit or license by persons who would be denied such permit in the Commonwealth.