General Assembly; legislation increasing regulationor establishing initial regulation of a profession or occupation;required evaluation by Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation.Provides that whenever a legislative bill requiring the Departmentof Professional and Occupational Regulation to increase or begin regulation of a profession or occupation is filed during any sessionof the General Assembly, the chairman of the committee to which the bill is referred is required to request the Board for Professionaland Occupational Regulation to prepare an evaluation of the legislationusing the statutory criteria for professional and occupational regulation.The bill removes the current requirement that the Division of LegislativeServices identify and forward to the Board bills requiring such evaluation.The bill requires the Board to submit its evaluation to the appropriateClerk within 10 months for transmittal to the patron of the bill andthe chairman of the committee to which the bill was referred.
Sponsored bills
Workers' compensation; occupational disease presumption; police dispatchers. Establishes a presumption that hypertension or heart disease causing the death or disability of full-time salaried police dispatchers is an occupational disease compensable under the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act.
Animal care; zoos and petting zoos; seizureof animals. Raises from reasonable cause to probable cause the standard for a belief that animal cruelty laws are being violatedfor purposes of an application for a search warrant. The bill addsanimals located at a zoo or petting zoo, defined in the bill, to agricultural animals as exceptions to the standards for seizure orimpoundment of companion animals. The bill also requires that beforea seizure can take place at a zoo or petting zoo, a direct and immediatethreat to an animal must exist that cannot be corrected in a reasonabletime or that the owner is unable or unwilling to correct. The billrequires humane investigators to be residents of the Commonwealth.The bill contains technical amendments.
Commending the Loudoun Hunt.
Informed consent; medication-based abortion.Requires physicians to inform patients of the availability of medications,if available, to interrupt a medication-based abortion, if she decidesto do so, after such woman has taken medication in preparation forthe procedure.
Small renewable energy projects; permit by ruleprocess. Provides that any proposed wind energy project witha project boundary located less than two miles from a jurisdictionalboundary is not qualified for a permit by rule from the Departmentof Environmental Quality. The measure also (i) requires the engineeringcertification for a wind energy project to state the amount of energyprojected to be generated by the facility, on an annual average basis,based on wind studies conducted at the proposed project site for a minimum of two years; (ii) requires the Department to hold a publichearing; (iii) limits eligibility for wind-powered generation facilitiesto make use of the permit by rule process to those that have a ratedcapacity not exceeding 100 megawatts and disturb fewer than 50 acresin the complete construction of the project including access roads;and (iv) reduces the maximum capacity for facilities that generateelectricity only from sunlight from 150 megawatts to 100 megawatts.
U.S. Constitution; application for aconvention of the states. Makes application to Congress to calla convention of the states to propose amendments to the United States Constitution that impose fiscal restraints on the federal governmentand limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government.
Nonpayment of wages; private action. Providesthat an employee has a private cause of action against an employerwho fails to pay wages to recover the amount of wages due plus interestat eight percent annually from the date the wages were due. If thecourt finds that the employer knowingly failed to pay wages, thecourt shall award the employee reasonable attorney fees and othercosts. If the court finds that the employer's failure to pay wageswas willful and with intent to defraud the employee, the court shallalso award the employee three times the amount of wages due.
Study; Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission; cost-effective care for individuals with intellectual disabilities; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study costs of care for individuals with intellectual disabilities. In conducting its study, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission shall analyze the Commonwealth's per capita costs of care for individuals with intellectual disabilities and per capita costs of care and cost-effective methods used by other states to provide care for individuals with intellectual disabilities and shall make recommendations regarding how the Commonwealth can reduce such costs or make more efficient use of the services provided for individuals with intellectual disabilities to increase its efficiency in the provision of such care and services.
Virginia National Guard; state active duty for emergency response; pay and allowances for members. Establishes rates of pay and allowances for members of the Virginia National Guard and Virginia Defense Force.