Local Food and Farming Infrastructure Fund and Grant Program; political subdivisions. Establishes the Local Food and Farming Infrastructure Fund and directs the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to establish a Local Food and Farming Infrastructure Grant Program for infrastructure development projects that support local food production and sustainable farming. The bill directs the Department to award grants to political subdivisions for projects that include the establishment or maintenance of farmers markets; businesses or organizations that manage the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of food products primarily from local and regional producers; and primarily locally owned processing facilities. Any political subdivision that is awarded a grant is required to oversee the spending of the grant and provide an annual report and a final report to the Department. The bill provides parameters for the payment of the grant amount to each political subdivision and establishes requirements for verification of compliance with award criteria by such political subdivision.
Sponsored bills
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.
Family assessments; timeline. Increases from 45 days to 60 days the allowable time for completing a family assessment by a local department of social services and removes the local department's opportunity to request a 15-day extension. This bill is identical to HB 778.
Business license waivers. Allows localities with a population greater than 50,000 to waive license requirements for businesses with gross receipts of $200,000 or less. Current law limits such waiver to businesses with gross receipts of less than $100,000.
Securities Act; exemption for nonissuer distributions.Exempts certain nonissuer distributions from the registration provisionsof the Securities Act.
Insurance data security; required programs and notifications. Establishes standards for insurance data security and for the investigation of a cybersecurity event and the notification to the Commissioner of Insurance and affected consumers of a cybersecurity event. The bill requires insurers to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive written information security program based on an assessment of its risk and that contains administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for the protection of nonpublic information and its information system. The bill requires investigation of potential cybersecurity events and prescribes standards for such investigations. The bill requires that the notification of the occurrence of a cybersecurity event provided by an insurer or other entity to the Commissioner and affected consumers to include certain information prescribed by the bill. The bill requires the Commissioner to adopt rules and regulations regarding data security and authorizes the Commissioner to investigate potential violations.
Kinship Guardianship Assistance program; eligibility; fictive kin. Expands eligibility for the Kinship Guardianship Assistance program by allowing payments to be made to fictive kin who receive custody of a child of whom they had been the foster parent. This bill is identical to HB 933.
Commending Bob Brown.
Commending Lisa C. Merkel.