Rep. Ken Plum

Virginia Board of Workforce Development; collaboration to develop apprenticeship program. Directs the Virginia Board of Workforce Development (the Board) to collaborate with the Department of Labor and Industry, the Department of Education, and the Secretaries of Labor, Education, and Commerce and Trade and rely on data from the Office of Education and Labor Market Alignment in reviewing the performance of current apprenticeship programs in meeting high-demand industry needs. The bill requires the Board to prepare recommendations for creating a primary office for apprenticeship programs based on such review and report its recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2022. This bill is identical to SB 661.

Medical assistance services; individuals confinedin state correctional facilities. Requires the Department ofMedical Assistance Services to enroll any person who is in the custodyof a state correctional facility and who meets the criteria for eligibilityfor services under the state plan for medical assistance in the Commonwealth'sprogram of medical assistance services; however, no services underthe state plan for medical assistance shall be furnished to the personwhile he is confined in a state correctional facility unless federalfinancial participation is available to pay for the cost of the servicesprovided. The bill also provides that, upon release from the custodyof a state correctional facility, such individual shall continue to be eligible for services under the state plan for medical assistanceuntil such time as the person is determined to no longer be eligiblefor medical assistance and that, to the extent permitted by federallaw, the time during which a person is confined in a state correctionalfacility shall not be included in any calculation of when the personmust recertify his eligibility for medical assistance.

Early childhood care and education; regionalentities; Child Care Subsidy Program Overpayment Fund established.Requires the Board of Education to establish a system of regionalentities that will be responsible for coordinating early childhoodcare and education services, guiding quality improvement of suchservices and coordinated access to such services for families, andimplementing the uniform measurement and improvement system. Thebill establishes the Child Care Subsidy Program Overpayment Fund,consisting of all overpayment moneys collected or recovered by theDepartment of Education or any state or local agency contracted toadminister the Child Care Subsidy Program, net of any refunds due to the federal government, to be used solely for the purpose ofcovering the cost of providing training and supports to early childhoodcare and education entities.

High school family life education curricula; optional instruction on human trafficking. Permits any family life education curriculum offered by a local school division in high school to incorporate age-appropriate elements of effective and evidence-based programs on the prevention, recognition, and awareness of human trafficking of children.

Virginia National Guard; institutions of higher education; tuition grants. Adds parameters around grants distributed by the Department of Military Affairs (the Department) to members of the Virginia National Guard who are enrolled in any course or program at any public institution of higher education or accredited nonprofit private institution of higher education. The bill provides that an application for a grant shall be made to the Department no later than 30 days prior to the beginning of an academic semester. The bill provides that the Department shall determine whether an applicant is eligible for the grant and communicate acceptance and any additional requirements determined by the Department in writing no later than 30 days after receipt of an application. The bill requires individuals who are eligible for such grants to satisfy all financial obligations with the institution and provide written proof of acceptable academic performance and good standing for the current term no later than 30 days following the end of a term or semester. The bill provides that individuals receiving grants pursuant to the bill incur a single two-year service obligation to the Virginia National Guard and that this two-year obligation commences on the last day of the last term or semester for which tuition assistance was awarded. The bill provides that federal active duty mobilizations occurring while still a member of the Virginia National Guard and state active duty for the Commonwealth count toward such two-year service obligation. The bill provides that grants shall be subject to limitation based on the amount of funds appropriated for such purpose and that if applications for grants exceed the amount of funding appropriated, the Department shall issue grants to eligible recipients based on the order in which applications were received.

Local Food and Farming Infrastructure GrantProgram. Increases from $25,000 to $50,000 the amount of a grantthat may be made to a political subdivision for projects that supportlocal food production and sustainable agriculture.

Hospitals; direct readmission of certain postpartum patients. Directs the Department of Health (the Department) to develop recommendations for protocols for hospitals that provide obstetrical services for (i) admission or transfer of any pregnant woman who presents herself while in labor or while experiencing a perinatal emergency and (ii) direct readmission, if appropriate, to the hospital of any patient who received obstetrical services from the hospital, experiences postpartum complications requiring immediate medical care, and is referred to the hospital by the patient's health care provider. The bill requires the Department to make such recommendations available to every hospital in the Commonwealth that provides obstetrical services by December 15, 2022.

Park authorities; electric vehicle chargingstations. Gives park authorities created by a locality the authorityto locate, operate, regulate the use of, and install signage relatingto electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on property under itsjurisdiction. The bill adds park authorities to the list of entitiesfor which provision of electricity for EV charging is exempt fromthe definition of retail sale of electricity. The bill adds park authorities to the list of entities that the State Corporation Commissioncannot regulate or prescribe the rates, charges, and fees for retailEV charging service.

Certain public elementary and secondary school students; excused absences; attendance at pow wow. Provides that, subject to guidelines established by the Department of Education, any student who is a member of a state-recognized or federally recognized tribal nation that is headquartered in the Commonwealth and who is absent from school to attend such tribal nation's pow wow gathering shall be granted one excused absence per academic year, provided that the parent of such student provides to the student's school advance notice of such absence in the manner required by the school.

Dissemination of consumer information about noxious weeds and invasive plants. Requires the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to develop model signs for retail establishments that sell plants that may be used to explain the benefits of native plants and the harm of noxious weeds and other invasive plants. The bill also directs the Commissioner to develop model labels that may be used for the wholesale and retail sale of plants that indicate the common and scientific name of the plant, as well as whether it is native or invasive.