Rep. Kaye Kory

Commending Virginia Housing.

Commending Shincheonji New Heaven New EarthChurch.

Commending the Fairfax County School Board.

Study; staffing levels, employment conditions,and compensation at Virginia Department of Corrections; report.Continues the joint committee of the House Committee on Health, Welfareand Institutions; the House Committee on Public Safety; the SenateCommittee on the Judiciary; and the Senate Committee on Rehabilitationand Social Services established by House Joint Resolution No. 29 (2020)and continued by House Joint Resolution 522 (2021, Special SessionI) to study staffing levels, employment conditions, and compensationat the Virginia Department of Corrections. The resolution directsthe joint committee to conclude its work by November 30, 2022, andto report its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2023 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Paid sick leave; health care providers and grocery store workers. Requires employers to provide paid sick leave to health care providers and grocery store workers. Under current law, employers are only required to provide paid sick leave to certain home health workers. The bill removes requirements that workers work on average at least 20 hours per week or 90 hours per month to be eligible for paid sick leave. The bill provides that certain health care providers may waive their right to accrue and use paid sick leave and provides an exemption for certain other health care providers. The bill requires the Department of Labor and Industry to develop guidelines for retail employers that sell groceries to provide sick leave and to publish such guidelines by December 1, 2022. The provisions of the bill other than the requirement for the Department of Labor and Industry to develop guidelines have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2023. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

Health insurance wellness programs; COVID-19 vaccine. Provides that a wellness program provided by a health carrier is provided at the employer's discretion and may include a program that provides a reward or assesses a surcharge to encourage individuals to receive a vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19.

Foster Care Prevention program. Establishesthe Foster Care Prevention program to facilitate placements withrelatives and ensure that such relatives are provided with the resources necessary to provide care for the child. The bill provides that achild is eligible to participate in the Foster Care Prevention programif the local department of social services (local department) determinesthat (i) the child is in the custody of a relative pursuant to acourt order; (ii) the child's parent or guardian voluntarily placedthe child with such relative; (iii) the child demonstrates a strongattachment to the relative, and the relative has a strong commitmentto caring for the child; and (iv) had the relative not agreed totake custody of the child, the local department likely would havefiled a petition to remove the child from his home due to an imminentthreat of child abuse or neglect. The bill requires relatives seeking to receive Foster Care Prevention program payments to enter intoan agreement with the local department and Department of Social Servicesthat describes the manner in which payments will be provided and establishes the amount of such payments. The bill requires the juvenileand domestic relations court, in any custody case involving the FosterCare Prevention program wherein a relative is awarded custody ofa child, to establish the timelines of the custody order and allowsthe court to order the local department to provide case managementservices.

Commending the Honorable Christopher KilianPeace.

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum);qualifications of voters and the right to vote; persons not entitledto vote. Provides for a referendum at the November 8, 2022, generalelection to approve or reject an amendment that would provide forthe fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, revise the qualificationsof voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitledto vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically investedwith the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and updatethe existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentallyincompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lackthe capacity to understand the act of voting.

Celebrating the life of Alyson Sudow Bailey.