Del. Kaye Kory

Overtime; compensable hours worked; compensatory time. Defines compensable hours worked, for the purposes of the Virginia Overtime Wage Act, as the amount of time an employee is on duty or at a prescribed place of work and any time an employee is suffered or permitted to work. The bill states that such time shall include work performed at home, travel time, waiting time, and training and probationary periods. Under the bill, an employee may elect, during any probationary period of employment, to receive compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay. As used in the bill, compensatory time is the time an employee works beyond his regular schedule that is authorized by the employee's employer to be used as paid time off.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exclusions to application of chapter; local administrative investigations; disclosure. Adds email addresses as information that, when furnished in confidence to the local governing body, with respect to complainants in local investigations are exempt from disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The bill expands the applicability of the exemption to zoning enforcement complaints for all such complaints, not just individual enforcement complaints. The bill also adds local public health and safety, nuisance, and waste and recycling complaints to the list of complainants whose personal information is exempt from disclosure.

Right to unionize. Repeals the provisionsof the Code of Virginia that, among other things, prohibit any agreementor combination between an employer and a labor union or labor organizationwhereby (i) nonmembers of the union or organization are denied the right to work for the employer, (ii) membership in the union or organizationis made a condition of employment or continuation of employment bysuch employer, or (iii) the union or organization acquires an employmentmonopoly in any such enterprise.

Virginia Children's Cabinet. Creates theVirginia Children's Cabinet as an executive branch advisory bodyto advise the Governor regarding policies to improve the health and well-being of children in the Commonwealth.

Larceny of a catalytic converter; penalty. Provides that any person who conspires, confederates, or combines with another to commit larceny or counsels, assists, aids, or abets another in the performance of a larceny of a catalytic converter from a motor vehicle where the value of such catalytic converter is less than $1,000 is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill was incorporated into SB 729.

Public school teachers; continuing contract; resignation. Declares a public school teacher employed after completing the probationary period to be entitled to a continuing contract whereby the contract continues in effect for the ensuing year in conformity with local salary stipulations, including increments, provided, however, that such teacher may be dismissed for any cause set forth in relevant law and in accordance with the procedures set forth in relevant law. Current law declares any such teacher to be entitled to such a continuing contract during good behavior and competent service. The bill requires a public school teacher who seeks to resign from a continuing contract (i) for the ensuing school year to give written notice of such resignation on or before June 15 of the current school year or (ii) in effect for the current school year or for the ensuing school year after June 15 of the current school year to request release from the contract at least two weeks in advance of intended date of resignation and requires such request to be in writing and to set forth the cause of resignation. Current law requires written notice of noncontinuation of a continuing contract by either party to be given by June 15 of each year and permits a teacher to resign after June 15 of any school year with the approval of the local school board or, upon authorization by the school board, with the approval of the division superintendent if the teacher requests release from the contract in writing at least two weeks in advance of the intended date of resignation and sets forth the cause of resignation. The bill also provides that if the school board has not authorized the division superintendent to approve resignations of teachers with continuing contracts, the school board shall decide whether to accept or reject the resignation of such a teacher.

Paid family and medical leave program. Requiresthe Virginia Employment Commission to establish and administer apaid family and medical leave program with benefits beginning January1, 2025. Under the program, benefits are paid to eligible employeesfor family and medical leave. Funding for the program is providedthrough premiums assessed to employers and employees beginning in2024. The amount of a benefit is 80 percent of the employee's averageweekly wage, not to exceed 80 percent of the state weekly wage, which amount is required to be adjusted annually to reflect changesin the statewide average weekly wage. The measure caps the durationof paid leave at 12 weeks in any application year. The bill provides self-employed individuals the option of participating in the program.

Certified recovery residences. Requiresthe Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to adoptregulations requiring each certified recovery residence to includeone or more resident or nonresident staff persons who are employedby the provider for compensation and who are responsible for oversightor management of the recovery residence.

Recognition of the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribeof Virginia. Extends state recognition to the Wolf Creek CherokeeTribe of Virginia within the Commonwealth.

Celebrating the life of Jameel Jalal Abed.