PSAP dispatchers; telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Emergency Medical Dispatch education program. Requires each public safety answering point (PSAP) to provide training and equipment for each of its dispatchers in high-quality telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) instruction, which is defined in the measure as the delivery by trained 911 telecommunicators of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction for acute events requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation, including out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. The measure (i) requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to adopt regulations that establish training and equipment standards and (ii) authorizes a PSAP to enter into reciprocal agreements with another PSAP to transfer callers to the other PSAP at times that the initial PSAP does not have a trained dispatcher on duty able to provide TCPR. The measure establishes immunity from civil damages for dispatchers who instruct a caller on TCPR. The measure also requires each operator of a PSAP to implement a requirement that each of its dispatchers complete an Emergency Medical Dispatch education program by July 1, 2024, and to conduct ongoing quality assurance of its TCPR program.
Sponsored bills
Regional water resource planning; State Water Control Board regulations. Directs the State Water Control Board to predict the risk that each locality and region in the Commonwealth will experience water supply shortfalls, to encourage the development of cross-jurisdictional water supply projects, and to adopt regulations designating regional planning areas based primarily on river basins. Each locality in a particular regional planning area shall participate in cross-jurisdictional, coordinated water resource planning, and all localities in each area shall together develop and submit a single regional water supply plan. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality to facilitate the creation of the regional water plans by ensuring sufficient coordination among localities, providing planning and other assistance, and ensuring that each regional plan identifies risks and proposes cost-effective strategies in response. The bill directs that the Board and the Department prioritize the allocation of funds to localities that sufficiently participate in regional planning. The bill contains technical amendments.
Drinking water supplies; maximum contaminant levels. Directs the State Board of Health to adopt regulations establishing maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) in public drinking water systems for (i) perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonate, and for such other perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances as the Board deems necessary; (ii) chromium-6; and (iii) 1,4-dioxane. The bill requires such MCLs to be protective of public health, including the health of vulnerable subpopulations, and to be no higher than any MCL or health advisory adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the same contaminant. The bill directs the Department of Health to report to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions on the status of research related to MCLs by November 1, 2020, and submit a final report by October 1, 2021, detailing the MCL regulations established by the Department of Health. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2022.
Utility easements; location of broadband and other communications facilities. Declares that it is the policy of the Commonwealth that (i) easements for the location and use of electric and communications facilities may be used to provide or expand broadband or other communications services; (ii) the use of easements to provide or expand broadband or other communications services is in the public interest; (iii) the installation, replacement, or use of public utility conduit, including the costs of installation, replacement, or use of conduit of a sufficient size to accommodate the installation of infrastructure to provide or expand broadband or other communications services, is in the public interest; (iv) the use of easements to provide or expand broadband or other communications services (a) does not constitute a change in the physical use of the easement, (b) does not interfere with, impair, or take any vested or other rights of the owner or occupant of the servient estate, (c) does not place any additional burden on the servient estate other than a de minimis burden, if any; (iv) has value to the owner or occupant of the servient estate greater than any de minimis impact; and (v) the installation and operation of broadband or other communications services within easements, appurtenant or gross, are merely changes in the manner, purpose, or degree of the granted use as appropriate to accommodate a new technology. The measure further provides that (1) absent any express prohibition on the installation and operation of broadband or other communications services in an easement that is contained in a deed or other instrument by which the easement was granted, the installation and operation of broadband or other communications services within any easement shall be deemed, as a matter of law, to be a permitted use within the scope of every easement for the location and use of electric and communications facilities and (2) subject to compliance with any express prohibitions in a written easement, any incumbent utility or communications provider may use an easement to install, construct, provide, maintain, modify, lease, operate, repair, replace, or remove its communications equipment, system, or facilities, and provide communications services through the same, without such incumbent utility or communications provider paying additional compensation to the owner or occupant of the servient estate or to the incumbent utility, provided that no additional utility poles are installed. The measure provides that, in cases of a prescriptive easement, such easement is deemed to exist and that any incumbent utility or communications provider may use a prescriptive easement to install, construct, provide, maintain, modify, lease, operate, repair, replace, or remove its communications equipment, system, or facilities, and provide communications services through the same, without such incumbent utility or communications provider paying additional compensation to the owner or occupant of the servient estate or to the incumbent utility, provided that no additional utility poles are installed.
Expanded polystyrene food service containers; prohibition; civil penalty. Prohibits the dispensing by a food vendor of prepared food to a customer in a single-use expanded polystyrene food service container, as defined in the bill. The bill requires certain chain restaurants to stop using such containers by July 1, 2023, and sets the date for compliance by all food vendors as July 1, 2025. The bill exempts certain institutions, including correctional facilities and public schools, from the definition of "food vendor" and provides a process by which a locality may grant consecutive one-year exemptions to individual food vendors on the basis of undue economic hardship. The bill provides a civil penalty of not more than $50 for each day of violation, to be collected in a civil action brought by the Attorney General or the relevant locality. The penalties collected are to be deposited in the Litter Control and Recycling Fund or to the treasury of the relevant locality, as appropriate. A portion of the penalties deposited in the Fund are to be used for public information campaigns to discourage the sale and use of expanded polystyrene products. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality to post to its website information on compliance and the filing of complaints. This bill incorporates HB 1046 and HB 1347.
Voter identification; repeal of photo identification requirements; additional forms of identification accepted; signed statement in lieu of required form of identification; penalty. Removes the requirement that voters show a form of identification containing a photograph in order to be allowed to vote. The bill requires a voter to show either his voter registration confirmation documents; his valid Virginia driver's license, his valid United States passport, or any other identification issued by the Commonwealth, one of its political subdivisions, or the United States; any valid student identification card issued by any institution of higher education located in the Commonwealth or any private school located in the Commonwealth; any valid student identification card issued by any institution of higher education located in any other state or territory of the United States; any valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the voter and issued by an employer of the voter in the ordinary course of the employer's business; or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter. The bill also provides that the expiration date on a Virginia driver's license is not considered when determining the validity of a driver's license offered for voter identification purposes. A voter who does not show one of the required forms of identification when offering to vote is required to sign a statement that he is the named registered voter he claims to be in order to be permitted to cast a ballot. Such statement is signed subject to felony penalties for making false statements, punishable as a Class 5 felony. A voter who does not show one of the required forms of identification and does not complete or sign the statement shall be offered a provisional ballot according to the provisions of current law. The bill adds language regarding identification requirements for certain voters pursuant to the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002. This bill incorporates HB 190 and HB 878.
Workers' compensation; employer to notify employee of intent. Requires an employer whose employee has filed a claim under the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act to advise the employee whether the employer intends to accept or deny the claim or is unable to make such a determination because it lacks sufficient information from the employee or a third party. If the employer is unable to make such a determination because it lacks sufficient information from the employee or a third party, the employer shall so state and identify the needed additional information. If the employer intends to deny the claim, it shall provide the reasons. The bill provides that an employer may, if the employee consents, send any such required response to the employee by email.
Child day programs; potable water; lead testing.Requires licensed child day programs and certain other programs thatserve preschool-age children to develop and implement a plan to testpotable water from sources identified by the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency as high priority. The bill requires such plan and the resultsof each such test to be submitted to and reviewed by the Commissionerof Social Services and the Department of Health's Office of DrinkingWater. The bill stipulates that if the result of any such test indicatesa level of lead in the potable water that is at or above 15 partsper billion, the program shall remediate the level of lead in thepotable water to below 15 parts per billion, confirm such remediationby retesting the water, and submit the results of the retests tothe Commissioner of Social Services and the Department of Health'sOffice of Drinking Water for review. The bill also provides suchprograms the option of using bottled water in lieu of testing or remediation. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2021.
Department of Social Services; Office of NewAmericans created. Establishes the Office of New Americans withinthe Department of Social Services, as well as an advisory board,to assist immigrant integration within the Commonwealth on an economic,social, and cultural level. The Office shall provide (i) advice andassistance regarding the citizenship application process; (ii) assistancewith securing employment, housing, and services for which such personsmay be eligible; (iii) information to localities and immigration service organizations about state programs that help such personsfind and secure employment, housing, and services for which theymay be eligible; and (iv) information to localities and immigrationservice organizations regarding health epidemics and unlawful predatoryactions, such as human trafficking, gang recruitment, and fraudulentfinancial and other schemes, to which communities of such personsmay be especially vulnerable. The Advisory Board shall report tothe Director of the Office, who will submit to the Governor and theGeneral Assembly an annual executive summary of the interim activityand work of the Board no later than the first day of each regularsession of the General Assembly. The bill renames the Office of NewcomerServices as the Division of Newcomer Services and establishes thedivision as a subdivision of the Office of New Americans.
Standards of Quality; state funding; ratiosof teachers to English language learners. Requires state funding, pursuant to the general appropriation act, to be provided pursuantto Standard 2 of the Standards of Quality to support divisionwideratios of English language learner students in average daily membershipto full-time equivalent teaching positions as follows: (i) for eachEnglish language learner identified as proficiency level one, oneposition per 25 students; (ii) for each English language learneridentified as proficiency level two, one position per 30 students;(iii) for each English language learner identified as proficiencylevel three, one position per 40 students; and (iv) for all other English language learners, one position per 58 students. Currentlaw requires 17 full-time equivalent instructional positions for each1,000 students identified as having limited English proficiency.