Del. Sam Rasoul

Department of Emergency Management; responsibilitiesof political subdivisions; provision of emergency preparedness informationto individuals with limited English proficiency, disabilities, orother special needs. Directs the Department of Emergency Management(the Department) to ensure that the model school crisis and emergencymanagement plan developed by the Board of Education in consultationwith the Department is designed to include and reach individualswith limited English proficiency, disabilities, and other specialneeds. The bill also directs the Department to develop an emergencyresponse plan to (i) address the needs of such individuals in theevent of a disaster, including the provision of competent interpretationservices and translated documents, and (ii) assist and coordinatewith local agencies in developing similar emergency response plansfor such individuals. The bill requires that every local and interjurisdictionalemergency management agency include in its emergency operations planprovisions to ensure that adequate and timely emergency relief assistance,including competent interpretation services and translated documents,is provided to such individuals. The bill requires the governingbody of each locality that is required to establish an alert and warningplan to ensure that such plan provides adequate and timely warningsfor such individuals. The bill contains technical amendments.

Certificate of public need; criteria for determining need. Makes clear that in determining whether a public need for a proposed project has been demonstrated the State Health Commissioner shall consider the impact of the proposed project on all people to whom services may be provided and not only residents of the service area. This bill is identical to SB 279.

School boards; distribution of excess food. Allows public school boards to distribute excess food to students eligible for the School Breakfast Program or National School Lunch Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or to students who the school board determines are otherwise eligible to receive excess food. A school board is also allowed to develop a policy for distributing excess food, saving it for later, or donating it.

Elections; political campaign advertisements;definition of campaign telephone calls and telephone call; text messages.Adds text messages to the definition of campaign telephone calls.The bill also defines "telephone call" as any single telephone callor text message, electronic or otherwise, that when combined withother telephone calls constitutes campaign telephone calls.

TANF; family cap. Repeals the prohibitionon increasing the amount of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families(TANF) that a family receives upon the birth of a child during theperiod of TANF eligibility or during the period in which the familyor adult recipient is ineligible for TANF benefits pursuant to apenalty imposed by the Commissioner of Social Services for failureto comply with benefit eligibility or child support requirements.

Recounts; special election to be held in the case of a tie vote. Provides that if, after a recount of an election, the recount court finds that each party to the recount has received an equal number of votes, there shall be a special election to determine which candidate is elected to the office. This provision would not apply in cases of tie votes occurring after a recount of an election for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General, which the Constitution of Virginia provides for, or for electors of President and Vice President of the United States, which will continue to be determined by lot. This bill incorporates HB 178 and HB 692.

Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices; source of funds. Adds discrimination on the basis of a person's source of funds to the list of unlawful discriminatory housing practices. The bill creates an exemption for an owner or owner's managing agent, provided that such owner does not own more than four rental dwelling units or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units in the Commonwealth at the time of the alleged discriminatory housing practice. The bill allows an owner or owner's managing agent to deny or limit a person's rental or occupancy of a rental dwelling unit based on the person's source of funds for that unit if such source is not approved within 15 days of the person's submission of the request for tenancy approval. The bill defines "source of funds" as any source that lawfully provides funds to or on behalf of a renter or buyer of housing, including any assistance, benefit, or subsidy program, whether such program is administered by a governmental or nongovernmental entity. This bill incorporates HB 357.

School meal policies. Requires each localschool board to adopt policies that prohibit school board employeesfrom requiring a student who cannot pay for a meal at school or whoowes a school meal debt to throw away or discard a meal after ithas been served to him.

Department of Health; sickle cell anemia; adult and pediatric comprehensive sickle cell clinic network. Specifies that children be included in the voluntary program established by the Commissioner of Health, in cooperation with local health directors, for the screening of individuals for the disease of sickle cell anemia or the sickle cell trait and for other genetically related diseases and genetic traits and inborn errors of metabolism. The bill directs the Board of Health to adopt regulations to implement an adult and pediatric comprehensive sickle cell clinic network.

Pipeline construction permit; amount of civil penalty for violation. Authorizes the State Water Control Board to include civil penalties of up to $50,000 per violation, not to exceed $500,000 per order, in any order for a violation of a permit related to the construction of a natural gas transmission pipeline greater than 36 inches inside diameter. Current law limits such penalties to $32,500 per violation and $100,000 per order. The bill requires that at least two written notices of violation have been issued to the person constructing the pipeline, that such violations have not been resolved, and that a hearing has been conducted before the penalty can be assessed.