Requires local departments of social services to request the placement of a security freeze on the credit report or record of any child who has been in foster care for at least six months in order to prevent cases of identity theft and misuse of personal identifying information.
Establishes requirements for net energy metering by electric cooperatives effective upon the earlier of July 1, 2019, or the effective date of implementing regulations by the State Corporation Commission. Instances where the new net energy metering program's requirements differ from those of the existing program include (i) the cap on the capacity of generating facilities, which will initially be two percent of system peak for residential customers, two percent of system peak for not-for-profit and nonjurisdictional customers, and one percent of system peak for other nonresidential customers; (ii) authorizing an electric cooperative to raise these caps up to a cumulative total of seven percent of its system peak; (iii) legalizing third-party partial requirements power purchase agreements for those retail customers and nonjurisdictional customers of an electric cooperative that are exempt from federal income taxation; and (iv) establishing registration requirements for third-party partial requirements power purchase agreements, including a self-certification system under which a provider is required to affirm certain information to Commission staff, under penalty of revocation of its registration. The measure authorizes the board of directors of an electric cooperative to adjust its rates, terms, conditions, and rate schedules governing net energy metering and prohibits a cooperative after the date of such an adjustment from collecting stand-by charges. The measure authorizes an electric cooperative to adopt a new rate schedule or rider containing demand charges based upon a net energy metering customer's noncoincident peak demand and provides for alternative caps on its net energy metering program. The measure authorizes a cooperative's fixed monthly charge covering the fixed costs of owning and operating its electric distribution system as an alternative to volumetric charges associated with demand and to rebalance among any of the fixed monthly charge, distribution demand, and distribution energy charges. The measure authorizes an investor-owned utility participating in the pilot program for community solar development to move the Commission to make its pilot program permanent. The measure also requires Dominion Power to (a) convene a stakeholder process, using an independent facilitator, to make recommendations to the utility concerning issues related to the implementation of advanced metering technology and related investments in customer information systems; (b) submit to the Commission for approval retail rate schedules designed to offer time-varying pricing; and (c) submit to the Commission for approval an incentive program for the installation of solar equipment for customers served under time-varying retail rate schedules that have advanced-metering technology equipment.
Requires the owner or operator of any coal combustion residuals (CCR) unit, defined in the bill to include a coal ash pond or landfill, within the Chesapeake Bay watershed at Bremo Power Station, Chesapeake Energy Center, Chesterfield Power Station, and Possum Point Power Station to close such CCR unit by removing all of the CCR for (i) recycling, known as encapsulated beneficial use, or (ii) deposition in a permitted and lined landfill that meets certain federal standards. The measure requires that any owner or operator beneficially reuse no less than 6.8 million cubic yards in aggregate of such removed CCR from no fewer than two of the sites. Such a closure project shall be completed within 15 years of its initiation and shall be accompanied by an offer by the owner or operator to provide connection to a municipal water supply for every residence within one-half mile, or if such connection is not feasible, the owner or operator shall offer to provide water testing for any such residence.
Provides that any person who commits an act of aiding prostitution or illicit sexual intercourse or using a vehicle to promote prostitution or unlawful sexual intercourse, when such act involves a minor, is guilty of a Class 6 felony. Under current law, such acts are punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill adds the two new felony offenses to (i) the definition of "violent felony" for the purposes of sentencing guidelines, (ii) the definition of barrier crimes for the purposes of background checks for employees or volunteers providing care to children or the elderly or disabled, (iii) the definition of predicate criminal acts for street gangs, (iv) the definition of racketeering activity under the Virginia Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organization Act, (v) the list of violations that a multi-jurisdiction grand jury is responsible for investigating, and (vi) the list of offenses requiring registration in the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry. The bill also adds felony prostitution and felony human trafficking offenses to the definition of "violent felony" for the purposes of sentencing guidelines. The bill also provides that each violation of commercial sex trafficking is a separate and distinct felony. The bill as introduced was a recommendation of the Virginia State Crime Commission.
Prohibits the imposition and collection of tolls on any primary highway that is wholly located in Planning District 8 and that was previously classified as a secondary highway and is between 30 and 35 miles in length without prior approval by the General Assembly.
Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any travel agent to knowingly promote travel services for the purposes of prostitution or certain offenses involving minors that require registration on the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry.
Applies the reduced state sales and use tax rate of 1.5%, which under current law applies only to food purchased for human consumption, to essential personal hygiene products, defined in the bill as (i) nondurable incontinence products such as diapers, disposable undergarments, pads, and bed sheets; and (ii) menstrual cups and pads, pantyliners, sanitary napkins, tampons, and other products used to absorb or contain menstrual flow. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2020. This bill is identical to
Requires the Board of Education to include, in its regulations that prescribe the requirements for the licensure of teachers and other school personnel required to hold a license, procedures for the a written reprimand of such license holders. The bill permits the Board of Education to issue written reprimand to any such license holder who knowingly and willfully commits a certain enumerated act relating to secure mandatory tests administered to students. The only express disciplinary actions that are permissible under current law in such a scenario are suspension or revocation of such individual's license. The bill also permits a school board or division superintendent to issue a written reprimand to a teacher who breaches his employment contract after the school board or division superintendent declines to grant such teacher's request for release from such contract on the grounds of insufficient or unjustifiable cause. The only express disciplinary action that is permissible under current law in such a scenario is revocation of such teacher's license.
Requires the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety to develop a case management tool for use by public elementary and secondary school threat assessment teams and requires such threat assessment teams to use such tool to collect and report to the Center quantitative data on its activities. This bill is identical to
Requires any comprehensive financial aid award notification provided to a student by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education to meet the requirements and best practices established by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in its Financial Aid Award Letters Policies and Guidance. This bill is identical to
