Public schools; Standards of Learning assessments;reduction. Reduces the total number and type of required Standardsof Learning assessments to the minimum requirements established bythe federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended.
Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; Departmentof Corrections Special Investigations Unit. Adds agents of theDepartment of Corrections Special Investigations Unit to the VirginiaLaw Officers' Retirement System (VaLORS). The bill provides thatsuch employees will not be eligible to retire under VaLORS unlessthey have five years of creditable service as a member of VaLORS,the State Police Officers' Retirement System, or an equivalent localsystem.
Department of Education; School ConstructionFund and Program. Establishes the School Construction Fund asa special nonreverting fund in the state treasury and requires theDepartment of Education to establish the School Construction Programfor the purpose of providing grants from the Fund, subject to certainconditions, to school boards that leverage federal, state, and localprograms and resources to finance the design and construction ofnew school buildings and facilities or the modernization and maintenanceof existing school buildings and facilities.
Parole; investigation prior to release; noticeto victim. Requires the Parole Board to contact all victims ofa crime for which a prisoner is incarcerated and eligible for paroleand notify them that they may request that the Board only notifythe victim if, following its review, the Board is inclined to grantparole to the prisoner, in which case the victim shall have 45 daysto present written or oral testimony for the Board's consideration.Current law states that a victim may request notification only ifthe Board is inclined to grant parole, but does not require the Boardto notify victims of such option.
Commending Sim Ewing.
Tourism Development Authority; name change.Renames the Tourism Development Authority, also known as the VirginiaCoalfield Regional Tourism Development Authority, as the Heart ofAppalachia Tourism Authority. The bill contains technical amendments.
Celebrating the life of Frederick Barger, Jr.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable AugustusBenton Chafin, Jr.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable AugustusBenton Chafin, Jr.
Animal shelters; confinement and dispositionof animals. Increases from five to 10 the number of days an animalconfined by a public or private animal shelter or releasing agencyshall be kept prior to disposal of the animal unless sooner claimedby the rightful owner. The bill also increases from five to 10 thenumber of additional days such animal shall be held if the owneror custodian of the shelter determines that the animal has a collar,tag, license, tattoo, or other form of identification.
