Minimum wage; farm workers. Eliminates the exemptions to Virginia's minimum wage requirements for persons employed as a farm laborer or farm employee. This bill was incorporated into HB 395.
Virginia Public Procurement Act; failure topay unemployment taxes. Prohibits state agencies from contractingfor goods and services from a nongovernmental source if that source,or any affiliate of the source, is required to remit unemployment taxes but fails or refuses to do so. The measure requires the Virginia Employment Commission to make a determination of whether a sourceis a prohibited source for failure or refusal to remit unemploymenttaxes and permits any aggrieved source to apply to the Commissionerof the Virginia Employment Commission for correction of the determination.The measure also provides that any source that fails to remit unemploymenttaxes for more than 10 covered employees shall be a prohibited sourcefor a period of two years.
Right to reproductive choice. Provides thatevery individual has a fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptionand that a pregnant person has a fundamental right to choose to carrya pregnancy to term, give birth to a child, or terminate a pregnancy.The bill states that the Commonwealth shall not, in the regulationor provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information, denyor interfere with an individual's fundamental rights, including individualsunder state control or supervision. The bill states that any stateor local official who is charged with violating provisions of thissection shall be subject to an action in federal or state court forinjunctive relief and damages. Such action may be brought by any person or entity that may be aggrieved by such official's actions.
Employment; wage inquiries; prohibited retaliatory action. Prohibits any public or private employer from (i) refusing to interview, hire, or employ an applicant for employment because the applicant does not provide wage history; (ii) retaliating against an applicant for employment because the applicant does not provide wage history; or (iii) relying on the wage history of an applicant to determine the wages offered by the employer to such individual. An applicant or employee who is aggrieved by a violation may bring a private action against the employer. The measure also prohibits an employer from taking other retaliatory action against an employee because the employee (a) reports a violation or suspected violation of any law to a supervisor or to any governmental body or law-enforcement official; (b) is requested by a governmental body or law-enforcement official to participate in an investigation, hearing, or inquiry; (c) refuses to engage in a criminal act that would subject the employee to criminal liability; (d) refuses an employer's order to perform an action that the employee believes violates any law; (e) provides information to or testifies before any governmental body or law-enforcement official conducting an investigation into any alleged violation by the employer; or (f) makes a prohibited wage inquiry. This bill was incorporated into HB 416.
School resource officers; memorandums of understanding. The bill requires that the required memorandum of understanding entered into by a local school board and local law-enforcement agency be consistent with the model memorandum of understanding developed by the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety. The bill requires that the model memorandum contain provisions that prohibit school resource officers from (i) conducting a search of a student's person or property while on school property unless such resource officer has probable cause to conduct such a search and either has a judicial warrant authorizing the search or has identified exigent circumstances necessitating a warrantless search; (ii) participating in any request for assistance from a federal agency without a subpoena or warrant; (iii) inquiring as to whether a student was born in a country other than the United States or is a citizen of a country other than the United States, unless such inquiry is in connection with an kidnapping or extortion investigation; and (iv) absent exigent circumstances, questioning any student without prior notification to the parent or guardian of such student's right to refuse to be questioned or searched. The bill also provides that the model memorandum of understanding shall contain provisions regarding the use of translators or appropriate guardians to assist students in responding to questions from a school resource officer. The bill requires each such school board and local law-enforcement agency to review the memorandum of understanding every four years or at any time upon request of either party. The bill provides that such memorandum shall be made available for public review and comment at least 30 days prior to its adoption. The bill also redefines "school resource officer" to specifically prohibit a school resource officer from investigating or enforcing violations of school board policies, including student conduct codes. This bill was incorporated into HB 292.
Office of the Attorney General; FOIA Ombudsman;powers and duties; report. Requires the Attorney General to appointa Virginia Freedom of Information Act Ombudsman to promote complianceby state agencies with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom ofInformation Act. The bill outlines the powers and duties of the Ombudsmanand provides for the Ombudsman to submit by November 30 of each yeara report on his activities and policy recommendations to the Governorand the General Assembly.
Standards of Learning; review; racism and inequity. Requires the Board of Education, in its review of the Standards of Learning in all subject areas, to consider the need for revisions to remove any racist or inequitable elements of such standards. This bill was incorporated into HB 916.
Prohibited discrimination; public accommodations, employment, credit, and housing: causes of action; sexual orientation and gender identity. Creates explicit causes of action for unlawful discrimination in public accommodations and employment in the Virginia Human Rights Act. Currently, under the Act there is no cause of action for discrimination in public accommodations, and the only causes of action for discrimination in employment are for (i) unlawful discharge on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, including lactation, by employers employing more than five but fewer than 15 persons and (ii) unlawful discharge on the basis of age by employers employing more than five but fewer than 20 persons. The bill allows the causes of action to be pursued privately by the aggrieved person or, in certain circumstances, by the Attorney General. The bill prohibits discrimination in public and private employment and credit on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill also codifies for state and local government employment the current prohibitions on discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, or status as a veteran. Additionally, the bill prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a veteran and adds discrimination on the basis of an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, marital status, or status as a veteran as an unlawful housing practice. The bill contains technical amendments. This bill was incorporated into HB 1663.
Certified community health workers. Establishes requirements for use of the title "certified community health worker." This bill was incorporated into HB 688.
Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatoryhousing practices; sexual orientation and gender identity. Addsdiscrimination on the basis of an individual's sexual orientationor gender identity as an unlawful housing practice. The bill defines"sexual orientation" and "gender identity." This bill was incorporatedinto HB 1663.
