Del. Wren Williams

Acquisition and use of military property bylaw-enforcement agencies. Repeals the provisions prohibitinga state or local law-enforcement agency from acquiring or purchasing(i) weaponized unmanned aerial vehicles; (ii) aircraft that are configuredfor combat or are combat-coded and have no established commercialflight application; (iii) grenades or similar explosives or grenadelaunchers from a surplus program operated by the federal government;(iv) armored multi-wheeled vehicles that are mine-resistant, ambush-protected,and configured for combat from a surplus program operated by thefederal government; (v) bayonets; (vi) firearms of .50 caliber orhigher; (vii) ammunition of .50 caliber or higher; or (viii) weaponizedtracked armored vehicles. The bill removes the prohibition on the use of kinetic impact munitions except in situations where theiruse is necessary to protect a law-enforcement officer or anotherperson from bodily injury. The bill also removes the requirementthat the Department of Criminal Justice Services establish trainingstandards for law-enforcement on the use of kinetic impact munitionsand tear gas.

Virginia Literacy Act; early student literacy; evidence-based literacy instruction; science-based reading research. Makes several changes relating to early student literacy, including requiring (i) each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education or alternative certification program that provides training for any individual seeking initial licensure with an endorsement in a certain area, including as a reading specialist, to demonstrate mastery of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction, as such terms are defined in the bill; (ii) the literacy assessment required of individuals seeking initial teacher licensure with endorsements in certain areas to include a rigorous test of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction; (iii) each local school board to establish a divisionwide literacy plan; (iv) each local school board to employ one reading specialist for each 550 students in kindergarten through grade three; and (v) each local school board to provide a program of literacy instruction whereby, among other things, (a) the program provides reading intervention services to students in kindergarten through grade three who demonstrate deficiencies based on their individual performance on the Standards of Learning reading assessment or an early literacy screener provided or approved by the Department of Education; (b) a reading specialist, in collaboration with the teacher of any student who receives such reading intervention services, develops, oversees implementation of, and monitors student progress on a student reading plan; and (c) each student who receives such reading intervention services is assessed utilizing either the early literacy screener provided or approved by the Department or the grade-level reading Standards of Learning assessment again at the end of that school year. The provisions of the bill become effective beginning with the 2024–2025 school year. This bill is identical to SB 616.

Nonsuits; appeals from judgment of a general district court; emergency. Permits a plaintiff to nonsuit a claim appealed from a general district court in a circuit court. As introduced, the bill was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Business park electric transmission infrastructure pilot program; location of qualifying projects. Amends the definition of "business park" by adding that a business park may be established by a locality and by removing the requirement that a business park be located in an area of the Commonwealth designated as an opportunity zone by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury via his delegation of authority to the Internal Revenue Service. The bill also removes the requirement that the location of a qualifying project for an existing pilot program to promote economic development in the Commonwealth by allowing Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power to complete the construction phase of electric transmission infrastructure for up to three business parks prior to the public announcement of a prospective occupant of the business parks be in an opportunity zone and provides that such a qualifying project may be within a business park in Planning District 19.

Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence VictimFund; purpose; fee apportionment. Provides that the Departmentof Criminal Justice Services shall adopt guidelines to make fundsfrom the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund, whichis used to support the prosecution of domestic violence cases andvictim services, available to sexual assault service providers andhospitals for the purpose of funding the cost of salaries and equipmentfor sexual assault forensic examiners, sexual assault nurse examiners,and pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners, with priority for fundingsuch costs given to such forensic examiners and nurse examiners serving rural or underserved areas of the Commonwealth. The bill also increasesthe amount apportioned to the Fund from the fixed fees for misdemeanorsand traffic infractions tried in district court.

Pioneer Community Hospital of Patrick County; Investigate feasibility of reopening and alternatives. Provides that the Patrick County Board of Supervisors may enter into a contract to investigate the feasibility of reopening the Pioneer Community Hospital of Patrick County, formerly known as the R.J. Reynolds Patrick County Memorial Hospital, to provide health care services, including emergency medical and rural health care services, necessary to meet the needs of residents of Patrick County and the surrounding localities and provides that any investigation undertaken pursuant to this act shall be complete by October 1, 2023.

Public schools; instruction concerning gambling. Requires instruction concerning gambling and the addictive potential thereof to be provided by the public schools as prescribed by the Board of Education. The bill requires the Board of Education to report to the Chairmen of House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health a description of such instruction.

Virginia Code Commission; work group to review public notices required to be published by localities. Directs the Virginia Code Commission to convene a work group to review requirements throughout the Code of Virginia for localities to provide public notice for intended actions and events, including (i) the varying frequency for publishing notices in newspapers and other print media, (ii) the number of days required to elapse between the publications of notices, and (iii) the amount of information required to be contained in each notice, and make recommendations for uniformity and efficiency. The bill requires the Commission to submit a report to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology summarizing the work and any recommendations of the work group by November 1, 2022. This bill is identical to SB 417.

Physical education; personal safety training. Requires any physical education class offered to students in grades seven and eight to include at least one hour of personal safety training per school year in each such grade level that is developed and delivered in partnership with the local law-enforcement agency and consists of situational safety awareness training, social media education, and self-defense tactics training.

Department of Wildlife Resources; boat ramp fees. Removes the authorization for the Department of Wildlife Resources to charge a fee for the use of facilities that it manages but does not own and for the use of boat ramps that it owns or manages. This bill is identical to SB 141.