Del. Wendell Walker

Line of Duty Act; campus police officers; privatepolice officers. Provides employees of contributing nonprofitprivate institutions of higher education, defined in the bill, andcontributing private police departments, defined in the bill, withthe benefits granted to employees of participating employers underthe Line of Duty Act. The bill clarifies that the Line of Duty Actshall not apply to any private institution of higher education orprivate police department that is not a contributing nonprofit private institution of higher education or contributing private police department, respectively.

State Air Pollution Control Board; motor vehicleemissions standards. Repeals the requirement that the State AirPollution Control Board implement a low-emissions and zero-emissionsvehicle program for motor vehicles with a model year of 2025 andlater. The bill prohibits the Board from adopting or enforcing anymodel year standards related to control of emissions from new motorvehicles or new motor vehicle engines, including low-emission vehicleand zero-emission vehicle standards pursuant to the federal CleanAir Act and prohibits the Commonwealth from requiring any new motorvehicle or new motor vehicle engine to be certified as compliantwith model year standards related to the control of emissions adoptedby California for which a waiver has been granted pursuant to thefederal Clean Air Act.

Fishing license requirements; exemptions; freefishing days. Increases from three to six the maximum numberof days that the Board of Wildlife Resources may designate as freefishing days for a person to fish in any inland waters of the Commonwealth without a fishing license.

Department of Workforce Development and Advancement;Director. Changes the title of the Director of the Departmentof Workforce Development and Advancement to the Commissioner of Workforce Development and Advancement. The bill directs the Department of WorkforceDevelopment and Advancement to examine the feasibility or need ofany new workforce development program prior to its creation and providea report to the Governor and the General Assembly. The bill changesthe minimum level of fiscal support from WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker funds to training and job placement services from 40 to 50percent. The bill also makes the Department responsible for providing a list of high-demand occupations to eligible educational institutions.

Comprehensive community colleges and schoolboards; dual enrollment agreements; parameters. Requires dualenrollment agreements between comprehensive community colleges andschool boards to permit any student to complete an associate degree,the Passport Program, or a one-year Uniform Certificate of GeneralStudies from a comprehensive community college concurrent with ahigh school diploma or high school equivalency program. Current lawrequires such agreements to specify options for students to completean associate degree, the Passport Program, or a one-year Uniform Certificate of General Studies from a comprehensive community college concurrent with a high school diploma.

Virginia Education Success Account Program established. Permits the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill,to apply for a one-year, renewable Virginia Education Success Accountthat consists of an amount that is equivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the schooldivision in which the qualified student resides, including the perpupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and any per pupil share of state special education funding for which the qualifiedstudent is eligible. The bill permits the parent of the qualifiedstudent to use the moneys in such account for certain qualified expensesof the qualified student, including tuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private elementary school or secondary schoolthat is located in the Commonwealth. The bill also contains provisionsrelating to program and account administration by the Departmentof the Treasury and a third party that serves as program administratorpursuant to a contract with the Department of the Treasury.

Dangers and victims of communism; recognition;Standards of Learning and programs of instruction. Requires theGovernor to annually issue a proclamation setting the seventh dayof November as Victims of Communism Day and requiring such day tobe suitably observed in each public elementary and secondary schoolin the Commonwealth as a day honoring the approximately 100 millionindividuals who have fallen victim to communist regimes around theworld and to be suitably observed by a public exercise in the Capitoland elsewhere as the Governor may designate in such proclamation.The bill also requires the Board of Education to include in the historyand social science Standards of Learning in grades six through 12and each school board to emphasize in its Standards-aligned programof instruction in grades six through 12 the study of the dangersof communism.

Education Excellence for All Program established.Permits the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill, toapply for a one-year, renewable Education Excellence for All SavingsAccount, defined in the bill, that consists of an amount that isequivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standardsof Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposesand apportioned to the school division in which the qualified studentresides, including the per pupil share of state sales tax fundingin basic aid and any per pupil share of state special education fundingfor which the qualified student is eligible. The bill permits theparent of the qualified student to use the moneys in such accountfor certain qualified expenses of the qualified student, includingtuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private elementaryschool or secondary school that is located in the Commonwealth. Thebill also contains provisions relating to program and account administrationby the Department of the Treasury and a third party that serves asprogram administrator pursuant to a contract with the Department.

Virginia Employment Commission; appeals proceedings;appeal tribunals and Board of Review; repeal. Specifies thatany determination made by the Virginia Employment Commission in regardsto any amount required to be deducted and withheld from unemployment compensation for purposes of child support obligations is final.The bill contains a number of technical amendments related to the Commission's appeals proceedings. The bill also repeals provisionsrelated to appeal tribunals and the Commission-appointed Board ofReview and contains technical amendments.

Service Member Sentencing Act. Creates the Service Member Sentencing Act to provide service members, defined in the bill, a service member sentencing option, defined in the bill, if such service member satisfies the eligibility criteria. The bill explains the process and procedures associated with a service member sentencing option. The bill also provides sentencing mitigation for service members that are not eligible for the service member sentencing option, including criteria for a judge to consider prior to sentencing a service member for a criminal offense. The bill requires the Department of Veterans Services to assist in facilitating the provision of the Act.The bill also requires the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court to create a form to track and report the number of service members receiving, successfully completing, failing, declining, and denied a service member sentencing option and sentencing mitigation; such information shall be categorized by race, ethnicity, gender, age, military discharge characterization, and offense type.