Rep. Wendell Walker

Public education; student education accounts.Permits any school board to establish a program to create savingsaccounts for students to be used for alternative educational programs.The bill requires the Department of Education to establish policiesand procedures under which the parent of each student may use suchfunds on public or private educational programs.

Superintendent of Public Instruction and localschool boards; standards for certain public school library materials;parental review of library and other educational materials. Requiresthe Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop and distribute to each local school board and each such school board to enforcethroughout the local school division mandatory statewide standardsfor evaluating, classifying, and removing from any public elementaryor secondary school library any explicit material. The bill alsopermits the Office of the Attorney General to enforce compliancewith such standards in any local school division. The bill also establishesmeans and processes for the review of education materials and thereview and approval of library materials by parents, including requiringthe parents of all students who attend a public elementary or secondaryschool to comprise the Parental Review and Approval Committee forsuch school and requiring such Committee to review and vote to approveor disapprove of each item on a list of proposed library materialsdistributed to it by the school.

Fundamental right to be free from medical mandates.Declares that, except as otherwise provided by law, each adult hasa fundamental right to be free from medical mandates of the Commonwealthor any locality, private employer, health care entity or provider, or provider of public accommodations. The bill defines "medical mandate" as any affirmative requirement by the Commonwealth or any locality, private employer, health care entity or provider, or providerof public accommodations for an individual to undergo or participatein a health-related test, procedure, tracking or monitoring program,or bodily insertion or injection of any drug or the wearing of anymedical equipment or apparel. The bill provides that it shall beno less a medical mandate for such entities to condition an individual'sreceipt of otherwise ordinary services, benefits, or employment uponthe performance or acquiescence of undergoing or participating ina health-related test, procedure, tracking or monitoring program,or bodily insertion or injection of any drug or the wearing of any medical equipment or apparel. The bill sets out exceptions, includingprotocols in health care facilities and food handling operationsand valid orders of quarantine or isolation.

Board of Education; standards for the maintenanceand operations, renovation, and new construction of public elementaryand secondary school buildings. Requires the Board of Education(the Board) to make recommendations to the General Assembly for amendmentsto the Standards of Quality to establish standards for the maintenanceand operations, renovation, and new construction of public elementaryand secondary school buildings. The bill requires such recommendationsto include standards for the percentage of the current replacementvalue of a public school building that a school board should budget for the maintenance and operations of the building and such otherstandards as the Board deems appropriate. The bill also requires the Board to solicit the input of relevant stakeholders and the publicin developing such recommendations. Finally, the bill requires theBoard to submit its recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Healthno later than December 1, 2022. This bill is a recommendation ofthe Commission on School Construction and Modernization.

Best interests of the child; assuring frequentand continuing contact with both parents. Provides that, in determiningthe best interests of a child for purposes of custody and parentingtime arrangements, upon request of either party, the court shallassure a minor child of frequent and continuing contact with bothparents so as to maximize the amount of time the minor child spendswith each parent.

Public health emergency; emergency orders andregulations; limitations. Provides that any emergency order orregulation adopted by the Board of Health shall be valid for no morethan 45 days and that such order may be extended by the Board fora subsequent period of 45 days, provided that the Board providesnotice and receives public comment on the order or regulation proposedto be extended, but that in no case shall such emergency order or regulation be valid for more than 18 months from the effective dateof the initial order or regulation. The bill also provides that inany case in which the Commissioner of Health exercises the authorityof the Board to enact an emergency order or regulation, such orderor regulation shall be valid for no more than 45 days from the effectivedate of the order or regulation unless the Board adopts an orderor regulation to such effect. Thebill also limits the duration of an emergency temporary standardadopted by the Safety and Health Codes Board to 45 days and providesfor an extension of such emergency temporary standard for a subsequentperiod of 45 days, provided that the Board provides notice and receivespublic comment on the emergency temporary standard proposed to beextended. However, no emergency temporary order shall be valid fora period of more than six months.

School principals; incident reports; violent offenses.Requires that school principals report to law enforcement any felonyoffenses and violent offenses enumerated in the bill that may constitutea criminal offense. Under the bill, principals have discretion toreport certain non-violent crimes to law enforcement. Under currentlaw, principals are required to make such reports to law enforcementonly for such acts that may constitute a felony offense.

Emergency custody and temporary detention orders; custody. Requires a facility or location to which a minor or adult who is subject to an emergency custody or temporary detention order is transported to accept custody of the minor or adult upon completion of transportation and arrival of the minor or adult at the facility and specifies that the primary law-enforcement agency shall provide transportation of a person who is involved in the involuntary commitment process, rather than a sheriff, as provided under current law.

Immunizations; authority of the Commissionerof Health; religious exception. Exempts a person, including aparent or guardian on behalf of a child, who objects to administrationof a vaccine on religious grounds from mandatory immunization requirementsduring an epidemic. Currently, exemption from mandatory immunizationrequirements during an epidemic is available only to those personsto whose health the administration of the vaccine would be detrimental,as certified in writing by a licensed physician.

Voter identification; identification containinga photograph required. Requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote. The bill repeals the provisionsof law permitting a voter who does not have one of the required formsof identification to vote after signing a statement, subject tofelony penalties for false statements, that he is the named registeredvoter he claims to be. Instead, the bill provides that such voteris entitled to cast a provisional ballot.