Reports of certain arrests and convictions ofschool employees; timing; method. Requires any probation andparole officer who is supervising a person employed by a local schooldivision in the Commonwealth, upon discovering that such supervisedperson has been arrested for or convicted of a felony offense oran equivalent offense in another state, to report such arrest orconviction to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the designated division safety official in the local school division in which suchsupervised person is employed as soon as practicable but no laterthan 48 hours after such arrest. Current law requires such reportto be made as soon as practicable. The bill also removes the requirementto report certain arrests and convictions of school employees enumeratedin law via fax to the fax number identified for the division superintendentor the designated division safety official, as the case may be. However,the requirements in current law to make such reports via certified mail and email are preserved.
Sponsored bills
Law-Enforcement Officers Procedural GuaranteeAct; hearing panel decisions. Provides that for the purposes of the Law-Enforcement Officers Procedural Guarantee Act a majoritydecision of a hearing panel shall be binding on the employing agency.Under current law, such decisions are advisory recommendations only.The bill also provides that a hearing panel's decision may be appealedto the circuit court in the jurisdiction where the grievance arose.Lastly, the bill provides that the third member of the hearing panelshall not be from within the employing law-enforcement agency.
Students who receive home instruction; participationin interscholastic programs. Prohibits public schools from joiningan organization governing interscholastic programs that does not deem eligible for participation a student who (i) receives home instruction;(ii) has demonstrated evidence of progress for two consecutive academicyears; (iii) is in compliance with immunization requirements; (iv)is entitled to free tuition in a public school; (v) has not reachedthe age of 19 by August 1 of the current academic year; (vi) is anamateur who receives no compensation but participates solely forthe educational, physical, mental, and social benefits of the activity;(vii) complies with all disciplinary rules and is subject to allcodes of conduct applicable to all public high school athletes; and(viii) complies with all other rules governing awards, all-star games,maximum consecutive semesters of high school enrollment, parentalconsents, physical examinations, and transfers applicable to allhigh school athletes. The bill provides that no local school boardis required to establish a policy to permit students who receivehome instruction to participate in interscholastic programs. Thebill permits reasonable fees to be charged to students who receivehome instruction to cover the costs of participation in such interscholasticprograms, including the costs of additional insurance, uniforms,and equipment. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2029.
Abortion; born alive infant; treatment and care;penalty. Requires every health care provider licensed by theBoard of Medicine who attempts to terminate a pregnancy to (i) exercisethe same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preservethe life and health of a human infant who has been born alive followingsuch attempt as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health carepractitioner would render to any other child born alive at the samegestational age and (ii) take all reasonable steps to ensure theimmediate transfer of the human infant who has been born alive toa hospital for further medical care. A health care provider who failsto comply with the requirements of the bill is guilty of a Class4 felony and may be subject to disciplinary action by the Board.The bill also requires every hospital licensed by the Departmentof Health to establish a protocol for the treatment and care of a human infant who has been born alive following an attempt to terminatea pregnancy and for the immediate reporting to law enforcement ofany failure to provide such required treatment and care.
First responders; proof of immunization; exemption.Provides that first responders shall not be required to showproof of immunization to attend trainings at medical care facilities,regardless of whether the administration of immunizing agents conflictswith their religious tenets or practices.
Benefits consortium for localities. Authorizesthe governing bodies of three or more cities, counties, or schoolboards to form a benefits consortium for the purpose of establishinga self-funded employee welfare benefit plan. Under current law, suchgoverning bodies or school boards are authorized to form such a benefitsconsortium if they comprised the membership of a multiple employerwelfare arrangement as of December 31, 2014. Such a benefits consortiumis required to be a nonstock corporation established to operate abenefits plan. Each member of the benefits consortium is contractuallyliable for its allocated share of the consortium's liabilities, andthe benefits consortium is exempt from taxation and from insuranceregulations.
Action of forfeiture; exemptions; court-imposedfine. Provides that no property subject to seizure, pursuantto relevant law, shall be forfeited unless the total value of suchproperty in the aggregate is less than or equal to the value of thefine imposed by the court upon conviction for the offense relatedto the seizure of such property.
Meat; misbranding.
Study; joint committee of the House and SenateCommittees on Privileges and Elections to study the costs and benefitsof 45 days of early voting. Establishes a joint committee of theHouse and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections to studythe costs and benefits of 45 days of early voting. In conductingits study, the joint committee shall survey several localities withinthe Commonwealth with different demographics, both urban and rural,to evaluate the fiscal impact on the locality and the ability of thelocality to meet the burden imposed by the need to increase staffingand maintain adequate facilities for early voting and to examinetrends in voter turnout. The joint committee shall gather data sufficient to allow it to determine if a shorter period of in-person votingcould accomplish most of the benefits of early in-person voting whilereducing the burden on localities.
Board of Education; Standards of Quality; Standardsof School Safety. Requires the Board of Education, in collaborationwith the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety and such otherstakeholders as it deems appropriate, to establish pursuant to regulationthe Standards of School Safety for the purpose of assessing schoolsafety in each local school division in the Commonwealth and eachschool building therein based on such objective, quantifiable measuresof safety as the Board deems appropriate. The bill requires the Boardto incorporate compliance with the Standards of School Safety asa school and school division accountability measure for the purposes of the Standards of Accreditation.