Board of Education; stakeholder group; evaluation of and recommendations for certain current and proposed policies and performance standards for public elementary and secondary schools. Requires the Board of Education to collaborate with the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Secretary of Education to evaluate, to implement where possible, and to otherwise make recommendations to the General Assembly regarding the following goals: (i) promoting excellence in instruction and student achievement in mathematics; (ii) increasing the number of academic year Governor's Schools in the Commonwealth and maintaining standards of excellence for students in all such schools; (iii) preserving the Advanced Studies Diploma as an option for students in public high schools in the Commonwealth; (iv) increasing the transparency and honesty of performance measures for public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth and ensuring that such measures do not obscure or conceal disparities in performance among student groups and reduce or eliminate disparities among student groups; (v) ensuring that performance measures for public elementary and secondary schools prioritize the attainment of grade-level proficiency and growth during the course of a school year and from school year to school year in reading and mathematics for all students, especially in grades kindergarten through five; (vi) ensuring that the Commonwealth's proficiency standards on Standards of Learning assessments in reading and mathematics are rigorous in comparison with assessments administered by other states and national assessments in reading and mathematics; and (vii) restoring a strong accreditation system that promotes meaningful accountability year-over-year. The bill requires the Secretary of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, no later than November 30, 2022, to report to the chairmen of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health the results of such evaluation and recommendations to achieve such goals.
Del. Buddy Fowler
Sponsored bills
Safe haven protections; newborn safety device. Provides an affirmative defense in certain criminal prosecutions and civil proceedings regarding child abuse or neglect to a parent who safely delivers his child within the first 30 days of the child's life to a newborn safety device located at a hospital that provides 24-hour emergency services or at an attended emergency medical services agency that employs emergency medical services personnel. The bill also provides civil and criminal immunity to such hospitals and emergency medical services agencies for injuries to children received through such newborn safety devices, provided that (i) the injuries are not the result of gross negligence or willful misconduct and (ii) the hospital or emergency medical services agency meets certain requirements regarding the establishment, functioning, and testing of the device. Current law requires the child to be delivered within the first 14 days of the child's life at such hospital or emergency medical services agency. This bill is identical to SB 63.
Virginia Public Procurement Act; public institutions of higher education; disclosure required by certain offerors; civil penalty. Requires every offeror who is awarded a contract by a public institution of higher education for any construction project that has a total cost of $5 million or more to disclose any contributions the offeror has made within the previous five-year period totaling $25,000 or more to the public institution of higher education or any private foundation that exists solely to support the public institution of higher education. The bill provides that no protest of an award shall lie for a claim that the selected offeror was awarded a contract solely based on such offeror's contribution to the public institution of higher education. The bill imposes a $500 civil penalty on any offeror that knowingly fails to submit the required disclosure. The provisions of the bill relating to such disclosure of gifts made by an offeror to a public institution of higher education or any private foundation that exists solely to support the public institution of higher education expire on June 30, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 210.
Alcoholic beverage control; tax allocation; funding for Virginia Spirits Promotion Fund. Requires that 20 percent of the 20 percent tax levied on alcoholic beverages sold by the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority that is attributable to the sale of spirits produced by a distiller licensee be deposited in the Virginia Spirits Promotion Fund. The bill requires the Virginia Spirits Board to submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly by October 1 regarding its activities and use of moneys in the Virginia Spirits Promotion Fund. This bill is identical to SB 196.
Dealers; sale of dogs or cats for experimentalpurposes. Prohibits a dealer or commercial dog or cat breeder from importing for sale, selling, or offering for sale a dog or catbred by a person who has received certain citations pursuant to the federal Animal Welfare Act. Current law only prohibits such activities related to the sale of dogs. The bill also clarifies that sellingincludes selling the dog or cat for experimental purposes.
Military honor guards and veterans service organizations; paramilitary activities; exception. Exempts members of a lawfully recognized military color guard, honor guard, or similar organization, and members of a veterans service organization that is congressionally chartered or officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, when such member is participating in a training or educational exercise, funeral, or public ceremony on behalf of such military color guard, honor guard, or similar organization or veterans service organization, from the crime of unlawful paramilitary activity unless such member engages in such activity with malicious intent. This bill is identical to SB 618.
Bail for a person accused of a crime that is an act of violence; notice to attorney for the Commonwealth. Requires a magistrate to transmit within 24 hours a copy of the checklist for bail determination form to the attorney for the Commonwealth when a magistrate conducts a bail hearing for a person arrested on a warrant or capias for an act of violence. The bill also provides that transmission of such copy to the attorney for the Commonwealth may be by facsimile or other electronic means. This bill is identical to SB 614.
Special hunting and fishing license for certaindisabled veterans. Authorizes resident veterans who have a service-connected disability of at least 30 percent to receive from the Departmentof Wildlife Resources, at no cost or a reduced cost depending onthe veteran's disability rating, a lifetime license to hunt and freshwaterfish. Current law authorizes the provision of such license at nocost to a veteran who is totally and permanently disabled and at half-cost to a veteran who is 70 percent disabled.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable FloraLonette Davis Crittenden.
Commending Bob Brown.