Permits the parent of a public preschool, elementary, or secondary school student who meets certain criteria to apply to the school division in which the student resides for a one-year, renewable Parental Choice Education Savings Account that 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 resident school division in which the student resides, including the per pupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and any state per pupil share of special education funding to which the student is eligible. The bill permits the parent to use the moneys in such account for certain education-related expenses of the student, including tuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private, sectarian or nonsectarian elementary or secondary school or preschool that is located in the Commonwealth and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The bill also contains provisions relating to auditing, rescinding, and reviewing expenses made from such accounts. The bill contains a reenactment clause.
Sponsored bills
Requires any health benefit plan that is amended, renewed, or delivered on or after January 1, 2018, that provides coverage for hormonal contraceptives to cover up to a 12-month supply of hormonal contraceptives when dispensed or furnished at one time for a covered person or at a location licensed or otherwise authorized to dispense drugs or supplies. Such a plan is prohibited, in the absence of clinical contraindications, from imposing utilization controls or other forms of medical management limiting the supply of hormonal contraceptives that may be dispensed or furnished by a provider or pharmacy, or at a location licensed or otherwise authorized to dispense drugs or supplies, to an amount that is less than a 12-month supply. The measure does not require a provider to prescribe, furnish, or dispense 12 months of self-administered hormonal contraceptives at one time. The measure also provides that it shall not be construed to exclude coverage for hormonal contraceptives as prescribed by a provider for reasons other than contraceptive purposes, such as decreasing the risk of ovarian cancer or eliminating symptoms of menopause, or for contraception that is necessary to preserve the life or health of an enrollee.
Revises the existing provision that a person loses his driver's license for six months when convicted of or placed on deferred disposition for a drug offense to provide that the provision does not apply to deferred disposition of simple possession of marijuana. The exception applies only to adults; juveniles will still be subject to license suspension. The bill provides that a court retains the discretion to suspend or revoke the driver's license of a person placed on deferred disposition for simple possession of marijuana and must suspend or revoke for six months the driver's license of such person who was operating a motor vehicle at the time of the offense. The bill also requires that such a person whose driver's license is not suspended or revoked perform 50 hours of community service in addition to any community service ordered as part of the deferred disposition. The provisions of the bill are contingent upon written assurance from the U.S. Department of Transportation that Virginia will not lose any federal funds as a result of implementation of the bill. This bill is identical to
Defines "municipal golf course" and provides that for mixed beverage restaurant licensees located on the premises of and operated by municipal golf courses, the ABC Board shall recognize the seasonal nature of the business and waive any applicable monthly food sales requirements for those months when weather conditions may reduce patronage of the golf course, provided that prepared food, including meals, is available to patrons during the same months. The bill provides that the gross receipts from the sale of food cooked, or prepared, and consumed on the premises and nonalcoholic beverages served on the premises, after the issuance of such license, shall amount to at least 45 percent of the gross receipts from the sale of mixed beverages and food on an annualized basis.
Provides that, in any custody or visitation case in which an order prohibiting a party from picking a child up from school is entered, the court shall order a party to provide a copy of such order to the child's school within three business days of the receipt of the order. The bill requires that, where a custody determination affects a child's school enrollment, the court order a party to provide a copy of the custody order to the child's new school within three business days of the child's enrollment. The bill further provides that if the court determines that a party is unable to deliver the order to the school, such party shall provide the court with the name of the principal and address of the school, and the court shall cause the order to be mailed to such principal.
Requires the Veterans Services Foundation to provide an annual report on its funding levels and services to the General Assembly. The bill also (i) authorizes the board of trustees of the Foundation to appoint an Executive Director, (ii) clarifies that the Foundation may make direct requests for appropriations from the General Assembly, (iii) clarifies that only the unrestricted portion of the Veterans Services Fund may be used for Foundation expenses, (iv) requires the Department of Veterans Services to provide qualified finance and development personnel to perform the duties of the treasurer and secretary of the Foundation, and (iv) provides that expenditures and disbursements from the Fund shall be made upon written authorization of the Executive Director with the approval of the board of trustees. The bill requires that allocations and expenditures of donated restricted funds be in accordance with cited provisions of the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act relating to the standard of conduct in managing and investing institutional funds.
Increases from 50 to 75 miles the maximum travel distance allowable for travel to obtain supplies or from one part of the owner's land to another by a vehicle used for agricultural or horticultural purposes in order to qualify for exemption from the requirements to obtain a registration certificate, license plates, or decals and pay a registration fee. The bill also increases from 50 to 75 miles the maximum travel distance allowable by vehicles used for seasonal transportation of farm produce and from 20 to 75 miles the maximum travel distance allowable for vehicles owned by farmers and used to transport wood products in order to qualify for such exemption. The bill also provides that any law-enforcement officer may require any person operating a vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer and claiming the farm use exemption to provide, upon request, the address of the farm or lands owned or leased by the vehicle's owner or, if such address is unavailable or unknown, the real property parcel identification number of such lands.
Includes like rank and experience as a factor in setting the maximum allowable hourly equivalent compensation paid to part-time deputy sheriffs performing like duties of full-time deputy sheriffs.
Authorizes a school security officer to carry a firearm in the performance of his duties if (i) within 10 years immediately prior to being hired by the local school board he was an active law-enforcement officer in the Commonwealth; (ii) he retired or resigned from his position as a law-enforcement officer in good standing; (iii) he meets the training and qualifications to carry a concealed handgun as a retired law-enforcement officer; (iv) he has met the additional training and certification requirements of the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS); (v) the local school board solicits input from the chief law-enforcement officer of the locality regarding the qualifications of the school security officer and receives verification from such chief law-enforcement officer that the school security officer is not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing, purchasing, or transporting a firearm; and (vi) the local school board grants him the authority to carry a firearm in the performance of his duties. The bill requires DCJS to establish additional firearms training and certification requirements for school security officers who carry a firearm in the performance of their duties. Existing law requires DCJS to establish minimum training and certification requirements for school security officers.
Directs the Department of Environmental Quality and the Region 2000 Services Authority (the Authority) to continue to reduce the odor issues at the landfill operated by the Authority in Campbell County and to report on their efforts to the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by November 1, 2017. The bill also requires the Authority to connect certain parts of its landfill gas collection system to the existing collection system when its engineers advise it that the connections will operate efficiently.