Del. Josh Cole

Charlie's Law to Protect All Students; private elementary and secondary schools; student codes of conduct, policies, and procedures relating to bullying and cyberbullying prevention. Requires each principal, headmaster, or other chief administrator of each private elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth to include in such school's codes of student conduct policies and procedures (i) for addressing and handling instances of bullying and cyberbullying and (ii) that include a prohibition against bullying and a requirement to notify the parent of any student involved in a confirmed incident of bullying within 24 hours of confirming the incident of bullying. This bill incorporates HB 53 and is identical to SB 341.

State Board of Health regulations; standards for levels of neonatal care. Directs the State Board of Health to establish standards for designation of care in neonatal services consistent with, but not necessarily identical to, standards published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill directs the Board of Health to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by July 1, 2027, and prohibits enforcement of such regulations until July 1, 2029. This bill is identical to SB 291.

Dental hygienist licensure; dentists eligible to practice in a foreign country or jurisdiction. Permits the Board of Dentistry to grant a license to practice dental hygiene to persons who are eligible to practice dentistry in a country or jurisdiction outside of the United States and who are graduates of a dental school or college, or the dental department of an institution of higher education, located outside of the United States that the Board determines is acceptable. This bill is identical to SB 282.

Juvenile and domestic relations district courts; petitions for relief of care and custody; custodians. Allows the custodian of a child to file a petition for relief of the care and custody of such child in a juvenile and domestic relations district court. Current law only authorizes the parent or parents of a child to file such petition for relief of care and custody. The bill also requires the petitioning parent or custodian to cooperate with any services provided by a local department of social services during the initial investigation by such local department of social services after such petition for relief of care and custody has been filed. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Commission on Youth and is identical to HB 73.

Selective Service; Two-Year College Transfer Grant; Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Program. Removes the requirement that individuals register for the Selective Service in order to be eligible for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant, the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Program, or any other state direct tuition assistance.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; preference for Virginia goods; school nutrition programs; sunset extension. Provides that, in the case of procurement of goods by manufacturers, if the lowest responsive and responsible bidder is not a resident of Virginia and the bid is for agricultural products that are produced or processed in Virginia and intended for school nutrition programs, including fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, and is within 20 percent of such bid, such bidder for agricultural products that are produced or processed in Virginia shall be granted the option to match the price of the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. The bill amends provisions of law providing preference for Virginia goods in procurement that are set to expire on July 1, 2027. The bill extends the sunset date of these provisions to July 1, 2028.

Virginia Personnel Act; hiring preference in state government; certain former federal employees. Allows for an applicant's status as a former federal employee to be given consideration when applying for employment with the Commonwealth if such applicant was terminated from a position of employment with the federal government on or after January 1, 2025, due to a reduction in the federal budget or initiatives put in place by the federal Department of Government Efficiency, provided that such person meets all of the knowledge, skill, and ability requirements for the available position. The bill directs the Department of Human Resource Management, on or before January 1 of each year, to submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly that includes the number of job applications submitted by candidates who self-identified as former federal employees, as well as the number of jobs offered to such candidates. The bill has an expiration date of January 21, 2029.

Real property tax; classification of land and improvements; Charlottesville and Falls Church. Authorizes the Cities of Charlottesville, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, and Newport News to levy a tax on the improvements to real property at a different rate than the tax imposed upon the land on which it is located. The rate levied on the improvements to real property shall not be zero and shall not exceed the rate of tax on the land on which it is located. This bill incorporates HB 72 and HB 261.

Appointment of youth representative to local governing body. Allows a local governing body to appoint a youth representative to serve as a nonvoting member of the governing body.

Student bullying and cyberbullying; resources. Requires the Department of Education to direct each school board to encourage each public elementary and secondary school in the local division to promote or utilize the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to address student bullying and cyberbullying, as such terms are defined in relevant law.