Del. Josh Cole

Commending Spotsylvania County.

Commending Barry M. Barnard.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable AugustusBenton Chafin, Jr.

Children's Services Act; special education programs. Expands eligibility for services under the Children's Services Actto students who transfer from an approved private school specialeducation program to a public school special education program establishedand funded jointly by a local governing body and school divisionlocated within Planning District 16 for the purpose of providingspecial education and related services when (i) the public schoolspecial education program is able to provide services comparable to those of an approved private school special education programand (ii) the student would require placement in an approved privateschool special education program but for the availability of thepublic school special education program.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable AugustusBenton Chafin, Jr.

Absentee voting; counting military and overseasabsentee ballots received after close of polls on election day. Provides that absentee ballots cast by military and overseas absenteevoters that are (i) received after the close of the polls on anyelection day but before 5:00 p.m. on the second business day beforethe State Board of Elections meets to ascertain the results of the election and (ii) postmarked on or before the date of such electionare to be counted if the voter is found entitled to vote. The billprovides that a postmark includes any other official indicia of confirmationof mailing by the United States Postal Service or other postal ordelivery service. Under current law, such ballots cast by militaryand overseas absentee voters would be counted in this manner regardlessof the date of any postmark, but only if the absentee ballot hadbeen requested on or before, but not sent by, the deadline for makingabsentee ballots available.

General Assembly meetings; streaming and recording. Requires the Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Clerk of theSenate to ensure that every (i) subcommittee or committee meetingof a standing committee of the General Assembly, regardless of meetingdate, and (ii) floor session of the House of Delegates or the Senate,including any joint session of the houses, is streamed with closedcaptioning, recorded and archived. The bill defines "stream" and specifiesthat a qualifying meeting is one the date and time of which havebeen scheduled on a public website of any agency of the General Assemblyfor at least one hour prior to the meeting and that takes place inthe State Capitol, the Pocahontas Building, or the General AssemblyBuilding in Richmond. The bill has a delayed effective date of October1, 2020.

Wage or salary history inquiries prohibited; civil penalty. Prohibits a prospective employer with 25 employees or more from (i) requiring as a condition of employment that a prospective employee provide or disclose the prospective employee's wage or salary history, (ii) attempting to obtain the wage or salary history of a prospective employee from the prospective employee's current or former employers, (iii) requesting a prospective employee to complete an application for employment that includes a question inquiring about the prospective employee's wage or salary history, or (iv) asking a prospective employee in an employment interview any question intended to obtain information about the prospective employee's wage or salary history. Violations are subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $100 per violation. This bill incorporates HB 326 and HB 802.

Virginia Minority Business Commission; report. Establishes a 13-member legislative Commission to promote the growthand competitiveness of Virginia minority-owned businesses. The bill provides that the Commission sunsets on July 1, 2023.

Department of Education; pilot program; feasibility ofeducational placement transition of certain students with disabilities.Requires the Department of Education and relevant local school boards todevelop and implement a pilot program for the transition of students who areeducated in private school settings pursuant to Individualized EducationPrograms to the appropriate public school setting in the relevant local schooldivision for up to four years in two to eight local school divisions in theCommonwealth. In developing the pilot, the Department is required to partnerwith the appropriate school board employees in each such local school divisionto (i) identify the resources, services, and supports required by each studentwho resides in each such local school division and who is educated in a privateschool setting pursuant to his Individualized Education Program; (ii) study thefeasibility of transitioning each such student from his private school settingto an appropriate public school setting in the local school division andproviding the identified resources, services, and supports in such publicschool setting; and (iii) recommend a process for redirecting federal, state,and local funds, including funds provided pursuant to the Children's ServicesAct, provided for the education of each such student to the local schooldivision for the purpose of providing the identified resources, services, andsupports in the appropriate public school setting. The bill requires theDepartment of Education to make a report to the Governor, the Senate Committeeson Education and Health and Finance, and the House Committees on Education andAppropriations on the findings of the pilot program after two and four years.