Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra

Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures; report. Directs the State Health Commissioner to reestablish the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures for the purpose of evaluating maternal health data collection processes to guide policies in the Commonwealth to improve maternal care, quality, and outcomes for all birthing people in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Task Force to report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1 of each year regarding its activities. This bill reestablishes the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures that concluded on December 1, 2023.

Public school staffing ratios; specialized student support positions. Increases the number of specialized student support positions required to be employed by each local school board from at least three to at least four such positions per 1,000 students in the local school division. Such specialized student support positions include school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, licensed behavior analysts, licensed assistant behavior analysts, and other licensed health and behavioral positions.

Expeditious resolution of complaints relating to certain student transportation safety issues. Requires each locality and the Department of Transportation, as applicable, to expeditiously respond to and assist in the resolution of, to the maximum extent practicable, any complaint received by or on behalf of any public elementary or secondary school student relating to such student's safety on the streets, roads, sidewalks, and crosswalks surrounding school property as such student arrives to or departs from school and permits, for the purposes of complying with such requirement, any school board to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the locality or the Department, as applicable, for the establishment of a protocol or the designation of an ombudsman for the resolution of such complaints.

Department of Environmental Quality; enforcement of regulations; Clean Water Act; cooling water intakes at power plants. Requires the Department of Environmental Quality to promptly enforce federal regulations implementing a provision of the federal Clean Water Act for cooling water intakes at power plants to reduce negative impacts on fish populations in the waters of the Commonwealth.

Public high schools; personnel; career coach required. Requires each school board to employ at least one career coach in each public high school in the local school division whose duties are required to include assisting students with securing internships, externships, and credentialing opportunities as required by the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, providing students with information on apprenticeship programs, and connecting students to career opportunities. The bill provides that each such individual shall be employed in addition to and not as a replacement for the required school counselor positions, specialized student support positions, or support services positions.

Income tax deduction; union dues. Provides an income tax deduction beginning in taxable year 2024 for the amount paid by an individual for union dues for participation in a labor organization.

Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act. Permits electronic nontestamentary estate planning documents, defined in the bill as certain enumerated records relating to estate planning that are readable as text at the time of signing and are not wills or contained in wills, to be signed and notarized, as appropriate, by electronic means. The bill provides that such electronic nontestamentary estate planning documents shall not be denied legal effect or enforceability or excluded as evidence in a proceeding solely because such documents are in electronic form. The bill also allows for the electronic presence, as that term is defined in the bill, of any witness who is otherwise required by law to be in the physical presence of the person signing the nontestamentary estate planning document.

Commissioner of Health; work group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water; report. Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene a work group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water and develop recommendations for the reduction of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water. The bill requires the work group to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and Education and Health by December 1, 2024.

Maddy summaryThis House resolution commends Specially Adapted Resource Centers, commonly known as SPARC, for its 18th anniversary and its work supporting adults with severe and multiple disabilities in Northern Virginia. The bill recognizes SPARC's role in providing essential day programs, leisure learning, and life skills training at six locations to help individuals with significant care needs feel more connected to their communities. It directs the Clerk of the House of Delegates to prepare a copy of the resolution to present to the organization as a formal expression of appreciation. This measure does not change laws or funding but serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment of the group's contributions to the region.

Maddy summaryThis legislative resolution formally commends NOVA Parks for its 50th anniversary of the Washington & Old Dominion Railway Trail and its long-standing service to Northern Virginia residents. The measure acknowledges the organization's role in preserving over 12,000 acres of land and managing recreational facilities for nearly two million people across multiple counties and cities. It also highlights NOVA Parks' efforts to document Native American history and preserve burial grounds of enslaved communities through markers and educational programs. The House of Delegates has agreed to present a copy of this resolution to NOVA Parks representatives as a gesture of appreciation for their contributions to the community.