Center for Rural Virginia; name change. Renames the Center for Rural Virginia as the Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia. This bill is identical to SB 704.
Board of Education; Imagination Library of Virginia Program and Fund established. Establishes the Imagination Library of Virginia Program and the Imagination Library of Virginia Fund for the purpose of encouraging preschool-age children to learn to read by providing one reading selection, defined by the bill as any high-quality, age-appropriate book, monthly to the home of each registered child from birth to age five at no cost to the child's family. The bill provides that each school board in the Commonwealth shall serve as the local partner for the administration of the Program in its respective school division and requires the Board of Education to establish the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Affiliate to collaborate with each school board in (i) mailing monthly reading selections directly to the residence of each child, beginning as early as such child's birth month through the month in which such child reaches five years of age, (ii) identifying and locating families with an eligible child within such school division and encouraging them to register such child for the Program, and (iii) handling any undelivered monthly reading selections. The bill provides that the costs incurred by each school board shall, subject to appropriation, be reimbursed to each such school board. The bill establishes that the Board is responsible for the administration of the Program, including (a) managing the Program's daily operations or delegating such management to the Department of Education, the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Affiliate, or such other entity as the Board may deem appropriate; (b) coordinating with local organizations and each school board to advance and strengthen the Program; (c) developing, promoting, and coordinating a public awareness program to increase awareness of the Program; (d) ensuring the appropriation of sufficient funds by including in any budget request each year a plan to ensure the distribution of sufficient funds to each school division; and (e) providing an annual report to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education detailing the activities of the Program and Fund for the immediately preceding year. The provisions of the bill expire on January 1, 2029.
Abuse and neglect of children; causing or enabling child to gain possession of a firearm; penalty. Creates a Class 5 felony for any parent, guardian, or other person who is 18 years of age or older and is responsible for the care of a child under the age of 18 whose willful act or omission causes or enables that child to gain possession of a firearm (i) after having received notice of a preliminary determination, pursuant to relevant law, that such child poses a threat of violence or physical harm to self or others or (ii) when such parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the care of the child knows or reasonably should know that such child has been charged with, either by warrant or petition, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent of a violent juvenile felony. The bill provides that no person shall be subject to arrest or prosecution regarding knowledge of a preliminary threat determination if such person received notice that the threat assessment team concluded that the child does not indicate a threat of violence or physical harm to self or others or that any case or review opened or conducted by that threat assessment team as a result of such preliminary determination has been closed. The bill also provides that no person shall be subject to arrest or prosecution if such person has received notice that any pending charge for a violent juvenile felony has been dismissed or a nolle prosequi has been entered. The bill provides an affirmative defense to prosecution if the parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the care of a child caused or enabled such child to gain possession of a firearm while in a dwelling because of a reasonable belief that he or such child was in imminent danger of bodily injury. Lastly, the bill provides that the new offense is eligible for the enhanced earned sentence credits. This bill is identical to SB 44.
Vital records; birth certificates; adoption; members of the military. Directs the State Registrar to expedite issuance of a new birth certificate upon receipt of certain documentation for a person born in the Commonwealth if at least one adoptive parent is an active duty or retired member of the military or military reserves. The bill directs the court decreeing the adoption to deliver such records to the State Registrar no later than five business days from such decree. This bill is identical to HB 649.
Commending the Honorable Kathy J. Byron.
Commending the Honorable L. Kaye Kory.
Employee Child Care Assistance Program and Fund; established. Establishes the Employee Child Care Assistance Programand Fund to provide matching funds to in order to incentivize employersto contribute to the child care costs of their employees. To participatein the program, an employer is required to enter into an agreementwith its employee and an eligible mixed-delivery provider, definedin the bill, to make child care contributions to the eligible mixed-deliveryprovider on behalf of the employee, and the Department of Educationwill issue a state match directly to such eligible mixed-deliveryprovider or to a third-party administrator. The bill provides thatthe state match shall not exceed 100 percent of the employer contributionmade by an employer on behalf of an employee whose annual gross wagesare equal to or less than the local median household income, definedin the bill, and shall not exceed 80 percent of the employer contributionmade by an employer on behalf of an employee whose annual gross wagesare greater than the local median household income. The bill requiresthat 25 percent of the Fund be used to provide state matching fundsfor employees of small businesses.
Public education; student literacy measures. Clarifies several provisions of the Virginia Literacy Act (the Act), enacted during the 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly and effective with the 2024-2025 school year, including (i) clarifying that the term "evidence-based literacy instruction" does not include practices that instruct students to gain meaning from print through the use of (a) three-cueing, which includes semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic cues; (b) meaning, structure, and visual cues; or (c) visual memory for word recognition; (ii) removing the option to use a literacy screener approved by the Department of Education for certain purposes enumerated in the Act; (iii) requiring the Department to develop a list of core literacy curricula for students in kindergarten through grade five and supplemental instruction practices and programs and intervention programs for students in kindergarten through grade eight that consist of evidence-based literacy instruction aligned with science-based reading research; and (iv) requiring each divisionwide literacy plan to address how the local school board will align (a) core reading and literacy curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade five and (b) screening, supplemental instruction, and interventions for students in kindergarten through grade eight with evidence-based literacy instruction practices aligned with science-based reading research. This bill is identical to HB 647.
Vital records; birth certificates; adoption; members of the military. Directs the State Registrar to expedite issuance of a new birth certificate upon receipt of certain documentation for a person born in the Commonwealth if at least one adoptive parent is an active duty or retired member of the military or military reserves. The bill directs the court decreeing the adoption to deliver such records to the State Registrar no later than five business days from such decree. This bill is identical to SB 325.
Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; Eviction Diversion Pilot Program; expiration. Extends the expiration of the Eviction Diversion Pilot Program to July 1, 2025. Currently, the Program is set to expire on July 1, 2024. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Housing Commission. This bill is identical to SB 50.
