Del. Betsy Carr

Department of Education; duties; special education.Requires the Department of Education to (i) provide trainingand guidance documents to local school divisions on the developmentof Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for children with disabilities,(ii) develop a training module for each individual who participatesin an IEP meeting, with the exception of parents, (iii) annuallyconduct structured reviews of a sample of IEPs from a sufficientlylarge sample of local school divisions to verify that the IEPs arein compliance with state and federal laws and regulations and areof high quality, (iv) develop and maintain a statewide plan for improving(a) its ongoing oversight of local practices related to transitionplanning and services for children with disabilities and (b) technicalassistance and guidance provided for postsecondary transition planningand services for children with disabilities, (v) develop and maintaina statewide strategic plan for recruiting and retaining special educationteachers, and (vi) (a) conduct a one-time targeted review of thetransition sections of a random sample of students' IEPs in each schooldivision; (b) communicate its findings to each local school division, school board, and local special education advisory committee; and(c) ensure that local school divisions correct any IEPs that arefound to be out of compliance no later than the end of the 2021-22school year.

Rappahannock State Scenic River designation.Adds a 79-mile portion of the Rappahannock River located in Caroline,King George, Westmoreland, Essex, and Richmond Counties to the RappahannockState Scenic River, a component of the Virginia Scenic Rivers System.

Enslaved Ancestors College Access ScholarshipProgram established. Establishes the Enslaved Ancestors CollegeAccess Scholarship Program, whereby Longwood University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Virginia MilitaryInstitute, and The College of William and Mary in Virginia are requiredto annually provide, starting in the 2022-2023 academic year and with any source of funds other than state funds or tuition or fee increases,to at least one African American Virginia student who was born inthe Commonwealth and has a total household income that is not morethan 400 percent of the federal poverty guidelines a renewable scholarshipin an amount sufficient to cover tuition, mandatory fees, room andboard, books and other educational supplies, and tutoring at the institution. The bill requires the State Council of Higher Educationfor Virginia to collaborate with such institutions to establish guidelinesfor the implementation of the Program and to annually collect informationon the implementation of the Program from such institutions and reportsuch information to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations,the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Educationand Health, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, and the Virginia African American Advisory Board.

Paid sick leave. Requires employers to provide certain employees paid sick leave. An employee is eligible for paid sick leave under the bill if the employee is an essential worker and works on average at least 20 hours per week or 90 hours per month. The bill provides for an employee to earn at least one hour of paid sick leave benefit for every 30 hours worked. An employee shall not use more than 40 hours of earned paid sick leave in a year, unless the employer selects a higher limit. The bill provides that earned paid sick leave may be used for (i) an employee's mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; an employee's need for medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or an employee's need for preventive medical care or (ii) care of a family member with a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; care of a family member who needs medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or care of a family member who needs preventive medical care. The bill prohibits employers from taking certain retaliatory actions against employees related to leave. The bill provides for a hardship waiver for employers that demonstrate that providing paid sick leave threatens the financial viability of the employer, jeopardizes the ability of the employer to sustain operations, significantly degrades the quality of the employer's business operations, or creates a significant negative financial impact on the employer. The bill requires the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to promulgate regulations that (a) identify workers as essential based on the categories listed in the bill; (b) include reasonable requirements for recordkeeping, confidentiality, and notifying employees of their rights under provisions of the bill; (c) establish complaint, investigation, and enforcement procedures that include fines, not to exceed $500, for violations of provisions of the bill; (d) establish requirements for compensation and accrual of paid sick leave for employees employed and compensated on a fee-for-service basis; and (e) include procedures and requirements for an employer to qualify for a hardship waiver. The provisions of the bill do not apply to a retail business with fewer than 25 employees.

Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fundand Program established. Establishes the Get Skilled,Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fund and requires the Virginia Community College System to establish the G3 Program for the purpose of providing financial assistance from the Fund to certain low-income and middle-income Virginia students who are enrolled in an educational program at an associate-degree-granting public institution of higher educationthat leads to an occupation in a certain high-demand field. The billcontains provisions for student eligibility, financial assistanceaward amounts, and data reporting.

Chesapeake Bay; wastewater treatment; Enhanced Nutrient Removal Certainty Program. Requires the State Water Control Board to adopt by June 30, 2022, regulations establishing a Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan Enhanced Nutrient Removal Certainty Program (ENRC Program), consisting of a number of total nitrogen and total phosphorous waste load allocation reductions assigned to particular water treatment facilities with schedules for compliance. The bill provides that the ENRC Program shall operate in lieu of certain Chesapeake Bay waste load regulations. The bill directs the Board to modify affected discharge permits to incorporate the provisions of the ENRC Program and requires certain compliance plans due from treatment works by February 1, 2023, to address the requirements of the ENRC Program. The bill provides that the funding of certain design and installation costs for implementing nutrient upgrades pursuant to the ENRC Program shall be eligible for grants from the Water Quality Improvement Fund. The ENRC Program is required to proceed regardless of whether such grants will exceed the available funds in the Fund for a given fiscal year. The bill lists the projects and the total nitrogen or total phosphorus waste load allocation reductions that specified facilities are to complete. The bill provides that when grants to finance nutrient removal technology reach a sum sufficient to fund the completion of the ENRC Program at all publicly owned treatment works, certain General Assembly committees shall review funding needs and mechanisms. Finally, the bill directs the State Water Control Board to convene a stakeholder group during the adoption of regulations required to carry out the provisions of the bill and provides that such adoption by the Board shall be exempt from certain procedures of the Administrative Process Act. The bill provides that the priority projects and waste load allocation reductions that it sets forth shall be deemed to implement goals of the Chesapeake Bay Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan.

Alcoholic beverage control; local outdoor refreshment areas. Renames the "local special events" license as the "outdoor refreshment area" license. The bill allows the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to increase the frequency and duration of events held under such license after adoption of an ordinance by a locality requesting such increase in frequency and duration. Under current law, localities are limited to holding 16 events per year under such license, with each event lasting no more than three consecutive days, except during the effective dates of any rule, regulation, or order that is issued by the Governor or State Health Commissioner to meet a public health emergency and that effectively reduces allowable restaurant seating capacity. The bill also increases the state and local license fees for outdoor refreshment area licenses issued pursuant to a local ordinance. This bill incorporates HB 2051.

Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Program and Fund; established. Requires the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services (the Commissioner) to establish the Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Program (VAFA Program) for Virginia farmers and food producers to donate, sell, or otherwise provide agriculture products to charitable food assistance organizations. The bill also creates the Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Fund to disburse moneys to such charitable food assistance organizations to reimburse farmers or food producers for any costs associated with harvesting, processing, packaging, or transporting agriculture products donated to such charitable food assistance organizations. The bill authorizes the Commissioner to adopt guidelines and regulations to carry out the VAFA Program.

Abolition of the death penalty. Abolishes the death penalty, including for those persons currently under a death sentence. The bill provides that no person may be sentenced to death or put to death on or after its effective date for any violation of law.

Local government authority; reduction of speedlimits. Authorizes local governing bodies to reduce the speedlimit to less than 25 miles per hour, but not less than 15 milesper hour, in a business district or residence district.