Del. Irene Shin

Department of Education; guidance and resources;composting programs in local school divisions. Requires the Departmentof Education to develop, post in a publicly accessible format andlocation on its website, and make available to any school board, upon request, guidance and resources relating to the establishment oflocal experiential learning programs on the composting of organicmaterial, including uneaten school cafeteria food, for sustainablepurposes such as horticulture or micro-farming, including guidanceand resources on available grants and other sources of funding forsuch programs.

Building service employees; public contracting.Permits any county, city, or town in the Commonwealth to providefor certain requirements concerning incumbent and successor buildingservice employers, defined in the bill, by local ordinance or resolution.For example, such local ordinance or resolution may require thatsuccessor building service employers retain incumbent employees duringa transition period of 90 days. Under the bill, building serviceemployees are those who perform work in connection with the careor maintenance of property, services at an airport, or food preparationservices at schools. The bill provides that a building service employerthat violates the provisions of a local ordinance or resolution enactedpursuant to the bill may be subject to a civil action and monetarydamages.

Collective bargaining by firefighters and emergency medical services providers. Authorizes firefighters and emergency medical services providers employed by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth to engage in collective bargaining through labor organizations or other designated representatives. The bill provides for the appointment of a three-member board of arbitration regarding any dispute arising between an employer and firefighters or emergency medical services providers. Under the bill, determinations made by such board of arbitration are final on a disputed issue and are binding on the parties involved.

Commending Peter A. Blake.

Celebrating the life of Michelle Antonette Leete.

State plan for medical assistance services;violence prevention services benefit; work group. Directs theBoard of Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan formedical assistance services to include a provision for payment ofmedical assistance for violence prevention services, defined in thebill, provided by a qualified violence prevention professional toan individual who receives medical treatment for an injury sustainedas a result of community violence, defined in the bill, who is determinedby a health care provider to be at risk of repeat injury or retaliation.The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services toconvene a work group to advise the Board on the design and implementationof the violence prevention services benefit and specifies that thework group include representatives from the Department and violenceintervention programs, medical providers, survivors of communityviolence, representatives from Medicaid managed care organizations,and other members as deemed appropriate by the Department. The billrequires the Department to post on its website the date upon whichviolence prevention services may be provided and billed pursuantto the provisions of the bill.

Acknowledging with profound regret the unethicaluse of Black bodies by medical institutions. Expresses the sentimentof the General Assembly in acknowledging with profound regret theunethical use of Black bodies by medical institutions in the Commonwealth.

Epilepsy Heroes Day. Designates March 26,in 2024 and in each succeeding year, as Epilepsy Heroes Day in Virginia.

Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations similar to those promulgated by the Federal Election Commission to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections.

Firearm locking device required for sale ortransfer of firearm; warning against accessibility to children; penalty.Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any licensed manufacturer, licensedimporter, or licensed dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer any firearmto any person other than a licensed manufacturer, licensed importer,or licensed dealer unless the transferee is provided with a lockingdevice for that firearm and the firearm is accompanied by a warning,in conspicuous and legible type in capital letters printed on a labelaffixed to the firearm and on a separate sheet of paper included within the packaging enclosing the firearm, that firearms should be lockedand kept away from children and that there may be civil and criminalliability for failing to do so. The bill provides exceptions forlaw-enforcement and governmental agencies.