Del. Irene Shin

Board of Education; provisional teacher licensure; teachers licensed or certified outside of the United States. Permits the Board of Education to provide for the issuance of a provisional license, valid for a period not to exceed three years, to any individual who has held within the last five years a valid and officially issued and recognized license or certification to teach issued by an entity outside of the United States but does not meet the requirements for a renewable license if the individual's license or certification to teach has been evaluated and verified by an entity approved by the Department of Education. This bill is identical to SB 68.

Automatic renewal or continuous service offerto consumer; cancellation and online opt-out. Requires that the supplier of automatic renewals or continuous service offers thatinclude a free trial notify the consumer of the automatic renewalseven days prior to expiration of the free trial and obtain the consumer'saffirmative consent to the automatic renewal beyond the trial period.The bill also requires that suppliers of automatic renewals or continuousservice offers through an online website must make available a conspicuousonline option to cancel a recurring purchase of a good or servicewithin the website by which such purchase was made.

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; effect of criminal convictions on licensure; data to be included in biennial report. Provides for consideration of certain factors to be made by any regulatory board through an individualized assessment prior to denying an application for licensure, certification, or registration for any occupation or profession regulated by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation where such denial was made in whole or in part upon the existence of the applicant's criminal record. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2023 Session of the General Assembly, and the bill requires, beginning July 1, 2025, the Department to include certain data related to the criminal history of applicants to each regulatory board in its biennial report. This bill is identical to SB 409 and contains technical amendments.

Child abuse and neglect; valid complaint. Amendsthe definition of "abused or neglected child" to include a childwho is sexually exploited or abused by an intimate partner of thechild's parent or caretaker and allows a complaint of child abuseor neglect to be deemed valid by a local department of social services(local department) in such instances. The bill allows a complaintof child abuse or neglect that alleges child trafficking to be deemedvalid regardless of who the alleged abuser is or whether the alleged abuser has been identified. The bill requires a local departmentthat receives a complaint or report of child abuse or neglect overwhich it does not have jurisdiction to forward such complaint orreport to the appropriate local department, if the local departmentthat does have jurisdiction is located in the Commonwealth.

Early childhood care and education; regionalentities; Child Care Subsidy Program Overpayment Fund established.Requires the Board of Education to establish a system of regionalentities that will be responsible for coordinating early childhoodcare and education services, guiding quality improvement of suchservices and coordinated access to such services for families, andimplementing the uniform measurement and improvement system. Thebill establishes the Child Care Subsidy Program Overpayment Fund,consisting of all overpayment moneys collected or recovered by theDepartment of Education or any state or local agency contracted toadminister the Child Care Subsidy Program, net of any refunds due to the federal government, to be used solely for the purpose ofcovering the cost of providing training and supports to early childhoodcare and education entities.

Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent DeJure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against AfricanAmericans; expiration. Extends from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2024,the expiration of the Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent DeJure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against AfricanAmericans. The bill also provides for the nonlegislative citizen membersof the Commission to continue to serve for the duration of the extension.This bill is identical to SB 151.

Virginia Literacy Act; early student literacy; evidence-based literacy instruction; science-based reading research. Makes several changes relating to early student literacy, including requiring (i) each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education or alternative certification program that provides training for any individual seeking initial licensure with an endorsement in a certain area, including as a reading specialist, to demonstrate mastery of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction, as such terms are defined in the bill; (ii) the literacy assessment required of individuals seeking initial teacher licensure with endorsements in certain areas to include a rigorous test of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction; (iii) each local school board to establish a divisionwide literacy plan; (iv) each local school board to employ one reading specialist for each 550 students in kindergarten through grade three; and (v) each local school board to provide a program of literacy instruction whereby, among other things, (a) the program provides reading intervention services to students in kindergarten through grade three who demonstrate deficiencies based on their individual performance on the Standards of Learning reading assessment or an early literacy screener provided or approved by the Department of Education; (b) a reading specialist, in collaboration with the teacher of any student who receives such reading intervention services, develops, oversees implementation of, and monitors student progress on a student reading plan; and (c) each student who receives such reading intervention services is assessed utilizing either the early literacy screener provided or approved by the Department or the grade-level reading Standards of Learning assessment again at the end of that school year. The provisions of the bill become effective beginning with the 2024–2025 school year. This bill is identical to SB 616.

Virginia National Guard; institutions of higher education; tuition grants. Adds parameters around grants distributed by the Department of Military Affairs (the Department) to members of the Virginia National Guard who are enrolled in any course or program at any public institution of higher education or accredited nonprofit private institution of higher education. The bill provides that an application for a grant shall be made to the Department no later than 30 days prior to the beginning of an academic semester. The bill provides that the Department shall determine whether an applicant is eligible for the grant and communicate acceptance and any additional requirements determined by the Department in writing no later than 30 days after receipt of an application. The bill requires individuals who are eligible for such grants to satisfy all financial obligations with the institution and provide written proof of acceptable academic performance and good standing for the current term no later than 30 days following the end of a term or semester. The bill provides that individuals receiving grants pursuant to the bill incur a single two-year service obligation to the Virginia National Guard and that this two-year obligation commences on the last day of the last term or semester for which tuition assistance was awarded. The bill provides that federal active duty mobilizations occurring while still a member of the Virginia National Guard and state active duty for the Commonwealth count toward such two-year service obligation. The bill provides that grants shall be subject to limitation based on the amount of funds appropriated for such purpose and that if applications for grants exceed the amount of funding appropriated, the Department shall issue grants to eligible recipients based on the order in which applications were received.

Sharing of forfeited assets; promoting law enforcement; community investment and revitalization. Specifies that the forfeited property and assets paid to the state treasury into a special fundof the Department of Criminal Justice Services that shall be madeavailable to federal, state, and local agencies to promote law enforcementmay include expenditures for community investment or revitalizationthat may strengthen the relationships between the community and lawenforcement, encourage goodwill between the community and law enforcement,or promote cooperation with law enforcement.

Local Food and Farming Infrastructure GrantProgram. Increases from $25,000 to $50,000 the amount of a grantthat may be made to a political subdivision for projects that supportlocal food production and sustainable agriculture.