Del. Cia Price

Department of Education; establishment of Farm to School Program Task Force. Requires the Department of Education to establish and appoint such members as it deems necessary or appropriate to the Farm to School Program Task Force for the purpose of increasing student access throughout the Commonwealth to high-quality farm to school programs, defined in the bill as programs (i) whereby public schools purchase and feature prominently in school meals locally produced food or (ii) that involve experiential student learning opportunities relating to local food and agriculture, including school and community garden programs and local farm visits. The bill requires the Task Force to collaborate with local school boards, community-based organizations, farmers, relevant state and local agencies, and other relevant stakeholders to (a) assess existing farm to school programs within the Commonwealth to identify and disseminate to each local school board best practices for implementing and sustaining such programs, (b) establish and distribute to each local school board a guidance document for the establishment and operation of school garden programs, (c) provide information and resources to each local school board to assist it in leveraging grant funds to support farm to school programs, and (d) collect such data and make such policy recommendations to local school boards, the Board of Education, and the General Assembly as it deems appropriate. This bill is identical to SB 314.

Fentanyl and other opioids; awareness of andeducation relating to risks. Requires the ninth day of May ofeach year to be designated and known as "Fentanyl Awareness Day"in recognition of the need to raise awareness of the risks to healthand safety that are posed by fentanyl and on which the Commonwealth,the governing body of each locality, and each school board shallseek to leverage all available resources to raise awareness of suchrisks. The bill also requires the Department of Education, in consultationwith such stakeholders and experts as it deems necessary or appropriate,to develop and distribute to each school board age-appropriate and evidence-based education materials concerning the risks to healthand safety that are posed by opioids, with a particular focus onthe risk of death that is posed by fentanyl. The bill also requireseach school board, in observance of Fentanyl Awareness Day, to ensurethat such materials are distributed to or incorporated into instructionalprograms for students enrolled in the local school division.

Child labor offenses; civil penalties. Increasesfrom $10,000 to $25,000 the civil penalty for each violation of childlabor laws that results in the employment of a child who is seriouslyinjured or dies in the course of employment. The bill also increasesfrom $1,000 to $2,500 the maximum civil penalty for each other violationof child labor laws and provides that such civil penalty shall notbe less than $500. The bill directs the Department of Labor and Industry to convene a stakeholder work group to develop education and outreach plans to inform young workers and employers about child labor laws.

Department of Housing and Community Development; forms and documents for landlords and tenants; translation into non-English languages. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to translate all forms and documents that the Department is mandated by law to create and that are posted on its website for use by residential landlords and tenants into the five non-English languages most commonly spoken in Virginia. The bill allows the Department to accept materials translated by volunteers but requires the Department to verify the accuracy of such translations prior to making such translations available on its website.

Department of Education; resource document on supports and services for homeless students. Requires the Department of Education to develop and make available to each school board a resource document containing guidance and best practices for providing the necessary supports and services to homeless students, including guidance and best practices relating to (i) decisions regarding whether and when such a student should remain enrolled in a school in a previous school division of residence, (ii) wrap-around supports and services for such students that include the parents when they are available and specific wrap-around supports and services for such students who may have experienced additional trauma prior to becoming homeless, and (iii) any other means by which such students can be best served and protected, particularly those homeless children and youths who are at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking.

Public schools; certain local school divisions; youth and community violence prevention; Community Builders Pilot Program established; report. Establishes the Community Builders Pilot Program for the purpose of reducing youth involvement in behaviors that lead to gun violence and increasing community engagement among public school students by providing to students who are entering the eighth grade and enrolled in Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools opportunities during the school year after regular school hours and during the summer months for community engagement, workforce development, postsecondary education exploration, and social-emotional education and development. The bill provides that the school boards of Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools shall be responsible for the administration of the Program and are directed to collect data and report to the Governor and relevant committees of the General Assembly by November 1 of each year on the progress of the Program. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 484.

Dental hygienists; remote supervision. Extendsfrom 90 days to 180 days the period during which a dental hygienistpracticing under remote supervision may continue to treat a patient,after which period the supervising dentist shall conduct an examinationor refer the patient to another dentist to conduct an examination. Under current law, a dental hygienist practicing under remote supervisionmay continue to treat a patient for 90 days.

Hate crimes and discrimination; ethnic animosity; penalties. Provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to safeguard all individuals within the Commonwealth from unlawful discrimination in employment and in places of public accommodation because of such individual's ethnic origin and prohibits such discrimination. The bill also adds victims who are intentionally selected because of their ethnic origin to the categories of victims whose intentional selection for a hate crime involving assault, assault and battery, or trespass for the purpose of damaging another's property results in a higher criminal penalty for the offense. The bill also provides that no provider or user of an interactive computer service on the Internet shall be liable for any action voluntarily taken by it in good faith to restrict access to material that the provider or user considers to be intended to incite hatred on the basis of ethnic origin. This bill is identical to SB 7.

Henrietta Lacks Commission; sunset date.Changes the sunset of the Henrietta Lacks Commission from July 1,2026, to July 1, 2024.

Virginia Commission to End Hunger established;report. Establishes the Virginia Commission to End Hunger. Thebill states that the purpose of the Commission is to develop anaction plan every two years for ending hunger in the Commonwealth,review the progress of such plan, and ensure cross-collaborationamong government entities and community partners toward the goalof ending hunger in the Commonwealth.