Del. Cia Price

Unemployment compensation; employer failure to respond torequests for information; claim determination; notice requirements.Provides that an employer's failure to respond timely or adequately to a writtenrequest for information relating to an unemployment claim results in a waiverof all of such employer's rights in connection with the claim, includingparticipation and appeal rights, unless such employer demonstrates that goodcause exists for such failure. The bill requires the Virginia EmploymentCommission to provide written notice for each instance of untimely orinadequate employer response to such requests and specifies that such noticemay be delivered through the Employer Self-Service Tax System websitemaintained by the Commission. The bill also requires the Commission to provideeach employer with information regarding deadlines for timely and adequateresponses to such requests. Such provisions of the bill apply to erroneouspayments established on or after July 1, 2024. The bill also prohibits a deputydesignated by the Commissioner to adjudicate unemployment claims from examiningor considering facts contained within an employer's untimely or inadequateresponse and requires that information or evidence from an employer or thirdparty must be shared with the claimant, who must also be provided a reasonableopportunity to review and respond to such information or evidence. The billrequires such deputy to provide the reasoning behind the decision, as describedin the bill, and a short statement of case-specific facts material to thedetermination together with any notice of determination upon a claim. This billis a recommendation of the Commission on Unemployment Compensation.

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.

Public high schools; research-based hazing prevention instruction. Requires the Board of Education to develop Standards of Learning and curriculum guidelines for research-based hazing prevention instruction to be provided as a part of physical or health education instruction provided to students in grade nine or 10. The bill requires such hazing prevention instruction to include age-appropriate, extensive, and current education about hazing, including (i) examples of hazing; (ii) the dangers of hazing, including the consequences of alcohol intoxication; and (iii) school policies and laws related to hazing, including criminal penalties and bystander intervention. The bill requires such research-based hazing prevention instruction to be offered in-person but requires each school board to provide options for virtual participation for any student who is enrolled in an online or virtual physical or health education program. Finally, the bill requires each school board to provide such research-based hazing prevention instruction beginning with the school year following the Board's adoption of revised Standards of Learning for physical and health education for grades nine and 10 incorporating such research-based hazing prevention instruction and directs the Board to, in the intermediary time, develop and post on its website guidance documents for the purpose of making such research-based hazing prevention instruction available to local school boards. This bill is identical to SB 379.

Civil immunity; dentists and dental hygienists; mental health treatment for health care professionals; reporting requirements. Adds dentists and dental hygienists to the list of providers who are immune from civil liability for any act done or made in performance of his duties while serving as a member of or consultant to an entity that functions primarily to review, evaluate, or make recommendations on a professional program to address issues related to career fatigue and wellness in health care professionals. The bill also extends civil immunity to certain providers for any act done or made in performance of his duties while serving as a member of or consultant to an entity that functions primarily to arrange for or provide outpatient health care for health care professionals. The bill also revises the Board of Medicine reporting requirements when a health care professional is admitted for mental health treatment. Under the bill, if a health care professional is voluntarily admitted to a health care institution for treatment of a substance abuse or psychiatric illness and is no longer believed to be a danger within 30 days then no report will be made to the Board of Medicine. This bill is identical to SB 629.

Public school funding; At-Risk Program established. Establishes the At-Risk Program, defined in the bill as any state funding provided for programs of prevention, intervention, or remediation or pursuant to the at-risk add-on for the purpose of supporting programs for students who are educationally at risk. The bill requires (i) the determination of the amount of state funding for which a school division is eligible pursuant to the At-Risk Program to be based on the school division's identified student percentage, defined in the bill as the fraction, expressed as a percentage, that results from dividing the number of identified students enrolled in a school division by the total number of students enrolled in such school division, weighted by the factor of 1.5, and then adjusted by the addition of a percentage that corrects for undercounting English language learner students as identified students and (ii) such funding to be distributed as follows: 60 percent on a flat per-student rate and 40 percent on a variable rate set out in the general appropriation act based on the concentration of poverty in the school division. The bill provides that any school division that would have received more state funds for the at-risk add-on and programs of prevention, intervention, or remediation than it would pursuant to the consolidation of such state funding sources under the At-Risk Program established in the bill shall be held harmless and shall not have its share of such state funding reduced, effective for the 2024–2025 school year through the 2026–2027 school year.

Commending the Honorable L. Kaye Kory.

Public institutions of higher education; admissions applications; legacy admissions and admissions based on donor status prohibited. Prohibits any public institution of higher education from providing any manner of preferential treatment in the admissions decision to any student applicant on the basis of such student's legacy status, defined in the bill, or such student's familial relationship to any donor to such institution. This bill is identical to SB 46.

Marriage lawful regardless of sex, gender, or race of parties; issuance of marriage license. Provides that no person authorized to issue a marriage license shall deny the issuance of such license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of the parties. The bill also requires that such lawful marriages be recognized in the Commonwealth regardless of the sex, gender, or race of the parties. The bill provides that religious organizations or members of the clergy acting in their religious capacity shall have the right to refuse to perform any marriage. This bill is identical to SB 101.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; electronic meetings. Amends the number of all-virtual public meetings that public bodies, with certain exceptions, may convene in a calendar year to no more than two times per calendar year or 50 percent of the meetings held per calendar year rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater. Current law limits the number of all-virtual public meetings to no more than two times per calendar year or 25 percent of the meetings held per calendar year rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater. The bill also provides that with respect to all-virtual public meetings, when audio-visual technology is available, a member of a public body shall, for purposes of a quorum, be considered absent from any portion of the meeting during which visual communication with the member is voluntarily disconnected or otherwise fails or during which audio communication involuntarily fails. This bill is identical to SB 734.

Long-term services and support screening; PACE programs; emergency. Allows qualified staff of programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) to conduct the required long-term services and supports screening in accordance with requirements established by the Department of Medical Assistance Services. Under the bill, when a screening team determines that it is unable to complete a long-term services and supports screening within 30 days, or an individual requests enrollment in a PACE program, the screening team shall decide which entity can most expeditiously conduct the screening. Under the bill, qualified staff of a PACE program shall conduct the screening if the screening team determines that it is the most expeditious option. The bill directs the Department to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to SB 620.