Del. A.C. Cordoza

Human trafficking investigators; licensing bythe Department of Criminal Justice Services. Authorizes the Departmentof Criminal Justice Services to register and issue licenses for humantrafficking investigators. The bill provides that a human traffickinginvestigator is a private investigator who is GSA compliant and engagesin the business of, or accepts employment to make, investigationsto obtain information on sex trafficking or severe forms of traffickingas defined in the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000and in the federal Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015.

General registrars; term of office and exceptionfrom general early retirement provisions. Extends the term ofoffice of general registrars from four years to eight years beginningon July 1, 2029, and extends the term of any general registrar servingon the effective date of the bill until June 30, 2029. The bill alsoprovides that, in making an appointment of a general registrar, thereshall be a presumption that an incumbent general registrar seeksto continue in office unless such general registrar notifies theelectoral board in writing to the contrary. The bill adds general registrars to the list of officers who are exempted from generalearly retirement provisions and may obtain normal retirement benefitswhen they are involuntarily separated from service and have 20 ormore years of creditable service.

Removal of elected and certain appointed localofficers by courts; Governor. Allows the Governor to petitionthe circuit court to remove from office any local elected officeror local officer who has been appointed to fill a local electiveoffice due to certain issues related to neglect of duty or criminalconvictions. Under current law, this process is initiated only bya voter petition.

Elections; administration; chief deputy andother deputy registrars. Requires that each locality have onechief deputy registrar. The bill requires any chief deputy registrarserving on a full-time basis to be paid not less than 60 percentof the salary paid to the general registrar. The bill requires thatany chief deputy registrar of a locality whose population is greaterthan 10,000 serve on a full-time basis and gives the general registrarin a locality whose population is 10,000 or less the authority todetermine whether the chief deputy registrar serves on a full-timebasis. The bill gives general registrars in all localities the authorityto determine whether any other deputy registrar serves on a full-timeor part-time basis and the authority to determine the terms of deputyregistrars, including the chief deputy registrar. Under current law,requirements for employees in a registrar's office are determinedon the basis of a population of 15,500 or less or more than 15,500and some of the determinations are made by the electoral board ratherthan by the general registrar.

Commending John Henry Printing.

Office of the Children's Ombudsman; powers.Grants the Children's Ombudsman with regard to children receivingchild-protective services, in foster care, or placed for adoptionand children who may have died as a result of alleged abuse or neglectthe power to directly oversee local departments of social services,reverse the decisions of local departments of social services, andpetition a court to reverse any custody or visitation changes madeas a result of the error of a local department of social services.

Commending the Culpeper County Volunteer FireDepartment.

Celebrating the life of Pablo Teodoro III.

Commending Travis G. Hill.

Celebrating the life of Leri Melissa Thomas.