Correctional facilities; use of isolated confinement.Prohibits the use of isolated confinement in state correctionalfacilities and juvenile correctional centers, defined in the billas confinement of a prisoner or juvenile to a cell, alone or withanother prisoner or juvenile, for 20 hours or more a day for an adultor for 17 hours or more a day for a juvenile, other than for thepurpose of providing medical or mental health treatment. The bill provides for exceptions for when isolated confinement may be permittedin state correctional facilities and juvenile correctional centers.The bill also requires the Board of Corrections to promulgate andestablish standards placing limits on the use of isolated confinementin local correctional facilities that are consistent with the standardsapplicable to state correctional facilities.
Sponsored bills
School boards; distribution of excess food. Allows public school boards to distribute excess food to students eligible for the School Breakfast Program or National School Lunch Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or to students who the school board determines are otherwise eligible to receive excess food. A school board is also allowed to develop a policy for distributing excess food, saving it for later, or donating it.
Department of Education; Holocaust and GenocideEducation Advisory Committee; report. Requires the Departmentof Education to establish and appoint such members as it deems appropriateto a Holocaust and Genocide Education Advisory Committee for thepurpose of (i) assessing the current state of instructional requirements,curricula, standards, and teacher training relating to the Holocaustand other historical genocides and reporting its findings, includingany recommendations for changes to such instructional requirements, curricula, standards, and teacher training, to the Board of Education,the Governor, and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Educationand the Senate Committee on Education and Health no later than July1, 2021; and (ii) guiding the Department of Education in developinga robust model curriculum and teacher training module for providingage-appropriate instruction on the Holocaust and other historicalgenocides as a method of providing anti-bias education for publicschool students in the Commonwealth that include case studies and instructional lessons on (a) the historical underpinnings of theHolocaust and other genocides in the context of how lower levelsof hate, ridicule, and dehumanization led to larger acts of violenceand state-sponsored discrimination and violence; (b) the impact ofand the tools for responding to different forms of racism, bigotry,and discrimination; and (c) slavery and other forms of historicaldehumanizing injustice.
Elections; political campaign advertisements;definition of campaign telephone calls and telephone call; text messages.Adds text messages to the definition of campaign telephone calls.The bill also defines "telephone call" as any single telephone callor text message, electronic or otherwise, that when combined withother telephone calls constitutes campaign telephone calls.
TANF; family cap. Repeals the prohibitionon increasing the amount of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families(TANF) that a family receives upon the birth of a child during theperiod of TANF eligibility or during the period in which the familyor adult recipient is ineligible for TANF benefits pursuant to apenalty imposed by the Commissioner of Social Services for failureto comply with benefit eligibility or child support requirements.
Collection of town taxes by county. Authorizes the board of supervisors of any county that has adopted the urban county executive form of government to enter into agreements with towns located partially or wholly within such county for the collection and enforcement of real or personal property taxes by the county official responsible for assessment or collection of taxes. The authority granted to such counties is similar to authority granted to Loudoun County under existing law. This bill is identical to SB 649.
Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for certain diseases. Adds cancers of the colon, brain, or testes to the list of cancers that are presumed to be an occupational disease covered by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act when firefighters or certain employees develop the cancer. The presumption shall not apply for any individual who was diagnosed with one of the conditions before July 1, 2020. The measure removes the compensability requirement that the employee who develops cancer had contact with a toxic substance encountered in the line of duty. The bill also reduces the number of years of service needed to qualify for the presumption from 12 to five for various types of cancer. For hypertension or heart disease, the bill adds a requirement that an individual complete five years of service in their position in order to qualify. This bill is identical to SB 9.
Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices; source of funds. Adds discrimination on the basis of a person's source of funds to the list of unlawful discriminatory housing practices. The bill creates an exemption for an owner or owner's managing agent, provided that such owner does not own more than four rental dwelling units or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units in the Commonwealth at the time of the alleged discriminatory housing practice. The bill allows an owner or owner's managing agent to deny or limit a person's rental or occupancy of a rental dwelling unit based on the person's source of funds for that unit if such source is not approved within 15 days of the person's submission of the request for tenancy approval. The bill defines "source of funds" as any source that lawfully provides funds to or on behalf of a renter or buyer of housing, including any assistance, benefit, or subsidy program, whether such program is administered by a governmental or nongovernmental entity. This bill incorporates HB 357.
Multiple employer retirement plan for private employers and their employees. Directs the governing board of the Virginia College Savings Plan (the Board) to establish the Multiple Employer Retirement Plan (the Plan). The Plan shall allow employees of private employers in the Commonwealth to contribute to a defined contribution retirement plan overseen by the Board. The bill allows all self-employed individuals, sole proprietors, and nongovernmental employers to allow their employees to participate in the Plan. It provides for automatic enrollment of an employer's employees if such employer chooses to participate in the Plan. The bill authorizes the Board to contract with third parties to implement and administer the Plan. The Plan shall allow an enrollee to contribute to an account at a default rate and modify his contributions within the parameters of the Internal Revenue Code. The Plan allows but does not require a participating employer to contribute to the account of any enrollee. The bill prohibits the Commonwealth from guaranteeing a rate of return or interest rate on any contribution and indemnifies it from losses incurred through the Plan. The bill contains a reenactment clause and directs the Virginia College Savings Plan to analyze current state and federal retirement programs, other retirement savings options, costs, and the level of interest in such a plan. The Virginia College Savings Plan shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly on or before December 15, 2020.
Public institutions of higher education; foundations; annual reporting requirements. Requires each public institution of higher education to release an annual report regarding foundations associated with the institution setting forth foundation expenses. The annual report shall include the total annual expenditures by each foundation; the percentage of expenditures used for scholarships or financial aid by each foundation; the percentage of expenditures used for faculty compensation by each foundation; the percentage of expenditures used for program costs by each foundation; the percentage of expenditures used for equipment and technology by each foundation; the percentage of expenditures used for administrative support by each foundation; and the percentage of expenditures used for executive compensation by each foundation.