School meal policies. Requires each localschool board to adopt policies that prohibit school board employeesfrom requiring a student who cannot pay for a meal at school or whoowes a school meal debt to throw away or discard a meal after ithas been served to him.
Emergency Services and Disaster Law; definitionof disaster; incidents involving cyber systems. Defines "cyberincident" for purposes of the Emergency Services and Disaster Lawas an event occurring on or conducted through a computer networkthat actually or imminently jeopardizes the integrity, confidentiality,or availability of computers, information or communications systemsor networks, physical or virtual infrastructure controlled by computersor information systems, or information resident thereon. The billprovides that a cyber incident may include a vulnerability in informationsystems, system security procedures, internal controls, or implementationsthat could be exploited by a threat source. The bill contains technicalamendments.
Department of Health; sickle cell anemia; adult and pediatric comprehensive sickle cell clinic network. Specifies that children be included in the voluntary program established by the Commissioner of Health, in cooperation with local health directors, for the screening of individuals for the disease of sickle cell anemia or the sickle cell trait and for other genetically related diseases and genetic traits and inborn errors of metabolism. The bill directs the Board of Health to adopt regulations to implement an adult and pediatric comprehensive sickle cell clinic network.
Child abuse and neglect reporting; public sports programs. Adds to the list of mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect athletic coaches, directors, and other persons 18 years of age or older that are employed by or volunteering with a public sports organization or team. Current law applies only to such individuals involved with private sports organizations or teams.
Pipeline construction permit; amount of civil penalty for violation. Authorizes the State Water Control Board to include civil penalties of up to $50,000 per violation, not to exceed $500,000 per order, in any order for a violation of a permit related to the construction of a natural gas transmission pipeline greater than 36 inches inside diameter. Current law limits such penalties to $32,500 per violation and $100,000 per order. The bill requires that at least two written notices of violation have been issued to the person constructing the pipeline, that such violations have not been resolved, and that a hearing has been conducted before the penalty can be assessed.
School boards; mental health awareness training. Requires each school board to (i) adopt and implement policies that require each teacher and other relevant personnel, as determined by the school board, employed on a full-time basis, to complete a mental health awareness training or similar program at least once and (ii) provide such training, which may be provided pursuant to a contract with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, a community services board, a behavioral health authority, a nonprofit organization, or other certified trainer or via an online module. This bill incorporates HB 716 and HB 1554 and is identical to SB 619.
Department of Environmental Quality; environmentaljustice. Provides that one of the purposes of the Departmentof Environmental Quality is to further environmental justice, asdefined in the bill.
Historical African American Cemeteries and Graves Fund. Creates the Historical African American Cemeteries and Graves Fund and provides that any funds that are appropriated to the Department of Historic Resources but not used for the maintenance of graves, in particular the listed historical African American cemeteries, shall be deposited in the Fund. The bill authorizes the Director of the Department to manage and administer the Fund and to disburse moneys in the Fund to maintain additional graves that have been certified by the Department and documented in the Department's cultural resources database.The bill also adds six cemeteries to the list of cemeteries for which qualified organizations may receive funds from the Department. The cemeteries are Cuffeytown Cemetery in the City of Chesapeake, with 52 eligible graves; Newtown Cemetery in the City of Harrisonburg, with 400 eligible graves; Stanton Family Cemetery in Buckingham County, with 36 eligible graves; and three cemeteries in Arlington County: Calloway Cemetery, with 29 eligible graves, Lomax Cemetery, with 66 eligible graves, and Mount Salvation Cemetery, with 29 eligible graves. This bill incorporates HB 379, HB 905, HB 1234, and HB 1593 and is identical to SB 881.
Private student loan providers; certain disclosures. Requires any provider of private student loans to disclose to any student attending an institution of higher education in the Commonwealth, prior to issuing a qualified education loan to such student, the contact information for the Office of the Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman and a summary of the student loan information applicable to private student loans that may be found on the State Council of Higher Education's website. The bill provides that any such disclosure may be made in conjunction with or incorporated into another disclosure to such student prior to issuing the qualified education loan. The bill requires the summary to be developed by the Office of the Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman in consultation with relevant stakeholders. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2021.
Landlord and tenant; victims of family abuse; evidence to mitigate low credit score; damages. Allows an applicant for a lease to recover actual damages, including all amounts paid to the landlord as an application fee, application deposit, or reimbursement for any of the landlord's out-of-pocket expenses that were charged to the applicant, along with attorney fees, if the landlord does not consider evidence of the applicant's status as a victim of family abuse to mitigate any adverse effect of the otherwise qualified applicant's low credit score.
