Del. Ibraheem S. Samirah

Teacher compensation; at or above national average. Requires public school teachers to be compensated at a rate that is at or above the national average. Under current law, compensation at such rate is aspirational. The foregoing provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025. The bill requires funding to be provided on an incremental basis pursuant to the general appropriation act to implement such teacher compensation rate by the effective date.

Study; Department of Elections; use of blockchain technology to protect voter records and election results; report.Requests the Department of Elections to conduct a study to (i) determinethe kinds of blockchain technology that could be used to secure voterrecords and election results, (ii) determine the costs and benefitsof using such technology as compared to traditional registrationand election security measures, and (iii) make recommendations on whether and how to implement blockchain technology in practices affectingthe security of voter records and election results.

Law enforcement; use of force; data collectionand reporting requirement. Requires state and local law-enforcementofficers to collect data on use of force incidents involving law enforcement and forward the data to the Superintendent of StatePolice, which the Department of State Police shall include in theannual Crime in Virginia report. Such incidents include the following:(i) any fatality to a civilian; (ii) any serious bodily injury toa civilian; or (iii) in the absence of either death or serious injury,a discharged firearm by a state or local law-enforcement officerat or in the direction of a person. The bill specifies information required to be included in such incident report.

Housing authorities; housing research and studies.Requires the Virginia Housing Development Authority and localhousing development authorities to undertake and carry out studiesand analyses of housing needs and the meeting of such needs and tomake the results of such studies and analyses available to the publicand the building, housing, and supply industries. The bill also allowsthe Virginia Housing Development Authority to engage in researchand disseminate information on the subject of housing.

Study; JLARC; cost of implementing universalhealth care in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Joint LegislativeAudit and Review Commission to study the cost of implementing universalhealth care in the Commonwealth.

Study; JLARC; special education staffing ratios;report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commissionto include in its current review of the effectiveness of Virginia'sspecial education programs an examination of the prescribed and actualratios of students to special education instructional and supportpersonnel in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealthto determine whether any adjustment to such ratios is necessary.

Free use of toll facilities; teachers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel. Authorizes any teacher employed by a public school district, firefighter, or emergency medical services personnel to use all toll bridges, toll ferries, toll tunnels, and toll roads in the Commonwealth without the payment of toll while traveling between his place of residence and his place of employment.

Interest on fines and costs in criminal casesand traffic infractions. Eliminates the accrual of interest onany fine or costs imposed in a criminal case or in a case involvinga traffic infraction. The bill provides that any such fine or coststhat have accrued interest prior to July 1, 2020, shall cease toaccrue interest on July 1, 2020, and such accrued interest may bewaived by any court. A person who owes fines and costs on which interesthas accrued may move any court in which he owes fines and costs to waive the interest that accrued on such fines and costs and shallhave such interest waived for any period of incarceration.

Firearms; restoration of rights of persons convictedof violent felonies. Provides that a person who has been convictedof an act of violence or a violent felony may not petition for arestoration order that unconditionally authorizes possessing, transporting,or carrying a firearm, ammunition for a firearm, or a stun weaponuntil one year after his civil rights have been restored by the Governoror other appropriate authority. The bill further provides that ifsuch person is convicted of a violent misdemeanor, defined in thebill, after his civil rights have been restored, then he may not petition for such order until two years after the date of conviction.

Study; Department of Rail and Public Transportation; Commonwealth Corridor passenger rail service; report. Requeststhe Department of Rail and Public Transportation to study the feasibilityof an east-west Commonwealth Corridor passenger rail service connectingHampton Roads, Richmond, and the New River Valley.