Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month. DesignatesMay, in 2021 and in each succeeding year, as Cystic Fibrosis AwarenessMonth in Virginia.
Hearing notice by localities. Expands fromonly localities in Planning District 23 to all localities a provisionthat provides that in any instance in which a locality has submitted a timely notice of public hearing to a newspaper published or havinggeneral circulation in the locality and the newspaper fails to publishthe notice, such locality shall be deemed to have met certain noticerequirements so long as the notice was published in the next availableedition. Under current law, this provision that was created by the2020 Regular Session and only applies to localities in Planning District23 will expire on July 1, 2022. The provision in the bill as itapplies to all localities will also expire on July 1, 2022.
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; VirginiaParole Board member votes. Provides that individual votes ofthe members of the Virginia Parole Board shall be public recordsand subject to the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of InformationAct.
Board of Education; high school graduation requirements; certain substitutions. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing high school graduation requirements, to provide for the substitutionof computer coding course credit for any foreign language coursecredit required to graduate with a standard or advanced diploma forchildren with disabilities. Such requirement replaces a narrowerprovision in current law that requires the Board to permit a studentwho is pursuing an advanced diploma and whose individualized educationprogram specifies a credit accommodation for world language to substitutetwo standard units of credit in computer science for two standardunits of credit in a world language.
Voter registration; list maintenance; listsof decedents transmitted by State Registrar of Vital Records.Requires the State Registrar of Vital Records to transmit to theDepartment of Elections a weekly list of decedents from the previousweek. Currently, this list is transmitted monthly. The bill requiresthe general registrars to use this information to conduct list maintenanceand to promptly cancel the registration of a person on the list.
Parole; investigation prior to release.Requires the Parole Board to contact the victim, replacing the currentrequirement to "endeavor diligently" to contact the victim, priorto making any decision to release any inmate on discretionary paroleand allows the victim to present virtual testimony to the Board concerningthe impact that the release of the prisoner will have on the victim.
Virginia Law Enforcement Professional StandardsCommission Accreditation Grant Fund and Program. Establishesthe Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission AccreditationGrant Fund (the Fund) and the Virginia Law Enforcement ProfessionalStandards Commission Accreditation Grant Program (the Program). TheFund and Program shall be overseen by the Department of CriminalJustice Services. Disbursements from the Fund shall be made to law-enforcementagencies to pursue accreditation from the Virginia Law EnforcementProfessional Standards Commission.
Parole; monthly report. Requires that themonthly report issued by the Virginia Parole Board regarding actionstaken on the parole of prisoners includes the offenses of which prisoners considered for parole were convicted, the jurisdictions in whichsuch offenses were committed, and the age ranges of the victims.
Regulation of electric utilities; developmentof renewable energy facilities; powers of Air Pollution Control Board;powers of State Corporation Commission. Repeals provisions (i)requiring the Air Pollution Control Board to adopt regulations toreduce carbon dioxide emissions from any electricity generating unitin the Commonwealth and authorizing the Board to establish an auctionprogram for energy allowances; (ii) prohibiting the State CorporationCommission from approving any new utility-owned generation facilitiesthat emit carbon dioxide as a by-product of energy generation, incertain circumstances; (iii) declaring that statutory allowancesfor energy derived from sunlight, onshore wind, offshore wind, and storage facilities are in the public interest; and (iv) relatingto the development of solar and wind generation and energy storagecapacity, development of offshore wind capacity, and generation ofelectricity from renewable and zero carbon sources. The bill providesthat planning and development activities for new nuclear generationfacilities are in the public interest.
Department of Health; certain communicationprohibited. Prohibits any person employed by or who has enteredinto a contract to provide services on behalf of the Department ofHealth or a local department of health from initiating communicationregarding health-related matters with a minor on behalf of the Departmentor local department of health without the consent of the minor'sparent, except as otherwise required by law.
