Search warrants; menstrual health data prohibited. Prohibits the issuance of a search warrant for the search and seizure of menstrual health data, as defined in the bill, stored on a computer, computer network, or other device containing electronic or digital information. This bill was incorporated into HB 78.
Public high schools; personnel; college andcareer specialist required. Requires each school board to employat least one college and career specialist, as defined in the bill,in each public high school in the local school division. The billprovides that each such individual shall be employed in additionto and not as a replacement for the required school counselor positions,specialized student support positions, or support services positions.
Public high schools; personnel; career coachrequired. Requires each school board to employ at least one careercoach in each public high school in the local school division whoseduties are required to include assisting students with securing internships, externships, and credentialing opportunities as required by the Profileof a Virginia Graduate, providing students with information on apprenticeship programs, and connecting students to career opportunities. The billprovides that each such individual shall be employed in additionto and not as a replacement for the required school counselor positions,specialized student support positions, or support services positions.
Public school staffing ratios; specializedstudent support positions. Increases the number of specialized student support positions required to be employed by each local schoolboard from at least three to at least four such positions per 1,000students in the local school division. Such specialized student supportpositions include school social workers, school psychologists, schoolnurses, licensed behavior analysts, licensed assistant behavior analysts,and other licensed health and behavioral positions.
Income tax; contributions to Virginia College Savings Planaccounts; report. Increases the maximum individual income tax deduction foramounts paid or contributed to a prepaid tuition contract or college savingstrust account entered into with the Virginia College Savings Plan from $4,000to $7,500 in taxable year 2024, $11,000 in taxable year 2025, and $15,000 fortaxable year 2026 and thereafter. Such amount shall be adjusted for changes inthe Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) beginning in taxableyear 2024. The deduction is limited to $4,000 for taxpayers with federaladjusted gross income that is greater than $100,000 for an individual or$200,000 for married persons filing a joint return.The bill also creates an individual or corporate deduction, asapplicable, of up to $4,000 for the amount a child day center or child dayprogram paid or contributed to a customer's or client's prepaid tuitioncontract or college savings trust account entered into with the Virginia CollegeSavings Plan.The bill also provides a nonrefundable income tax credit fortaxable years 2024 through 2028 for 35 percent of expenses incurred by abusiness during the taxable year for contributions into a Virginia CollegeSavings Plan account owned by an employee of the business. If the employeereceiving the contribution is a qualified employee, as defined in the bill, thebill specifies that the credit shall not exceed $500 annually for each suchemployee. If the employee receiving the contribution is a qualified employeewho is not highly compensated, as defined in the bill, the bill specifies thatthe credit shall not exceed $1,000 annually for each such employee. The billprovides that the total amount of tax credits available for a calendar year shallnot exceed $5 million and that any unused tax credit may be carried over forfive years.
Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt anti-rent gougingprovisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing priorto the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlordswho are under the ordinance may be required to give at least two months'written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent bymore than the locality's calculated allowance, described in the billas the maximum amount a landlord can increase a tenant's rent duringany 12-month period, in effect at the time of the increase. The bill sets such allowance as equal to the annual increase in the ConsumerPrice Index or seven percent, whichever is less, states that suchallowance is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1 each year, and requires the locality to publish such allowance on itswebsite by June 1 of each year. Certain facilities, as outlined inthe bill, are exempt from such ordinance. The bill also allows alocality to establish an anti-rent gouging board that will developand implement rules and procedures by which landlords may apply forand be granted exemptions from the rent increase limits set by theordinance. Finally, the bill provides that a locality may establisha civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set outin the ordinance.
Virginia Economic and Development PartnershipAuthority; Virginia Creative Economy Grant Fund and Program; established.Establishes the Virginia Creative Economy Grant Fund and Program, to be administered by the Virginia Economic Development PartnershipAuthority, for the purpose of awarding grants to independent contentcreators and creative entrepreneurs for the purpose of developingand expanding the creative economy in Virginia. The bill providesfor the award of grants of no more than $20,000 to any recipient.
Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirementbenefits for 911 dispatchers. Allows local governments to provideenhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to full-time salaried 911 dispatchers. The bill provides that such enhanced retirementbenefits apply only to service earned as a full-time salaried 911dispatcher on or after July 1, 2025, but allows an employer, as thatterm is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcherbefore July 1, 2025, in addition to service earned on or after thatdate. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.
Division of Early Childhood Care and Education; Department of Education; comprehensive review of certain findingsand recommendations relating to the quality of early childhood careand education in the Commonwealth; report. Requires the Division of Early Childhood Care and Education of the Departmentof Education, in consultation with the Virginia Early Childhood Foundationand such other stakeholders as it deems appropriate, to (i) conducta comprehensive review of the findings and recommendations containedin the 2017 report of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission,Improving Virginia's Early Childhood Development Programs, to determine what barriers, gaps, and deficiencies continue to existin the provision of high-quality early childhood education and carein the Commonwealth, with a particular focus on gaps and deficienciesin the ongoing monitoring of Virginia Preschool Initiative programquality, including the collection and analysis of data relating tooutcomes and kindergarten readiness, and (ii) report its findingsand any associated policy recommendations to the Board of Education,the Governor, and the General Assembly no later than November 1,2024.
Celebrating the life of Janet Marie Brooking.
