Recognition of the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribeof Virginia. Extends state recognition to the Wolf Creek CherokeeTribe of Virginia within the Commonwealth.
Study; joint committee of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health; challenges faced by and effective strategies for ensuring the sustainable, long-term success of the five historically black colleges and universities in the Commonwealth; report. Establishes a joint committee consisting of five members of the House Committee on Education and three members of the Senate Committee on Education and Health to study the challenges faced by and effective strategies for ensuring the sustainable, long-term success of the five historically black colleges and universities in the Commonwealth–Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Virginia University of Lynchburg–by discussing, adopting, and recommending to the Governor and the General Assembly for formal recognition and endorsement a comprehensive statewide HBCU Support Plan.
Student safety and discipline; certain reportsto school principals and division superintendents; form and scope.Requires local law-enforcement authorities to prepare in writingand provide to the principal or his designee and the division superintendent a report on (i) any suspected offense, offense for which any chargehas been filed, or offense that is subject to investigation that was committed or is suspected to have been committed by a student enrolled at the school if the offense would be (a) a felony if committedby an adult, (b) a violation of the Drug Control Act and occurredon a school bus, on school property, or at a school-sponsored activity,or (c) an adult misdemeanor involving certain enumerated incidentsand (ii) whether the student is released to the custody of his parentor, if 18 years of age or older, is released on bond. The bill requires division superintendents to report all such incidents to the Departmentof Education in an annual report that is made available to the public. Current law does not require such reports to be in writing and onlyapplies to student offenses but does not specify whether such reportsare required to be made for student offenses that are suspected,charged, or subject to investigation.
Child Care Subsidy Program vendors; basis forperiodic reimbursement. Requires the Department of Educationto periodically reimburse child care providers that are vendors through the Child Care Subsidy Program on the basis of authorizedchild enrollment but provides that if any such enrolled child isabsent from the provider for 10 or more days during one month, theDepartment shall periodically reimburse such provider on the basisof such child's attendance.
Board of Medicine; continuing education; implicitbias and cultural competency in health care. Requires the Boardof Medicine to adopt and implement policies that require each practitionerlicensed by the Board who has direct contact with persons who areor may become pregnant to complete two hours of continuing educationrelated to implicit bias, defined in the bill, and cultural competencyin health care at least once every other license renewal cycle.
Divorce; cruelty, reasonable apprehension ofbodily hurt, or willful desertion or abandonment; divorce from bedand board. Eliminates the one-year waiting period for being decreeda divorce on the grounds of cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodilyhurt, or willful desertion or abandonment by either party. The billalso repeals the provision allowing for a divorce from bed and boardon the grounds of cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodily hurt,or willful desertion or abandonment. The provisions of the bill applyto suits for divorce filed on or after July 1, 2024.
Commending Sandra Gioia Treadway.
Department of Environmental Quality; enforcementof regulations; Clean Water Act; cooling water intakes at power plants.Requires the Department of Environmental Quality to promptly enforcefederal regulations implementing a provision of the federal CleanWater Act for cooling water intakes at power plants to reduce negativeimpacts on fish populations in the waters of the Commonwealth.
Department of Professional and OccupationalRegulation; Board for Barbers and Cosmetology; hair styling license.Adds hair styling as a profession that is regulated by the Boardfor Barbers and Cosmetology. The bill defines "hair styling" as arranging,dressing, curling, waving, cutting, shaping, singeing, shaving, bleaching,coloring, relaxing, or straightening, or performing similar workupon, human hair, or a wig or hairpiece, by any means, includinghands or mechanical or electrical apparatus or appliances.
Constitutional amendment (first reference); marriage between two individuals; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative right to marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman as well as the related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015). The amendment provides that the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of persons and prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from denying the issuance of a marriage license to two parties contemplating a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The Commonwealth and its political subdivisions are required to recognize any lawful marriage between two parties and to treat such marriages equally under the law, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such parties. The amendment provides that religious organizations and clergy acting in their religious capacity have the right to refuse to perform any marriage.
