Sponsored bills
Requires the Board of Education to establish a statewide unified public-private system for early childhood care and education in the Commonwealth to be administered by the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Department of Education. The bill transfers the authority to license and regulate child day programs and other early child care agencies from the Board of Social Services and Department of Social Services to the Board of Education and the Department of Education. The bill maintains current licensure, background check, and other requirements of such programs. The bill establishes the Early Childhood Innovation Fund for the purpose of facilitating regional public-private collaboration and to field test innovative strategies and evidence-based practices that support a robust system of comprehensive early childhood care and education services to deliver measurable school readiness outcomes and meet regional workforce support needs. Such provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2021.
Increases the maximum permissible aggregate or sum of all phases of single or term contracts for professional services that may be procured without requiring competitive negotiation from $60,000 to $80,000. The bill also increases the maximum sum of architectural or professional engineering services contracts performed in a one-year contract term from $500,000 to $750,000.
Changes the title of the chief officer of the Capitol Square Preservation Council from the Executive Director to the Chief Administrative Officer and authorizes the Council to enter into partnerships, joint ventures, and other collaborative relationships. The bill authorizes the Chief Administrative Officer to employ an Architectural Historian who will serve as curator for the architectural, historical, archeological, and landscape features of Capitol Square. The bill contains technical amendments. This bill is identical to