Del. Anne Ferrell Tata

Certain individuals in foster care, in the custody of the Department of Social Services, or considered a special needs adoption; parameters of higher education grants; point of contact for support and guidance. Expands to include each public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth the requirement to provide grants to certain individuals who were in foster care or in the custody of the Department of Social Services or were considered a special needs adoption; adds mandatory education and general fees and, in the case of baccalaureate public institutions of higher education, the cost of room and board to the amount of such grants; and makes eligible for such grants any individual who meets certain other eligibility criteria and was in foster care or in the custody of the Department of Social Services or was considered a special needs adoption at any time after he turned 14. Current law requires such an individual to have been in foster care or in the custody of the Department of Social Services or considered a special needs adoption at the time that his high school diploma or equivalency examination certificate was awarded. The bill also requires each public institution of higher education to identify at least one employee of the institution to serve as a point of contact for each enrolled student who was in foster care or in the custody of the Department of Social Services or was considered a special needs adoption in order to provide such student with support and guidance, including support and guidance relating to financial aid and any associated applications or other required paperwork.

Human trafficking response teams. Requires attorneys for the Commonwealth to establish multidisciplinary human trafficking response teams. The bill provides that each team shall hold a meeting, at least annually, to (i) discuss implementation of protocols and policies; (ii) establish and review guidelines for the community's response to various forms of human trafficking, including sex trafficking and labor trafficking; and (iii) review protocols for the trauma-informed, victim-centered collection, preservation, and secure storage of evidence from physical evidence recovery kit examinations. The bill also provides that the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) shall not apply to human trafficking response teams, with certain exceptions.

Active-duty status for any service member injured while in the line of duty. Provides that the Adjutant General may maintain state active-duty status for any service member injured while in the line of duty during the course of a state active-duty mission who is unable to return to civilian employment for a period of up to 90 days after the date of the service member's injury.

Center for Rural Virginia; name change. Renames the Center for Rural Virginia as the Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia. This bill is identical to SB 704.

Board of Education; Imagination Library of Virginia Program and Fund established. Establishes the Imagination Library of Virginia Program and the Imagination Library of Virginia Fund for the purpose of encouraging preschool-age children to learn to read by providing one reading selection, defined by the bill as any high-quality, age-appropriate book, monthly to the home of each registered child from birth to age five at no cost to the child's family. The bill provides that each school board in the Commonwealth shall serve as the local partner for the administration of the Program in its respective school division and requires the Board of Education to establish the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Affiliate to collaborate with each school board in (i) mailing monthly reading selections directly to the residence of each child, beginning as early as such child's birth month through the month in which such child reaches five years of age, (ii) identifying and locating families with an eligible child within such school division and encouraging them to register such child for the Program, and (iii) handling any undelivered monthly reading selections. The bill provides that the costs incurred by each school board shall, subject to appropriation, be reimbursed to each such school board. The bill establishes that the Board is responsible for the administration of the Program, including (a) managing the Program's daily operations or delegating such management to the Department of Education, the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Affiliate, or such other entity as the Board may deem appropriate; (b) coordinating with local organizations and each school board to advance and strengthen the Program; (c) developing, promoting, and coordinating a public awareness program to increase awareness of the Program; (d) ensuring the appropriation of sufficient funds by including in any budget request each year a plan to ensure the distribution of sufficient funds to each school division; and (e) providing an annual report to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education detailing the activities of the Program and Fund for the immediately preceding year. The provisions of the bill expire on January 1, 2029.

Alcoholic beverage control; annual mixed beverage performing arts facility licenses; on-and-off premises wine and beer licenses. Defines performing arts facility and sports facility and standardizes the eligibility criteria for annual mixed beverage performing arts facility licenses and on-and-off-premises wine and beer licenses for performing arts food concessionaires. Under current law, the eligibility criteria for such licenses varies by location and includes inconsistent ownership, lease, capacity, and seating requirements. The bill also removes provisions that allow the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to grant annual mixed beverage motor sports facility licenses and motor car sporting event facility licenses and creates an annual mixed beverage sports facility license, which may be granted to persons operating a sports facility or food concessions at a sports facility and would authorize the licensee to sell mixed beverages during any event and immediately subsequent thereto to patrons within all seating areas, concourses, walkways, concession areas, and additional locations designated by the Board (i) in closed containers for off-premises consumption or (ii) in paper, plastic, or similar disposable containers or in single original metal cans for on-premises consumption. This bill is identical to SB 180, SB 400, SB 657, and SB 724.

Commending the Honorable Kathy J. Byron.

Commending the Honorable L. Kaye Kory.

Early childhood care and education; publiclyfunded providers; exemption from licensure for certain child dayprograms. Excepts military child care fee assistance or any childcare subsidy paid by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United Statesfrom the federal funds that would otherwise render a child day programas a "publicly funded provider," as that term is defined and usedin relevant law relating to early childhood care and education. Thebill also exempts from licensure by the Superintendent of PublicInstruction any child day program that (i) serves only dependent children of military personnel and (ii) (a) is located on a militarybase or federal property or (b) is certified as a family child careprovider by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States andprovides that any branch of the Armed Forces of the United Statesor its agent, including an installation commander of a military baseon which a child day program is located, may assume responsibilityfor approving or determining which children may be served by theprogram that is so exempted from licensure.

Commending the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service.