Marcus alert system; participation. Extends the date by which localities shall establish voluntary databases to be made available to the 9-1-1 alert system and the Marcus alert system to provide relevant mental health information and emergency contact information for appropriate response to an emergency or crisis from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2023, and provides an exemption to the requirement that localities establish protocols for local law-enforcement agencies to enter into memorandums of agreement with mobile crisis response providers regarding requests for law-enforcement back-up during mobile crisis or community care team response and minimum standards, best practices, and a system for the review and approval of protocols for law-enforcement participation in the Marcus alert system for localities with a population that is less than or equal to 40,000, so that localities with a population that is less than or equal to 40,000 may but are not required to establish such protocols. The bill also requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to include in its annual report to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees for Courts of Justice and on Health, Welfare and Institutions, the Senate Committees on the Judiciary and Education and Health, and the Behavioral Health Commission information regarding barriers to establishment of local Marcus alert programs and community care or mobile crisis teams to provide mobile crisis response in geographical areas served by community services boards or behavioral health agencies in which such programs and teams have not been established and a plan for addressing such barriers. This bill is identical to SB 361.
Sponsored bills
Publication of notice by localities. Provides that in any instance in which a locality has submitted a correct and timely notice request to a newspaper published or having general circulation in the locality and such newspaper fails to publish the notice, or publishes the notice incorrectly, such locality shall be deemed to have met the appropriate notice requirements so long as the notice was published in the next available edition of a newspaper having general circulation in the locality.
Virginia Literacy Act; early student literacy; evidence-based literacy instruction; science-based reading research. Makes several changes relating to early student literacy, including requiring (i) each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education or alternative certification program that provides training for any individual seeking initial licensure with an endorsement in a certain area, including as a reading specialist, to demonstrate mastery of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction, as such terms are defined in the bill; (ii) the literacy assessment required of individuals seeking initial teacher licensure with endorsements in certain areas to include a rigorous test of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction; (iii) each local school board to establish a divisionwide literacy plan; (iv) each local school board to employ one reading specialist for each 550 students in kindergarten through grade three; and (v) each local school board to provide a program of literacy instruction whereby, among other things, (a) the program provides reading intervention services to students in kindergarten through grade three who demonstrate deficiencies based on their individual performance on the Standards of Learning reading assessment or an early literacy screener provided or approved by the Department of Education; (b) a reading specialist, in collaboration with the teacher of any student who receives such reading intervention services, develops, oversees implementation of, and monitors student progress on a student reading plan; and (c) each student who receives such reading intervention services is assessed utilizing either the early literacy screener provided or approved by the Department or the grade-level reading Standards of Learning assessment again at the end of that school year. The provisions of the bill become effective beginning with the 2024–2025 school year. This bill is identical to SB 616.
Charter; Town of Colonial Beach; chief of police. Provides that the chief of police for the Town of Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the town manager rather than the town council.
Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence VictimFund; purpose; fee apportionment. Provides that the Departmentof Criminal Justice Services shall adopt guidelines to make fundsfrom the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund, whichis used to support the prosecution of domestic violence cases andvictim services, available to sexual assault service providers andhospitals for the purpose of funding the cost of salaries and equipmentfor sexual assault forensic examiners, sexual assault nurse examiners,and pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners, with priority for fundingsuch costs given to such forensic examiners and nurse examiners serving rural or underserved areas of the Commonwealth. The bill also increasesthe amount apportioned to the Fund from the fixed fees for misdemeanorsand traffic infractions tried in district court.
Department of Labor and Industry; seizure firstaid information. Directs the Department of Labor and Industry(the Department) to disseminate information regarding seizure firstaid, defined in the bill, to all employers and employees in the Commonwealthand requires all employers in the Commonwealth to physically postthis information in a prominent location in the workplace. The billincorporates the "Good Samaritan" provision of the Code of Virginiathat shields a person from liability when rendering emergency carein good faith under certain circumstances.
Physical education; personal safety training. Requires any physical education class offered to students in grades seven and eight to include at least one hour of personal safety training per school year in each such grade level that is developed and delivered in partnership with the local law-enforcement agency and consists of situational safety awareness training, social media education, and self-defense tactics training.
School attendance; 4-H educational programs andactivities. Provides that students who miss a partial or fullday of school while participating in 4-H educational programs andactivities shall not be counted as absent for the purposes of calculatingaverage daily membership and shall receive course credit in the samemanner as they would for a school field trip. The bill directs eachlocal school board to develop policies and procedures for studentsto make up missed work and may determine the maximum number of schooldays per academic year that a student may spend participating in 4-Heducational programs and activities to not be counted absent. Thisbill is identical to SB 596.
Human trafficking training for law-enforcement personnel. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish training standards for law-enforcement personnel regarding the recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking. This bill is identical to SB 467.
Bail for a person accused of a crime that is an act of violence; notice to attorney for the Commonwealth. Requires a magistrate to transmit within 24 hours a copy of the checklist for bail determination form to the attorney for the Commonwealth when a magistrate conducts a bail hearing for a person arrested on a warrant or capias for an act of violence. The bill also provides that transmission of such copy to the attorney for the Commonwealth may be by facsimile or other electronic means. This bill is identical to SB 614.