Sen. Monty Mason

The resolution is a recommendation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission.

Provides that a community services board or a substance abuse or mental health treatment provider licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services may hire for compensated employment at an adult substance abuse or mental health treatment program a person who was convicted of burglary.

Requires the Department of Taxation to reestablish an accelerated refund program for taxpayers filing income tax returns in person or via the United States mail with a commissioner of the revenue for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2018.

Requires health instruction to incorporate standards that recognize the multiple dimensions of health by including mental health and the relationship of physical and mental health so as to enhance student understanding, attitudes, and behavior that promote health, well-being, and human dignity. The bill also directs the Board of Education to review and update the health Standards of Learning for students in grades nine and 10 to include mental health. This bill is identical to

Provides that outdoor tethering of a companion animal shall not meet the requirement that an animal be given adequate shelter, unless the animal is actively engaged in an agricultural or hunting activity, when it is conducted(i) when the temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower or 85 degrees Fahrenheit or higher; (ii) during a heat advisory; or (iii) during a severe weather warning. The bill provides that a tether shall meet the requirement that an animal be given adequate space if it is four times the length of the animal or 15 feet in length, whichever is greater, and does not cause injury or pain or weigh more than one-tenth of the animal's body weight. The bill exempts agricultural animals from existing provisions related to tethering. The bill also authorizes any locality to adopt ordinances that parallel and make more stringent the state law regarding the care of companion animals.

Directs the State Board of Social Services to amend regulations governing staffing of assisted living facilities that provide care for adults with serious cognitive impairments who cannot recognize danger or protect their own safety and welfare to allow an exception to certain requirements for assisted living facilities that are licensed for 10 or fewer residents if no more than three of the residents have serious cognitive impairments. The bill also directs the Board of Social Services to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the bill within 280 days and prohibits the Board of Social Services from enforcing the provisions of 22VAC40-73-1020, as it shall become effective, in cases involving assisted living facilities that are licensed for 10 or fewer residents if no more than three of the residents have serious cognitive impairments. The bill contains an emergency clause and is identical to