Standards of Quality; work-based learning; teacher leaders and mentors; principal mentors; certain personnel positions and initiatives. Makes several changes to the Standards of Quality, including requiring the establishment of units in the Department of Education to oversee work-based learning and principal mentorship statewide in Standard 1 and requiring the Board of Education to establish and oversee the local implementation of teacher leader and teacher mentor programs in Standard 5. The bill also makes several changes relating to school personnel in Standard 2, including (i) establishing schoolwide ratios of students to teachers in certain schools with high concentrations of poverty and granting flexibility to provide compensation adjustments to teachers in such schools; (ii) requiring each school board to assign licensed personnel in a manner that provides an equitable distribution of experienced, effective teachers and other personnel among all schools in the local school division; (iii) requiring each school board to employ teacher leaders and teacher mentors at specified student-to-position ratios; (iv) requiring state funding in addition to basic aid to support at-risk students and granting flexibility in the use of such funds by school boards; (v) lowering the ratio of English language learner students to teachers; (vi) requiring each school board to employ reading specialists and establishing a student-to-position ratio for such specialists; (vii) requiring school boards to employ one full-time principal in each elementary school; (viii) lowering the ratio of students to assistant principals and school counselors in elementary, middle, and high schools; and (ix) requiring each school board to provide at least four specialized student support positions, including school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, licensed behavior analysts, licensed assistant behavior analysts, and other licensed health and behavioral positions, per 1,000 students.
Sponsored bills
Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fundand Program established. Establishes the Get Skilled,Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fund and requires the Virginia Community College System to establish the G3 Program for the purpose of providing financial assistance from the Fund to certain low-income and middle-income Virginia students who are enrolled in an educational program at an associate-degree-granting public institution of higher educationthat leads to an occupation in a certain high-demand field. The billcontains provisions for student eligibility, financial assistanceaward amounts, and data reporting.
Sewage; Onsite Sewage Indemnification Fund; Wastewater Infrastructure Policy Working Group; report. Authorizes the State Board of Health to use the Onsite Sewage Indemnification Fund to provide grants and loans to property owners with income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines to repair failing onsite sewage systems or install onsite sewage systems on properties that lack adequate sewage disposal. The bill provides that no expenses shall be paid from the Fund to support the program for training and recognition of onsite soil evaluators, or to provide grants or loans to repair failing onsite sewage systems or install onsite sewage systems on properties that lack adequate sewage disposal in lieu of payment to any owner or owners qualified to receive payment from the Fund. The bill also directs the Board to adopt regulations that include consideration of the impacts of climate change on proposed treatment works. The bill sets out the policy of the Commonwealth regarding wastewater infrastructure and establishes the four-member Wastewater Infrastructure Policy Working Group as an advisory board in the executive branch of state government to continually assess wastewater infrastructure needs and develop policy recommendations. The bill provides that the Working Group shall expire in 2030. The bill also directs the Department of Environmental Quality, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health and in consultation with stakeholders, to estimate and report every four years the amount of wastewater infrastructure funding that is necessary to meet policy goals but is not eligible to be covered by grant funding pursuant to the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Act of 1997.
Board of Local and Regional Jails; review servicesprovided to inmates during pregnancy, pregnancy termination, labor and delivery, and postpartum recovery; report. Directsthe Board of Local and Regional Jails (the Board), in consultationwith a stakeholder work group, to (i) identify and analyze all obstetricand gynecological services and any other services provided by localand regional jails to inmates during pregnancy, pregnancy termination,labor and delivery, and postpartum recovery; (ii) compare such servicesto best practices recommended by the American Correctional Association,American Jail Association, National Commission on Correctional HealthCare, and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; and(iii) develop recommendations to ensure that proper services areprovided to inmates during pregnancy, pregnancy termination, laborand delivery, and postpartum recovery. The bill directs the Boardto (a) post its findings and recommendations on its website and reportsuch findings and recommendations to the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Chairmen of the Senate Committee onthe Judiciary, Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services,House Committee for Courts of Justice, and House Committee on PublicSafety by July 1, 2022, and (b) adopt regulations consistent withits findings and recommendations.
Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Program and Fund; established. Requires the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services (the Commissioner) to establish the Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Program (VAFA Program) for Virginia farmers and food producers to donate, sell, or otherwise provide agriculture products to charitable food assistance organizations. The bill also creates the Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Fund to disburse moneys to such charitable food assistance organizations to reimburse farmers or food producers for any costs associated with harvesting, processing, packaging, or transporting agriculture products donated to such charitable food assistance organizations. The bill authorizes the Commissioner to adopt guidelines and regulations to carry out the VAFA Program.
Abolition of the death penalty. Abolishes the death penalty, including for those persons currently under a death sentence. The bill provides that no person may be sentenced to death or put to death on or after its effective date for any violation of law.
Transportation electrification; Virginia EnergyPlan. Amends the Virginia Energy Plan to include an analysisof electric vehicle charging infrastructure and other infrastructureneeded to support the 2045 net-zero carbon target in the transportationsector.
Public defender offices; County of Chesterfield. Establishes a public defender office for the County of Chesterfield. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
Department of Veterans Services; Military Spouse Liaison; position created. Establishes the position of Military Spouse Liaison (the Liaison) in the Department of Veterans Services to conduct outreach and advocate on behalf of military spouses in the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Liaison to report by December 1 of each year through the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services to the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, the Governor, and the General Assembly on the work of the Liaison and any legislative recommendations. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
Licensed certified midwives; licensure; practice. Defines "practice of licensed certified midwifery" and directs the Boards of Medicine and Nursing to establish criteria for the licensure and renewal of a license as a certified midwife. The bill requires that licensed certified midwives practice in consultation with a licensed physician in accordance with a practice agreement. The bill also directs the Department of Health Professions to convene a work group to study the licensure and regulation of certified nurse midwives, certified midwives, and certified professional midwives to determine the appropriate licensing entity for such professionals. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and conclusions to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2021.