Opioid Abatement Authority; Board of Directors;members. Increases from 11 to 15 the membership of the Board of Directors of the Opioid Abatement Authority by increasing fromone to five the number of representatives of the addiction and recoverycommunity.
School boards; teachers; planning time and planning periods. Requires each local school board to ensure that eachelementary school teacher is provided an average of one 45-minuteperiod per school day of planning time and that each middle and high school teacher is provided an average of one planning period perschool day, which shall be at least 45 minutes or one class period,whichever is longer. The bill permits local school boards and teachersto enter into an appropriate contractual arrangement providing forcompensation in lieu of such planning time or period. Under currentlaw, public elementary school teachers are guaranteed at least anaverage of 30 minutes of planning time per school day during a schoolweek.
Covenants not to compete; health care professionals; civil penalty. Adds health care professionals as a category of employee with whom no employer shall enter into, enforce, or threaten to enforce a covenant not to compete. The bill defines "health care professional" as any physician, nurse, nurse practitioner, physician's assistant, pharmacist, social worker, dietitian, physical and occupational therapist, and medical technologist authorized to provide health care services in the Commonwealth. The bill provides that any employer that violates the prohibition against covenants not to compete with an employee health care professional is subject to a civil penalty of $10,000 for each violation.
Study; JLARC; true cost of education; at-riskadd-on and composite index of local ability-to-pay; report. Requires the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to continue itsstudy of the true cost of education in the Commonwealth and its directiveto provide an accurate assessment of the costs to implement the Standardsof Quality and, in conjunction, to study the efficiency and effectivenessof the at-risk add-on and the composite index of local ability-to-payfunding formula as tools for funding public education at levels thatmeet or exceed its true cost. The meeting and reporting deadlinesin the original study are unaffected by the additional study tasks.
Local school boards; teacher career ladder compensation programs. Requires each local school board to establish a teachercareer ladder compensation program (program) whereby each rung onthe ladder corresponds to a specific teacher career and compensationlevel as determined by the local school board. The bill requireseach local school board to design and implement its own program,provided, however, that each program shall include the followingprinciples and components: (i) each teacher shall provide increasinglevels of student academic progress as measured by objective criteriabefore the teacher progresses to the next rung of the ladder; (ii)each teacher shall demonstrate improvement in teaching skills beforethe teacher progresses to the next rung of the ladder; (iii) each teacher shall assume additional teaching and other responsibilitiessuch as curriculum development, team teaching, mentoring, and professionaldevelopment activities before the teacher progresses to the nextrung of the ladder; (iv) the local school board is responsible forproviding teachers in the program with appropriate professional growthand development opportunities; and (v) the local school board shallensure that equal pay is provided to teachers in the program whoare performing at the same level. The bill provides that teacher participation in a teacher career ladder compensation program is optionaland any teacher may opt to be compensated pursuant to the local schoolboard's standard salary scale.
Providing access to adjoining property to makeimprovements or repairs. Allows an owner or lessee of real propertywho seeks to improve, repair, or maintain his property, and the propertyis so situated that it is impossible to perform the improvements,repairs, or maintenance without entering adjoining property and permissionto enter the adjoining property has been denied, to petition thecircuit court for a license to enter the adjoining property for thepurpose of performing the improvements, repairs, or maintenance.The petition and affidavits, if any, shall state the facts making such entry necessary and the date or dates on which entry is sought.The bill provides that such license shall be granted by the courtin an appropriate case upon such terms as justice requires. Any such entry shall not be deemed a trespass and the licensee shall be liableto the adjoining owner or his lessee for actual damages occurringas a result of the entry.
Elections; campaign finance; contribution limits;civil penalty. Establishes contribution limits from any individualto any candidate campaign committee, political action committee,and political party committee and from any political action committeeor political party committee to any campaign committee. The billprovides that any candidate, candidate campaign committee, politicalaction committee, political party committee, or contributor thatknowingly violates the contributions limits established by the billis subject to a civil penalty of up to two times the amount by whichthe contribution exceeds the limit. The bill prohibits any personthat is not an individual from making any contribution to any candidatefor elected office.
Storage of firearms in residence where minor present; penalty. Requires any person who possesses a firearm in a residence where such person knows or reasonably should know that a minor under 18 years of age is present to store such firearm unloaded in a locked container, compartment, or cabinet, and to store all ammunition in a separate locked container, compartment, or cabinet. The bill requires that the key or combination to such locked containers, compartments, or cabinets be inaccessible to minors. The bill provides that a violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and, in a case where there is more than one firearm stored in violation of these provisions, each firearm shall constitute a separate Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill exempts any person in lawful possession of a firearm who exercises immediate control, defined in the bill, and when the firearm is an antique firearm.
Campaign advertisements; independent expenditures; electioneering communications; disclaimer requirements. Broadensthe scope of disclaimer requirements for campaign advertisementsto include electioneering communications, as defined in the bill,and messages advocating for the passage or defeat of a referendum.The bill also requires an advertisement that is an independent expenditureor expressly advocates for the passage or defeat of a referendum,to contain a disclaimer providing the names of the sponsor's three largest contributors or individuals representing a contributor thatis not an individual.
Sports betting; Virginia college sports.Allows betting, with the exception of proposition betting, on Virginia college sports. Under current law, betting other than propositionbetting is allowed on all college sports except Virginia collegesports.
