Makes numerous changes to the laws governing the provision of foster care services in the Commonwealth. Among other things, the bill (i) allows the Commissioner of Social Services to develop and implement a corrective action plan for or assume temporary control over the foster care services of a local board of social services upon determining that the local board (a) has failed to provide foster care services or make placement and removal decisions in accordance with applicable laws or regulations or (b) has taken any action that poses a substantial risk to the health, safety, or well-being of any child under its supervision and control; (ii) requires the Commissioner to create within the State Department of Social Services (the Department) a foster care health and safety director position; (iii) directs the Commissioner to establish and maintain a confidential hotline to receive reports and complaints from foster parents and other persons regarding violations of laws or regulations applicable to foster care and any other matters related to the health, safety, or well-being of children in foster care; (iv) directs the Department to develop and implement a more reliable, structured, and comprehensive case review and quality improvement process to monitor and improve foster care services provided by local boards and departments of social services; and (v) requires the Department to establish and update annually a caseload standard that limits the number of foster care cases that may be assigned to each foster care caseworker. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
Sponsored bills
Requires the State Corporation Commission, within 30 days following receipt of a written request, to make available for public inspection a report regarding the finalized enforcement action or investigation regarding the death or personal injury necessitating inpatient hospitalization of any person or damage to property exceeding $50,000 resulting from a leak or other incident involving the intrastate facilities of a natural gas utility operator. The measure prohibits such a report from revealing infrastructure information regarding certain buildings, structures, or facilities; risk assessment information not provided to the public by the utility operator; certain security plans and measures; confidential or sensitive information; proprietary information; and information that would jeopardize the safety or security of any person, governmental facility, building, or structure, or private commercial office, residential, or retail building.
Creates a local special events license, which allows a locality, business improvement district, or nonprofit organization to permit the consumption of alcoholic beverages within the area designated by the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority for a special event, provided that such alcoholic beverages are purchased from a permanent retail on-premises licensee located within such designated area and are contained in disposable containers that clearly display the selling licensee's name or logo. The bill limits local special events licensees to 12 events per year and provides that the area designated for the special event may include sidewalks and the premises of businesses not licensed to sell alcoholic beverages, upon approval of such businesses.
Allows the sale of mixed beverages by licensed restaurants and the sale of alcoholic beverages by the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority in any county, town, or supervisor's election district unless a referendum is held and a majority of the voters voting in such referendum vote to prohibit such sales. Under current law, such sales are prohibited unless they have been approved through the referendum process. The bill includes a grandfathering provision that allows the granting of a mixed beverage license to any establishment described in § 4.1-126, as it was in effect prior to the effective date of this bill, notwithstanding the provisions of the bill related to local referendums but subject to other applicable laws and regulations. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2020, but allows localities to hold anticipatory referendums between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, and provides that the results of such referendums shall become valid and enforceable on July 1, 2020. The bill provides that the result of any referendum held prior to July 1, 2019, shall remain valid and enforceable for a period of five years. This bill is identical to
Allows a retired law-enforcement officer to continue to receive his service retirement allowance during a subsequent period of employment by a local school division as a school security officer. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriations act. The bill incorporates