Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; annual report on eligibility and usage required. Requires the Department of Veterans Services and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to coordinate to report no later than December 15 of each year to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations (i) the number of qualified survivors and dependents who have been determined to be eligible for a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees at a public institution of higher education pursuant to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program but have not yet enrolled at such an institution and (ii) the best available estimate of the number of qualified survivors and dependents who are enrolled at each public institution of higher education with a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees pursuant to the Program as of December 1 of the current fall semester.
Sponsored bills
Elections; election results; reporting; provisional ballots. Requires the general registrar of each locality to report to the Department of Elections for each precinct in his locality the total number of provisional ballots cast, the number of those provisional ballots determined to be valid by the electoral board, and the results of such valid provisional ballots by voters assigned to such precinct. The bill specifies that results from provisional voting and voting at the precinct on election day must be reported separately. The bill directs the Department to establish standards for ascertaining and reporting such information and provides that such standards must direct that all results be posted promptly and no later than 5:00 p.m. on the tenth day after the election day.
Deputy Hunter D. Reedy Memorial Bridge. Designates the bridge on Adwolfe Road and U.S. Route 11/State Route 660 over Interstate 81 in Smyth County the "Deputy Hunter D. Reedy Memorial Bridge." This bill is identical to HB 1853.
Virginia Public Procurement Act; purchase of testing kits during a disaster caused by a communicable disease of public health threat; exemption. Clarifies that the current exemption from the provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act for the purchase of personal protective equipment by the Governor for private, nongovernmental entities during a disaster caused by a communicable disease of public health threat for which a state of emergency has been declared includes communicable disease testing kits and associated safety equipment and supplies. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth.
Constitutional amendment (first reference); qualifications of voters; right to vote; persons not entitled to vote. Provides that every person who meets the qualifications of voters set forth in the Constitution of Virginia shall have the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth and that such right shall not be abridged by law, except for persons who have been convicted of a felony and persons who have been adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting. The amendment provides that a person who has been convicted of a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote. Currently, in order to be qualified to vote a person convicted of a felony must have his civil rights restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority. The amendment also provides that a person adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction as lacking the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitled to vote during this period of incapacity until his capacity has been reestablished as prescribed by law. Currently, the Constitution of Virginia provides that a person who has been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent is not qualified to vote until his competency is reestablished.
Public institutions of higher education; Department of Social Services; SNAP eligibility, applications, and participation; guidance, resources, and education. Requires the Department of Social Services (the Department) to (i) develop, annually update, and provide to each public institution of higher education in advance of the start of each school year an information sheet on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with information relating to SNAP eligibility, applications, participation, requirements, and such other information as the Department deems necessary or appropriate, relevant to students enrolled in public institutions of higher education and (ii) provide information, resources, and education to certain faculty members employed by each public institution of higher education regarding opportunities for assisting students enrolled in public institutions of higher education with completing SNAP applications. The bill requires each public institution of higher education to ensure that such SNAP information sheet developed by the Department is provided to each student enrolled in such institution at the beginning of the fall semester of each school year or, in the case of any student who enrolls after the beginning of the fall semester, as soon as practicable after enrollment and is included in any orientation materials distributed to each new student.
Department of Health; WIC applications; information. Directs the Department of Health to provide information, resources, and education to food banks regarding providing assistance to individuals completing a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) application.
Constitutional amendment (first reference); marriage between two adult persons; repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition; affirmative right to marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman as well as the related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015). The amendment prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from denying the issuance of a marriage license to two adult persons seeking a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such persons. The Commonwealth and its political subdivisions are required to recognize any lawful marriage between two adult persons and to treat such marriages equally under the law, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such persons.
Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial joint resolution honoring Matthew Robert Chiaverotti. It has no policy provisions or direct impact on legislation, citizens, or government operations. The resolution formally celebrates his life and legacy through a symbolic gesture by the legislature. As a commemorative measure, it does not create new laws or alter existing policies.
Public elementary and secondary schools; nutritional standards for school meals and other foods; nutrition requirements; certain color additives prohibited. Prohibits any public elementary or secondary school from offering or making available to any student any food served as a part of a school meal or any competitive food, as defined in applicable law, that contains any of the seven color additives listed in the bill. The bill directs the Board of Education to amend its nutritional guidelines for competitive foods promulgated pursuant to relevant law in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027, and is identical to HB 1910.