Sen. Jennifer Boysko

Virginia Public Procurement Act; small purchases. Increases from $100,000 to $200,000 the small purchases exemption under the Virginia Public Procurement Act for single or term contracts for goods and services other than professional services. The bill also removes outdated provisions related to informal solicitations required to be posted on the Department of General Services' central electronic procurement website. This bill is identical to HB 452.

Death penalty; severe mental illness. Providesthat a defendant in a capital case who had a severe mental illness,as defined in the bill, at the time of the offense is not eligiblefor the death penalty. The bill establishes procedures for determiningwhether a defendant had a severe mental illness at the time of theoffense and provides for the appointment of expert evaluators. Thebill provides that when the defendant's severe mental illness isat issue, a determination will be made by the jury or by the judgein a bench trial as part of the sentencing proceeding, and the defendantbears the burden of proving his severe mental illness by a preponderanceof the evidence. The bill also provides that in the event the defendantfails to provide notice that he will offer testimony by an expert witness at such sentencing proceeding, the court may either allowthe Commonwealth a continuance or, where the defendant is unableto show good cause for untimely notice, bar the defendant from presentingsuch evidence.

Commending Robert W. Duncan.

Commending the Division of Capitol Police, theVirginia Department of State Police, the Richmond Police Department,the Department of General Services, and the many other support unitsof the Unified Command.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable KossenGregory.

Commending Rita D. Bishop.

Adoption and foster care; persons authorized to conduct home studies. Allows home studies for purposes of adoption or foster care placements to be conducted by any person who has completed the home study training program established by regulations of the Board of Social Services. Under current law, such home studies must be conducted by a local board of social services or licensed child-placing agency.

Hope Card Program; permanent protective orders. Requires the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia to develop and implement a Hope Card Program (the Program) for the issuance of a Hope Card to any person who has been issued a permanent protective order by any general district court, juvenile and domestic relations court, or circuit court. The bill states that a Hope Card issued pursuant to the Program shall be a durable, plastic, wallet-sized card containing essential information about the protective order, such as the identifying information and characteristics of the person subject to the protective order, the issuance and expiration date of the protective order, the terms of the protective order, and the names of any other persons protected by the protective order. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

Indian American Heritage Month. DesignatesAugust, in 2020 and in each succeeding year, as Indian American HeritageMonth in Virginia.

Commending Pi Sigma Alpha.