Sponsored bills
Continues the Virginia Solar Energy Development Authority and renames it the Virginia Solar Energy Development and Energy Storage Authority. The measure expands the purposes of the authority to include positioning the Commonwealth as a leader in research, development, commercialization, manufacturing, and deployment of energy storage technology. The powers of the Authority are expanded to include (i) promoting collaborative efforts among Virginia's public and private institutions of higher education in research, development, and commercialization efforts related to energy storage; (ii) monitoring relevant developments nationally and globally; and (iii) identifying and working with the Commonwealth's industries and nonprofit partners. The size of the Authority is expanded from 11 to 15 members.
Adds travel to and from a job interview to the list of purposes for the issuance of a restricted driver's license. The bill provides that a person issued a restricted driver's license for this purpose is required to maintain on his person written proof from the prospective employer of the date, time, and location of the job interview.
Makes changes to family life education curriculum guidelines and curricula, including requiring family life education curriculum guidelines to include instruction as appropriate for the age of the student in the value of family relationships and permitting the age-appropriate elements of effective and evidence-based programs on the prevention of sexual violence that are required to be incorporated into any high school family life education curriculum offered by a local school division to include instruction that increases student awareness of the fact that consent is required before sexual activity.
Revises the existing provision that a person loses his driver's license for six months when convicted of or placed on deferred disposition for a drug offense to provide that the provision does not apply to deferred disposition of simple possession of marijuana. The exception applies only to adults; juveniles will still be subject to license suspension. The bill provides that a court retains the discretion to suspend or revoke the driver's license of a person placed on deferred disposition for simple possession of marijuana and must suspend or revoke for six months the driver's license of such person who was operating a motor vehicle at the time of the offense. The bill also requires that such a person whose driver's license is not suspended or revoked perform 50 hours of community service in addition to any community service ordered as part of the deferred disposition. The provisions of the bill are contingent upon written assurance from the U.S. Department of Transportation that Virginia will not lose any federal funds as a result of implementation of the bill. This bill is identical to