Sen. David Suetterlein

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution honors the memory of Mary Catherine Gause, a former Virginia Senate aide and civic leader who passed away in March 2024. The document acknowledges her personal background, including her South Carolina roots and her long-term involvement in the Roanoke community through her church, family, and Republican Party leadership roles. It formally expresses the Senate's sadness over her death and directs the Clerk to send a copy of the resolution to her family as a gesture of respect.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution honors the memory of Trixie Averill, a prominent civic leader and former radio disc jockey from the Roanoke Valley who passed away in May 2024. The document formally acknowledges her significant contributions to the community, including her decades of leadership in Republican Party organizations and her involvement in various political campaigns. It directs the Senate Clerk to provide a copy of the resolution to Averill's family as a gesture of respect from the state legislature. This measure serves as a commemorative tribute rather than establishing new laws or policies.

Shared solar programs; American Electric Power; minimum bill; capacity. Requires the State Corporation Commission to establish by regulation a shared solar program, defined in the bill, that allows customers of American Electric Power (Phase I Utility) the opportunity to purchase electric power through a subscription in a shared solar facility, defined in the bill. The bill provides that a customer's net bill for participation in the shared solar program means the resulting amount a customer must pay the utility after the bill credit, defined in the bill, is deducted from the customer's monthly gross utility bill. The bill also requires the Commission to establish a minimum bill, below which a subscriber's net bill cannot go, that is calculated based on the amount of kilowatt-hours billed by the utility and specifies that low-income customers are exempt from such minimum bill. Under the bill, co-location of two or more shared solar facilities is permitted for shared solar program participation if the facilities are located on a single parcel of land. The bill requires the Commission to (i) establish regulations that prohibit early termination fees and credit reporting for low-income customers, (ii) require net financial savings for subscribers relative to the subscription fee, (iii) require a customer's affirmative consent before providing customer billing and usage data to a subscriber organization, and (iv) establish customer engagement rules. Under the bill, any net crediting fee imposed by the shared solar program shall not exceed one percent of the bill credit value and shall be charged to the subscriber organization. The bill also provides that a utility is permitted to seek recovery of bill credit costs in its triennial base review only if such costs would result in the utility being unable to meet its revenue requirement after accounting for all avoided costs that can be realized by ratepayers. The bill specifies that the Commission shall update its shared solar program consistent with the requirements of the bill by January 1, 2025, and shall require each utility to file any associated tariffs, agreements, or forms necessary for implementing the program by July 1, 2025. Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Energy to convene a stakeholder work group to determine the amounts and forms of project incentives for (a) projects located on rooftops, brownfields, or landfills; (b) projects that are dual-use agricultural facilities; or (c) projects that satisfy another category as established by the Department and to submit a written report to the Chairs of the House Committee on Commerce and Energy and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor no later than November 30, 2024.

Shared solar programs; Dominion Energy Virginia; minimum bill; capacity. Amends existing shared solar program provisions to apply to Dominion Energy Virginia (Phase II Utility). The bill provides that a customer's net bill for participation in the shared solar program means the resulting amount a customer must pay the utility after the bill credit, defined in relevant law, is deducted from the customer's monthly gross utility bill. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to establish a minimum bill, below which a subscriber's net bill cannot go, that is calculated based on the amount of kilowatt-hours billed by the utility. The bill also changes the shared solar program capacity to 450 megawatts and requires the Commission's regulations to allow for program participation by all jurisdictional and nonjurisdictional customer classes. Under the bill, co-location of two or more shared solar facilities is permitted for shared solar program participation if the facilities are located on a single parcel of land. The bill requires the Commission to (i) establish regulations that prohibit early termination fees and credit reporting for low-income customers, (ii) require net financial savings for subscribers relative to the subscription fee, (iii) require a customer's affirmative consent before providing customer billing and usage data to a subscriber organization, and (iv) establish customer engagement rules. Under the bill, any net crediting fee imposed by the shared solar program shall not exceed one percent of the bill credit value and shall be charged to the subscriber organization. The bill also provides that a utility is permitted to seek recovery of bill credit costs in its triennial base review only if such costs would result in the utility being unable to meet its revenue requirement after accounting for all avoided costs that can be realized by ratepayers. The bill specifies that the Commission shall update its shared solar program consistent with the requirements of the bill by January 1, 2025, and shall require each utility to file any associated tariffs, agreements, or forms necessary for implementing the program by July 1, 2025. Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Energy to convene a stakeholder work group to determine the amounts and forms of project incentives for (a) projects located on rooftops, brownfields, or landfills; (b) projects that are dual-use agricultural facilities; or (c) projects that satisfy another category as established by the Department and to submit a written report to the Chairs of the House Committee on Commerce and Energy and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor no later than November 30, 2024.

Consumer Data Protection Act; protections for children. Prohibits, subject to a parental consent requirement, a data controller from processing personal data of a known child (i) for the purposes of targeted advertising, the sale of such personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning a consumer; (ii) unless such processing is reasonably necessary to provide the online service, product, or feature; (iii) for any processing purpose other than the processing purpose that the controller disclosed at the time such controller collected such personal data or that is reasonably necessary for and compatible with such disclosed purpose; or (iv) for longer than is reasonably necessary to provide the online service, product, or feature. The bill prohibits, subject to a parental consent requirement, a data controller from collecting precise geolocation data from a known child unless (a) such precise geolocation data is reasonably necessary for the controller to provide an online service, product, or feature and, if such data is necessary to provide such online service, product, or feature, such controller shall only collect such data for the time necessary to provide such online service, product, or feature and (b) the controller provides to the known child a signal indicating that such controller is collecting such precise geolocation data, which signal shall be available to such known child for the entire duration of such collection. The bill prohibits a data controller from engaging in the activities described in the bill unless the controller obtains consent from the child's parent or legal guardian in accordance with the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. This bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025, and is identical to HB 707.

Board of Education; develop and adopt policiesrelating to supporting Students with Limited and/or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE). Directs the Board of Education to developand adopt policies relating to supporting Students with Limitedand/or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE students) in staying inand graduating from, or otherwise completing, high school in the Commonwealth and to develop formulas for calculating high school drop-outrates and graduation rates in the Commonwealth that do not includeany SLIFE student who dropped out if such student had not yet been enrolled in a public high school in the Commonwealth for at leastfour semesters.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers; state plan amendments; program rule modifications. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to seek federal authority through the necessary state plan amendments under Titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to modify the program rules for certain 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers to (i) modify the 40-hour-per-week work limit to allow legally responsible individuals with more than one waiver-receiving child to receive reimbursement for 40 hours of work per week per child receiving a waiver; (ii) eliminate the requirement that, in order for a legally responsible individual to receive reimbursement for personal care services, no one else be available to provide services to the member; and (iii) modify the program rules to allow a legally responsible individual or stepparent to be the employer of record. The bill directs DMAS to evaluate the possibility of allowing for respite services under certain 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers and submit its recommendations, cost estimate, and methodology used for obtaining the cost estimate to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2024. This bill incorporates SB 149 and is identical to HB 909.

Public middle schools and high schools; student organizations; career and technical education organizations permitted.Permits each public middle school and high school to establishcareer and technical education student organizations, regardlessof whether such school offers career and technical education courses.

Constitutional amendment (second reference);real property tax exemption; surviving spouses of soldiers who diedin the line of duty. Expands the current tax exemption for realproperty available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed inaction to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the lineof duty with a Line of Duty determination from the U.S. Departmentof Defense.

Department of Workforce Development and Advancement; Director. Changes the title of the Director of the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement to the Commissioner of Workforce Development and Advancement. The bill makes the Department, in consultation with the Governor, responsible for developing the formula for providing for 30 percent of WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker funds. Current law provides that the Virginia Community College System develops such formula in consultation with the Governor. The bill also makes the Office of Education and Labor Market Alignment, in consultation with the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, responsible for establishing the high-demand fields for which noncredit workforce training programs may be offered by eligible educational institutions.