Sen. David Suetterlein

Method of nominating party candidates; incumbentselection. Removes the power of incumbent officeholders in somecases to insist on a primary as the method of nominating politicalparty candidates and removes the power of General Assembly incumbentsseeking reelection to determine the method of nomination. These provisionsof law were held to be unconstitutional by the United States Courtof Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 6th Cong. Dist. RepublicanComm. v. Alcorn, 913 F.3d 393 (January 9, 2019). The bill doesnot affect the current power of duly constituted authorities of thepolitical party to determine the method of nominating party candidates.

Electric utilities; retail competition; renewableenergy. Allows individual retail customers of an electric utilityto purchase electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energyfrom any licensed supplier. The measure eliminates (i) provisionsthat prohibit such a purchase from a licensed supplier that is anincumbent electric utility that is not the incumbent electric utilityserving the exclusive service territory in which the customer islocated and (ii) a condition that permits such purchases only if the electric utility serving the applicable exclusive service territorydoes not offer a tariff for 100 percent renewable energy.

Constitutional amendment (first resolution);immunity of legislators. Limits the immunity of legislators byallowing the arrest of a member of the General Assembly during thesessions of the respective houses upon issuance of process for arrestby a judge with authorization of the attorney for the Commonwealthor the law-enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the offense.

Department of Education; pilot program; feasibility ofeducational placement transition of certain students with disabilities.Requires the Department of Education and relevant local school boards to developand implement a pilot program for up to four years in two to eight local schooldivisions in the Commonwealth. In developing the pilot, the Department isrequired to partner with the appropriate school board employees in each suchlocal school division to (i) identify the resources, services, and supportsrequired by each student who resides in each such local school division and whois educated in a private school setting pursuant to his IndividualizedEducation Program; (ii) study the feasibility of transitioning each suchstudent from his private school setting to an appropriate public school settingin the local school division and providing the identified resources, services,and supports in such public school setting; and (iii) recommend a process forredirecting federal, state, and local funds, including funds provided pursuantto the Children's Services Act, provided for the education of each such studentto the local school division for the purpose of providing the identifiedresources, services, and supports in the appropriate public school setting. Thebill requires the Department of Education to make a report to the Governor, theSenate Committees on Education and Health and Finance, and the House Committeeson Education and Appropriations on the findings of each pilot program after twoand four years.

Commending William H. Goodwin, Jr.

Department of Education; federal accountabilityindicators; PSAT/NMSQT; PreACT. Directs the Department of Education to amend its state plan pursuant to the Every Student Succeeds Actto include the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship QualifyingTest and the PreACT in the next federal accountability indicatorsapplication. The bill directs the Department and the Board of Educationto grant verified credit to students who have earned approved scoreson these two tests and permit schools to count those students asa "pass."

Motor vehicle safety inspection program. Abolishes the state motor vehicle safety inspection program.

Milk; definition; misbranding; prohibition.Defines milk as the lacteal secretion of a healthy hooved mammaland provides that a food product is unlawfully misbranded if its label states that it is milk and it fails to meet such definition, exceptfor human breast milk. The bill directs the Board of Agricultureand Consumer Services to implement a plan to ban all products misbrandedas milk.

Board of Medicine; medically unnecessary chaperones. Directs the Board of Medicine to amend its regulations to requirethat patients be notified that they have the right to opt out of thepresence of a chaperone during medical examinations, provided thatthe chaperone is medically unnecessary. The bill also requires the regulations to include a provision permitting health care practitionersto refuse to perform medical services for a patient who refuses thepresence of a chaperone.

Standards and criteria for congressional andstate legislative districts. Provides criteria by which congressionaland state legislative districts are to be drawn, including equalpopulation, racial and ethnic fairness, respect for existing politicalboundaries, contiguity, compactness, and communities of interest.