State Board of Local and Regional Jails; deaths of inmates in local, regional, and community correctional facilities; reports. Consolidates reports made by the State Board of Local and Regional Jails related to the Board's reviews of the deaths of inmates that occur in any local, regional, or community correctional facility into one annual report to be published on the Board's website on or before July 1, 2025, and each July 1 thereafter and submitted to the Governor, the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, the House Committee on Public Safety, and the House Committee for Courts of Justice, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and the President pro tempore of the Senate. The annual report shall include (i) a summary of the reviews of the deaths of inmates that occur in any local, regional, or community correctional facility conducted in the prior year, including any trends or similarities identified by such reviews; (ii) any recommendations for policy changes to reduce the number of inmate deaths; and (iii) any recommendations for changes to the policies and procedures for conducting reviews of the deaths of inmates to improve the operations, safety, and security of local, regional, or community correctional facilities.
Sponsored bills
Local department of social services; children in foster care; federal benefits; notice of eligibility. Provides that, if the local department of social services serves as representative payee for a child receiving certain federal benefits, specified in the bill, the local department of social services shall provide written notice, in person or by certified mail, that it is acting as the child's representative payee within 30 days after receiving the first benefit payment on behalf of the child to (i) the child, if the child is 12 years of age or older; (ii) the child's parent, prior guardian, or prior custodian, or, if there is no legal parent or prior guardian or custodian, the child's next of kin; (iii) the guardian ad litem, if applicable; and (iv) the counsel appointed for the child, if applicable.
Department of Housing and Community Development; broadband access services for mobile health clinics. Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to, as part of its broader initiative to support the development and implementation of programs that support telehealth, include broadband access services for mobile health clinics as a priority for broadband nondeployment programs using federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program funding to the extent approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care.
Maddy summarySB 799 extends the expiration date of the School Health Services Committee from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2028. This procedural bill does not change the committee's duties or who it serves; it only delays the committee's automatic termination. The change applies directly to the existing committee structure and its ongoing oversight of school health services. The bill was enacted on March 21, 2025, and takes effect July 1, 2025.
Department of Education; survey of local education agencies on school-based mental and behavioral health services; report. Requires the Department of Education (the Department) to survey each local education agency (LEA) in the Commonwealth to determine (i) how public schools governed by such LEA currently grant access to local departments of social services and community services boards and other community-based providers of mental and behavioral health services and (ii) what school-based mental and behavioral health services are made available by such LEA. The bill requires the Department to utilize the results of and feedback from the survey to inform the continued development and improvement of guidelines for school professionals to support students and families by connecting them with community resources that provide mental and behavioral health services. The bill requires the Department to report to the Commission on Youth by November 1, 2025, any findings and recommendations that result from the survey. This bill is identical to HB 1947.
Maddy summaryHJ 564 is a non-binding resolution honoring the late Honorable Henry Levander Marsh, III, recognizing his contributions to the state. It does not create new laws or affect any specific group, as it is purely commemorative. The resolution passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and was formally adopted by the legislature. This type of resolution serves to acknowledge an individual's legacy without implementing policy changes.
Maddy summaryHJ 584 is a commemorative resolution honoring Dr. Golden Bethune-Hill, recognizing her contributions to the community. It does not create new policies or affect any specific group through legislative action. The resolution was passed unanimously by the Senate on February 12, 2025, and formally adopted by the legislature. As a ceremonial measure, it has no substantive policy impact.
Maddy summaryHJ 559 is a non-binding resolution honoring William David Dolan III. It expresses legislative recognition of his life and contributions without creating any legal obligations or policy changes. The resolution passed both the House and Senate as a ceremonial gesture, with no direct impact on constituents or government operations. This type of resolution serves only to commemorate an individual and has no practical effect beyond symbolic acknowledgment.
Petitions for relief of care and custody of a child; investigation by local department of social services; Office of the Children's Ombudsman work group; report. Requires a local department of social services, as a part of its investigation after the referral of a request for a petition for relief of the care and custody of a child, to (i) refer the parent to the local family assessment and planning team and (ii) create a written report. The bill directs the Department of Social Services, in coordination with the Virginia League of Social Services Executives, to create a template for and provide guidance on what should be included in such written report. The bill also directs the Office of the Children's Ombudsman to convene a work group composed of relevant stakeholders to (a) determine the factors a court should consider when determining whether there is good cause shown for a petitioner's desire to be relieved of the care and custody of a child and (b) explore the potential benefits and considerations of raising the standard of evidence for granting temporary relief of custody from the current standard of preponderance of the evidence to clear and convincing evidence. The bill directs the work group to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice and the Virginia Commission on Youth by November 1, 2025. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Commission on Youth. This bill is identical to SB 1372.
Children with disabilities; annual individualized education program planning process; dual enrollment courses; certain parental notice required; model notice. Requires, during the annual individualized education program (IEP) planning process prior to any year in which a child with a disability who is enrolled at a public high school is entering the eleventh grade or twelfth grade, the IEP team to provide to the parent of such student written notice of the student's rights and obligations relating to dual enrollment courses, consistent with a model notice developed and made available by the Board of Education, including detailed information on the process for ensuring that the student is receiving both a free and appropriate public education pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as a student enrolled in a public high school and the necessary educational accommodations pursuant to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as a student enrolled in a comprehensive community college.