Sen. Bill Stanley

Directs the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) to establish a three-year Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Scholarship Pilot Program (the Program) for the purpose of providing access to postsecondary educational opportunities to students living in poverty. The Program would provide scholarships to select community colleges in the amount of $4,000 per year, to be applied toward the costs of tuition and books, to 200 selected students who meet TANF eligibility requirements. The Program would be funded with federal TANF block grant funds. The bill directs VCCS to (i) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the State Department of Social Services establishing the parameters of the Program and the method for selecting students to participate; (ii) monitor, record, and analyze the outcomes of all participants; and (iii) report to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than December 1 of each year regarding the effectiveness of and other information about the Program. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

Requires the attorney for the Commonwealth, upon written notice by an accused to the court and to the attorney for the Commonwealth, to permit the accused to inspect, copy, or photograph (i) any relevant written or recorded statements or confessions made by the accused or any codefendant, or the substance of any oral statements or confessions made by the accused or any codefendant; (ii) any relevant written reports of autopsies, ballistic tests, fingerprint analyses, handwriting analyses, blood, urine, and breath tests, other written scientific reports, and written reports of a physical or mental examination of the accused or the alleged victim; (iii) any books, papers, documents, tangible objects, or buildings or places, or copies or portions thereof, that are within the possession, custody, or control of the Commonwealth; (iv) all relevant police reports; and (v) all relevant statements of any non-expert witness whom the Commonwealth is required to designate on a witness list. If the accused provides written notice for discovery, the accused shall provide reciprocal discovery, which shall include (a) any written reports of autopsy examinations, ballistic tests, fingerprint, blood, urine, and breath analyses, and other scientific tests that may be within the accused's possession, custody, or control and that the accused intends to proffer or introduce into evidence at the trial or sentencing; (b) whether he intends to introduce evidence to establish an alibi; (c) if the accused intends to rely upon an insanity defense, any written reports of physical or mental examination of the accused made in connection with the case; and (d) all relevant statements of any non-expert witness whom the defense designated on a witness list. The bill directs that the Commonwealth provide its expert disclosures no later than 14 days before trial and the accused provide his expert disclosures no later than seven days before trial. The bill provides that for good cause a party may withhold or redact certain information and either party may file a motion to compel disclosure of any information withheld or redacted.

Creates the Red Tape Reduction Commission (the Commission) to develop and maintain a state regulatory baseline of all current state regulatory requirements, with the initial baseline to be completed by January 1, 2019. The bill defines a regulatory requirement as any action required to be taken or information required to be provided in accordance with a statute or regulation in order to access government services or operate and conduct business and excludes requirements that are necessary to conform to changes in Virginia statutory law or the appropriation act where no agency discretion is involved or to meet requirements of federal law or regulations. The bill also provides that after the regulatory baseline has been established, any subsequent regulatory requirement proposed by an agency that is not included in the initial state regulatory baseline is considered a new regulatory requirement and requires the approval of the Commission before it may be enacted. In addition, the bill provides for the Commission to review current state regulatory requirements and provide recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly on measures to reduce the baseline regulatory requirements. The Commission must submit a report to the Governor and General Assembly by November 1, 2017, on (i) the organizational structure of the Commission, (ii) duties of staff, and (iii) guidelines for determining what constitutes a regulatory requirement. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

Requires a public animal shelter to wait three days before euthanizing a dog or cat when a person has notified the shelter of his intent to adopt or take custody of the particular animal. The shelter must make reasonable efforts to accomplish the release of the animal, but is not required hold the animal if it has reason to believe that the animal has seriously injured a human or the animal meets certain other specified conditions for euthanasia. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

Expands the education improvement scholarships tax credit program by removing the requirement that a child with a disability be a student enrolled or recently enrolled in public school in order to be eligible. The bill reduces the penalty for failure to fully disburse all donations received from 200 percent to 100 percent of unused donations.