Sen. Mark Peake

Licensed practical nurses; authority to pronounce death. Extends to licensed practical nurses the authority to pronounce the death of a patient in hospice, provided that certain conditions are met. Current law provides that physicians, registered nurses, and physician assistants may pronounce death.

Department of Education; local school boards; policies on sexually explicit content in instructional material. Requires the Department of Education to develop no later than July 31, 2022, model policies and each local school board to adopt no later than January 1, 2023, policies for ensuring parental notification of any instructional material that includes sexually explicit content and include information, guidance, procedures, and standards relating to (i) ensuring parental notification; (ii) directly identifying the specific instructional material and sexually explicit subjects; and (iii) permitting the parent of any student to review instructional material that includes sexually explicit content and provide, as an alternative, nonexplicit instructional material and related academic activities to any student whose parent so requests. The bill provides that the local school board policies shall be consistent with but may be more comprehensive than the model policies developed by the Department. The bill states that the provisions of the bill shall not be construed as requiring or providing for the censoring of books in public elementary and secondary schools.

Safe haven protections; newborn safety device. Provides an affirmative defense in certain criminal prosecutions and civil proceedings regarding child abuse or neglect to a parent who safely delivers his child within the first 30 days of the child's life to a newborn safety device located at a hospital that provides 24-hour emergency services or at an attended emergency medical services agency that employs emergency medical services personnel. The bill also provides civil and criminal immunity to such hospitals and emergency medical services agencies for injuries to children received through such newborn safety devices, provided that (i) the injuries are not the result of gross negligence or willful misconduct and (ii) the hospital or emergency medical services agency meets certain requirements regarding the establishment, functioning, and testing of the device. Current law requires the child to be delivered within the first 14 days of the child's life at such hospital or emergency medical services agency. This bill incorporates SB 175 and is identical to HB 16.

Front and rear bumper height limits; emergency. Provides that no passenger car or pickup or panel truck shall be operated on a public highway if the suspension, frame, or chassis has been modified by any means so as to cause the height of the front bumper to be four or more inches greater than the height of the rear bumper. The bill contains an emergency clause.

Ukraine; Russian invasion. Expressing thesense of the General Assembly on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Commending Harry Wason.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable FloraLonette Davis Crittenden.

Celebrating the life of the Reverend PatrickJoseph White.

Elections; absentee voting; verification by social security number or unique identifier in lieu of witness signature. Requires the State Board of Elections to promulgate regulations for providing a unique identifier to any qualified voter who lacks a social security number and provides that such unique identifier can be accepted in place of a social security number for the purposes of voting absentee. The bill makes optional the current absentee ballot witness signature requirement by giving the voter the option to provide the last four digits of the voter's social security number and the voter's date of birth in lieu of a witness signature. The bill clarifies that verification of the required voter affirmation on absentee ballots by the general registrar includes matching any date of birth and last four digits of the social security number or assigned unique identifier provided as part of the voter affirmation against the information in the voter's registration record.

Commending Anna Moir.