Public elementary and secondary schools and public school-based early childhood care and education programs; student instruction; masks; emergency. Requires, except in the case of the 10 unscheduled remote learning days otherwise permitted by law or in certain cases of student discipline, each school board to offer in-person instruction, as defined in the bill, to each student enrolled in the local school division in a public elementary or secondary school for at least the minimum number of required annual instructional hours and to each student enrolled in the local school division in a public school-based early childhood care and education program for the entirety of the instructional time provided pursuant to such program. The bill permits, notwithstanding any other provision of law or any regulation, rule, or policy implemented by a school board, school division, school official, or other state or local authority, the parent of any child enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school, or in any school-based early childhood care and education program, to elect for such child to not wear a mask while on school property. The bill provides that no parent making such an election shall be required to provide a reason or any certification of the child's health or education status and no student shall suffer any adverse disciplinary or academic consequences as a result of this parental election. The bill requires each local school division to comply with the foregoing provisions relating to masks no later than March 1, 2022. The bill clarifies that none of the foregoing provisions shall be construed to affect the authority granted to the Governor to achieve the purposes of relevant emergency services and disaster law with regard to a communicable disease of public health threat. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Sponsored bills
United States Constitution; application fora convention of the states. Makes application to Congress tocall a convention of the states to propose amendments to the UnitedStates Constitution that impose fiscal restraints on the federalgovernment, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government,and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.
Commending Jesse Waltz.
Commending the Honorable H. Jan Roltsch-Anoll.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable HarryRussell Potts, Jr.
Commending health care workers in Virginia.
Commending Rita Carter Forrester.
Department of Health; Statewide Telehealth Plan;emergency services coordination. Directs the Department of Healthto amend the Statewide Telehealth Plan to require health care providersproviding telehealth services to directly contact and coordinatewith emergency services in accordance with the standard of care thatis appropriate to the patient's situation and to the services renderedduring the telehealth visit.
Powers of State Health Commissioner in epidemic;vaccine; religious tenets or practices. Allows a parent or guardianto object to the vaccination or immunization of a child on the groundsthat the administration of immunizing agents conflicts with his religioustenets or practices, even if an emergency or epidemic of diseasehas been declared by the State Board of Health, which is not allowedunder current law. The bill also provides that nothing shall precludethe State Health Commissioner from requiring immediate immunizationof all persons in the case of an epidemic of any disease of publichealth importance for which a vaccine exists other than a person,including a parent or guardian on behalf of a child, who objectson the grounds that the administration of the vaccine conflicts withhis religious tenets or practices. Under current law, the only exceptionto the Commissioner's power to require immediate immunization of all persons in case of an epidemic of any disease of public health importancefor which a vaccine exists is for a person to whose health the administrationof a vaccine would be detrimental as certified in writing by a physicianlicensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth.
Income tax; military benefits subtraction; emergency. Establishes an income tax subtraction for up to $20,000 of militarybenefits in taxable year 2021, up to $30,000 in taxable year 2022,and up to $40,000 in taxable year 2023 and each year thereafter.The bill defines military benefits to include military retirementincome and benefits paid to the surviving spouse of a veteran. The bill contains an emergency clause.