SJR111 - Commending Simpson Development Company, Inc.

1 Co-Sponsor

SR154 - Celebrating the life of Danny Edward Castle.

1 Co-Sponsor

SR28 - Celebrating the life of James Curtis Gillespie.

1 Co-Sponsor

SB683 - Family and Children's Trust Fund; modifies membership, powers and duties.

1 Co-Sponsor

Family and Children's Trust Fund; membership; powers and duties; counsel. Modifies the membership provisions of the Board of Trustees of the Family and Children's Trust Fund by (i) changing the ratio of appointed members such that the Governor appoints six, the Speaker of the House appoints five, and the Senate Committee on Rules appoints four; (ii) designating the Commissioner of Social Services or his designee as an ex officio member with nonvoting privileges; (iii) allowing Board members to be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties; and (iv) providing that the remainder of any term to which a member is appointed to fill a vacancy other than by expiration of term shall not constitute a term in determining the member's eligibility for reappointment with respect to the prohibition on members serving more than two successive terms. Under current law, the Commissioner is designated as a permanent member of the Board. The bill authorizes the Board to establish a nonprofit organization to assist in the details of administering its affairs and in raising funds and provides that legal services for the Board shall be provided by the Attorney General. Family and Children's Trust Fund; membership; powers and duties; counsel. Modifies the membership provisions of the Board of Trustees of the Family and Children's Trust Fund by (i) changing the ratio of appointed members such that the Governor appoints six, the Speaker of the House appoints five, and the Senate Committee on Rules appoints four; (ii) designating the Commissioner of Social Services or his designee as an ex officio member with nonvoting privileges; (iii) allowing Board members to be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties; and (iv) providing that the remainder of any term to which a member is appointed to fill a vacancy other than by expiration of term shall not constitute a term in determining the member's eligibility for reappointment with respect to the prohibition on members serving more than two successive terms. Under current law, the Commissioner is designated as a permanent member of the Board. The bill authorizes the Board to establish a nonprofit organization to assist in the details of administering its affairs and in raising funds and provides that legal services for the Board shall be provided by the Attorney General.

SB515 - Weapons; carrying into hospital that provides mental health services.

1 Co-Sponsor

Weapons; possession or transportation; hospital that provides mental health services or developmental services; penalty. Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly possess in or transport into the building of any hospital that provides mental health services or developmental services in the Commonwealth, including an emergency department or other facility rendering emergency medical care, any (i) firearm or other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile or projectile of any kind; (ii) knife, except a pocket knife having a folding metal blade of less than three inches; or (iii) other dangerous weapon, including explosives and stun weapons. The bill also provides that notice of such prohibitions shall be posted conspicuously at the public entrance of any hospital and no person shall be convicted of the offense if such notice is not posted, unless such person had actual notice of the prohibitions. The bill provides that any such firearm, knife, explosive, or weapon shall be subject to seizure by a law-enforcement officer and forfeited to the Commonwealth and specifies exceptions to the prohibition.

SR63 - Commending I.C. Norcom High School.

1 Co-Sponsor

SR45 - Commending the Radford High School football team.

1 Co-Sponsor

SB549 - Travel expenses; local officials.

3 Co-Sponsors

Travel expenses; local officials. Provides that any travel expense of a local official, as defined in the bill, to be paid from public funds, as defined in the bill, that is anticipated to exceed $5,000 shall be subject to approval in advance by a vote of the local governing body in an open meeting. The bill specifies that if the final travel expense exceeds the previously approved amount, such expense shall be reported to the governing body and noted in the meeting agenda or meeting minutes within 60 days of the determination. The bill requires a local official to repay to the locality any travel expense that the governing body determines such local official misappropriated within 10 days and to furnish a copy of any receipts for such expense at the next public meeting. The bill allows a locality to adopt more stringent standards for local officials' travel expenses. Travel expenses; local officials. Provides that any travel expense of a local official, as defined in the bill, to be paid from public funds, as defined in the bill, that is anticipated to exceed $5,000 shall be subject to approval in advance by a vote of the local governing body in an open meeting. The bill specifies that if the final travel expense exceeds the previously approved amount, such expense shall be reported to the governing body and noted in the meeting agenda or meeting minutes within 60 days of the determination. The bill requires a local official to repay to the locality any travel expense that the governing body determines such local official misappropriated within 10 days and to furnish a copy of any receipts for such expense at the next public meeting. The bill allows a locality to adopt more stringent standards for local officials' travel expenses.

SB159 - Higher Education for Virginia, State Council of; membership, effective date.

1 Co-Sponsor

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; membership. Requires the membership of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to include at least one nonlegislative citizen member who has served as a chief executive officer of an accredited nonprofit private institution of higher education whose primary purpose is to provide collegiate, graduate, or professional education and not to provide religious training or theological education. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026, and is identical to

SB131 - Primary elections; candidates for nomination, withdrawal of candidacy.

2 Co-Sponsors

Primary elections; candidates for nomination; withdrawal of candidacy resulting in unopposed primary; primary cancellation and nomination procedure. Provides that if a person who is a candidate for nomination by a political party at a primary election and who appears on the ballot for such election withdraws his candidacy on or after the forty-fourth day before but prior to the Tuesday immediately preceding the primary election, and the result of such withdrawal is one remaining candidate who is now unopposed, the remaining candidate will be declared the party's nominee for the office sought and the primary election will be canceled. The bill requires the notice of withdrawal to be signed and notarized and to be submitted to the general registrar, who then transmits it to the local electoral board and the State Board of Elections along with a certification that the remaining candidate is now unopposed for nomination. The State Board is required to declare the remaining candidate to be the nominee within one calendar day of receiving such notice, and the local electoral board is then required to petition the circuit court for the cancellation of the primary election. Finally, the bill directs the State Board to prescribe procedures for canceling a primary election, including instructions for locking and securing voting systems, disposition of marked and unmarked absentee ballots, and voter notification. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

SJR77 - Celebrating the life of Leri Melissa Thomas.

4 Co-Sponsors

SJR30 - Commending Debra Hamilton Farley, Ph.D.

1 Co-Sponsor

SR621 - Celebrating the life of Stewart Hamilton Gamage.

7 Co-Sponsors

SR616 - Commending the Brentsville District High School girls' soccer team.

2 Co-Sponsors

SR171 - Celebrating the life of Jasmin Sadé Thomas.

2 Co-Sponsors

Celebrating the life of Jasmin Sad&eacute Thomas.