SR627 - Celebrating the life of Colonel Frank Salimbene, USA, Ret.

1 Co-Sponsor

SJR32 - Governor; confirming appointments.

1 Co-Sponsor

Confirming Governor's appointments; August 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly August 1, 2023. Confirming Governor's appointments; August 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly August 1, 2023.

SJR243 - Commending the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System.

3 Co-Sponsors

SJR33 - Governor; confirming appointments.

1 Co-Sponsor

Confirming Governor's appointments; October 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly October 1, 2023. Confirming Governor's appointments; October 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly October 1, 2023.

SR116 - Celebrating the life of Richard E. Lyons.

1 Co-Sponsor

SB318 - Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program; established, report.

1 Co-Sponsor

Public institutions of higher education; Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program established; report. Establishes the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program to address student food insecurity at public institutions of higher education. The bill provides that the Program shall be managed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and available for participation by public institutions of higher education; however, participation in the Program shall be optional for such institutions. Under the bill, if a public institution of higher education satisfies certain criteria set out in the bill, including creating initiatives on campus to address student food insecurity, it shall be designated as a "Hunger-Free Campus" and the Council shall award a grant to such institution. A public institution of higher education that receives a grant under the bill shall utilize the funds to support on-campus efforts and initiatives to eliminate student food insecurity at such institution. The bill requires the Council to submit a report to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education no later than two years after the establishment of the Program. Public institutions of higher education; Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program established; report. Establishes the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program to address student food insecurity at public institutions of higher education. The bill provides that the Program shall be managed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and available for participation by public institutions of higher education; however, participation in the Program shall be optional for such institutions. Under the bill, if a public institution of higher education satisfies certain criteria set out in the bill, including creating initiatives on campus to address student food insecurity, it shall be designated as a "Hunger-Free Campus" and the Council shall award a grant to such institution. A public institution of higher education that receives a grant under the bill shall utilize the funds to support on-campus efforts and initiatives to eliminate student food insecurity at such institution. The bill requires the Council to submit a report to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education no later than two years after the establishment of the Program.

SB287 - Comprehensive community colleges; authority to offer and confer certain baccalaureate degrees.

1 Co-Sponsor

Comprehensive community colleges; authority to offer and confer certain baccalaureate degrees. Authorizes the State Board for Community Colleges, subject to approval and certification by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia of a proposal submitted for such purpose, to establish an upper division of any comprehensive community college consisting of the third and fourth years of baccalaureate degree programs that lead to occupations in a high-demand field and confer baccalaureate degrees in such degree programs. The bill requires any proposal submitted to the Council for such purpose to include (i) the information required for application for Council certification pursuant to relevant law; (ii) any information necessary to establish that the applicable comprehensive community college meets the requirements for Council certification and accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; (iii) the specific baccalaureate degree programs the State Board is seeking approval to offer at the applicable comprehensive community college and information to establish that such baccalaureate degree programs lead to occupations in a field that meets the criteria of a high-demand field, as set forth in the bill; and (iv) any other information that the Council deems necessary. Comprehensive community colleges; authority to offer and confer certain baccalaureate degrees. Authorizes the State Board for Community Colleges, subject to approval and certification by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia of a proposal submitted for such purpose, to establish an upper division of any comprehensive community college consisting of the third and fourth years of baccalaureate degree programs that lead to occupations in a high-demand field and confer baccalaureate degrees in such degree programs. The bill requires any proposal submitted to the Council for such purpose to include (i) the information required for application for Council certification pursuant to relevant law; (ii) any information necessary to establish that the applicable comprehensive community college meets the requirements for Council certification and accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; (iii) the specific baccalaureate degree programs the State Board is seeking approval to offer at the applicable comprehensive community college and information to establish that such baccalaureate degree programs lead to occupations in a field that meets the criteria of a high-demand field, as set forth in the bill; and (iv) any other information that the Council deems necessary.

SJR219 - Celebrating the life of Claude Nelson Smith.

1 Co-Sponsor

SB227 - Public school funding; places several parameters on SOQ funding calculations performed by DOE.

2 Co-Sponsors

Public school funding; certain calculations; certain support services positions; programs for at-risk students. Places several parameters on Standards of Quality funding calculations performed by the Department of Education, including (i) requiring the Department, when calculating the cost of salaries under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include facilities staff and transportation staff salaries in the calculation of any cost of competing adjustment to salaries for instructional and support positions that is provided as part of the state share of basic aid pursuant to the general appropriation act; (ii) requiring the Department, when estimating the cost of any compensation supplement for instructional and support positions under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include and estimate the cost of such a compensation supplement for facilities staff; (iii) prohibiting the Department from applying any cap on inflation rate adjustments to non-personal cost categories during the biennial process of rebenchmarking the direct aid to public education budget; and (iv) requiring the Department to utilize a three-year average of the most recently available data to calculate the composite index of local ability-to-pay for each school division. The bill also amends Standard of Quality 2 by (a) including in the definition of "support services position" any central office clerical position that is not otherwise set forth in such definition, (b) requiring a per-pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on to be provided for English language learner and special education students, (c) requiring, in addition to the positions supported by basic aid, state funding, pursuant to the general appropriation act, to be provided to cover the actual average school division cost to educate children with disabilities, and (d) establishing the At-Risk Program, defined in the bill as any state funding provided for programs of prevention, intervention, or remediation or pursuant to the at-risk add-on for the purpose of supporting programs for students who are educationally at risk. The bill requires (1) the determination of the amount of state funding for which a school division is eligible pursuant to such At-Risk Program to be based on the school division's identified student percentage, defined in the bill as the fraction, expressed as a percentage, that results from dividing the number of identified students enrolled in a school division by the total number of students enrolled in such school division, weighted by the factor of 1.5, and then adjusted by the addition of a percentage that corrects for undercounting English language learner students as identified students and (2) such funding to be distributed as follows: 60 percent on a flat per-student rate and 40 percent on a variable rate set out in the general appropriation act based on the concentration of poverty in the school division.

SB625 - Deferred or installment payment agreements; exempt from payments if sole income is Social Security.

2 Co-Sponsors

Deferred or installment payment agreements; certain benefits. Provides that in any case in which a defendant owes fines and costs and where such defendant's sole financial resource is a Social Security benefit or Supplemental Security Income, such defendant shall be exempt from making payments until he has another source of income and, if such defendant notifies the court that his sole financial resource is a Social Security benefit or Supplemental Security Income, the case shall not be referred to collections. The bill also prohibits a Social Security benefit or Supplemental Security Income from being considered an available resource in determining the length of time to pay under a deferred, modified deferred, or installment payment agreement and the amount of payments, if any.

SB508 - Renewable energy portfolio standard; geothermal heating and cooling systems.

1 Co-Sponsor

Renewable energy portfolio standard; geothermal heating and cooling systems; report. Provides that geothermal heating and cooling systems, as defined in the bill, located in the Commonwealth are eligible for compliance with renewable energy portfolio standard requirements. The bill also requires the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) to convene a stakeholder work group to examine the feasibility of establishing renewable energy portfolio standard program (RPS program) requirements that require each Phase I and Phase II Utility to procure and retire renewable energy certificates (RECs) from geothermal heating and cooling systems placed in service after August 16, 2022, as a percentage of the number of RECs used for RPS program compliance. The work group shall include representatives from the geothermal industry, Phase I and Phase II Utilities, the Department of Energy, environmental advocacy organizations, environmental justice organizations, consumer advocates, and other interested stakeholders. The Commission is required to report the findings and recommendations of the work group to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, the House Committee on Labor and Commerce, and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation no later than December 1, 2024. Portions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025. Renewable energy portfolio standard; geothermal heating and cooling systems; report. Provides that geothermal heating and cooling systems, as defined in the bill, located in the Commonwealth are eligible for compliance with renewable energy portfolio standard requirements. The bill also requires the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) to convene a stakeholder work group to examine the feasibility of establishing renewable energy portfolio standard program (RPS program) requirements that require each Phase I and Phase II Utility to procure and retire renewable energy certificates (RECs) from geothermal heating and cooling systems placed in service after August 16, 2022, as a percentage of the number of RECs used for RPS program compliance. The work group shall include representatives from the geothermal industry, Phase I and Phase II Utilities, the Department of Energy, environmental advocacy organizations, environmental justice organizations, consumer advocates, and other interested stakeholders. The Commission is required to report the findings and recommendations of the work group to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, the House Committee on Labor and Commerce, and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation no later than December 1, 2024. Portions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

SJR218 - Celebrating the life of Emily Beer.

20 Co-Sponsors

SR119 - Commending the 2024 House-Senate basketball game to benefit Massey Cancer Center.

39 Co-Sponsors

The annual House Senate Basketball Game.

SB695 - Virginia Crime Commission; surveillance technology, report.

3 Co-Sponsors

Virginia Crime Commission; surveillance technology; report. Adds to the powers and duties of the Virginia Crime Commission (the Commission) the power to conduct an annual study on surveillance technology, defined in the bill, utilized by local and state law-enforcement agencies throughout the Commonwealth, including (i) the technology's potential impact on privacy rights and civil liberties, with particular attention to potential disparate impacts on different communities and populations; (ii) the technology's effectiveness for law or regulatory enforcement purposes, and the likelihood that evidence collected through such technology will be considered inadmissible in a court of competent jurisdiction; (iii) the potential for the misuse of the technology or any data that is collected through the use of such technology and safeguards to prevent such misuse; (iv) existing laws and regulations governing the technology and whether additional legislation is necessary to regulate its use; and (v) any recommendation as to whether technology utilized by a locality should be implemented throughout the Commonwealth. The bill provides that the Commission shall submit a report of its findings to the Chairmen of the House Committee for Courts of Justice, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and the Governor within six months of beginning the study and shall make such report available to the public on the website of the Commission.

SR159 - Commending Muhammad Mosque No. 57.

1 Co-Sponsor