SJR21 - Secretariat of Rural Affairs; JLARC to study need for and feasibility of creating position.

2 Co-Sponsors

Study; JLARC; creation of Secretariat of Rural Study; JLARC; creation of Secretariat of Rural Affairs; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the need for and feasibility of creating a Secretariat of Rural Affairs in the Commonwealth.

SB569 - Crisis receiving centers and crisis stabilization units; use of seclusion, report.

1 Co-Sponsor

State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; regulations; crisis receiving centers; appropriate and safe use of seclusion; work group; report. Directs the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to amend its regulations to ensure that its licensing and human rights regulations support high-quality crisis services, including by authorizing the appropriate and safe use of seclusion in crisis receiving centers and crisis stabilization units. The bill exempts the Board's initial adoption of such regulations from the provisions of the Administrative Process Act. The bill also directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to convene a work group to propose additional regulations to allow for the use of (i) evidence-based and recovery-oriented seclusion and restraint practices and (ii) alternative behavior management practices that may limit or replace the use of seclusion and restraint in hospitals, residential programs, and licensed facilities. The bill requires the Department to submit a report of its findings, recommendations, and proposed regulations to the General Assembly by November 1, 2025. State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; regulations; crisis receiving centers; appropriate and safe use of seclusion; work group; report. Directs the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to amend its regulations to ensure that its licensing and human rights regulations support high-quality crisis services, including by authorizing the appropriate and safe use of seclusion in crisis receiving centers and crisis stabilization units. The bill exempts the Board's initial adoption of such regulations from the provisions of the Administrative Process Act. The bill also directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to convene a work group to propose additional regulations to allow for the use of (i) evidence-based and recovery-oriented seclusion and restraint practices and (ii) alternative behavior management practices that may limit or replace the use of seclusion and restraint in hospitals, residential programs, and licensed facilities. The bill requires the Department to submit a report of its findings, recommendations, and proposed regulations to the General Assembly by November 1, 2025.

SR15 - Nominating a person to be elected to the Court of Appeals of Virginia.

1 Co-Sponsor

SJR164 - Commending Citizens Bank & Trust Company.

1 Co-Sponsor

SB272 - Public school funding; ratios of instructional positions to English language learner students.

2 Co-Sponsors

Public school staffing ratios; teachers; English language learner students. Requires state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act to support ratios of instructional positions to English language learner students based on each such student's English proficiency level, as established in the general appropriation act.

SB504 - Police and court records; expungement, term "otherwise dismissed."

2 Co-Sponsors

Expungement of police and court records. Provides that, for the purposes of expungement of police and court records, the term "otherwise dismissed" means to render a legal action out of consideration in a different way or manner than a nolle prosequi or formal dismissal by the trial court. The bill specifies that the term "otherwise dismissed" also includes those circumstances when a person is charged with the commission of a crime, a civil offense, or any offense defined in relevant law and the initial charge is reduced or amended to another offense, including a lesser included offense or the same offense with a lesser gradient of punishment, so that such person is not convicted of the initial charge and may file a petition requesting expungement of the police and court records relating to the initial charge. Under the bill, unless the subject of the criminal record requests otherwise, any person who files an appeal of a petition for an expungement that was denied shall be allowed to proceed under a pseudonym, and such designation shall apply in the trial court and on any appeal. The bill also allows for the expungement of any emergency or preliminary protective order that was attached or factually related to an expunged charge or offense, provided that a permanent protective order was not ordered as a result of such emergency or preliminary protective order. The bill also provides that if a court finds that the continued existence and possible dissemination of information relating to an arrest may cause circumstances that constitute manifest injustice, including any hindrance to obtain employment, an education, or credit, it shall enter an order requiring the expungement of the police and court records. Under current law, a court shall enter an order of expungement when information relating to an arrest causes or may cause circumstances that constitute a manifest injustice to the petitioner. The bill requires a business screening service, defined in the bill, to destroy all expunged records, as defined in the bill, and to follow reasonable procedures to ensure that it does not maintain or sell expunged records. The bill also provides that an indigent person may file a petition for expungement without the payment of fees and costs and can request court-appointed counsel, who shall be paid from the Sealing Fee Fund. Except for the provisions regarding the filing of an appeal under a pseudonym and the circumstances that constitute manifest injustice, the bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026. Expungement of police and court records. Provides that, for the purposes of expungement of police and court records, the term "otherwise dismissed" means to render a legal action out of consideration in a different way or manner than a nolle prosequi or formal dismissal by the trial court. The bill specifies that the term "otherwise dismissed" also includes those circumstances when a person is charged with the commission of a crime, a civil offense, or any offense defined in relevant law and the initial charge is reduced or amended to another offense, including a lesser included offense or the same offense with a lesser gradient of punishment, so that such person is not convicted of the initial charge and may file a petition requesting expungement of the police and court records relating to the initial charge. Under the bill, unless the subject of the criminal record requests otherwise, any person who files an appeal of a petition for an expungement that was denied shall be allowed to proceed under a pseudonym, and such designation shall apply in the trial court and on any appeal. The bill also allows for the expungement of any emergency or preliminary protective order that was attached or factually related to an expunged charge or offense, provided that a permanent protective order was not ordered as a result of such emergency or preliminary protective order. The bill also provides that if a court finds that the continued existence and possible dissemination of information relating to an arrest may cause circumstances that constitute manifest injustice, including any hindrance to obtain employment, an education, or credit, it shall enter an order requiring the expungement of the police and court records. Under current law, a court shall enter an order of expungement when information relating to an arrest causes or may cause circumstances that constitute a manifest injustice to the petitioner. The bill requires a business screening service, defined in the bill, to destroy all expunged records, as defined in the bill, and to follow reasonable procedures to ensure that it does not maintain or sell expunged records. The bill also provides that an indigent person may file a petition for expungement without the payment of fees and costs and can request court-appointed counsel, who shall be paid from the Sealing Fee Fund. Except for the provisions regarding the filing of an appeal under a pseudonym and the circumstances that constitute manifest injustice, the bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.

SB484 - Public schools; youth and community violence prevention.

2 Co-Sponsors

Public schools; certain local school divisions; youth and community violence prevention; Community Builders Pilot Program established; report. Establishes the Community Builders Pilot Program for the purpose of reducing youth involvement in behaviors that lead to gun violence and increasing community engagement among public school students by providing to students who are entering the eighth grade and enrolled in Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools opportunities during the school year after regular school hours and during the summer months for community engagement, workforce development, postsecondary education exploration, and social-emotional education and development. The bill provides that the school boards of Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools shall be responsible for the administration of the Program and are directed to collect data and report to the Governor and relevant committees of the General Assembly by November 1 of each year on the progress of the Program. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2027.

SB380 - School board policies; alternative educational opportunities.

1 Co-Sponsor

School board policies; alternative educational opportunities. Requires each school board to create a process allowing a qualified student, as defined in the bill, to access funding set aside for alternative educational opportunities, as defined in the bill. The bill provides that the school boards must also determine if an alternative educational program qualifies as a means to earn class credit or satisfy a graduation requirement.

SB533 - Education Excellence for All Program; established, report.

1 Co-Sponsor

Education Excellence for All Program established. Permits the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill, to apply for a one-year, renewable Education Excellence for All Savings Account, defined in the bill, that consists of an amount that is equivalent to a certain percentage of all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the school division in which the qualified student resides, including the per pupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and any per pupil share of state special education funding for which the qualified student is eligible. The bill permits the parent of the qualified student to use the moneys in such account for certain qualified expenses of the qualified student, including tuition, deposits, fees, and required textbooks at a private elementary school or secondary school that is located in the Commonwealth. The bill also contains provisions relating to program and account administration by the Department of the Treasury and a third party that serves as program administrator pursuant to a contract with the Department.

SB266 - Animal control officers; additional training.

3 Co-Sponsors

Animal control officers; additional training. Increases the number of hours of required additional training in animal control and protection from 15 to 24 every three years for all animal control officers and deputy animal control officers employed by a locality.

SJR136 - Commending Jethro H. Piland, III.

1 Co-Sponsor

Commending Jethro H. Piland III.

SB467 - Foster care; diversionary placements, alternative living arrangements.

1 Co-Sponsor

Foster care; diversionary placements; alternative living arrangements. Allows a birth parent to identify an ALA caregiver, defined in the bill, with whom the birth parent would like to place his child in an alternative living arrangement, defined in the bill. The bill establishes background checks for potential ALA caregivers, establishes legal custody of the child by ALA caregivers, requires safety and welfare checks for children in alternative living arrangements, and requires local boards of social services to create an exit plan for reunification of the child and the birth parent or, if such reunification is not viable, for permanent placement of the child in an alternative living arrangement.

SJR26 - Drugs; JLARC to study scope and cost of penalizing possession as a felony.

1 Co-Sponsor

Study; JLARC; scope and cost of penalizing possession Study; JLARC; scope and cost of penalizing possession of drugs as a felony. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the scope and cost of the current laws in the Commonwealth penalizing possession of drugs as a felony.

SB622 - Virginia Retirement System; additional service credit for certain teachers and school bus drivers.

1 Co-Sponsor

Virginia Retirement System; additional service credit. Allows an individual who serves concurrently as a full-time primary or secondary school teacher and as a full-time school bus driver to receive additional service credit in the Virginia Retirement System for providing such services. The bill specifies that the amount of credit allowable shall be equivalent to the amount of credit that the individual would earn if he were employed only as a full-time school bus driver.

SJR31 - Governor; confirming appointments.

1 Co-Sponsor

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