SB27 - Public School Trades Incentive Fund and Program; created and established.

1 Co-Sponsor

Public School Trades Incentive Fund and Program; established. Establishes the Public School Trades Incentive Fund (the Fund) and the Public School Trades Incentive Program (the Program) for the purpose of providing grants on a competitive basis from the Fund to any school board that seeks to (i) restore high school programs that teach students skilled trades that lead to earning industry-recognized certifications or credentials or (ii) create or restore middle school programs that encourage and recruit students to participate in high school programs that teach students skilled trades that lead to earning industry-recognized certifications or credentials. The bill requires the Department of Education to administer the Program and to establish such rules and procedures relating to applications and awards as it deems appropriate, provided that the Department considers and gives appropriate weight to certain criteria for grantees. The bill requires any grantee to use Program funds only for equipment.

SB607 - Pharmacy outsourcing and pharmacy technician remote database access; regulations.

1 Co-Sponsor

Board of Pharmacy; regulations related to pharmacy outsourcing and pharmacy technician remote database access. Directs the Board of Pharmacy to promulgate regulations related to pharmacy outsourcing and pharmacy technician remote database access. The bill directs the Board to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. Board of Pharmacy; regulations related to pharmacy outsourcing and pharmacy technician remote database access. Directs the Board of Pharmacy to promulgate regulations related to pharmacy outsourcing and pharmacy technician remote database access. The bill directs the Board to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.

SB162 - Kinship as Foster Care Prevention Program; established, placement of children with relatives.

1 Co-Sponsor

Kinship as Foster Care Prevention Program established. Establishes the Kinship as Foster Care Prevention Program to promote and support placements of children with relatives by local boards of social services in order to avoid foster care. The bill provides that a child is eligible to participate in the Program if the local board determines that (i) the child is at imminent risk of being removed from his home and a preliminary protective order is insufficient to address the child's immediate safety concerns and (ii) the child's parent or guardian consents to the placement of the child with a relative pursuant to an agreement with the local board developed in accordance with the provisions of the bill.

SB252 - Consumer Data Protection Act; controller privacy notice, consumer consent.

1 Co-Sponsor

Consumer Data Protection Act; controller privacy notice; cookies; consumer consent. Requires the privacy notice that a controller must provide to consumers to include a method by which a consumer may opt out of the automatic placement of a data file, commonly referred to as a "cookie," on the consumer's computer or web browser and a disclosure of the purposes for which the data files are used. The bill prohibits controllers from using cookies, except those that are strictly necessary, without the prior express consent of the consumer and prohibits controllers from preventing access to their services if such consent is not granted. The bill also requires controllers to document and store proof of such consent and make available an easily accessible method by which consumers may withdraw such consent.

SJR172 - Commending United We Light: Project Guatemala.

8 Co-Sponsors

SB36 - Virginia Freedom of Information Act; amends definition of meeting, provisions of Act.

1 Co-Sponsor

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definitions of meetings and public business. Exempts certain public meetings from the definition of "meeting" under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to clarify that three or more members of a public body may appear and participate in such public meeting without violating the Act, provided that no public business is transacted or discussed. The bill also exempts members of a public body who attend a public meeting of a second public body without violating the Act, provided that no public business is transacted or discussed. Finally, the bill defines "public business" as activity that a public body has undertaken or proposed to undertake on behalf of the people it represents. The bill states that its provisions are declarative of existing law.

SB34 - Temporary detention; certified evaluators, report.

1 Co-Sponsor

Temporary detention; certified evaluators; report. Authorizes hospitals with a psychiatric emergency department located in the City of Hampton to employ certain trained individuals to perform evaluations to determine whether a person meets the criteria for temporary detention for behavioral health treatment. The bill requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to annually report the length of time between when a person who is the subject of an emergency custody order arrives at the psychiatric emergency department of a participating hospital and when the temporary detention order evaluation is completed and (ii) the number of (a) admissions, (b) psychiatric emergency department visits, (c) temporary detention order evaluations completed, (d) temporary detention orders executed, (e) individuals under temporary detention admitted to the participating hospital, and (f) individuals transferred from the psychiatric emergency department of the participating hospital to a state facility to the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Behavioral Health Commission. The bill requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to report monthly to the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services the number of (a) crisis evaluations conducted each month; (b) temporary detention orders executed as a result of such evaluations and the percentage of evaluations such temporary detention orders represent; (c) reportable events associated with such temporary detention orders and the percentage of temporary detention orders that such reportable events represent; (d) certain reportable events; and (e) other events. The bill requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to submit by October 1, 2026, to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health and Human Services an evaluation of the overall effectiveness of certified evaluators conducting temporary detention order evaluations pursuant to the bill. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2026. Temporary detention; certified evaluators; report. Authorizes hospitals with a psychiatric emergency department located in the City of Hampton to employ certain trained individuals to perform evaluations to determine whether a person meets the criteria for temporary detention for behavioral health treatment. The bill requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to annually report the length of time between when a person who is the subject of an emergency custody order arrives at the psychiatric emergency department of a participating hospital and when the temporary detention order evaluation is completed and (ii) the number of (a) admissions, (b) psychiatric emergency department visits, (c) temporary detention order evaluations completed, (d) temporary detention orders executed, (e) individuals under temporary detention admitted to the participating hospital, and (f) individuals transferred from the psychiatric emergency department of the participating hospital to a state facility to the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Behavioral Health Commission. The bill requires participating hospitals with psychiatric emergency departments in the City of Hampton to report monthly to the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services the number of (a) crisis evaluations conducted each month; (b) temporary detention orders executed as a result of such evaluations and the percentage of evaluations such temporary detention orders represent; (c) reportable events associated with such temporary detention orders and the percentage of temporary detention orders that such reportable events represent; (d) certain reportable events; and (e) other events. The bill requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to submit by October 1, 2026, to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health and Human Services an evaluation of the overall effectiveness of certified evaluators conducting temporary detention order evaluations pursuant to the bill. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2026.

SJR76 - Commending Travis G. Hill.

14 Co-Sponsors

SB22 - Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact; authorizes VA to become a signatory to the Compact.

1 Co-Sponsor

Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. The Compact increases public access to dental services by permitting eligible licensed dentists and dental hygienists to practice in Compact participating states, provided that they are licensed in at least one participating state. The Compact has been passed in three states and takes effect when it is enacted by a seventh participating state or upon the effective date of the bill, whichever is later.

SB675 - Casino gaming; eligible host localities.

1 Co-Sponsor

Casino gaming; eligible host localities. Adds Fairfax County to the list of localities eligible to host a casino in the Commonwealth and provides that any proposed site for a casino gaming establishment considered by Fairfax County shall be (i) located within one-quarter of a mile of an existing station on the Metro Silver Line, (ii) part of a coordinated mixed-use project development, (iii) outside of the Dulles airport flight path, (iv) within two miles of a major shopping destination containing not less than 1.5 million square feet of gross building area, and (v) outside of the Interstate 495 Beltway. The bill also requires an eligible host locality in selecting a preferred casino gaming operator to consider and give substantial weight to the proposer's history of or commitment to (a) paying or contracting for the payment of prevailing wages to those individuals providing construction labor during the initial construction of the casino gaming establishment and any hospitality facilities on the premises, and (b) entering into labor peace agreements with labor organizations that are actively engaged in representing or seeking to represent employees in the gaming or hospitality industries in the Commonwealth. The bill also requires an eligible host locality to provide with its submission of its preferred casino gaming operator to the Virginia Lottery an executed agreement with its preferred casino gaming operator certifying that such casino gaming operator and any subcontractor or sublessee responsible for the performance of casino gaming or hospitality operations at the proposed casino gaming establishment will enter into a labor peace agreement with each labor organization actively engaged in representing or seeking to represent employees in the gaming or hospitality industries in the Commonwealth that requests such labor peace agreement, and evidence of all such signed labor peace agreements. Casino gaming; eligible host localities. Adds Fairfax County to the list of localities eligible to host a casino in the Commonwealth and provides that any proposed site for a casino gaming establishment considered by Fairfax County shall be (i) located within one-quarter of a mile of an existing station on the Metro Silver Line, (ii) part of a coordinated mixed-use project development, (iii) outside of the Dulles airport flight path, (iv) within two miles of a major shopping destination containing not less than 1.5 million square feet of gross building area, and (v) outside of the Interstate 495 Beltway. The bill also requires an eligible host locality in selecting a preferred casino gaming operator to consider and give substantial weight to the proposer's history of or commitment to (a) paying or contracting for the payment of prevailing wages to those individuals providing construction labor during the initial construction of the casino gaming establishment and any hospitality facilities on the premises, and (b) entering into labor peace agreements with labor organizations that are actively engaged in representing or seeking to represent employees in the gaming or hospitality industries in the Commonwealth. The bill also requires an eligible host locality to provide with its submission of its preferred casino gaming operator to the Virginia Lottery an executed agreement with its preferred casino gaming operator certifying that such casino gaming operator and any subcontractor or sublessee responsible for the performance of casino gaming or hospitality operations at the proposed casino gaming establishment will enter into a labor peace agreement with each labor organization actively engaged in representing or seeking to represent employees in the gaming or hospitality industries in the Commonwealth that requests such labor peace agreement, and evidence of all such signed labor peace agreements.

SB91 - Paid sick leave; home health workers providing agency-directed services.

2 Co-Sponsors

Paid sick leave; home health workers providing agency-directed services. Requires employers to provide paid sick leave to home health workers who provide agency-directed services. Under current law, employers are only required to provide paid sick leave to home health workers who provide consumer-directed services. The bill provides that "employer" includes the Commonwealth, any of its agencies, institutions, or political subdivisions, and any public body.

SR84 - Commending the 2024 Inductees to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

3 Co-Sponsors

Commending the 2024 inductees to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

SB53 - State Air Pollution Control Board; motor vehicle emissions standards.

2 Co-Sponsors

State Air Pollution Control Board; motor vehicle emissions standards. Repeals the requirement that the State Air Pollution Control Board implement a low-emissions and zero-emissions vehicle program for motor vehicles with a model year of 2025 and later. The bill prohibits the Board from adopting or enforcing any model year standards related to control of emissions from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines, including low-emission vehicle and zero-emission vehicle standards pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act and prohibits the Commonwealth from requiring any new motor vehicle or new motor vehicle engine to be certified as compliant with model year standards related to the control of emissions adopted by California for which a waiver has been granted pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act.

SB383 - Firearm/explosive material; carrying w/in Capitol Square or bldg. owned or leased by Commonwealth.

5 Co-Sponsors

Carrying a firearm or explosive material within Capitol Square or building owned or leased by the Commonwealth; exemptions; public institutions of higher education; penalty. Limits the exemption from the prohibition on the carrying of any firearm or explosive material within any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or agency thereof or any office where employees of the Commonwealth or any agency thereof are regularly present for the purpose of performing their official duties that currently applies to any property owned or operated by a public institution of higher education to instead apply to any individual within a building owned or operated by a public institution of higher education who possesses a weapon as part of such public institution of higher education's curriculum or activities or as part of any organization authorized by such public institution of higher education to conduct its programs or activities within such building, as such uses are approved through the law-enforcement or public safety unit of such institution.

SB271 - Net energy metering; eligible customer-generators and agricultural customer-generators.

1 Co-Sponsor

Net energy metering; eligible customer-generators and eligible agricultural customer-generators. Provides that no contract, lease, or arrangement by which a third party owns, maintains, or operates an electrical generating facility on an eligible customer-generator's property shall constitute the sale of electricity or cause the customer-generator or the third party to be considered an electric utility by virtue of participating in net energy metering. The bill prohibits an eligible customer-generator or eligible agricultural customer-generator from being required to provide proof of liability insurance or to purchase additional liability insurance as a condition of interconnection. The bill exempts eligible customer-generators and eligible agricultural customer-generators that operate a battery storage device of capacity commensurate with and equal to or greater than that of the electrical generating facility and in conjunction with the electrical generating facility from standby charges. The bill provides that any eligible customer-generator or eligible agricultural customer-generator may participate in demand response, energy efficiency, or peak reduction from dispatch of onsite battery service, provided that the compensation received is in exchange for a distinct service that is not already compensated by net metering credits for electricity exported to the electric distribution system or compensated by any other utility program or tariff.