SB501 - Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund; created.

1 Co-Sponsor

Virginia College Savings Plan; Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund. Directs the board of the Virginia College Savings Plan to deposit $250 million per year of surplus moneys from the Plan's fund into the Virginia College Opportunity Fund, established by the bill. The bill provides that such deposit shall not be made or shall be reduced in any year in which the College Opportunity Investment Advisory Committee determines that certain conditions relating to the Plan's funded status are not met. The Committee is established by the bill as an advisory committee for the Plan, for the purpose of determining the amount of deposits to be made to the Fund. Virginia College Savings Plan; Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund. Directs the board of the Virginia College Savings Plan to deposit $250 million per year of surplus moneys from the Plan's fund into the Virginia College Opportunity Fund, established by the bill. The bill provides that such deposit shall not be made or shall be reduced in any year in which the College Opportunity Investment Advisory Committee determines that certain conditions relating to the Plan's funded status are not met. The Committee is established by the bill as an advisory committee for the Plan, for the purpose of determining the amount of deposits to be made to the Fund. The bill provides that financial management of the Fund is the responsibility of the board of the Plan but authorizes the board of the Virginia College Opportunity Endowment, also established by the bill, to manage a scholarship program funded by the Fund. The bill establishes an individual and corporate income tax subtraction for donations to the Fund. Under the bill, the Endowment provides scholarships to students who attend or plan to attend one of 12 eligible universities named in the bill. The bill provides that only such students who meet the eligibility requirements for a Federal Pell Grant and commit to being employed in Virginia, or being enrolled in postgraduate education in Virginia, for at least eight years after graduation from an eligible university are eligible for such scholarships.

SB704 - Rural Virginia, Center for; renames Center the Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia.

40 Co-Sponsors

Center for Rural Virginia; name change. Renames the Center for Rural Virginia as the Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia.

SB506 - Higher educational institutions, public; duties and powers of governing board.

1 Co-Sponsor

Public institutions of higher education; governing boards; powers and duties; legal counsel; scope of employment. Provides that the governing board of each public institution of higher education shall have authority over the employment of all legal counsel for the institution, including decision-making authority in the commencement or termination of any legal counsel, the employment of outside legal counsel, the oversight and management of any legal counsel, and the appointment of a general counsel to serve as the chief legal officer of the institution. The bill provides that the chief legal officer and the vice president or similarly situated executive officer of such institution shall, under the direction of the governing board of such institution, conduct the legal affairs of and provide legal advice and representation for such institution on any matter that the governing board determines to be in the interest of the institution. The bill clarifies the scope of the involvement of the Attorney General in the legal affairs of public institutions of higher education, providing that the Attorney General may only provide legal service to a public institution of higher education upon request of the governing board of such institution or upon the governing board's decision to delegate all authority in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill permits the governing board of any public institution of higher education with less than 7,500 full-time students to delegate all authority over legal counsel conferred pursuant to the provisions of the bill. The bill also provides that the approval of the Attorney General shall be required for any legal settlement involving consideration in excess of $5 million. The bill also clarifies the duties of the governing board of each public institution of higher education in its collective capacity and of the members of such governing board in their individual capacities. Public institutions of higher education; governing boards; powers and duties; legal counsel; scope of employment. Provides that the governing board of each public institution of higher education shall have authority over the employment of all legal counsel for the institution, including decision-making authority in the commencement or termination of any legal counsel, the employment of outside legal counsel, the oversight and management of any legal counsel, and the appointment of a general counsel to serve as the chief legal officer of the institution. The bill provides that the chief legal officer and the vice president or similarly situated executive officer of such institution shall, under the direction of the governing board of such institution, conduct the legal affairs of and provide legal advice and representation for such institution on any matter that the governing board determines to be in the interest of the institution. The bill clarifies the scope of the involvement of the Attorney General in the legal affairs of public institutions of higher education, providing that the Attorney General may only provide legal service to a public institution of higher education upon request of the governing board of such institution or upon the governing board's decision to delegate all authority in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill permits the governing board of any public institution of higher education with less than 7,500 full-time students to delegate all authority over legal counsel conferred pursuant to the provisions of the bill. The bill also provides that the approval of the Attorney General shall be required for any legal settlement involving consideration in excess of $5 million. The bill also clarifies the duties of the governing board of each public institution of higher education in its collective capacity and of the members of such governing board in their individual capacities.

SB509 - Court of Appeals; appeal of interlocutory orders.

1 Co-Sponsor

Court of Appeals; appeal of interlocutory orders. Provides that certain interlocutory orders shall not be appealable to the Court of Appeals unless the circuit court grants a party's motion to certify such order for interlocutory appeal.

SB2 - Assault firearms & certain ammunition, etc.; purchase, possession, sale, transfer, etc., prohibited.

18 Co-Sponsors

Purchase, sale, transfer, etc., of assault firearms and certain ammunition feeding devices prohibited; penalty. Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, or transfers an assault firearm, as that term is defined in the bill, and prohibits a person who has been convicted of such violation from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm for a period of three years from the date of conviction. The bill provides that an assault firearm does not include any firearm that is an antique firearm, has been rendered permanently inoperable, is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, or was manufactured before July 1, 2024. The bill also prohibits the sale of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, as that term is defined in the bill. The bill provides that any person who willfully and intentionally (i) sells an assault firearm to another person or (ii) purchases an assault firearm from another person is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and that any person who imports, sells, barters, or transfers a large capacity ammunition feeding device is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill also makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person younger than 21 years of age to import, sell, manufacture, purchase, possess, transport, or transfer an assault firearm regardless of the date of manufacture of such assault firearm.

SJR67 - Commending Sandra Gioia Treadway.

40 Co-Sponsors

SB313 - Contractors, Board for; required regulations and disclosures.

2 Co-Sponsors

Board for Contractors; required regulations and disclosures. Board for Contractors; required regulations and disclosures. Requires the Board for Contractors to adopt regulations requiring all Class A, B, and C residential contractors, excluding subcontractors to the contracting parties and those who engage in routine maintenance or service contracts, to use legible written contracts that include certain terms and conditions. The bill directs the Board to require a statement of protections be provided by the contractor to the homeowner, consumer, or buyer in transactions involving door-to-door solicitations or any residential rooftop solar installation. The bill requires the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to review by July 1, 2025, its licensing exam for alternative energy system contracting to ensure such exam includes questions related to the physical installation of alternative energy systems on preexisting structures. The bill also requires the Board for Contractors to create a disclosure form to be provided in any transaction involving a residential rooftop solar installation to include specific disclosures regarding the risks associated with residential rooftop solar installation. Finally, the bill requires the State Corporation Commission to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to develop recommendations for any additional consumer protections regarding the sale, lease, or installation of a solar energy facility with a generating capacity of 25 kilowatts or less and report the work group's recommendations to certain committees of the General Assembly by November 30, 2024.

SB215 - FOIA; removal of Virginia residency requirement for access to certain criminal investigation files.

2 Co-Sponsors

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; removal of Virginia residency requirement for access to certain criminal investigation files. Removes the requirement that persons to whom non-ongoing criminal investigation files shall otherwise be disclosed be citizens of the Commonwealth. Current law limits disclosure of public records to individuals who are citizens of the Commonwealth unless a clear exception applies.

SJR28 - Public transit systems, joint subcommittee to study funding needs.

15 Co-Sponsors

Study; joint subcommittee; funding needs in certain Study; joint subcommittee; funding needs in certain transit systems; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study long-term, sustainable, dedicated funding and cost-containment controls and strategies to ensure the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Virginia Railway Express, and the public transit systems that serve the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission transportation districts meet the growing needs of public transit in the region.

SB729 - Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank; created, report.

1 Co-Sponsor

Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank; established; report. Creates the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank to finance clean energy projects, greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects, and other qualified projects through the strategic deployment of public funds in the form of grants, loans, credit enhancements, and other financing mechanisms. The Bank is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors, consisting of nine nonlegislative citizen members and three ex officio members with voting privileges, who include the Director of the Department of Energy, the Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority, and the State Treasurer or their designees. The bill provides that the nonlegislative citizen members are to be appointed as follows: four members by the Senate Committee on Rules, four members by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and one member by the Governor, each of whom are required to have expertise in real estate, finance, or project development or legal expertise in zero-emission or low-emission energy generation, infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, storm water management, or housing. The bill contains provisions for (i) the appointment of a president and the hiring of staff, (ii) the powers and duties of the Bank, (iii) lending practices, (iv) a strategic plan, (v) an investment strategy, (vi) public outreach requirements, (vii) audits, (viii) exemptions from taxes and from personnel and procurement procedures, and (ix) reporting requirements. Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank; established; report. Creates the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank to finance clean energy projects, greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects, and other qualified projects through the strategic deployment of public funds in the form of grants, loans, credit enhancements, and other financing mechanisms. The Bank is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors, consisting of nine nonlegislative citizen members and three ex officio members with voting privileges, who include the Director of the Department of Energy, the Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority, and the State Treasurer or their designees. The bill provides that the nonlegislative citizen members are to be appointed as follows: four members by the Senate Committee on Rules, four members by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and one member by the Governor, each of whom are required to have expertise in real estate, finance, or project development or legal expertise in zero-emission or low-emission energy generation, infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, storm water management, or housing. The bill contains provisions for (i) the appointment of a president and the hiring of staff, (ii) the powers and duties of the Bank, (iii) lending practices, (iv) a strategic plan, (v) an investment strategy, (vi) public outreach requirements, (vii) audits, (viii) exemptions from taxes and from personnel and procurement procedures, and (ix) reporting requirements.