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.

SJR67 - Commending Sandra Gioia Treadway.

40 Co-Sponsors

SJR27 - Epilepsy Heroes Day.

7 Co-Sponsors

Epilepsy Heroes Day. Designates March 26, in 2024 and in each succeeding year, as Epilepsy Heroes Day in Virginia.

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.

SB142 - Public school teachers; licensure requirements, issuance of a one-year local eligibility license.

2 Co-Sponsors

Public school teachers; licensure requirements; one-year local eligibility license; alternate routes and flexibility. Requires the Board of Education to include in its teacher licensure regulations provisions authorizing each school board, upon recommendation of the division superintendent or the school board and in accordance with the criteria set forth in the bill, to issue a one-year, nonrenewable local eligibility license that is only valid within the issuing school division to any individual who (i) received a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, (ii) has experience or training in a subject or content area as the school board and division superintendent may deem appropriate for the applicable teaching position or endorsement area, and (iii) is not seeking to provide instruction in special education or eligible for collegiate professional or postgraduate professional licensure. The bill establishes several requirements, criteria, and conditions relating to a local eligibility license. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2030. Public school teachers; licensure requirements; one-year local eligibility license; alternate routes and flexibility. Requires the Board of Education to include in its teacher licensure regulations provisions authorizing each school board, upon recommendation of the division superintendent or the school board and in accordance with the criteria set forth in the bill, to issue a one-year, nonrenewable local eligibility license that is only valid within the issuing school division to any individual who (i) received a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, (ii) has experience or training in a subject or content area as the school board and division superintendent may deem appropriate for the applicable teaching position or endorsement area, and (iii) is not seeking to provide instruction in special education or eligible for collegiate professional or postgraduate professional licensure. The bill establishes several requirements, criteria, and conditions relating to a local eligibility license. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2030.

SJR49 - Rights of women; affirming biological differences between the sexes.

1 Co-Sponsor

Recognizing rights of women; affirming biological differences between the sexes for purposes of laws of the Commonwealth. Recognizes the rights of women by affirming that for purposes of the laws of the Commonwealth, a person's sex is defined as his or her biological sex, either male or female, at birth. Recognizing rights of women; affirming biological differences between the sexes for purposes of laws of the Commonwealth. Recognizes the rights of women by affirming that for purposes of the laws of the Commonwealth, a person's sex is defined as his or her biological sex, either male or female, at birth.

SB722 - Enterprise zones; renewal periods.

1 Co-Sponsor

Enterprise zones; renewal periods. Authorizes the Governor, upon the recommendation of the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, to renew enterprise zones for up to four five-year renewal periods for zones designated on or after July 1, 2005, and for up to two five-year renewal periods for zones designated before July 1, 2005. Under current law, zones designated on or after July 1, 2005, may be renewed for up to three such periods and zones designated before July 1, 2005, may be renew for up to one such period.

SB146 - Sales tax, local; Prince Edward County added to list of localities that are authorized to impose.

2 Co-Sponsors

Sales tax; additional local tax for schools; Prince Edward County. Adds Prince Edward County to the list of localities that are authorized to impose an additional local sales tax at a rate not to exceed one percent in order to provide revenue for the construction or renovation of schools.

SB721 - Local government actions related to comprehensive plans, etc.; approval process.

1 Co-Sponsor

Local government actions related to comprehensive plans, local planning commissions, subdivision plats and site plans, and zoning ordinances; approval process. Makes several changes to local government land use approval processes, including (i) prohibiting use of the comprehensive plan as the basis, in whole or in part, for the disapproval of a site plan that is otherwise in conformity with duly adopted standards, ordinances, and statutes and (ii) allowing automatic approval of certain land use applications rather than a right to petition the circuit court, as provided under current law, if a locality does not approve or disapprove the application within the required timeframe. The bill also reduces from 12 months to four months the time within which a locality must initially act upon certain proposed zoning ordinance amendments and requires a locality to act on all such proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance or map that it has previously disapproved within 45 days after an amended proposal has been resubmitted for approval.

SB700 - Prostitution; increases penalties for a third or subsequent offense of solicitation from an adult.

1 Co-Sponsor

Prostitution; solicitation; penalties. Increases from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony the penalty for a third or subsequent offense of solicitation of prostitution from an adult. The bill also makes it a Class 5 felony to solicit prostitution from any minor. Under current law, any person who solicits prostitution from a minor is guilty of a Class 6 felony if the minor is 16 years of age or older or a Class 5 felony if the minor is younger than 16 years of age. Finally, the bill increases the fines for certain offenses related to sex trafficking from $100 to $1,000 and from $500 to $2,500, respectively.