CONTENTS | < PREVIOUS | NEXT > | BILL INDEX

Administration of the Government Generally

P Passed

P HB1642

Department of Human Resource Management; leave for bone marrow or organ donation. Allows state employees with up to 30 days of paid leave in any calendar year, in addition to other paid leave, to serve as bone marrow or organ donors. The bill defines "state employee" as any person who is regularly employed full time on a salaried basis, whose tenure is not restricted as to temporary or provisional appointment, in the service of, and whose compensation is payable, no more often than biweekly, in whole or in part, by the Commonwealth or any department, institution, or agency of the Commonwealth. The bill further directs the Department of Human Resource Management to develop personnel policies allowing for the use of the donor leave.
Patron - Bryant

P HB1653

Inspector General for Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. Clarifies the role and responsibilities of the Inspector General for Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. This bill notes that the Inspector General is to provide inspections of and to make policy and operational recommendations for facilities operated by the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services and providers in order to prevent problems, abuses and deficiencies in and improve the effectiveness of their programs and services. The Inspector General must report semiannually to the Governor and General Assembly concerning significant problems, abuses and deficiencies, recommend corrective actions and provide progress thereon. Such semiannual reports must be made public within 30 days of their transmission at a reasonable cost. The Inspector General must also report serious problems, abuses and deficiencies immediately to the Governor and the Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, and within seven calendar days thereafter to the chairs of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health. Additionally, the Inspector General must notify in a timely manner the attorney for the Commonwealth for the jurisdiction in which a state facility or provider is located and law enforcement, as appropriate, whenever the Inspector General has reasonable grounds to believe there has been a violation of state criminal law. All reports must be transmitted directly to the Governor and the General Assembly by the Inspector General without any preliminary clearances or approvals. Finally, the bill clarifies that the Office of the Inspector General must conduct unannounced inspections to each facility operated by the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services at least once annually.
Patron - Hamilton

P HB1713

Creates Telecommuting Incentive Act. Directs the Secretary of Administration to direct the formulation and promulgation of policies, standards, specifications, and guidelines for information technology concerning telecommuting by the employees of state agencies. The head of each state agency is directed to develop a telecommuting policy, which shall be in accordance with the statewide policy to be developed by the Secretary of Administration, to maximize telecommuting without diminished employee work performance or service delivery. The Secretary of Administration is also directed to advise and assist state agencies in developing the state agencies' telecommuting policies, and the Secretary may provide advice and assistance to a local government or a private sector employer upon the local government or the private sector employer's request. This bill incorporates HB 1943.
Patron - Scott

P HB1810

Structured Settlement Protection Act. Conditions transfers of structured settlement payments rights upon findings by a court or responsible administrative authority that (i) the transfer is in the best interest of the payee, (ii) the payee has been advised to seek independent professional advice and has received or waived such advice, and (iii) the transfer does not contravene a statute or order of a court or other governmental authority. Payees are required to be given a disclosure statement three days (rather than 10 days as currently provided) prior to signing a transfer agreement, which statement shall provide that the payee will have the right to cancel the agreement within three days after it is signed. Other changes (a) limit the courts that can approve transfers to those where the payee, insurer, or obligor resides; (b) clarify that the act is not intended to apply to a bank's blanket security interest unless it attempts to execute upon the settlement payments; (c) make the transferee liable for failure to comply with the act; and (d) prohibit confessed judgments. The Uniform Commercial Code's general restriction on assignments of certain receivables is made inapplicable to certain claims or rights to receive compensation for injuries or sickness. The measure repeals a sunset clause that provides that the act will expire on July 1, 2001, unless certain federal legislation has been enacted.
Patron - Woodrum

P HB1838

Suspension of judges. Removes provision that prohibits an investigation, formal hearing or suspension until the conclusion of the criminal case regarding the same matters in which the judge is a defendant. Under current law a suspension cannot be imposed or an investigation commenced until final disposition of the criminal case, including the exhaustion of all appeals. This bill is identical to SB 990 (Stolle).
Patron - Howell

P HB1847

Department of Planning and Budget; reporting requirements. Requires the Department of Planning and Budget to submit an annual report on or before the second Tuesday in January to the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee that sets forth state agencies' strategic planning information and performance measurement results for the preceding fiscal year.
Patron - McQuigg

P HB1859

Fair Employment Contracting Act; discrimination. Prohibits contracting agencies from engaging in any unlawful discriminatory practice as defined by the Virginia Human Rights Act. Unlawful discriminatory practice is defined in the Virginia Human Rights Act as conduct that violates any Virginia or federal statute or regulation governing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, or disability.
Patron - McQuigg

P HB1887

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act; exclusion for awards to teachers. Provides that the Act does not prohibit a teacher or school board employee from accepting an award or payment in honor of meritorious or exceptional services.
Patron - Rhodes

P HB1932

State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act; persons required to file disclosure forms. Requires members of the board or governing body of a state authority to file the annual long-form statement of economic interest. For members of the governing body of any authority established in any county, or city having the power to issue bonds, the bill requires them to file the annual short-form statement of economic interest, unless the local appointing authority requires them to file the long-form.
Patron - Nixon

P HB2104

Private detectives. Repeals Chapter 738 of the 1970 Acts of the Assembly authorizing certain counties with a population in excess of 5,000 persons per square mile to regulate private detectives through the issuance of a license. This bill, a recommendation of the Virginia Code Commission, is in furtherance of the objective to repeal obsolete provisions in the Virginia Acts of Assembly as provided in § 9-77.10:2.
Patron - Landes

P HB2117

Civilian protection in cases of police misconduct. Removes the exemption for constitutional officers from having to have in place certain procedures allowing citizen submission of complaints regarding the conduct of the law-enforcement agency, law-enforcement officers in the agency, or employees of the agency.
Patron - DeBoer

P HB2169

Agencies' and court clerks' disclosure of certain account information prohibited. Prohibits agencies and court clerks that accept methods of payment other than cash, including but not limited to credit cards, debit cards, electronic checks, and other electronic payment and billing systems, for fees, services, taxes, or other charges, to disclose such account information or social security numbers or other identification numbers on driver's licenses. The prohibition does not apply if such disclosure is required to conduct and complete the transaction for which other methods of payment are used or if such disclosure is required by other law or ordered by the courts.
Patron - Nixon

P HB2185

Health insurance accounts; state employees. Directs the Department of Human Resource Management to recommend the development of a program for state employees whereby such employees may convert their accrued health insurance balance when they retire from state service to fund private health insurance coverage for themselves and their dependents. Such recommendation is to include input from the Virginia Retirement System.
Patron - Purkey

P HB2205

Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission. Gives the Commission jurisdiction over judges-elect, from the time of appointment or election until they take the oath of office. The bill also makes it clear that the Commission has jurisdiction over a retired judge's actions while sitting as a retired/recalled judge by defining the period of recall as a term. This bill is a recommendation of the Judicial Council.
Patron - Almand

P HB2236

Small Business Advisory Board; membership. Increases the membership of the Small Business Advisory Board from 17 to 18 members by adding an additional voting member to be appointed by the Governor.
Patron - Hargrove

P HB2305

Virginia Veterans Care Center. Authorizes the Virginia Veterans Care Center Board of Trustees to govern and oversee the administration of additional facilities that may be established for the care of Virginia veterans. Current law limits the Board's authority to the Virginia Veterans Care Center.
Patron - Cox

P HB2315

Attorney General; settlement of disputes, claims and controversies. Clarifies that authorities are included in the list of entities for which the Attorney General may settle disputes, claims and controversies, including those arising under the Virginia Tort Claims Act. The bill also provides that an agency head can delegate approval authority for such settlement.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB2329

Capital Access Fund for Disadvantaged Businesses. Increases from five to seven the percentage of the balance of the Fund that may be unencumbered by any special reserves or guarantees or the income earned by the Fund.
Patron - Jones, D.C.

P HB2357

Department of Human Resource Management; leave for service with volunteer fire department or rescue squad. Allows state employees with up to 16 hours of paid leave in any calendar year, in addition to other paid leave, to serve with a volunteer fire department or rescue squad. Under the bill, the entity for which the leave is to be granted must be a volunteer fire department, rescue squad or auxiliary unit thereof that has been recognized by an ordinance or resolution of the political subdivision where the volunteer fire department or rescue squad is located as being a part of the safety program of such political subdivision. The bill also defines "state employee" as any person who is regularly employed full time on a salaried basis, whose tenure is not restricted as to temporary or provisional appointment, in the service of, and whose compensation is payable, no more often than biweekly, in whole or in part, by the Commonwealth or any department, institution, or agency of the Commonwealth. The bill further directs the Department of Human Resource Management to develop personnel policies allowing for the use of the leave.
Patron - Weatherholtz

P HB2464

Department of Employment Dispute Resolution; review of grievance hearing decisions. Removes the authority of the Department of Employment Dispute Resolution to hear appeals of grievances involving patient abuse cases arising at the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. The bill also provides for the appeal of circuit court decisions in special grievances from the Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Patron - O'Brien

P HB2517

Compensation of members of collegial bodies in the executive branch. Provides that the members of boards, panels, etc., in the executive branch cannot receive more than one per diem for attending meetings of multiple panels on a single day.
Patron - Reid

P HB2527

Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Requires the Partnership to prepare a specific plan annually for the marketing of high unemployment areas of Virginia and make an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly.
Patron - Phillips

P HB2537

State employee health insurance plan. Requires that any health insurance plan for state employees shall provide that health insurance benefits will continue for family members enrolled under such plan for at least 30 days after the death of the state employee.
Patron - Phillips

P HB2585

Comprehensive Services Act for At-Risk Youth and Families; community policy and management teams; powers and duties. Authorizes a community policy and management team, upon approval of the participating governing bodies, to contract with another community policy and management team to purchase coordination services provided that state pool funds are not used. This bill is identical to SB 1321.
Patron - Byron

P HB2699

Administration of government; Chesapeake Regional Olympic Games Compact. Creates the Chesapeake Regional Olympic Games Compact between the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland (including the City of Baltimore), and the District of Columbia for the purpose of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.
Patron - Callahan

P HB2712

Firefighters; overtime compensation for firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Requires certain firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, ambulance personnel, rescue workers, and hazardous materials workers to be paid overtime at a rate of not less than one and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay for all hours of work between the statutory maximum permitted under 29 U.S.C. 207 (k) and the hours for which an employee receives his salary, or if paid on an hourly basis, the hours for which the employee receives hourly compensation. A fire protection employee who is paid on an hourly basis shall have paid leave counted as hours of work in an amount no greater than the numbers of hours counted for other fire protection employees working the same schedule who are paid on a salaried basis in that jurisdiction. For purposes of computing fire protection employees' entitlement to overtime compensation for regularly scheduled work hours, all hours in which an employee works or is in a paid status shall be counted as hours of work.
Patron - Amundson

P HB2738

Early intervention services system. Requires the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, in consultation with the agencies that participate in the early intervention system, to promulgate regulations and adopt policies and procedures as necessary to assure consistent and equitable access to early intervention services, including, but not limited to, uniform statewide procedures on or before January 1, 2002, for public and private providers to determine parental liability and to charge fees for early intervention services in accordance with federal law and regulations. The bill requires the local interagency coordinating councils to implement such consistent and uniform statewide procedures on or before January 1, 2002, for the charging of fees.
Patron - Plum

P HB2778

Line of Duty Act; inclusion of police chaplains. Adds police chaplains in the City of Virginia Beach to the coverage provided under the Line of Duty Act.
Patron - Wardrup

P HB2855

Virginia Tourism Authority; travel guide. Requires the Virginia Tourism Authority to update a travel guide for the disabled in the first year of every biennium beginning in fiscal year 2003.
Patron - Morgan

P SB859

Display of POW/MIA flag. Requires the Governor to issue an annual proclamation requiring state officials to display the POW/MIA flag on all state owned or operated public buildings on Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day and POW/MIA Recognition Day as a symbol of the state's concern for Americans who were prisoners of war or missing in action or still remain unaccounted for.
Patron - Barry

P SB878

Line of Duty Act; claim for payment. Provides for the Superintendent of the Department of State Police to report the findings of an investigation of a claim for payment to the State Comptroller within 10 business days after the completion of the investigation. Current law provides for the chief officer of the division or department last employing the beneficiary or claimant to report the findings of such investigation to the State Comptroller within forty-five days of receiving the claim. The bill also provides for reimbursement of the cost of investigations conducted by the Department of State Police from the appropriate employer that last employed the deceased or disabled employee. This bill is identical to HB 1863 (McDonnell).
Patron - Watkins

P SB884

Freedom of Information Act; exemptions; State Lottery Department. Exempts records and reports of the State Lottery Department pertaining to (i) the social security number, tax identification number, state sales tax number, home address and telephone number, personal and lottery banking account and transit numbers of a retailer, and financial information regarding the non-lottery operations of specific retail locations, and (ii) individual lottery winners, except that a winner's name, hometown, and amount won shall be disclosed. The bill includes an emergency provision.
Patron - Stosch

P SB962

P SB990

P SB1019

Attorney General; Secretary of Technology; guidelines to the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act's implications on state agencies. Directs the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Technology, to develop guidelines to the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act's implications on state agencies' implementation of electronic transactions. Upon receiving the guidelines, each agency is directed to examine the provisions of the Code of Virginia specific to that agency and identify where changes are necessary to facilitate the agency's implementation of electronic transactions and report its findings to the Secretary of Technology.
Patron - Newman

P SB1042

P SB1080

Public Accountancy. Establishes the Board of Accountancy (Board) as an independent board. Currently the Board is located operationally within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (Department). The bill provides for the appointment of an executive director and staff for the Board, and generally vests the Board with the authority to regulate the public accounting profession. The bill also provides for the Department and the Board to enter into an agreement to transfer from the Department to the Board tangible personal property and records relevant to the transfer of duties and powers, and provide for the orderly and expeditious transfer of administrative and other responsibilities no later than December 31, 2001. In addition, the bill (i) requires the transfer of funds from the Department to the Board of Accountancy Fund established to support the operations of the Board, (ii) provides an two-year exemption from the Administrative Process Act for the promulgation of regulations pertaining to fees for licenses and certifications, (iii) provides that existing regulations promulgated by the Board of Accountancy shall remain in effect and continue to apply to licensees and certificate holders licensed or certified by the Board of Accountancy after July 1, 2001, and (iv) clarifies that current members of the Board whose terms have not expired as of July 1, 2001, are not affected.
Patron - Stosch

P SB1087

Secretary of Natural Resources; Chesapeake Bay 2000 agreement annual report. Requires the Secretary of Natural Resources to submit an annual report on specific progress made toward implementing the provisions of the Chesapeake Bay 2000 agreement. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, a description of the programs, activities, and initiatives of state and local governments developed and implemented to meet each of the goals and commitments contained in the agreement and an assessment of projected state funding necessary to meet those goals and commitments.
Patron - Bolling

P SB1098

Recodification of Titles 2.1 and 9; administration of government; commissions, boards, and institutions. Recodifies Title 2.1 as Title 2.2 and Title 9 as Title 9.1. In accordance with § 9-77.10, the Virginia Code Commission, in 1998, undertook three-year recodification of Titles 2.1 and 9. Title 2.1 was last recodified in 1965 and Title 9 had never been recodified. Because both Titles have undergone many changes since the publication of the Code of Virginia of 1950, and the laws concerning the administration of state government and its commissions, boards and institutions have been changed substantially during the past three decades, the need arose to (i) organize the laws in a more logical manner, (ii) delete obsolete and duplicative provisions, and (iii) improve the structure and clarity of Titles 2.1 and 9. During the recodification of Titles 2.1 and 9, the Virginia Code Commission has rewritten and combined sections or parts of sections to clarify provisions and to eliminate archaic, obsolete or redundant language. The general reorganization of Title 2.1 distinguishes the organization of state government (Subtitle I--Organization of State Government) from the operation of state government (Subtitle II-Administration of State Government). In addition, the concept of a "Part" has been introduced as an organizational tool to separate functional areas within the Title. Generally, a "Part" is used to group related chapters. For example, the Governor and his cabinet secretaries have been consolidated into Part A--Office of the Governor--of Subtitle I. The Department of Law is Part B of Subtitle I. Further, state agencies related to the general operation of government have been consolidated into Part C of Subtitle I, and so on. The reorganization of Title 2.1 also includes many chapters from Title 9, Commissions, Boards and Institutions, now consolidated into Part D--State Authorities, Boards, Councils, Commissions and Other Collegial Bodies--because they were created in the executive branch of state government. Several chapters from Title 9 that were boards, councils, etc., created in the legislative branch have been moved to Title 30--General Assembly. Title 9 has been substantially reorganized and moves executive branch commissions and boards, etc., into proposed Title 2.2. As noted above, several chapters from Title 9 that were boards, councils, etc., created in the legislative branch have been moved to Title 30--General Assembly. The effect of this substantial reorganization is the creation of proposed Title 9.1--Commonwealth's Public Safety. As its name indicates, this proposed Title contains chapters relative to the Department of Criminal Justice Services and fire and police protection generally, taken exclusively from Titles 2.1 and 9.
Patron - Mims

P SB1116

Virginia Veterans Care Center; Board of Trustees. Authorizes the Board of Trustees of the Center to administer any other veteran care centers that may be established and changes the manner in which the Board of Trustees are appointed from all appointments being made by the Governor to the Governor making five appointments, the Speaker of the House making three appointments, and the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee making two appointments.
Patron - Edwards

P SB1117

Thermal Imaging Camera Fund. Establishes the Thermal Imaging Camera Fund to assist local fire departments, other fire services organizations and local governments to purchase thermal imaging cameras and other related equipment. The bill also authorizes the Department of Fire Programs to establish an advisory panel to make recommendations for the use of the Fund. The members of the board consist of three members each from the following organizations: the State Fire Chief's Association, the Virginia Professional Firefighters Association, and the Virginia Firefighters Association. The bill further provides that the act shall not become effective unless an appropriation of general funds effectuating its purposes is included in the 2001 appropriations act.
Patron - Edwards

P SB1140

Council on Human Resources. Merges the Personnel Advisory Board, the State Health Benefits Advisory Council, the Virginia Equal Employment Opportunity Council and consolidates their functions in the Virginia Council on Human Resources. The Council shall consist of a total of 17 members of which 15 are voting and two are non-voting members. Eight members are appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, four are appointed by the Speaker of the House, and three are appointed by the Senate Committee on Privleges and Elections. The Director of the Department of Human Resource Management and the Director of the Department of Employment Dispute Resolution serve permanently as ex officio members without voting privileges.
Patron - Lambert

P SB1299

"Pave-in-Place" program. Repeals the July 1, 2001, "sunset" on VDOT's "Pave-in-Place" program. This bill is the same as HB 2018 (May).
Patron - Mims

P SB1321

P SB1322

Freedom of Information Act; exemption for certain electronic communications. Clarifies that separately contacting the membership, or any part thereof, of any public body for the purpose of ascertaining a member's position with respect to the transaction of public business, whether such contact is done in person, by telephone or by electronic communication is not prohibited, provided the contact is done on a basis that does not constitute a meeting as defined by FOIA. The bill also clarifies that any electronic communication generated by the separate contacts is still a "public record" under FOIA.
Patron - Hawkins

P SB1350

Comprehensive Services Act; family assessment and planning team. Requires the family assessment and planning team to provide for the participation of foster parents in the assessment, planning and implementation of services when a child has a program goal of permanent foster care or is in a long-term foster care placement. The case manager shall notify the foster parents of a troubled youth of the time and place of all assessment and planning meetings related to such youth. Such foster parents shall be given the opportunity to speak at the meeting or submit written testimony if the foster parents are unable to attend. The opinions of the foster parents shall be considered by the family assessment and planning team in its deliberations. >
Patron - Ticer

P SB1370

Virginia Economic Development Partnership; special economic development services in rural communities. Provides that the Partnership, in order to assist the rural communities of the Commonwealth, shall develop a program for reviewing existing economic development programs of rural communities upon request.
Patron - Reynolds

F Failed

F HB1597

Access to scientific data from state-funded studies. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to include a right of access to scientific data used as the basis of new laws. This section is modeled on the Verifiable Science Act as drafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council in June 2000. The model is based on the Shelby Amendment to the Federal Freedom of Information Act.
Patron - Landes

F HB1600

Budget Bill. Appropriation of the public revenue for the two years ending respectively, on the thirtieth day of June, 2001, and the thirtieth day of June, 2002.
Patron - Callahan

F HB1635

Distribution of general funds to localities. Requires that two percent of the total general funds be returned to localities based equally on size of population and degree of fiscal stress.
Patron - Diamonstein

F HB1726

Higher Education and Economic Development Trust Fund. Provides for the custody, investment and disbursement of the proceeds of the sale of one-half the allocation to the Commonwealth of Virginia pursuant to the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement by the creation and application of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Endowment.
Patron - Rust

F HB1727

Tobacco Settlement Financing Corporation Act. Creates and empowers the Tobacco Settlement Financing Corporation as an independent public corporation authorized to acquire from the Commonwealth one-half of its allocation of the tobacco settlement payments received from the Master Tobacco Settlement Agreement, entered into by 46 states and the major tobacco manufacturers. Also permits issuance of tobacco bonds not deemed to constitute debt to the Commonwealth.
Patron - Rust

F HB1735

Virginia Public Building Authority; purpose; technical amendments. Provides that the Virginia Public Building Authority (Authority) is to have the additional responsibility for financing or refinancing grants by the Commonwealth or the undertaking of capital projects that benefit the Commonwealth, including grants or undertakings for state, regional or local authorities, its entities, agencies, boards, instrumentalities or any other entity, pursuant to other applicable provisions of Virginia law. Accordingly, the bill makes technical changes throughout the Virginia Public Building Authority Act (§ 2.1-234.10 et seq.).
Patron - Callahan

F HB1757

Governor; severance benefit for appointed officials. Provides that the Governor, in his discretion, may provide gubernatorial appointees a severance benefit no greater than an amount equivalent to two weeks of salary for every consecutive year of service in the appointed position, not to exceed a total of 16 weeks of salary. The bill does not apply to officials removed from office for malfeasance, misfeasance, incompetency, misconduct, neglect of duty, absenteeism, conflicts of interests, failure to carry out the polices of the Commonwealth as established in the Constitution or by the General Assembly, or refusal to carry out a lawful directive of the Governor.
Patron - Jones, J.C.

F HB1768

Investment of state funds in corporate notes; ancillary contracts for notes, bonds and investments. Provides that the Department of Treasury may invest moneys belonging to it or within its control, other than sinking funds, in certain high quality corporate notes with a rating of at least BBB or Baa2, if the Commonwealth Treasury Board has determined the necessity and appropriateness of the use of such securities and has established controls for their use. This bill also provides that qualified public entities may enter into ancillary contracts that are in connection with or incidental to the authorized acquisition or carrying of any investments. Such contracts must be in connection with, or incidental to, entering into, maintaining or amending (i) any agreement that secures notes or bonds of the qualified public entity and is authorized or permitted by law or (ii) any investment or contract providing for any investment otherwise authorized or permitted by law.
Patron - Cox

F HB1781

Governor's Development Opportunity Fund. Requires that the guidelines and criteria developed by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership shall include provisions that give a priority to projects within existing enterprise zones or that promote concentration of development along existing transportation and transit corridors thereby encouraging a reduction in vehicle miles traveled within a region.
Patron - Baskerville

F HB1782

Legal holidays; Election Day. Designates the Tuesday following the first Monday in November as Election Day and an additional legal holiday.
Patron - Baskerville

F HB1809

Cause of action for false allegation of unlawful discrimination. Provides that any person who is the subject of a false allegation of unlawful discrimination may, within three years from the date of the false allegation, bring an action in a court of law for compensatory damages and attorney's fees.
Patron - McClure

F HB1863

Claims for payment under the Line of Duty Act. Provides that the Superintendent of the Department of the State Police shall report the results of any investigation of claims for payment under the Line of Duty Act to the State Comptroller's office within 10 working days after the completion of the investigation. Under current law, the report is made within 45 days of the receipt of the claim. Additionally, there is a provision for the State Police to be reimbursed by the Comptroller for the cost of the investigations. This bill is identical to SB 878 (Watkins).
Patron - McDonnell

F HB1910

Retirement; health insurance credits. Reduces from 15 years to five years the amount of creditable service required for eligibility to receive monthly health insurance credits by retired (i) state employees, (ii) local employees, constitutional officers and their employees, and local social service employees, and (iii) teachers. The bill also removes the current caps on the amount of such monthly credits a retiree may receive.
Patron - Callahan

F HB1942

Legal services for the indigent. Provides, with certain limited exceptions, that the same restrictions that exist in federal law (the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996) regarding the use of federal funds for civil legal services to the indigent apply to programs that use state funds appropriated to the Legal Services Corporation of Virginia for the provision of legal services to the indigent. These include restrictions on or prohibitions against: political redistricting litigation and lobbying, representation of drug dealers in drug-related evictions, legal assistance to prisoners, abortion-related litigation, representation of illegal aliens, challenges to welfare reform, attorney's fees, class action suits and representation of aliens not in the United States. The bill also requires disclosure of the style of each case and the court in which it was filed.
Patron - Kilgore

F HB1943

Secretary of Administration; creation of a teleworking pilot program. Requires the Secretary of Administration, in cooperation with the Secretary of Technology, to establish a teleworking pilot program to allow state employees to work at locations other than state offices through the use of telecommunication technology. The Secretary shall adopt a teleworking policy and guidelines necessary to establish and carry out the purposes of the pilot program and shall provide staff to manage the operations of the pilot program. The bill provides the method for participation of executive branch agencies and requires the Secretary to form an advisory committee made up of representatives of each secretariat and agency head from executive branch agencies selected to participate in the pilot program. The bill requires the Secretary to report to the Governor and the General Assembly by October 1, 2003, on the status of the pilot program. The bill further provides that the pilot program will terminate on October 1, 2003. This bill has been incorporated into HB 1713.
Patron - Hull

F HB2002

Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services; creation of a laboratory certification and accreditation program. Requires the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, by regulation, to establish a program for the certification of (i) laboratories owned by local governments and other political subdivisions of the Commonwealth, including without limitation any authority or district, and (ii) noncommercial, private laboratories, which conduct tests, analyses, measurements, or monitoring required pursuant to the State Air Pollution Control Law, the Virginia Waste Management Act, or the State Water Control Law. The bill also requires the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, by regulation, to establish a program based on the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC) standards for the accreditation of (i) all other laboratories conducting tests, analyses, measurements, or monitoring required pursuant to the State Air Pollution Control Law, the Virginia Waste Management Act, or the State Water Control Law and (ii) laboratories owned by local governments and other political subdivisions of the Commonwealth and noncommercial, private laboratories that desire NELAC-based accreditation in lieu of certification.
Patron - Parrish

F HB2008

Line of duty disability. Clarifies that the continued health insurance coverage provided to certain employees disabled in the line of duty, applies to all such employees who are officially determined to be disabled on or after July 1, 2000, regardless of when the proximate cause of their disability occurred.
Patron - Jackson

F HB2012

Retirement; health insurance credits. Raises the monthly health insurance credits by $1.00 for each year of creditable service to retired (i) state employees, (ii) local employees, constitutional officers and their employees, and local social service employees, and (iii) teachers. Under current law such monthly credit for each year of creditable service is: (a) $4.00 for retired state employees; (b) $1.50 for retired local employees, constitutional officers and their employees, and local social service employees; and (c) $2.50 for retired teachers.
Patron - Jackson

F HB2025

Requiring the Department of Information Technology to publish and distribute a comprehensive telecommunications directory. Requires the Department to resume the biennial publication of a comprehensive telecommunications directory of agencies and institutions in the Commonwealth beginning January 1, 2002.
Patron - Bloxom

F HB2080

F HB2091

Freedom of Information Act; record exemption for personal information. Provides a record exemption for records, documents or other information, the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. The bill contains a definition of unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. For the purposes of this exemption, disclosure shall not be construed to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy when (i) identifying details are deleted or excised; (ii) the person who is the subject of the requested record consents in writing to its disclosure; (iii) upon presenting reasonable proof of identity, a person seeks access to records pertaining to himself; or (iv) specifically required by state or federal law.
Patron - Devolites

F HB2108

Phragmites Advisory Board. Establishes a 15-member advisory board to advise the Governor and the General Assembly on the control and management of Phragmites Austrailus.
Patron - Pollard

F HB2109

Administration of state government; limitation on state expenditures. Provides that no money spent by any state agency, whether (i) independent or in the executive or legislative branch or (ii) appropriated to it or collected by it, shall be used in any political activity that is prohibited by § 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Patron - Pollard

F HB2124

Taxation; collection of local taxes. (i) Provides that the statutory setoff applies to all charges collected by the treasurer; (ii) authorizes treasurers to transmit tax bills by electronic means; and (iii) clarifies that the lien for taxes due attaches to property that has been specifically assessed. This bill has been incorporated into HB 1999.
Patron - Johnson

F HB2148

Retirement; health insurance credits for retired teachers. Reduces from 15 years to five years the amount of creditable service required for eligibility to receive monthly health insurance credits by retired teachers.
Patron - Dillard

F HB2201

Attorney General's authority to settle disputes. Increases the Attorney General's authority to settle disputes without the approval of the Governor from $50,000 to $100,000.
Patron - Almand

F HB2230

Funding of state agencies and institutions of higher education. Establishes the policy of the Commonwealth in regard to funding of indigent health care services provided by Virginia's three academic medical centers. This bill declares such policy to be to appropriate 100 percent of the costs of the indigent health care services provided by or through the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority and the University of Virginia Medical Center and to provide at least 50 percent to meet the costs of indigent health care services provided by or through the Medical College of Hampton Roads (established as an authority in the Acts of Assembly of 1964). The two public academic medical centers are required to submit estimates of the amounts needed for this purpose and the Medical College of Hampton Roads is required to submit such data and estimates as may be required.
Patron - Hall

F HB2231

Virginia Retirement System; health insurance credits for retired school division employees. Extends the health insurance credit of two and one-half dollars per month for each year of creditable service, with a monthly maximum of $75, currently available to retired teachers, to retired school division employees who participated in VRS and have at least 15 years of creditable service. This would cover school division employees not included under the definition of a teacher, including, but not limited to, bus drivers, janitors, teachers aides, and cafeteria and clerical workers. Under current law, such employees are entitled to a credit of only one and one-half dollars per month for each year of creditable service, with a monthly maximum of $45. The bill also allows retired school division employees to receive the credit if, after leaving school division service, they worked for a local government that does not elect to provide a retiree health insurance credit. The effective date of the bill is July 1, 2002, and is contingent on sufficient appropriations by the General Assembly in the 2002 Session.
Patron - Stump

F HB2243

Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority; duties. Provides that in conjunction with its responsibilities, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority shall promote, in descending order, those localities with the highest rates of unemployment, as determined by the Commission on Local Government, to prospective new businesses.
Patron - Day

F HB2339

Acquisition of property by state agencies. Requires that when any state agency acquires real property and, as a result, a remainder of such property is, as the result of the acquisition by the state agency, no longer in compliance with local building setback requirements, the acquiring agency must offer to buy the remainder parcel at fair market value.
Patron - Blevins

F HB2383

State employee health insurance plan; prescription drug coverage. Requires any self-insured group health insurance plan for state employees that includes coverage for prescription drugs on an outpatient basis, if it provides discounts based on the method of purchasing, to provide the same discount for mail-order purchasing that it provides for any other permitted method of purchasing.
Patron - Rhodes

F HB2426

Capital Access Fund for Disadvantaged Businesses. Conforms provisions of the use of the Capital Access Fund for Disadvantaged Businesses to the Virginia Small Business Growth Fund. As amended, moneys in the Capital Access Fund shall be used to match deposits by borrowers and participating lenders in reserve accounts to cover potential future losses from the lender's loan portfolios. The amount of the Capital Access Fund's match shall not exceed 14 percent of the loan amount. Provisions authorizing the Capital Access Fund to be used for loan guarantees and interest rate write-downs are eliminated.
Patron - Jones, J.C.

F HB2448

F HB2455

Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services; exemption. Exempts local, state and federal laboratories from regulations promulgated by the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services for the certification of laboratories.
Patron - Phillips

F HB2619

Commonwealth of Virginia Cultural Facilities Bond Act of 2001. Authorizes, subject to approval by a majority of the qualified voters of the Commonwealth voting thereon at the November 6, 2001, general election, the issuance of Commonwealth of Virginia Cultural Facilities Bonds pursuant to Article X, Section 9 (b) of the Constitution of Virginia in an amount not exceeding $82,150,000. The purpose of the bonds is to provide funds for paying, together with any other available funds, the cost of constructing, maintaining, restoring, repairing, improving, and refurbishing the physical plants, including incidental equipment, of cultural, historic and artistic facilities. The full faith and credit of the Commonwealth is pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on the bonds and any bond anticipation notes or refunding bonds. The bill authorizes the Treasury Board, by and with the consent of the Governor, to fix the details of such bonds, to borrow money in anticipation of the issuance of the bonds, and to issue refunding bonds. The bill shall not become effective and no bonds shall be issued unless voter approval is obtained.
Patron - Diamonstein

F HB2650

Whistleblower protection for state employees. Prohibits the head of any state agency or other supervisor from discharging or otherwise discriminating or retaliating against a whistleblowing state employee who reports (i) a violation of a state or federal law, rule or regulation; (ii) gross mismanagement; (iii) a gross waste of state or federal funds; (iv) an abuse of authority; or (v) a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, if the disclosure is not specifically prohibited by law. A whistleblower is also protected from retaliation if he participates in an investigation by an appropriate authority or a court action or refuses to carry out a directive that constitutes a violation of state or federal law, rule or regulation or poses a substantial and specific danger to the public health and safety. A whistleblower may bring a civil action to obtain reinstatement, payment of back wages, reinstatement of fringe benefits and seniority rights, actual damages, and litigation costs. If the violation was willful, the state employee is entitled to treble damages.
Patron - Robinson

F HB2695

Budget bills; restrictions; Virginia Investment Act of 2001. Limits the rate of growth of state expenditures in the Governor's budget bill, and, except under certain conditions, in budget bills reported by any committee of the House of Delegates or the Senate, to the total of annual percentage changes in population and cost of living, but in no event greater than the three-year average of change in per capita personal income. In addition, surplus revenues shall be deposited into the Virginia Investment Account, which is established. Money in the Account shall be appropriated only for capital transportation projects, conservation and recreation projects, public school construction, higher education capital projects, tax relief, environmental quality programs, research and development projects relating to economic development, and reducing bonded indebtedness.
Patron - Marshall

F HB2700

Freedom of Information Act; working papers exemption. Provides that the working papers exemption shall not be invoked by the mayor or chief executive officer of any political subdivision of the Commonwealth to prevent the sharing of documents or other records that are necessary to the informed deliberation of such local governing body.
Patron - Larrabee

F HB2709

Governor; Budget Bill. Requires the Governor in submitting the Budget Bill in even-numbered years and his amendments thereto in odd-numbered years to specify the particular proposed increases in expenditures from the prior fiscal year, if the Budget Bill or the amendments propose an increase in state expenditures above the amount of state expenditures for the prior fiscal year by a percentage that is greater than the total of the rates of increase in cost of living and population in the Commonwealth.
Patron - Albo

F HB2711

Attorney General; settlement of disputes. Provides that all moneys collected by the Attorney General that involve consumer or antitrust suits shall be transferred to the general fund to be appropriated by the General Assembly in a manner consistent with the requirements of the settlement agreement or decree.
Patron - Amundson

F HB2739

Comprehensive Services Act. Provides that the director of the Office of Comprehensive Services for At-Risk Youth and Families shall annually examine the costs borne by localities that are associated with services mandated under the Comprehensive Services Act and shall report such information to the state executive council by October 1 of each year. The director shall note in such report the extent to which certain localities appear to bear an inordinate cost for providing such services when compared to other localities. The director shall further propose to the state executive council a plan of addressing the inequitable fiscal burden upon localities associated with providing such services, including a plan for phasing-in the assumption of the costs of such mandated services by the Commonwealth.
Patron - Moss

F HB2797

Department of Human Resource Management; meritorious services awards and incentive plans. Allows citizens of Virginia to be compensated for proposing procedures or ideas that are adopted and that result in eliminating or reducing state expenditures or improving operations, provided such proposals are placed in effect. The bill also requires the Department of Human Resource Management to adopt and implement a program of incentive awards on the basis of (i) a suggestion, invention, superior accomplishment, productivity gain, or other personal effort that contributes to the efficiency, economy or other improvement of state government operations or achieves a significant reduction in paperwork or (ii) a special act or service in the public interest in connection with or related to the official employment of a state employee. Such program shall include cash awards, recognition awards, and grants of leave. The amount of any cash award shall be reasonably related to contribution of the employee and any such award (a) more than $20,000 shall be approved by the Department and (b) more than $50,000 shall be approved by the Governor.
Patron - Marshall

F HB2818

Budget Bill; Governor's submission. Requires that the Governor include in his Budget Bill salary increases for all classes of employees (state employees, state-supported local employees, college faculty, and public school teachers) or not provide a salary increase for any such class.
Patron - Watts

F HB2821

Line of Duty Act; continuation of health insurance for disabled employees. Provides that persons who are disabled in the line of duty on or after January 1, 1999, are eligible to receive continued health insurance coverage. Currently, only those persons disabled on or after July 1, 2000, are eligible for continued health insurance coverage.
Patron - Grayson

F HB2837

Governor; severance benefits for gubernatorial appointees. Prohibits the giving of severance benefits to certain gubernatorial appointees absent explicit authorization in law.
Patron - Deeds

F HB2838

Auditor of Public Accounts; audit of cost overruns on state projects. Requires the Auditor of Public Accounts to perform an audit of any state contract or project involving the procurement of any goods, services or construction where there is a cost overrun of more than 10 percent due to delays caused by acts or omissions of the contracting state agency, department or institution, its agents or employees or due to causes within their control.
Patron - Deeds

F HB2840

Commonwealth of Virginia Cultural Facilities Bond Act of 2001. Authorizes, subject to approval by a majority of the qualified voters of the Commonwealth voting thereon at the November 6, 2001, general election, the issuance of Commonwealth of Virginia Cultural Facilities Bonds pursuant to Article X, Section 9 (b) of the Virginia Constitution in an amount not exceeding $97,170,000. The purpose of the bonds is to provide funds for paying, together with any other available funds, the cost of maintaining, restoring, repairing, improving, and refurbishing the physical plants, including incidental equipment, of cultural, historic and artistic facilities. The full faith and credit of the Commonwealth is pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on the bonds and any bond anticipation notes or refunding bonds. The bill authorizes the Treasury Board, by and with the consent of the Governor, to fix the details of such bonds, to borrow money in anticipation of the issuance of the bonds, and to issue refunding bonds. The bill shall not become effective and no bonds shall be issued unless voter approval is obtained.
Patron - Hall

F HB2844

Income tax; refund of surplus revenues. Requires the refund of surplus revenues when they exceed the amount required to be deposited in the Revenue Stabilization Fund by at least $50 million. The Department of Taxation shall make refunds based on each taxpayer's pro rata share of excess revenues collected in the calendar year in which the fiscal year surplus is determined. The taxpayer must have filed an income tax return for such calendar year.
Patron - O'Bannon

F HB2861

Local option sales tax. The bill imposes local option sales and use taxes of one-half percent to be used for school construction, additions, infrastructure, site acquisition for public school buildings and facilities, renovations, including the costs of retrofitting or enlarging public school buildings, and debt service payments on such school projects that have been completed during the last 10 years.
Patron - Hull

F HJ545

Officially recognizing the Rappaha]nnock Indian Tribe, Inc. Extends official state recognition to the Rappahannock Indian Tribe, Inc., also known as the Rappahannock-Portobago Indian Tribe. The Rappahannock Indian Tribe, Inc. will be the ninth tribe officially recognized by the General Assembly.
Patron - Pollard

F SB800

Budget Bill. Appropriation of the public revenue for the two years ending respectively, on the thirtieth day of June, 2001, and the thirtieth day of June, 2002.
Patron - Chichester

F SB812

Line of Duty Act; definition of disabled employee. Amends the definition of "disabled employee" to include any person who has become mentally or physically incapacitated on or after April 8, 1972, as a direct or proximate result of the performance of his duty. The health care claim payments for such disabled employee or his qualifying dependents will be retroactive to the later of the first date of disability or July 1, 2000. The provisions of the bill will not become effective unless an appropriation effectuating the purposes of this act is included in the 2001 Appropriations Act, passed during the 2001 Session of the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor.
Patron - Stolle

F SB815

Unlawful employment practices; sexual orientation. Prohibits employers employing more than five but less than 15 persons from discharging an employee on the basis of sexual orientation.
Patron - Whipple

F SB831

Economic development; Virginia Maritime Investment Act. Establishes a grant program to be paid, subject to appropriation, from the Virginia Maritime Investment Partnership Grant Fund. The program provides grants to eligible ship repair companies making a capital investment of at least $50,000. Eligible ship repair companies are companies that have continuously been repairing ships in Virginia for at least five years. The capital investment must increase the productivity of the ship repair company or result in the utilization of a more advanced technology by such company, or both. The Secretary of Commerce and Trade shall determine whether or not a grant is to be awarded to eligible ship repair companies based on guidelines establishing criteria for the awarding of a grant and based on recommendations of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. In cases where a grant is awarded, the grant shall equal 10 percent of the cost of the capital investment. The guidelines for the awarding of a grant shall be reviewed by the chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees before the Secretary of Commerce and Trade may award any grant. These guidelines must take into account the number of new jobs created, wages, the amount of the investment, the present net value of paid benefits to Virginia, and other factors. The amount of a grant any eligible ship repair company is eligible for shall not exceed $25 million in aggregate. The Secretary of Commerce and Trade can approve up to $20 million in grants in any one fiscal year. The aggregate amount of grants outstanding at any one time, however, may not exceed $80 million. The Commonwealth's annual obligation for grants to an individual ship repair company shall not exceed $750,000. The grants will be payable in five equal installments beginning in the second year after the capital investment is completed and verified as such by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
Patron - Norment

F SB839

F SB841

Tobacco Settlement Financing Corporation Act. Creates and empowers the Tobacco Settlement Financing Corporation as an independent public corporation authorized to acquire from the Commonwealth its allocation of the tobacco settlement payments received from the Master Tobacco Settlement Agreement, entered into by 46 states and the major tobacco manufacturers. Also permits issuance of tobacco bonds not deemed to constitute debt to the Commonwealth.
Patron - Hawkins

F SB842

Higher Education and Economic Development Trust Fund. Provides for the custody, investment and disbursement of the proceeds of any sale of the allocation to the Commonwealth of Virginia pursuant to the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement by the creation and application of the Higher Education and Economic Development Trust Fund, the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Endowment and the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Endowment.
Patron - Hawkins

F SB848

F SB853

Investment of state funds in corporate notes; ancillary contracts for notes, bonds and investments. Provides that the Department of Treasury may invest up to 10 percent of moneys belonging to it or within its control, other than sinking funds, in certain high quality corporate notes with a rating of at least BBB or Baa2, if the Commonwealth Treasury Board has determined the necessity and appropriateness of the use of such securities and has established controls for their use. This bill also provides that qualified public entities may enter into ancillary contracts that are in connection with or incidental to the authorized acquisition or carrying of any investments. Such contracts must be in connection with, or incidental to, entering into, maintaining or amending (i) any agreement that secures notes or bonds of the qualified public entity and is authorized or permitted by law or (ii) any investment or contract providing for any investment otherwise authorized or permitted by law.
Patron - Miller, K.G.

F SB858

Legal holidays; National Election Day. Designates the Tuesday following the first Monday in November of every year of a national election for President of the United States as National Election Day.
Patron - Barry

F SB883

F SB887

Department of Business Assistance; Workforce Retraining Program and Fund. Provides for the Department of Business Assistance to develop a Workforce Retraining Program to provide consulting services and funding to companies to assist in retraining their existing workforce. To be eligible for funding under the program, a company must demonstrate that it is undergoing (i) integration of new technology into its production process, (ii) a change of product line in keeping with marketplace demands, or (iii) substantial change to its service delivery process, which would require assimilation of new skills and technological capabilities by the firm's existing labor force. The bill also creates the Workforce Retraining Fund; however, the bill will not become effective unless an appropriation effectuating the purposes of this act is included in the 2001 Appropriations Act, passed during the 2001 Session of the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor.
Patron - Miller, Y.B.

F SB927

Health insurance; teachers. Reduces from 15 to five the number of years of creditable service required for a teacher to be eligible for a health insurance credit that reduces the cost of health insurance premiums. The five-year requirement is consistent with the number of years required for teachers to become vested for pension benefits under the Virginia Retirement System.
Patron - Byrne

F SB928

Political activities by state agencies. Prohibits any state agency from expending public funds, and any state agency official or employee from using his official authority, for the purpose of influencing the outcome of any election for public office or public referendum.
Patron - Byrne

F SB1028

Virginia Pharmaceutical Buying Cooperative. Directs the executive director of the Department of Human Resource Management, in cooperation with the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Health, to negotiate and enter into biennial contracts with a third-party administrator for the establishment, implementation, and administration of the Virginia Pharmaceutical Buying Cooperative. The Cooperative must be self-supporting and must be established for the purpose of assuring that the senior citizens of Virginia will have access to medically necessary prescription drugs at the lowest possible prices. In addition, the Cooperative must utilize, where possible, the services of existing pharmacies throughout the Commonwealth and, if practicable, any mail-order or managed care pharmacies with which the Department of Human Resources Management has existing contracts. This bill establishes a finding by the Governor and the General Assembly that many Virginia senior citizens who have chronic or acute health conditions are faced with large prescription drug costs without any insurance or other third-party coverage for such pharmaceutical costs, and that these senior citizens must often make choices between paying for medically necessary prescription drugs and the other necessities of life. Any third-party administrator contracting for the establishment, implementation, and administration of the Cooperative must (i) establish a methodology to ascertain eligibility for membership; (ii) design, in a manner to meet the needs of the senior citizens of Virginia, a formulary of prescription drugs that are to be made available through the Cooperative; (iii) set and revise, with the approval of the director of the Department of Human Resource Management, an affordable fee for joining the Cooperative that shall be sufficient to maintain the solvency of the program and to provide the third-party administrator with reasonable profits; (iv) prepare and submit, annually, for review the budget for the Cooperative to the director of the Department of Human Resource Management, the Attorney General, and the Commissioner of Health; (v) revise the Cooperative's budget in accordance with the requirements of the director of the Department of Human Resource Management, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Health; (vi) establish purchasing agreements for the procurement or purchase by members of the drugs listed on the formulary; (vii) appoint, with the approval of the director of the Department of Human Resource Management, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Health, a Virginia Pharmaceutical Buying Cooperative Advisory Committee to assist in the development of the program; (viii) aggressively, expeditiously, and effectively publicize the availability of membership in the Cooperative to the senior citizens of the Commonwealth; (ix) implement the Cooperative in a manner to coordinate the publicity, enrollment and service delivery with existing programs where possible; and (x) comply with the provisions of the executed contract. Eligible members must be at least 60 years old, maintain a domicile in Virginia, not be eligible for medical assistance services, and not have prescription drug coverage through a group or individual insurance or other benefit plan. The program cannot be construed as creating any legally enforceable right or entitlement to prescription drug coverage on the part of any person eligible for membership in the Cooperative or any right or entitlement to membership. The program will only be available to the extent supported by membership fees and management of such funds.
Patron - Couric

F SB1188

Capital improvement plan and budget recommendations. Provides that a capital improvement plan and budget recommendations for capital projects shall be submitted to the General Assembly every two years, in the second fiscal year of each biennium. The capital improvement plan lists projects that the Governor recommends be undertaken in the succeeding six fiscal years. The plan is to be submitted no later than August 15. For each fiscal year of the six-year plan, funding from the general fund for capital improvements and projects must equal at least two percent of the anticipated general fund revenues for the fiscal year. In the event that general fund revenue growth is projected to be less than five percent, the Governor shall propose alternative financing mechanisms for funding capital projects. The budget bill shall contain appropriations for capital projects that are consistent with those capital projects included in the capital improvement plan for the corresponding fiscal year. In addition, the funding sources for capital improvements and projects recommended in the budget bill shall be a portion of general fund revenues based on certain criteria.
Patron - Chichester

F SB1192

State employees' health plan; coverage for hearing aids. Requires the state employee health care plan to provide coverage for hearing aids and related services. Such coverage shall include one hearing aid per hearing-impaired ear, up to a cost of $1,200, every 48 months. The covered person may choose a higher priced hearing aid and pay the difference in cost above $1,200, with no penalty to the covered person or the hearing aid provider.
Patron - Houck

F SB1206

Personnel administration; preference for veterans for employment with the Commonwealth. Provides for a preference for employment with the Commonwealth for veterans awarded the National Defense Medal. This medal is awarded to those who served during the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.
Patron - Forbes

F SB1213

Virginia statewide transportation plan. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to prepare a statewide transportation plan and present it to the Governor and General Assembly. This bill has been incorporated into SB 1047.
Patron - Whipple

F SB1252

Prescription drugs purchasing program for retired teachers. Requires the Department of Human Resource Management to establish a statewide prescription drugs purchasing program to provide access to a variety of prescription drugs at the lowest possible market rate for retired teachers who are at least 60 years of age and the dependents of such retired teachers. The Department shall contract with one or more pharmaceutical benefits management companies to administer the program. The program contractor may allow the retired teachers or their dependents to purchase their prescription medication by mail or through a pharmacy network. The Department shall conduct a statewide outreach and education campaign for retired teachers relating to the prescription drugs purchasing program. The Department shall develop a formulary in consultation with the pharmaceutical benefits management company or companies and shall adopt regulations regarding the establishment of such program.
Patron - Reynolds

F SB1336

Creates Telecommuting Incentive Act. Directs the Secretary of Technology to direct the formulation and promulgation of policies, standards, specifications, and guidelines for information technology concerning telecommuting by the employees of public bodies. In addition, the Department of Technology Planning is directed to develop a comprehensive statewide plan for telecommuting by public employees, and the Department of Human Resource Management is directed to establish an incentive program for telecommuting. The head of each public body, in consultation with the Department of Technology Planning, is directed to develop a telecommuting policy to maximize telecommuting without diminished employee work performance. The Department of Technology Planning is also directed (i) to advise and assist private sectors in developing employee telecommuting, (ii) to develop incentives for private sectors to utilize employee telecommuting, and (iii) to evaluate status, effectiveness, and utilization of employee telecommuting, in both public and private sectors, and report its findings to the Secretary of Technology, who in turn is directed to annually report such findings to the General Assembly.
Patron - Puller

F SB1351

Advantage Virginia Electronic Procurement Program. Creates the Advantage Virginia Electronic Procurement (AVEP) Program and the AVEP Fund. The AVEP Program would make a one-time grant of up to $5,000 to (i) a small business located in the Commonwealth, (ii) which has been approved by the United States General Services Administration (GSA) to be listed on the Federal Supply Schedule ("the Schedule"), (iii) but is not on GSA's website, (iv) provided that such business shall use the grant in order to be listed on a Virginia-based private sector website authorized by the federal government to provide the full range of goods and services. The GSA maintains the Schedule, which consists of vendors. Any federal, state, or local government official may register with the GSA to conduct business with vendors listed on the Schedule. The vendors who are approved to be listed on the Schedule may be listed on the GSA's procurement website as well; however, to be listed on the website, the website operators charge a fee. Because electronic procurement tends to be easier, faster, and less costly than other methods of purchase, businesses that are listed on the website possess a competitive advantage over those businesses that are not. The AVEP Program would help small Virginia businesses not listed on the website to obtain the same competitive advantage as businesses that are listed. The Innovative Technology Authority is to implement the AVEP Program and report back to the Joint Commission on Technology and Science. The bill has a sunset of July 1, 2004.
Patron - Ticer

CONTENTS | < PREVIOUS | NEXT > | BILL INDEX

2001 SUMMARY HOME | DLS | GENERAL ASSEMBLY