Commissions, Boards and Institutions Generally

Commissions, Boards and Institutions Generally

P Passed

P HB1206

Capitol Square Preservation Council created. Creates, within the legislative branch, the Capitol Square Preservation Council. The Council shall have the power, with regard to the architectural, historical, archeological and landscape features of Capitol Square, to: (i) inventory and assess their condition; (ii) develop plans for preservation and organized enhancement; (iii) recommend activities to enhance interpretive and educational opportunities; and (iv) review all plans for alterations, improvements, additions, renovations or other dispositions. The Council shall have the authority to hire an executive director who will act as curator for Capitol Square.

Patron - Murphy

P HB1648

Frontier Culture Museum. Authorizes the Board of Trustees of the Frontier Culture Museum to elect any past member of the Board of Trustees to the honorary position of trustee emeritus. Trustees emeritii would serve as honorary members for life and would not have voting privileges.

Patron - Landes

P HB1849

Department of Criminal Justice Services; powers and duties. Authorizes the Department of Criminal Justice Services to promulgate regulations relating to forensics evidence testing and processing which are administered by the Division of Forensic Sciences.

Patron - Albo

P HB1915

Code Commission; title revisions. Provides that a title revision bill that repeals a section of the Code shall not by itself repeal an uncodified enactment affecting the section repealed unless the bill expressly repeals the uncodified enactment.

Patron - DeBoer

P HB1995

Department of Criminal Justice Services; definitions. Clarifies the definition of "electronic security equipment" by eliminating the reference to radio frequency-based technology.

Patron - Keating

P HB2127

Unemployment Compensation and Trust Fund Commission. Creates, as a permanent legislative agency, the Unemployment Compensation and Trust Fund Commission. The Commission, which consists of five members from the House Committee on Labor and Commerce and five members from the Senate committee on Commerce and Labor, shall study, report and make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on issues concerning unemployment compensation and the Unemployment Trust Fund.

Patron - Rust

P HB2191

Administrative Process Act; exemptions and exclusions. Exempts the Board of Health from compliance with the Administrative Process Act (§ 9-6.14:1.1 et seq.) when promulgating the list of diseases that must be reported to the Department of Health. The Board must continue to file any new regulations with the Registrar of Regulations for publication. There is also a technical amendment.

Patron - Devolites

P HB2252

Law-enforcement expenditures. Clarifies that existing funds for the regional criminal justice training academies shall not be reduced by either state or local entities as a result of the enactment of Chapter 215 of the Acts of Assembly of 1997.

Patron - Woodrum

P HB2558

Statewide Workforce Training Council; membership; powers. Changes the name of the Statewide Workforce Training Council to the Virginia Workforce Council and establishes the council as a policy-making entity. The membership is increased from 23 members to 43. The bill provides for (i) the Secretary of Commerce and Trade and the Council to assist the Governor in complying with the provisions of the federal Workforce Investment Act (P.L. 105-220), referred to in the bill as "WIA," including the creation of Virginia's Workforce Development Program; (ii) the Governor to select the chairman and vice-chairman of the Council from among the 22 business representatives; (iii) the Virginia Employment Commission and the Virginia Community College System to serve as staff to the Council as directed by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade; and (iv) the Virginia Employment Commission to act as fiscal agent for the Council. The bill also abolishes the Advisory Commission on Welfare Reform and the State Advisory Board for the Virginia Employment Commission. In addition, the bill provides that the existing appointments, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor, are not affected and that any new appointments made after July 1, 1999, shall be made in accordance with the act. The bill contains technical amendments.

Patron - Reid

P HB2585

Workforce Training Access Program and Fund. Establishes the Workforce Training Access Program and Fund, administered by the Secretary of Finance, to guarantee payment of workforce training loans made by a national student loan marketing association, consistent with §§ 10 and 11 of Article VIII of the Virginia Constitution. The Secretary of Finance is authorized to enter into an agreement with the national student loan marketing association that will originate, fund and service workforce training loans to persons enrolled in workforce training courses and programs which the Statewide Workforce Training Council has certified to be responding to the technology needs of business and industry in the Commonwealth pursuant to § 9-329.2. Only persons (i) who are Virginia residents or (ii) who are employed in Virginia and whose employers make loan repayments directly by payroll deduction or tuition assistance, before providing for the training needs of other students in such certified courses, shall be eligible to receive workforce training loans. Nothing herein shall be construed to impose an obligation upon an employer to make loan payments or to continue tuition assistance after termination of the student's employment. If the association ceases to make workforce training loans, the Fund reverts to the general fund of the Commonwealth, after payment of or provision for any outstanding obligations the Fund guarantees.

Patron - Rust

P HB2629

Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation; membership. Provides for the membership of the Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation to consist of the members of the Commission on Interstate Cooperation of the Senate, the members of the Committee on Interstate Cooperation of the House of Delegates, and the Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Clerk of the Senate, who shall serve as ex offico, nonvoting members. The bill also removes the approval of the Governor for appointments made by the commission.

Patron - Dudley

P HB2635

Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission and Fund; Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation Fund. Establishes the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission to administer funds received by the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund. The Fund shall receive 50 percent of the funds received by the Commonwealth pursuant to the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. The Commission shall use the moneys in the Fund to make payments to tobacco farmers and for projects in tobacco dependent communities. The bill also creates the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Fund, to receive 10 percent of the funds received by the Commonwealth under the Master Settlement Agreement. This Fund shall be administered by the newly-created Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation. This Fund will be used to finance efforts to limit the use of tobacco products by minors.

Patron - Clement

P SB1056

Virginia Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation; membership; duties. Increases the House and Senate membership on the Commission from five from each body to six from each body. The bill also includes the clerks of the Senate and House of Delegates as ex officio, nonvoting members of the Commission. The bill (i) provides that the Commission shall have the power to establish such committees as deemed advisable and designate the members of every such committee, (ii) removes the approval of the Governor for appointments made by the Commission, (iii) eliminates the Commission's annual reporting requirement to the Governor and General Assembly, and (iv) clarifies that the Commission is a legislative agency.

Patron - Martin

P SB1089

Appointment and terms of Commissioners for the Promotion of Uniformity of Legislation in the United States. Changes the terms of office from two to four years and commences the term on October 1, instead of July 1, to avoid potential conflict with the annual meeting of the National Conference. The bill further provides that members shall serve until their successors are appointed.

Patron - Mims

P SB1106

Department of Criminal Justice Services. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish compulsory minimum training standards and qualifications for certification and re-certification of law-enforcement officers serving as field training officers. The bill also contains technical amendments.

Patron - Holland

P SB1257

Statewide Workforce Training Council; membership; powers. Changes the name of the Statewide Workforce Training Council to the Virginia Workforce Council and establishes the council as a policy making entity. The membership is increased from 23 members to 43. The bill provides for (i) the Secretary of Commerce and Trade and the Council to assist the Governor in complying with the provisions of the federal Workforce Investment Act (P.L. 105-220), referred to in the bill as "WIA," including the creation of Virginia's Workforce Development Program; (ii) the Governor to select the chairman and vice-chairman of the Council from among the 22 business representatives; (iii) the Virginia Employment Commission and the Virginia Community College System to serve as staff to the Council as directed by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade; and (iv) the Virginia Employment Commission to act as fiscal agent for the Council. The bill also abolishes the Advisory Commission on Welfare Reform and the State Advisory Board for the Virginia Employment Commission. In addition, the bill provides that the existing appointments, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor, are not affected and that any new appointments made after July 1, 1999, shall be made in accordance with the act. The bill contains technical amendments.

Patron - Hawkins

F Failed

F HB1530

Code Commission; evaluation of unfunded laws. Requires the Code Commission, in its recodification bills, to evaluate the need for and recommend the repeal of any section or provision of or relating to the revised title that has not been implemented during any of the previous five years because sufficient funds were not appropriated by the General Assembly. The House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance shall assist the Commission in identifying those Code sections and provisions that meet these conditions.

Patron - Landes

F HB1943

Statewide Workforce Training Council; membership. Increases the membership of the Council to 24 by adding a member of the board of a Virginia public school division.

Patron - Diamonstein

F HB1969

Virginia Code Commission. Directs to the Commission the ongoing responsibility for the amendment or repeal of obsolete provisions in the Code of Virginia and the Virginia Acts of Assembly.

Patron - Landes

F HB2003

Statewide Workforce Training Council. Increases the membership of the Statewide Workforce Training Council to 24 by adding the Superintendent of Public Instruction and deletes the reference to public education within "those specific and existing workforce needs in sectors of the economy which have high potential for sustained demand or growth" to be identified by the Council with the assistance of regional workforce centers. There is also a technical amendment.

Patron - Diamonstein

F HB2260

Training of correctional officers. Requires that the training for persons employed as jailers or custodial officers by local criminal justice agencies and for correctional officers employed by the Department of Corrections on the use of Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray or pepper spray be limited to an exposure incurred when being in a physical area where ample amounts of OC particulates remain airborne.

Patron - Deeds

F HB2289

Law-enforcement expenditures. Revises the method used for determining the amounts that local governments receive from the state for law enforcement.

Patron - Hall

F HB2402

Commission on The Library of Virginia. Codifies the SJR 173 (1998) Joint Subcommittee Studying The Library of Virginia as the 11-member Commission on The Library of Virginia, a legislative agency that will include the Librarian of Virginia and the State Archivist as ex officio, nonvoting members. The Commission is to (i) recommend policies, legislation and funding that help ensure the fulfillment of The Library's multi-faceted mission; (ii) review The Library's document preservation techniques and archival practices, archival storage and space needs, and preservation efforts, and recommend preservation priorities; (iii) make recommendations regarding the advancement of new technologies that would increase accessibility of Library holdings for citizens throughout Virginia; (iv) encourage the development of programs and curricula within the state's higher education institutions for the training of personnel involved with archival collections; and (v) review and make recommendations regarding other issues involving The Library, public libraries in the Commonwealth, and archival holdings as determined necessary. Initially established in 1994 pursuant to SJR 96 to study the future and possible reorganization of the Commonwealth's state library agency, to inventory the collection of historical art work in the State Capitol, and to develop recommendations regarding its restoration and preservation, the joint subcommittee has examined, among other things, The Library's internal reorganization plan; funding and staffing levels for the various divisions within The Library and the Archives; current and projected storage and space needs; and preservation efforts.

Patron - Morgan

F HB2605

Women, men and children; state councils. Creates the Commonwealth Council to Assess the Family in the Lives of Women, Men and Children for the purpose of examining the benefits of family and ways in which it is appropriate for government or the private sector to support rather than supplant responsibilities of the family. The Council will be chaired by the Secretary of Health and Human Resources and include agency heads, legislators and citizen members. The Council is charged with developing a Family Strength Plan on a biennial basis which will report on challenges to maintaining stable families and provide advice on strategies appropriate for the private and public sector to strengthen the family, as well as ways whereby marriage can be promoted. In addition, the Council will provide for the planning and coordination of state services to children and work to enhance the role of the family in child development. The Secretary shall appoint an executive director for the Council who shall be authorized to employ staff as necessary to enable the Council to perform its duties. The bill contains technical amendments.

Patron - Landes

F HB2682

Criminal history record access. Removes limitations on access to criminal history records and requires the Criminal Justice Services Board to promulgate regulations regarding public access through criminal justice agencies, including via the Internet. Currently only certain agencies and authorized parties are allowed access to individuals' criminal history records.

Patron - O'Brien

F HB2761

Health care; Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits. Authorizes the General Assembly's standing committees with jurisdiction over health insurance mandates, to exercise discretion in determining whether any proposed health insurance mandate should be reviewed by the Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits. Under current law, these standing committees are required to request from the Commission, an assessment of (i) the social and financial impact and (ii) the medical efficacy of any proposed mandate. This bill would make such a request and assessment permissive.

Patron - Murphy

F SB1000

Virginia Council on Minority Affairs. Creates the Virginia Council on Minority Affairs which shall determine the status and needs of Virginia's minority populations. The Council is directed to identify the needs of Virginia's minority populations and develop a strategic plan for the overall implementation of recommendations and legislative initiatives which are designed to address their needs and move such persons into the mainstream of society. Recent population projections indicate that the demographics of Virginia's population are becoming more culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse. Such population shifts, composed of immigrants, persons of impoverished backgrounds, persons with limited English proficiency, and racial and ethnic minorities, indicate the need to plan and assess the impact on state resources, local infrastructures, economic development, education, health and social services, transportation, and other state services. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Status and Needs of African American Males in Virginia.

Patron - Edwards

F SB1048

Virginia Body Armor Grant Program. Establishes a fund to enable law-enforcement agencies to purchase body armor. The fund, which expires on July 1, 2002, will be administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services.

Patron - Forbes

F SB1246

Patron - Forbes

F SB1261

Patron - Walker

F SB1267

Preventing Crime in Minority Communities Initiative Program and Fund. Creates the Preventing Crime in Minority Communities Initiative Program and Fund to provide for a multi-disciplinary network of persons and organizations with expertise, experience, and interest in preventing and reducing crime in the minority community. The Department of Criminal Justice Services will administer the Program and provide staff support for the advisory board. The Program consists of five projects located throughout the Commonwealth in minority communities with high crime rates and attendant social and economic problems. State-funded grants are to be awarded to eligible projects on a competitive basis through the issuance of a request for proposals. Such projects are required to engage in myriad activities and perform several tasks directed toward community involvement, consensus building, dispelling myths about minorities, and preventing and reducing crime in the minority community. Further, eligible projects must also promote the participation of and engage business and industry, minority community organizations and professional associations, the religious community, citizens, and local agencies in the community in fighting crime. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Status and Needs of African-American Males in Virginia.

Patron - Maxwell

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