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ACROSS SESSIONS
- Subject Index: Since 1995
- Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
- Summaries: Since 1994
Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.
2005 SESSION
Chairman: Thomas K. Norment, Jr.
Clerk: Susan Clarke Schaar
Staff: Virginia Edwards
Date of Meeting: February 18, 2005
Time and Place: 8:30 a.m., Senate Room A, GAB
Patron: Purkey
Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission; membership. Increases from 29 to 31 the membership of the Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission by adding a representative from Eastern Virginia Medical School. The bill also contains technical amendments.
Patron: Dillard
Commission on Civics Education. Creates the 23-member Commission on Civics Education, comprised of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, legislators, executive branch officials, and citizens. The Commission is to, among other things, (i) identify civic education projects in the Commonwealth and provide technical assistance as may be needed, (ii) build a network of civic education professionals to share information and strengthen partnerships, and (iii) make recommendations to the Board of Education regarding revisions to the Standards of Learning for civics and government.
Patron: Howell, A.T.
Designation of a day of recognition for direct care staff and other long term care professionals. Designates the second Wednesday of every June as a day of recognition to acknowledge the contributions of and pay tribute to the direct care staffs and members of other professions that provide dedicated assistance and health care services to enhance the quality of life of persons receiving long term care in the Commonwealth.
Patron: Gear
Session per diem for General Assembly administrative assistants. Increases the session per diem of administrative assistants to equal the amount received by members of the General Assembly. Administrative assistants currently receive 85 percent of the amount authorized for members of the General Assembly.
Patron: McDougle
Criminal procedure; membership of Indigent Defense Commission. Provides that if either the chairman of House Courts of Justice or Senate Courts of Justice is also the Chairman of the Virginia State Crime Commission, then he shall appoint his vice-chairman of that courts' committee to serve on the Indigent Defense Commission in his stead.
Patron: Griffith
Reporting requirements of certain agencies and collegial bodies. Changes or clarifies the reporting requirements of certain reports by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services (farmers' market system report and consumer affairs activities report), the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (annual report), the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission (annual report), the Virginia College Savings Plan (annual report), the Board of Education (Virginia advancement via individual determination (VAID) report), the Department of Environmental Quality (air permit program evaluation report), the Hampton Roads Sports Facility Authority (annual report), Virginia Military Institute (annual report of the treasurer), the Pesticide Control Board (annual report), Virginia Resources Authority (airports revolving fund annual report and annual report on activities), the Supreme Court of Virginia (judicial performance evaluation report), the board of visitors of Virginia's public universities and colleges (retirement compensation plans and annual financial reports), joint subcommittees (study reports), and legislative statutory commissions (annual reports). The bill also gives the Director of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems the authority to enter into agreements with the publishing authority to provide equivalent access to the reports, such as the hosting of the information on the publisher's website with a link from the General Assembly's homepage.
Patron: Cosgrove
Joint Commission on Technology and Science; clarifications for collegial bodies. Conforms the Joint Commission on Technology and Science's requirements to meet legislative guidelines adopted by the Joint Rules Committee. The bill also makes procedural amendments such as reducing the quorum from six to five members, increasing the term of the chair and vice-chair to a two-year term coincident with the term of office for House members, and changing references from Commission to JCOTS.
Patron: Albo
Executive Director of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. Adds the Executive Director of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission to the membership of the Criminal Justice Services Board.
Patron: Hurt
Recodification of Titles 1 and 7.1; General Provisions and Boundaries, Jurisdiction and Emblems of the Commonwealth. In accordance with § 30-152 of the Code of Virginia, the Virginia Code Commission, in May 2003, commenced its revision of Title 1. Title 1 contains the original provisions related to the enactment of the 1950 Code of Virginia and the statutory rules of construction that apply to the Code of Virginia and the uncodified acts of the General Assembly. At the May meeting, the Commission decided to expand the scope of the revision to include the incorporation of Title 7.1 (Boundaries, Jurisdiction and Emblems of the Commonwealth) into Title 1. Titles 1 and 7.1 were last revised in 1966. The revision provided an opportunity to combine two titles of a general nature that contained many provisions of fundamental and historical significance. The revision of Title 1 presented unique challenges compared to other title revisions. Because the provisions of Chapter 1 were part and parcel to the creation of the Code of 1950, they needed to be retained without any change in substance or form. This limitation necessitated that the revisions be done at the chapter level. The new Title 1 contains four revised chapters in which obsolete and duplicative provisions have been removed, nomenclature updated, and the structure and clarity of the laws improved.
Patron: Hurt
Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission; membership. Expands the composition of the Commission by four members by adding two members from the House of Delegate and one member from the Senate of Virginia.
Patron: Griffith
Portrait; Governor Warner. Establishes a committee for the purpose of commissioning a portrait of Governor Mark R. Warner for display in the Capitol.
Patron: Frederick
Study; highway noises abatement. Establishes a six-member joint subcommittee to conduct a two-year study to identify materials, technologies, techniques, actions, and strategies related to both highway planning and construction in order to identify those that will provide the greatest amount of noise abatement for the lowest cost, and the situations in which each of them may best be employed.
Patron: Albo
Study; Criminal street gangs. Directs the Virginia State Crime Commission to study criminal street gang conduct and characteristics for the purpose of reducing the burden on prosecutors by producing a formal listing of gang names coupled with conduct and characteristics unique to those gangs.
Patron: Ward
Resolution; Chronic Kidney Disease. Recognizes Chronic Kidney Disease as a health disparity and encourages licensed health care providers to develop a plan for early identification and implementation of an appropriate clinical management program for individuals at highest risk for Chronic Kidney Disease.
Patron: Marshall, R.G.
Study; stem cell research. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study medical, ethical, and scientific issues relating to stem cell research conducted in the Commonwealth. In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall (i) examine the medical, ethical, and scientific policy implications of prohibiting the creation of embryos in vitro for any purpose other than bringing them to birth; (ii) examine the criminalizing of the transfer of compensation, in cash or in-kind, to induce any person to donate sperm or eggs for any purpose other than procreation; and (iii) examine the efficacy of research using adult stem cells rather than embryonic stem cells. The joint subcommittee shall submit an executive summary of its findings and recommendations to the 2006 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
Patron: Parrish
Study; biodiesel fuel use and production; report. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry to study the use and production of biodiesel fuel in Virginia.
Patron: Morgan
Resolution; palliative care. Encourages Virginia's health care community to increase the education and training of health care professionals in the techniques and benefits of palliative care, and to increase patient awareness regarding palliative care as a treatment component, in order to improve the overall quality of life for those suffering from chronic conditions, and in order to more effectively and efficiently treat the growing population of citizens suffering from chronic illnesses.
Patron: Saxman
Study; exploring offshore natural gas; report. Requests the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to study the possibility of exploring for natural gas in coastal areas of the Commonwealth. The Secretary shall include recommended legislation that would permit drilling for natural gas off the Commonwealth's coast.
Patron: Callahan
Study; funding options for Chesapeake Bay cleanup; report. Establishes a seven-member joint subcommittee to study options to provide a long-term funding source to clean up Virginia's polluted waters, including the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The six legislative members are the chairmen of the money committees and the chairmen of the committees of oversight in the House and Senate. The Secretary of Natural Resources and the Secretary of Agriculture or their designees must serve as an ex officio voting members.
Patron: Hogan
Study; land application of biosolids. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the land application of biosolids. The Commission shall evaluate (i) the current level of funding, staffing and resources available to the Virginia Department of Health for oversight and enforcement of the Virginia Biosolids Program; (ii) resources available to assist local governments with implementation of their biosolids inspection and monitoring authority; (iii) programs to ensure the proper training and support of local biosolids monitors; (iv) incentives to encourage sharing of information and resources among local governments, including the use of regional or multi-jurisdictional monitors; and (v) measures to encourage and assist coordination and communication between the Virginia Department of Health and local governments so as to ensure consistency and efficiency in complaint response and enforcement.
Patron: Tata
Study; Requesting the Virginia Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Program, with the Assistance of the State Corporation Commission, the Office of the Attorney General, the State Workers' Compensation Commission, and other state agencies to develop recommendations for adequately funding the Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Fund.
Patron: Spruill
Study; eliminate/consolidate taxes and fees which are inefficient to collect; report. Establishes a joint committee to study the taxes, assessments, and fees imposed by the Commonwealth that generate little revenue. The joint subcommittee is charged with examining if administrative costs can be reduced if smaller taxes and fees are consolidated into larger ones which can be collected more efficiently.
Patron: Rust
Study; "no wrong door" approach for long-term care services; report. Requests the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to study a "no wrong door" approach for long-term care services in the Commonwealth.
Patron: Abbitt
Study; administration of local cigarette taxes; report. Requests that the Department of Taxation study the feasibility of establishing uniformity and consistency among Virginia's localities in the design and use of tax stamps as evidence of payment of local cigarette taxes by tobacco wholesalers.
Patron: Albo
Study; Campaign Finance Disclosure Act. Encouraging the State Board of Elections to review the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act to determine the need for clarification and reorganization of the law. Report.
Patron: Oder
Study; costs of college textbooks and textbook purchasing practices of public institutions of higher education; report. Requests the State Council of Higher Education to study the rising costs of college textbooks and textbook purchasing practices of public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth.
The State Council for Higher Education must submit its executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations to the 2006 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
Patron: Janis
Youth Political Education Day. Designates the Tuesday prior to Election Day each year as Youth Political Education Day in Virginia.
Patron: Frederick
Study; HOPE Scholarship in Virginia. Requests the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV) to study the feasibility and appropriateness of creating a program of student assistance in Virginia modeled after the Georgia HOPE Scholarship and Grant Program. In conducting its study, SCHEV shall consider, among other things, (i) the fiscal and educational impact of the HOPE initiative in Georgia; (ii) the implementation of similar initiatives, if any, in other states; (iii) Virginia's current financial aid programs and funding levels; (iv) potential revenue sources for a HOPE-modeled program in Virginia; and (v) such other issues as it deems appropriate.
Patron: Hall
Study; private youth group homes; report. Creates a joint subcommittee to study private youth group homes in the Commonwealth. In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall analyze the licensing requirements and enforcement of licensing standards, the need to notify localities of licensing violations in those localities, the rationale for and impact of concentrations of homes in certain communities, the appropriate siting requirements for such homes, and other issues that affect the integration of youth group homes residents into the community. This resolution incorporates HJR 703 (Melvin).
Patron: Suit
Study; Virginia Real Estate Board; report. Requests the Virginia Real Estate Board to review the study performed by the Old Dominion University Center for Real Estate and Economic Development on common interest communities, which was funded through a grant from the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation and the Virginia Real Estate Board. That study includes an analysis of the adequacy of training of, and disclosure of financial information to consumers by, financially compensated professional managers of condominium associations, property owners associations, and other similar common interest communities. The Board shall report its findings to the Governor and General Assembly by the first day of the 2006 Session of the General Assembly.
Patron: Armstrong
Teenage Dating Abuse. Designates the first week in October in 2005, and in each succeeding year, as Teenage Dating Abuse Awareness Week in Virginia.
Patron: Nixon
Study; cost-effective toll collection. Directs the Joint Commission on Technology and Science to study technologies available for cost-effective toll collection.
Patron: Petersen
Recognizing the Vietnamese American Community of Virginia. Recognizes the Vietnamese-American community in Virginia following the 30th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the Republic of South Vietnam.
Patron: Brink
"Wrap-around" discount card coverage available for some Medicare prescription drug card beneficiaries; resolution. Encourages the Commissioner of the Department for the Aging and the Commissioner of Health to provide information on wrap-around coverage offered by some pharmaceutical companies for low-income Medicare beneficiaries who exhaust their transitional assistance credit.
Patron: Morgan
Resolution; distribution of certain information by Mission of Mercy. Encourages the Department for the Aging, the Department of Medical Assistance Services, and the Department of Health to consult with the Virginia Dental Association and the Virginia Health Care Foundation on the feasibility of using the Mission of Mercy program to disseminate information concerning prescription assistance programs and prescription drug discount cards.
Patron: Athey
Study; medical malpractice; report. Continues the Joint Subcommittee Studying Risk Management Plans for Physicians and Hospitals to study various aspects of medical malpractice in Virginia.
Patron: Fralin
Resolution; Boy Scouts. Expresses the General Assembly's support of the right of the Boy Scouts of America to assemble and use the facilities of all Virginia military installations subject to the approval of the Adjutant General of the Virginia National Guard and within federal government rules and regulations for the use of these facilities.
Patron: Landes
Study; two-term Governor; report. Continues and renames the Joint Subcommittee to Study the Appropriate Balance of Power Between the Legislative and Executive Branches to Support a Two-Term Governor in the Commonwealth as the Joint Subcommittee to Study the Appropriate Balance of Power Between the Legislative and Executive Branches. During its second year of study, the joint subcommittee will continue to review proposals to (i) lengthen the session to 60 days in the odd-numbered years, (ii) shift the budget cycle, (iii) provide for annual budgets, (iv) create an independent economic and revenue forecasting commission, (v) allow for legislative veto or suspension of administrative regulations, and (vi) increase legislative oversight of the boards of visitors of the public institutions of higher education and the Commonwealth Transportation Board, and (vii) establish an appropriate balance of powers between the legislative and executive branches as the joint subcommittee deems appropriate. The joint subcommittee must submit an executive summary of its findings and recommendations to the 2006 Session of the General Assembly.
Patron: Cline
I-81 corridor multi-state transportation planning initiative. Urges Congress to encourage the primary states served by the Interstate Route I-81 corridor to adopt a multi-state transportation planning initiative to (i) study, develop, and promote a plan for the design, construction, financing, and operation of optimal freight and passenger transportation facilities in the I-81 corridor; (ii) coordinate efforts to establish the least costly and most efficient combination of transportation infrastructure development; (iii) coordinate and require joint planning between the Virginia Department of Transportation and the departments of transportation of the other states; and (iv) seek and provide funding and resources for innovative and appropriate passenger and freight transportation improvement concepts.
Patron: Cline
Study; 200th anniversary celebration of the birth of Robert E. Lee; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to plan and coordinate the 200th anniversary celebration of the birth of Robert E. Lee.
Patron: McDonnell
Resolution; Hydrogen energy. Expresses the General Assembly's support for the Virginia Hydrogen Energy Plan.
Patron: Byron
Study; workforce development and training; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study the need for greater consolidation or coordination of the workforce development and training resources available in the Commonwealth.
Patron: Wardrup
Study; Free Market Ideas in Transportation Commission; report. Establishes the Commission on Transportation Needs in the Commonwealth to study a list of issues associated with promoting a more efficient transportation system for the Commonwealth. This resolution incorporates HJR 662 (Wardrup), HJR 660 (Kilgore), HJR 663 (Marrs), HJR 715 (Lingamfelter), HJR 744 (Phillips), HJR 772 (Parrish), and HJR 791 (Marshall, R.G.).
Patron: Janis
Study; relocating the Museum and White House of the Confederacy. Establishes a joint subcommittee to examine the cost and feasibility of relocating the Museum and White House of the Confederacy.
Patron: O'Bannon
Resolution; Holocaust museum. Designates the Virginia Holocaust Museum as the official museum in the Commonwealth for the commemoration of the Holocaust.
Patron: Ingram
Appointments by the Speaker of the House of Delegates. Confirms appointments by the Speaker to the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, Board of Directors of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority, and Board of the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy.
Patron: Ward
Promote spaying and neutering of companion animals. Directs the General Assembly to encourage local governments to support the spaying and neutering of companion animals by providing incentives to citizens.
Patron: Marrs
Resolution; child day centers. Expresses the General Assembly's support for the suspension or repeal of the amended regulation, 22 VAC 15-30, Standards for Licensed Child Day Centers.
Patron: Fralin
Resolution; Heartland Corridor. Expresses the support of the General Assembly for the Heartland Corridor rail project, linking the ports of Hampton Roads to markets in the Midwest.
Patron: Bryant
Memorial commission; students of Robert R. Moton High School; report. Expresses the General Assembly's support for the establishment by the Governor of a memorial commission to pay tribute to the students of Robert R. Moton High School in 1951. In April 1951, the students of Robert R. Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia, led by 16-year old Barbara Johns, undertook a strike to protest the longstanding unequal conditions at the school. The historical United States Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954) was a culmination of the protest of these Virginia children.
Patron: Sherwood
Recognition and incorporation of Green Globes environmental assessment tool. Encourages the Commonwealth to recognize and incorporate the Green Globes environmental assessment tool into state and local practices for the design and procurement of building construction projects.
Patron: BaCote
Resolution; NASA funding. Memorializes the Congress of the United States to enact and fully fund the proposed vision for the NASA exploration program and expresses the General Assembly's support for NASA's current and proposed programs.
Patron: Fralin
Resolution; Official Transit Museum. Designates the Commonwealth Coach and Trolley Museum, Inc., in Roanoke as the Official Transit Museum of the Commonwealth.
Patron: Reese
Resolution; Virginia Law Enforcement Memorial. Supports the establishment of a memorial commission to pay tribute to Virginia's first responders killed in the line of duty.
Patron: Hamilton
Resolution; High deductible health insurance plans and quality initiatives. Requests the Medical Society of Virginia, Virginia Association of Health Plans, Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, Board of Medicine, and Department of Health to meet and report concerning educational initiatives regarding high-deductible health insurance plans during the summer and fall of 2005.
Patron: Cosgrove
Resolution; United States Coast Guard. Memorializes the United States Coast Guard to maintain the Memorial Day to Labor Day lift schedule at the Rt. 17 South/Dominion Boulevard "Steel Bridge" over the Elizabeth River.
Patron: Rapp
Resolution; 2006 Inaugural Ceremonies at the Reconstructed Capitol in Williamsburg. Directs the Joint Rules Committee to develop the plans for the 2006 Inaugural Ceremonies for the Governor to be held at the Reconstructed Capitol in Williamsburg.
Patron: Howell, W.J.
Stafford County Youth Driver Task Force. Commends the work of the task force and reaffirms the General Assembly's commitment to improving driving conditions for the young people of the Commonwealth.
Patron: Norment
Appointments by the Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections and on Rules. Confirms appointments by the Committee on Privileges and Elections to the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission and by the Committee on Rules to the Board of Directors of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority and the Board of the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy.