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2008 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Rules

Chairman: Mary Margaret Whipple

Clerk: Susan Clarke Schaar/Patty Lung
Staff: Cheryl Jackson, Brenda Edwards
Date of Meeting: January 25, 2008
Time and Place: GAB, Senate Room A, 10 a.m.

S.B. 383

Patron: Martin

Virginia Bicentennial of the American War of 1812 Commission.  Establishes the Virginia Bicentennial of the American War of 1812 Commission to prepare for and commemorate the 200th anniversary of the war. Composed of 11 members, the Commission is authorized to plan commemorative events and activities, encourage research to promote historical literacy and understanding of the war, and support organizations throughout the state as they plan commemorative events. A special nonreverting fund is established to support the Commission's activities. The Commission expires July 1, 2015.

S.B. 749

Patron: Stosch

Public-Private Partnership Advisory Commission.  Changes the primary staff of the Commission to the Department of General Services. Currently, the Offices of the Clerk of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Delegates are primary staff.

S.J.R. 32

Patron: Puller

Study; options for energy efficient office buildings and public buildings.  Establishes a joint subcommittee to study options for energy efficient office buildings and public buildings. The joint subcommittee is directed to propose amendments to the Statewide Building Code and to public building procurement requirements that will make such buildings more energy efficient, at costs that are recoverable through savings in energy usage.

S.J.R. 42

Patron: Lucas

Study; mental health; report.  Establishes a joint subcommittee to receive and review recommendations of the Chief Justice's Commission on Mental Health Law Reform, the Virginia Tech Review Panel, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, and any other committee, commission, group, or individual with recommendations for, and any legislation submitted to the General Assembly related to, the reform of the Commonwealth's process for involuntary commitment specifically and the system of mental health services generally.

S.J.R. 46

Patron: Marsh

Study; continuing the study of the mental health needs and treatment of minority young adults in the Commonwealth; report.  Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to continue its study of the mental health needs and treatment of young minority adults in the Commonwealth. In conducting the study, the Joint Commission on Health Care shall continue, among other things, to (i) estimate the number of mentally disabled young adults by gender, age, and racial and ethnic classification, in the geographical regions of the Commonwealth; (ii) identify the prevailing mental health and emotional disorders and their etiology among minority young adults; (iii) identify the mental health needs of minority citizens, particularly minority young adults in Virginia; (iv) determine whether mental health care providers are trained to provide culturally competent mental health treatment; (v) assess the need for culturally competent mental health treatment in Virginia; and (vi) review federal and state laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of health care, mental health treatment, and medical records. The Commission must submit its findings and recommendations to the 2009 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

S.J.R. 47

Patron: Puller

Study; JLARC to study Board of Medicine; report.  Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to conduct a follow-up review of the effectiveness of the Board of Medicine in regulating the practice of medicine.

S.J.R. 55

Patron: Locke

Study; teacher shortage; report.  Establishes a joint subcommittee to study the teacher shortage in the Commonwealth. In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall review current teacher certification and licensure requirements as well as teacher preparation programs in Virginia; examine the effectiveness of existing programs designed to recruit and retain teachers, including Teach for America, and other alternative certification routes; identify barriers to teaching as a career choice and possible solutions; evaluate other states' initiatives aimed at teacher recruitment and retention; and identify incentives for bringing out-of-state teachers to Virginia.

S.J.R. 56

Patron: Locke

Study; Virginia Housing Commission; vacant residential units in densely populated urban areas; report.  Directs the Virginia Housing Commission to study the impact of abandoned and vacant residential buildings on densely populated urban areas.

S.J.R. 61

Patron: Miller, J.C.

Study; early reading proficiency and comprehension; report.  Establishes a joint subcommittee to study ways to promote and ensure early reading proficiency and comprehension among third graders in public schools. In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall (i) determine the number of third graders who read at grade level; (ii) rank the school divisions according to the number of third graders who passed the most recent third grade reading test; (iii) identify best practices utilized by school divisions with the highest percentage of third graders who read at grade level; (iv) examine the findings and recommendations of state and national studies pertaining to the efficacy of early reading proficiency and comprehension and its relationship to academic success, and recommend those recommendations appropriate for implementation in Virginia; and (v) determine strategies to increase the number of third graders who pass the third grade reading test and ways to improve and sustain the early reading proficiency of third grade students. The joint subcommittee must submit its findings and recommendations to the 2009 Session of the General Assembly.

S.J.R. 62

Patron: Barker

Study; unforeseen circumstances that prevent a local governing body from convening a quorum for conducting business; report.  Establishes a joint subcommittee to study methods to alleviate the instances when unforeseen circumstances prevent a local governing body from convening a quorum for conducting business.

S.J.R. 68

Patron: Barker

Study; state assistance for public school construction and renovation; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study the level of state assistance to localities to assist with financing land acquisition, and the construction and renovation of school facilities. In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee must ascertain alternative methods of financing the construction and renovation of public school facilities in Virginia, including the feasibility of public-private partnerships. The joint subcommittee must report its findings and recommendations to the 2009 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

S.J.R. 70

Patron: Vogel

Study; required and voluntary incorporation of urban development areas into localities' comprehensive plans; report. Establishes a Senate joint subcommittee to study the required and voluntary incorporation of urban development areas into localities%92 comprehensive plans.

S.J.R. 75

Patron: Hanger

Study; continuing the Joint Subcommittee to Study the Comprehensive Services Program for At-Risk Youth and Families; report.  Continues the Joint Subcommittee to Study the Comprehensive Services Program for At-Risk Youth and Families, established by Senate Joint Resolution 96 (2006), to continue to review the administration of the Comprehensive Services Program and to develop additional legislative recommendations for the 2009 Session of the General Assembly.

S.J.R. 76

Patron: Hanger

Study; continues the Joint Subcommittee Studying Long-Term Funding for the Purchase of Development Rights to Preserve Open-Space and Farmlands; report. Continues for an additional year the Joint Subcommittee Studying Long-Term Funding Sources for the Purchase of Development Rights to Preserve Open-Space Land and Farmlands. In conducting the study, the joint subcommittee would study alternative options for cost-sharing arrangements with local governments to provide funding for land preservation and new parks, the effectiveness and efficiency of local purchase of development rights programs as a tool for land preservation, the future needs of the Commonwealth for open-space land and parks, and sources of dedicated funds for long-term funding of land preservation and new parks.

S.J.R. 77

Patron: Hanger

Study; substance abuse and prevention programs. Creates a joint subcommittee to study strategies and models for substance abuse prevention and treatment that effectively reduce the costly service demands created by substance abuse. In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall (i) identify and characterize the nature of substance abuse in the Commonwealth; (ii) identify current state policies and programs targeting substance abuse prevention and treatment; (iii) examine the cost of such policies and programs to the Commonwealth; (iv) identify and examine policies and prevention programs from other leading states in the field of substance abuse and prevention; and (v) benchmark the Commonwealth's substance abuse prevention and treatment programs and policies against those of the leading states.

S.J.R. 79

Patron: Northam

Study; Dedicated revenue stream for teacher salaries. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study the feasibility of creating a dedicated revenue stream for teacher salaries.  In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall examine the salary levels of beginning and veteran teachers in Virginia, review methods and initiatives employed by other states to increase and maintain competitive teacher salaries, and evaluate the feasibility of and identify appropriate sources for creating a dedicated revenue stream to fund teacher salaries. The joint subcommittee must report its findings and recommendations to the 2009 Session of the General Assembly.

S.J.R. 80

Patron: Northam

Study; Virginia Housing Commission; incentives used by other states for targeted affordable housing development for the workforce; report.  Directs the Virginia Housing Commission to study incentives used by other states and jurisdictions for targeted development of affordable housing and whether such incentives may be used to foster the location of affordable housing for the workforce in appropriate areas of need.

S.J.R. 81

Patron: Miller, J.C.

Study; income tax credits for certain homeowners based upon real property taxes and annual income; report.  Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study implications of a state income tax credit for homeowners with annual real property taxes exceeding a certain percentage of their annual incomes. In conducting its study, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission shall (i) examine state constitutional and statutory issues regarding real property tax exemptions, (ii) study the effectiveness and efficiency of local real property tax relief programs, (iii) study thresholds for real property tax liability used by other states for triggering eligibility for state income tax credits or other state assistance, (iv) consider the percentage of annual income that annual real property taxes would have to exceed for purposes of determining eligibility for state income tax credits, (v) examine the ability of low and moderate income homeowners to pay real property taxes, and (vi) consider such other issues as it deems appropriate.

S.J.R. 90

Patron: Norment

Study; restorative justice; report.  Directs the Virginia State Crime Commission to study restorative justice and specifically, victim-offender reconciliation programs.

S.J.R. 92

Patron: Stolle

Study; Hampton Roads transportation entities; report.  Establishes a 10-member joint subcommittee to conduct a one-year study of the relationship, duties, and responsibilities of and between the various transportation entities in Hampton Roads.

S.J.R. 96

Patron: Ticer

Study; ecological services incentives to forest landowner; report.  Requests the Board of Forestry to study the provision of ecological services incentives to private landowners to help them hold and preserve their forestland and receive compensation for the ecosystem services their forestlands provide.

S.J.R. 99

Patron: Stolle

Study; clerks' offices; report. Continuing the joint subcommittee to study the operations of circuit court clerks' offices.

S.J.R. 101

Patron: Stosch

Study; benefits, economic impact, and fiscal impact of adopting a single sales factor to apportion the income of multistate corporations for purposes of the corporation income tax; report.  Provides for a joint committee of the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Finance to study the benefits, economic impact, and fiscal impact of adopting a single sales factor to apportion the income of multistate corporations for purposes of the corporation income tax. The joint committee may form a Single Sales Factor Advisory Work Group consisting of interested parties to assist in the study.

S.J.R. 102

Patron: Stosch

Study; support services for family caregivers of the frail elderly and disabled and community-based caregiver support organizations; report.  Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to study support services for family caregivers of the frail elderly and disabled and community-based caregiver support organizations.

S.J.R. 107

Patron: Saslaw

Establishing a joint subcommittee to study the mining of uranium in the Commonwealth. 

S.J.R. 119

Patron: Barker

Study; retroreflective material on stop sign posts; report.  Requests the Department of Transportation to study the feasibility, costs, and benefits of applying retroreflective material to stop sign posts statewide.

S.J.R. 129

Patron: Stolle

Study; JLARC to study cost of VITA services; report.  Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study services provided to state agencies and public bodies by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA). In conducting its study, JLARC shall (i) evaluate the quality, cost, and value of the services delivered to state agencies and public bodies and (ii) characterize the impact to state agencies and public bodies resulting from the transition to a fee-based services model and to the information technology infrastructure partnership with Northrop Grumman.

S.R. 3

Patron: Whipple

Confirming nominations to the Senate Ethics Advisory Panel.  Confirms the nominations of the Senate Committee on Rules to reappoint Dr. Ronald E. Carrier and the Honorable Wiley F. Mitchell, Jr., for four-year terms commencing July 1, 2008.