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2011 SESSION

11102401D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 556
Offered January 12, 2011
Prefiled January 4, 2011
Establishing a joint subcommittee to study the fiscal impact of changing family life education from an opt-out program to an opt-in program. Report.
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Patrons-- Cole and Poindexter
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia currently faces a budget crisis unlike any in recent history; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth must review every possible way to save the taxpayers and state government money to reduce the current budget deficit; and

WHEREAS, public schools in the Commonwealth are facing serious fiscal impact due to the deficit; and

WHEREAS, public schools in the Commonwealth must be able to focus on the core disciplines; and

WHEREAS, family life education is not a core discipline; and

WHEREAS, family life education is currently a program that requires parents to opt their children out; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to study the fiscal impact of changing family life education from an opt-out program to an opt-in program. The joint subcommittee shall have a total membership of 15 members that shall consist of 12 legislative members, two nonlegislative citizen members, and one ex officio member. Members shall be appointed as follows: seven members of the House of Delegates to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; five members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; one nonlegislative citizen member who is a representative of an accredited private school to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; and one nonlegislative citizen member who is a parent of a school-age child to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. The Secretary of Education or his designee shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Nonlegislative citizen members of the joint subcommittee shall be citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unless otherwise approved in writing by the chairman of the joint subcommittee and the respective Clerk, nonlegislative citizen members shall only be reimbursed for travel originating and ending within the Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of attending meetings. If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both Clerks shall be required. The joint subcommittee shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its membership, who shall be members of the General Assembly.

In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall (i) determine the cost of family life education to each public school division in the Commonwealth, (ii) estimate how many students would choose to participate in family life education should the program be changed to opt-in, and (iii) determine how much money the Commonwealth and each school division would save by changing family life education to an opt-in program.

Administrative staff support shall be provided by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Delegates. Legal, research, policy analysis, and other services as requested by the joint subcommittee shall be provided by the Division of Legislative Services. Technical assistance shall be provided by the Department of Education. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee for this study, upon request.

The joint subcommittee shall be limited to four meetings for the 2011 interim and four meetings for the 2012 interim, and the direct costs of this study shall not exceed $12,800 for each year without approval as set out in this resolution. Approval for unbudgeted nonmember-related expenses shall require the written authorization of the chairman of the joint subcommittee and the respective Clerk. If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both Clerks shall be required.

No recommendation of the joint subcommittee shall be adopted if a majority of the House members or a majority of the Senate members appointed to the joint subcommittee (i) vote against the recommendation and (ii) vote for the recommendation to fail notwithstanding the majority vote of the joint subcommittee.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2011, and for the second year by November 30, 2012, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly for each year. Each executive summary shall state whether the joint subcommittee intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may approve or disapprove expenditures for this study, extend or delay the period for the conduct of the study, or authorize additional meetings during the 2011 or 2012 interims.