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2014 SESSION

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House Committee on Rules
Subcommittee Studies

Knight (Chairman), Landes, Ware, Orrock, Joannou, Howell, A.T.

Date of Meeting: January 30, 2014
Time and Place: 4:30 p.m., 6th Floor Speaker's Conference Room

H.B. 199

Patron: Landes

Legislation affecting local government expenditures or reductions. Requires the Division of Legislative Services to identify and forward to the Commission on Local Government (Commission) joint resolutions introduced calling for a study of local government expenditures or revenues. The bill also authorizes the Department of Planning and Budget and the Department of Taxation to forward to the Commission bills introduced requiring additional local government expenditures or a reduction in local government revenues.

H.B. 406

Patron: Toscano

Joint Subcommittee to Evaluate Tax Preferences. Requires the Joint Subcommittee to report to the General Assembly annually by October 1 its recommendations with regard to existing tax preferences. The bill provides for the Joint Subcommittee to adopt an initial schedule for reviewing Virginia's tax preferences by October 1, 2014, and to update the schedule by October 1 of each year thereafter, as necessary, for purposes including but not limited to incorporating newly enacted tax preferences. The bill also provides that performance measures established by the Joint Subcommittee for economic development tax preferences require the creation or maintenance of a minimum number of new full-time jobs for which (i) the average wages are at least equal to the prevailing average wage in the county or city in which the economic development project is located, and (ii) standard fringe benefits are paid or provided by the employer.

H.B. 431

Patron: LeMunyon

State and local tax reform; study; report. Creates a joint legislative subcommittee to perform a two-year study on reforming state and local taxes. The joint subcommittee will assume the tasks of the Joint Subcommittee to Evaluate Tax Preferences, which the bill dissolves.

H.B. 832

Patron: Keam

Communication and cooperation among law enforcement and behavioral health services providers; study; report. Directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to convene a work group to study communication and cooperation among law enforcement and behavioral health services providers and to provide recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2014.

H.J.R. 1

Patron: Greason

Study; Teacher Career Ladder program; report. Requests the Department of Education to study and make recommendations regarding the feasibility of implementing a Teacher Career Ladder program in the Commonwealth.

H.J.R. 4

Patron: Marshall, R.G.

Study; Fourth Amendment implications of the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance programs; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study the National Security Agency's warrantless domestic surveillance and data collection programs and whether such programs comport with the protections against unreasonable searches and seizures required by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution of Virginia.

H.J.R. 5

Patron: Marshall, R.G.

Study; ethics laws governing public officials; report. Establishes an 14-member joint subcommittee to evaluate the adequacy of Virginia's current ethics laws governing the conduct of public officials, including the General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act and the State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act, and make recommendations for improvements in the laws and the procedures used to enforce them.

H.J.R. 15

Patron: Krupicka

Study; State Board of Elections; vote-by-mail elections; report. Requests the State Board of Elections to study the fiscal impact of conducting vote-by-mail elections in the Commonwealth.

H.J.R. 16

Patron: Stolle

Study; recurrent flooding; report. Establishes a 15-member joint subcommittee to formulate recommendations for the development of a comprehensive and coordinated planning effort to address recurrent flooding. The joint subcommittee is charged with recommending short- and long-term strategies for minimizing the impact of recurrent flooding. Its report is to be submitted by November 1, 2015.

H.J.R. 22

Patron: Minchew

Study; State Board of Elections; duties of general registrars; report. Requests the State Board of Elections to study the evolution of the role, duties, and responsibilities of general registrars in the Commonwealth. The study shall be conducted by a work group consisting of at least one member of the State Board of Elections, members of the local electoral boards, general registrars, and other persons as the State Board of Elections deems necessary.

H.J.R. 24

Patron: Webert

Study; State Board of Elections; compensation of general registrars; report. Requests the State Board of Elections to study the compensation of general registrars in the Commonwealth and the potential impacts of increases in the rate of compensation. The study shall be conducted by a work group consisting of at least one member of the State Board of Elections, members of the local electoral boards, general registrars, and other persons as the State Board deems necessary.

H.J.R. 26

Patron: Landes

Study; JLARC; reorganization of law-enforcement agencies; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study reorganizing all or some state law-enforcement functions under the Virginia State Police.

H.J.R. 28

Patron: Marshall, D.W.

Study; Manufacturing Development Commission; report. Directs the Manufacturing Development Commission to examine the economic and environmental benefits of the use of recycled material in the manufacturing process in Virginia.

H.J.R. 29

Patron: Marshall, D.W.

Overpopulation of game animals; study; report. Requests the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to study whether there is an overpopulation of wild animals in the Commonwealth. If the Department finds that overpopulation exists in a specific region or among particular species, the Department is requested to develop strategies for controlling the overpopulation.

H.J.R. 31

Patron: Tyler

Study; JLARC; staffing Department of Corrections; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study staffing levels and employment conditions at the Department of Corrections.

H.J.R. 34

Patron: Lingamfelter

Study; JLARC; effectiveness of requiring seat belts on school buses in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the effectiveness of requiring seat belts on every school bus in the Commonwealth.

H.J.R. 38

Patron: Adams

Study; construction of I-73; report. Creates a joint subcommittee to conduct a two-year study to promote the construction of I-73 in Virginia.

H.J.R. 39

Patron: Webert

Study; adult abuse in the Commonwealth; report. Requests the Department of Social Services (DSS) to research the frequency and character of adult abuse allegations in the Commonwealth, compare the Commonwealth's statistics to national standards, and recommend strategies to prevent and raise awareness about adult abuse in the Commonwealth.

H.J.R. 40

Patron: Albo

Study; JLARC; Medicaid-funded transportation services in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to review the Commonwealth's contract with Logisticare for Medicaid-funded transportation services, identify remedies and alternatives available to the Commonwealth to resolve the issues surrounding Logisticare's questionable performance, and review the Department of Medical Assistance Services's oversight of the Commonwealth's contract with Logisticare. The resolution provides that the Commonwealth's contract with Logisticare not be renewed or extended prior to the completion of this study. The resolution requests that JLARC report its findings no later than the first day of the 2015 Regular Session.

H.J.R. 41

Patron: Landes

Study; joint committee to study options for reducing the number of Standards of Learning assessments; report. Establishes a joint committee of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health to gather information and develop recommendations on (i) the feasibility of reducing the number of SOL assessments administered to public school students in grades three through 11, (ii) which SOL assessments to eliminate and which SOL assessments to continue administering, and (iii) how best to use the remaining SOL assessments and the extra instructional time resulting from a reduction in the number of assessments administered to foster individualized student learning and measure student growth.

H.J.R. 42

Patron: Villanueva

Study; Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study equity of transportation funding; report. Directs JLARC to review the equity of transportation funding in light of new revenues and because such a study has not been conducted in 30 years.

H.J.R. 45

Patron: DeSteph

Study; local business license (BPOL) tax; report. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study the local business license (BPOL) tax.

H.J.R. 57

Patron: Kilgore

Study; toxicity of selenium; report. Requests the Department of Environmental Quality to study the toxicity of selenium to aquatic life.

H.J.R. 59

Patron: Krupicka

Study; Department of Education to study impacts on teacher quality; report. Requests that the Department of Education recommend policies and assess the impact of such policies on the quality of teachers' work for each of the following: (i) improved practices in the recruiting, training, and hiring of new teachers; (ii) new routes and programs for teacher licensure; (iii) enhanced opportunities for individuals to become teachers; (iv) increased time for planning and collaboration; (v) a "career ladder" system that includes professional levels, payment models, training, and potential leadership opportunities; (vi) teacher pay that is competitive nationally and among states with which Virginia competes for new hires; and (vii) improved professional development practices. The resolution requests that the Department assess the fiscal impact and rank the importance of each of the above policies.

H.J.R. 62

Patron: Albo

Study; Crime Commission; missing persons; report. Directs the Virginia State Crime Commission to study the current state of readiness of Virginia%92s Law Enforcement and Search and Rescue efforts for rapid and well-coordinated deployment in all missing, endangered, and abducted person cases.

H.J.R. 68

Patron: Hodges

Study; viral hepatitis within the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to identify resources available,and needed, for the treatment and prevention of viral hepatitis. The resolution directs the Commission to ascertain regulatory and other factors limiting the treatment and prevention of viral hepatitis and to identify opportunities for integration of viral hepatitis treatment within new or existing HIV-positive treatment programs.

H.J.R. 72

Patron: Toscano

Study; SCHEV; Pay It Forward, Pay It Back; report. Directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to study the feasibility of implementing a "Pay It Forward, Pay It Back" higher education financing tuition model to increase access to educational opportunities and to decrease the debt burden on students in the Commonwealth.

H.J.R. 76

Patron: Herring

Study; mandatory renewable energy portfolio standard program; report. Directs the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation to study the establishment of a mandatory renewable energy portfolio standard program for the Commonwealth. The study will (i) address issues associated with transitioning from the existing voluntary renewable energy portfolio standard program to a mandatory program, (ii) determine the costs and benefits that would be associated with requiring electric utilities to meet varying levels of renewable energy portfolio standard goals, (iii) recommend measures to address electric utilities that do not meet the program's goals, and (iv) determine if it is feasible and advisable to require that all electric utilities in Virginia participate in a mandatory renewable energy portfolio standard program.

H.J.R. 83

Patron: Campbell

Study; Commonwealth's child support enforcement system; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the Commonwealth's current child support enforcement system and recommend strategies for improvement.

H.J.R. 86

Patron: Hope

Study; Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council; report. Directs the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council (Council) to study whether the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), specifically § 2.2-3703 of the Code of Virginia as it relates to the Virginia Parole Board, should be amended to eliminate the exemption for the Virginia Parole Board from FOIA.

H.J.R. 87

Patron: McClellan

Study; Department of Labor and Industry to study violence and bullying in the workplace; report. Directs the Department of Labor and Industry to update its study conducted in 2000 on workplace violence in the Commonwealth and to expand the study to address violence and bullying in both public and private workplaces in the Commonwealth.

H.J.R. 90

Patron: Hope

Study; JCHC; compensation and benefits for home health care providers; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to study compensation and benefits for home health care providers and to make recommendations for changes to compensation and benefits to increase the availability of home health care providers in the Commonwealth.

H.J.R. 91

Patron: Kory

Study; ethics laws governing public officials; report. Establishes a 14-member joint subcommittee to evaluate the adequacy of Virginia's current ethics laws governing the conduct of public officials, including the General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act and the State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act, and make recommendations for improvements in the laws and the procedures used to enforce them by November 30, 2015.

H.J.R. 92

Patron: Rust

Study; religious exemption to compulsory school attendance; report. Requests the Department of Education to (i) survey each local school board to determine (a) how the school board makes the determination that a student is eligible to be excused from attending school by reason of bona fide religious training or belief pursuant to subdivision B 1 of § 22.1-254 of the Code of Virginia, (b) whether the initial determination pursuant to clause (a) is reviewed, (c) whether the school board requires the initial grant to be renewed and, if so, how often, and (d) whether the school board monitors the educational progress of students who have been excused from attending school by reason of bona fide religious training or belief or requires the student's parents to report on the student's educational progress, or both, and (ii) make a recommendation to the General Assembly on how, if at all, § 22.1-254 of the Code of Virginia could be amended to better carry out the requirements of Article VIII, Sections 1 and 3 of the Constitution of Virginia.

H.J.R. 94

Patron: Hugo

Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services; report. Directs the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services to review current laws in Virginia that purport to assist Virginia's veterans and assess their effectiveness in meeting the needs of Virginia's veterans.

H.J.R. 95

Patron: Futrell

Regional Innovation Councils; report. Requests that the Department of Education create one regional Innovation Council for each of the eight Superintendent's Regions to meet twice annually to discuss strategies for preparing students to meet the future workforce needs of the Commonwealth and to consist of educators, members of the business community, members from institutions of higher education in the region, local and state elected officials, and any other members whose participation the Department deems appropriate.

H.J.R. 96

Patron: LeMunyon

Study; Virginia Freedom of Information Act; report. Directs the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council to study all exemptions contained in the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to determine the continued applicability or appropriateness of such exemptions and whether the Virginia Freedom of Information Act should be amended to eliminate any exemption from the Virginia Freedom of Information Act that the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council determines is no longer applicable or appropriate. The bill requires the FOIA Council to report its findings and recommendations by December 1, 2016.

H.J.R. 99

Patron: LeMunyon

Requesting the Board of Education to determine the need for additional mathematics, science, and technology Governor's Schools in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Board of Education to determine the need for additional mathematics, science, and technology Governor's Schools in the Commonwealth and develop a plan for the establishment of such schools by December 31, 2014.

H.J.R. 101

Patron: Yancey

Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority; report. Directs the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to work with the Virginia Information Technologies Agency to recommend strategies to enhance and stimulate economic development through technology transfer. The bill requires the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to make a report of its findings and recommendations to the 2015 Session of the General Assembly.

H.J.R. 102

Patron: Yost

Study; Virginia Tech; veterans; report. Requests Virginia Tech to update its 2010 study report on "Assessing Experiences, Supportive Service Needs, and Service Gaps of Veterans in the Commonwealth of Virginia" and to report its findings and recommendations.

H.J.R. 103

Patron: Jones

Study; JLARC; Virginia's Line of Duty Act; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study Virginia's Line of Duty Act, the current and projected future costs of benefits awarded thereunder, and the advisability of coordinating those benefits with additional benefits paid under other state and federal programs.

H.J.R. 118

Patron: Austin

Study; dam safety regulations; report. Requests the Department of Conservation and Recreation to study changes to Virginia's Impounding Structure Regulations that may result in cost savings to owners of dams without jeopardizing public safety.

H.J.R. 132

Patron: Byron

Study; dam safety; report. Requests the Department of Conservation and Recreation to study the utilization of a storm-based approach in updating the Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) for locations within or affecting the Commonwealth.

H.J.R. 147

Patron: Byron

Study; effects of the Affordable Care Act on health insurance consumers; report. Requests the Bureau of Insurance of the State Corporation Commission to study effects of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Virginia health insurance consumers. The Bureau is directed to report its findings to the chairman of the House Commerce and Labor Committee by September 1, 2014.

H.J.R. 174

Patron: Byron

Study; tax restructuring; report. Directs the Department of Taxation to conduct a study on tax restructuring.

H.J.R. 190

Patron: Landes

Study; supported decision-making; eport. Requests the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to examine the use of supported decision-making for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Commonwealth, compare the Commonwealth's policies and practices related to supported decision-making and informed choice to the policies and practices used in other jurisdictions, and recommend strategies to improve the use of supported decision-making in the Commonwealth.

H.J.R. 196

Patron: Adams

Study; facilities for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study (i) the use of Comprehensive Services Act for At-Risk Youth and Families funds for day school and residential educational placements for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities and (ii) the use of Medicaid funds for foster care placements in residential facilities and educational placements in residential facilities for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The resolution directs JLARC to gather data on the extent to which youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities are placed in segregated facilities and to determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of integrated alternatives.