2024 Priority Legislation

of the Virginia Grassroots Coalition

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Cat	Number	Title	Patron	House	Senate	GA	Governor	updated
2024 Priority Bills Education
education	HB 145 Support	Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps; established. more... Establishes the Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps for the purposes of attracting and retaining public elementary and secondary school teachers in school divisions in the Commonwealth by awarding scholarships to students seeking to obtain teaching degrees and certifications at participating institutions and requiring such students upon completion of their degree or certificate to fill teaching positions for one year for each year of scholarship receipt at a high-need school, as defined pursuant to federal law. ...	Reid (D)	Tabled Approp. Elementary & Secondary Education (7-Y 0-N)				2/7/24
education	HB 181 Support	Public school staffing ratios; school counselors. more... Decreases from one to 325 to one to 250 the ratio of full-time equivalent school counselors required to be employed by each local school board per student enrolled in the local school division.	Feggans (D)	Continued voted to continue to 2025 by voice vote				3/11/24
education	HB 187 Support	Teacher and support staff compensation; at or above national average. more... Requires that public school teachers be compensated at a rate that is at or above the national average teacher salary. Under current law, compensation at such rate is aspirational. The bill also requires that public school instructional and noninstructional support staff be compensated at a rate that is at or above the national average salary for such staff. The bill requires state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act in a sum sufficient to fund an annual increase for public school teacher and instructional and noninstructional support staff salaries such that, no later than the 2028%962029 school year, such individuals are compensated at a rate that is at or above the respective national average salary.	Clark (D)	Passed (74-Y 24-N)	Passed w. amendments (21-Y 18-N)	Gov Rec Rejected 4/17/24	Recommendations Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., May 17, 2024	4/25/24
education	HB 386 Support	Public school staffing ratios; specialized student support positions. more... Increases the number of specialized student support positions required to be employed by each local school board from at least three to at least four such positions per 1,000 students in the local school division. Such specialized student support positions include school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, licensed behavior analysts, licensed assistant behavior analysts, and other licensed health and behavioral positions. ...	Hernandez (D)	Continued to 2025				2/13/24
education	HB 398 Support	Public elementary and secondary schools; student discipline; evidence-based. more... Prohibits, except in certain cases involving firearms, drugs, adjudications of delinquency, or convictions of certain crimes, any public elementary or secondary school student from being suspended, expelled, or excluded from attendance at school without implementing at least one evidence-based restorative disciplinary practice ...	McQuinn (D)	Passed (52-Y 47-N)	Passed w substitute (21-Y 19-N)	Enrolled	Vetoed 4/8/24	4/23/24
education	HB 458 Support	Sales and use tax, local; additional tax authorized in all counties & cities to support schools. more... Authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent with the revenue used only for capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools if such levy is approved in a voter referendum. Under current law, only Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danville are authorized to impose such a tax. ...	Callsen (D)	Incorporated HB805-Rasoul				2/11/24
education	HB 624 Support	Public school funding; places several parameters on SOQ funding calculations performed by DOE. more... Places several parameters on Standards of Quality funding calculations performed by the Department of Education, including (i) requiring the Department, when calculating the cost of salaries under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include facilities staff and transportation staff salaries in the calculation of any cost of competing adjustment to salaries for instructional and support positions that is provided as part of the state share of basic aid pursuant to the general appropriation act; (ii) ...	Rasoul (D)	Passed (85-Y 14-N)	Passed (40-Y 0-N)	Gov Rec Rejected	Action Deadline 11:59 pm, May 17, 2024	4/23/24
education	HB 625 Support	Public education; community schools; Office of Community Schools at Department of Education. more... Requires the Department of Education to establish the Office of Community Schools as an office within the Department for the purpose of supporting the development and growth of community schools throughout the Commonwealth in accordance with the Virginia Community School Framework ...	Rasoul (D)	Passed (64-Y 35-N)	Passed w sub (21-Y 19-N)	Gov Rec Adopted	Enacted (effective 7/1/24)	4/23/24
education	HB 626 Support	Public schools; certain local school divisions; youth and community violence prevention. more... Establishes the Community Builders Pilot Program and Fund for the purpose of reducing youth involvement in behaviors that lead to gun violence and increasing community engagement among public school students by providing to students who are entering the eighth grade and enrolled in Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools ...	Rasoul (D)	Passed (99-Y 0-N)	Passed (40-Y 0-N)	Enrolled	Approved (effective 7/1/24)	4/3/24
education	HB 632 Support	Teachers; certain licenses and certificates. more... Makes several changes to provisions of law relating to the licensure and certification of teachers, including (i) establishing universal licensure by reciprocity as a category of teacher licensure in the Commonwealth for certain licensed out-of-state teachers, regardless of the traditional or alternative nature of the education preparation programs that they completed;	Rasoul (D)	Passed (99-Y 0-N)	Passed w substitute (39-Y 0-N)	Enrolled	Approved (effective 7/1/24)	4/9/24
education	HB 805 Support	Sales and use tax, local; additional tax authorized in all counties & cities to support schools. more... Authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent with the revenue used only for capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools if such levy is approved in a voter referendum. Under current law, only Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danville are authorized to impose such a tax.	Rasoul (D)	Passed (69-Y 28-N)	Passed w. substitute (27-Y 12-N)	Enrolled	Vetoed 4/8/24	4/9/24
education	HB 865 Support	Income tax, state; establishes a new tax bracket beginning on and after January 1, 2024. more... Establishes a new income tax bracket beginning on and after January 1, 2024, that taxes income in excess of $1 million at a rate of 10 percent. The bill provides that 50 percent of revenues generated by the new tax bracket will be dedicated to providing additional basic aid funding for public schools, 30 percent of such revenues will be dedicated to the Child Care Subsidy Program, and 20 percent of such revenues will be dedicated to the Virginia Housing Trust Fund.	Hernandez (D)	Continued to 2025				2/13/24
education	SB 14 Support	Additional local sales and use tax to support schools; referendum. more... Authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent with the revenue used only for capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools if such levy is approved in a voter referendum. Under current law, only Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danville are authorized to impose such a tax.	McPike (D)	Passed (68-Y 28-N)	Passed (27-Y 13-N)	Enrolled	Vetoed 4/8/24	4/9/24
education	SB 104 Support	Teacher compensation; at or above national average. more... Requires that public school teachers be compensated at a rate that is at or above the national average. Under current law, compensation at such rate is aspirational. The bill requires state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act in a sum sufficient to fund a three percent increase for Standards of Quality-funded instructional and support positions, effective for the 2025%962026 school year and to fund an additional seven percent increase, effective for the 2026%962027 school year, for each school division, Academic Year Governor's School, and Regional Alternative Education Program. The bill contains provisions relating to eligibility to receive a prorated share of such state funding for any school division that fails to provide the required increases. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.	Lucas (D)	Passed (70-Y 26-N)	Passed (40-Y 0-N)	Gov Rec Rejected	Recommendations	4/18/24
education	SB 105 Support	National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program & Fund; eligibility, incentive grant awards. more... Renames the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund as the National Board Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund, expands eligibility for incentive grant awards from such Fund pursuant to such Program from solely teachers who have obtained national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to (i) all public school staff who are candidates for initial national certification or maintenance of national certification to cover certain costs of obtaining or maintaining such certification and (ii) all public school staff who have successfully obtained or maintained such certification. ...	Lucas (D)	Passed w. substitute (96-Y 0-N)	Passed w. substitute (40-Y 0-N)	Gov Rec Rejected	Recommendations	4/18/24
education	SB 127 Support	Public school staffing ratios; school counselors; specialized student support positions. more... Decreases from one to 325 to one to 250 the ratio of full-time equivalent school counselors required to be employed by each local school board per student enrolled in the local school division. The bill also increases the number of specialized student support positions required to be employed by each local school board from at least three to at least four such positions per 1,000 students in the local school division. Such specialized student support positions include school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, licensed behavior analysts, licensed assistant behavior analysts, and other licensed health and behavioral positions.	VanValkenburg (D)		Incorporated SB105 - Lucas			2/11/24
education	SB 128 Support	Public school funding; certain calculations. more... Places several parameters on Standards of Quality funding calculations performed by the Department of Education, including (i) requiring the Department, when calculating the cost of salaries under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include facilities staff and transportation staff salaries in the calculation of any cost of competing adjustment to salaries for instructional and support positions that is provided as part of the state share of basic aid pursuant to the general appropriation act; (ii) requiring the Department, when estimating the cost of any compensation supplement for instructional and support positions under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include and estimate the cost of such a compensation supplement for facilities staff; (iii) prohibiting the Department from applying any cap on inflation rate adjustments...	VanValkenburg (D)		Incorporated SB105 - Lucas			2/11/24
education	SB 227 Support	Public school funding; certain calculations; certain support services positions; programs for at-risk students. more... Places several parameters on Standards of Quality funding calculations performed by the Department of Education, including (i) requiring the Department, when calculating the cost of salaries under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include facilities staff and transportation staff salaries in the calculation of any cost of competing adjustment to salaries for instructional and support positions that is provided as part of the state share of basic aid pursuant to the general appropriation act; ...	Hashmi (D)		Incorporated (SB105-Lucas)			2/11/24
education	SB 228 Support	Public school funding; English language learner students and children with disabilities. more... Requires, in addition to the positions supported by basic aid, state funding, pursuant to the general appropriation act, to be provided to cover (i) the actual average school division cost to educate children with disabilities and (ii) a per-pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on for English language learner and special education students.	Hashmi (D)		Incorporated (SB105-Lucas)			2/11/24
education	SB 272 Support	Public school staffing ratios; teachers; English language learner students. more... Requires state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act to support divisionwide ratios of English language learner students in average daily membership to full-time equivalent teaching positions as follows: ...	Hashmi (D)	Passed w. sub (57-Y 43-N)	Passed (40-Y 0-N)	Enrolled	Approved (effective 7/1/24)	4/10/24
education	SB 586 Support	Public elementary and secondary schools; student discipline, restorative disciplinary practices. more... Prohibits, except in certain cases involving specific offenses enumerated in applicable law or in cases in which the division superintendent or his designee finds that aggravating circumstances, as defined by the Department, exist, any public elementary or secondary school student from being suspended, expelled, or excluded from attendance at school without first initiating at least one evidence-based restorative disciplinary practice such as community conferencing, community service, mentoring, a peer jury, peer mediation, positive behavioral interventions and supports, a restorative circle, or the Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports. ...	Pekarsky (D)	Passed w substitute (51-Y 47-N)	Passed House substitute rejected by Senate (0-Y 39-N)	Enrolled	Vetoed 4/8/24	4/9/24
education	SB 37 Oppose	Sage's Law; minor students experiencing gender incongruence; parental notification of certain expressions and requests and parental permission for certain plans required; parental care. more... Requires each public elementary or secondary school principal or his designee to (i) as soon as practicable, inform at least one parent of a minor student enrolled in such school if such minor (a) expresses to any individual who is employed in such school that such minor is experiencing gender incongruence, as defined in the bill, or (b) requests that any such employee participate in social affirmation of such minor's gender incongruence or the transition of such minor to a sex or gender different from the minor's biological sex while at school and (ii) request and receive permission from at least one parent of a minor student enrolled at such school prior to the implementation at such school of any plan concerning any gender incongruence experienced by such minor, including any counseling of such minor at school. ...	McGuire (R)		PBI			2/13/24
education	SJ 9 Oppose	Teacher retention, etc.; JLARC to study effect of salaries, employment benefits, etc. more... Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the effect of salaries, employment benefits, and other relevant factors on recruiting and retaining high-quality, fully licensed teachers, including (i) examining salaries, employment benefits, and other financial benefits and incentives available to teachers in relation to teacher recruitment and retention in each local school division; ...	Sturtevant (R)		Failed Voice vote			2/21/24

No. of bills: 23

General info

2024 Session dates

Jan 10: Session begins
Jan 19: Last day to introduce bills
Feb 13: Crossover*
Mar 7: Last day to act on remaining bills
Mar 9: Session adjourns
April 17-24: Reconvened session

House Meeting Schedule
Senate Meeting Schedule

Overriding a Veto

"The Governor may veto the bill if he objects to it by returning the bill with his objections to the house in which the bill originated. The house shall enter the objections in its journal and reconsider the bill. The house may override the veto by a two-thirds vote of the members present, which two-thirds shall include a majority of the members elected to that house. If the house of origin overrides the Governor's veto, it shall send the bill and Governor's objections to the other house where the bill shall be reconsidered. The second house may override the Governor's veto by a two-thirds vote of the members present, which two-thirds shall include a majority of the members elected to that house. If both houses override the Governor's veto, the bill shall become law without his signature. If either house fails to override the Governor's veto, the veto shall stand and the bill shall not become law." -Virginia Constitution

Constitutional Amendments

Amendments to the Virginia Constitution require that a resolution be passed by a majority of both houses during a session and then held over to be passed again by the next elected legislature, with an election intervening between the two approvals. If it succeeds the second time, voters must approve the change in a referendum before it can take effect.

Glossary

Dillon Rule. Restricts local government authority to enact ordinances.

Conference Committee. A temporary committee w. members from both the House and Senate, tasked with reconciling differences in legislation that passed both chambers.

Continued/Carried over. Action taken in an even-numbered year to postpone the consideration of a measure until the next regular session of the General Assembly.

Crossover. The last day for a bill to pass out of the chamber in which it was introduced and move forward for consideration in the opposite chamber. If a bill does not move forward, it is "Left" (dead).

Engrossed. A legislative stage when a bill passes the second reading in the House of origin. Every bill has to be "read" on the floor three times before voting on it. The action or any debate or discussion usually comes on the day of the second reading or the third reading.

Enrolled. Legislation which has passed both the House of Delegates and the Senate, signed by the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, sent to the Governor, but not yet signed.

Failed to report. Defeated. The rejection of a motion to 'report' a bill to the full chamber.

Incorporated. Rolled into someone another bill. Either because they're identical, or they have incorporated *some* of the language in, and the patron agreed to have her name on the other bill.

Patron. Bill sponsor. There can be many patrons.

PBI. Passed by Indefinitely. Action to allow a committee to reconsider legislation at a later meeting. If the committee takes no further action, the bill is dead. [Usually the bill is dead.]

Referred. The assignment of legislation to another standing committee with no stance on the policy of the measure (neither endorses nor rejects the legislation).

Reported. The approval of a measure by the majority of the committee. The legislation may be reported by the committee with or without amendments. A bill may also be reported and referred to another committee.

Stricken. Legislation removed from a committee's docket, frequently at the request of the patron.

More definitions from League of Women Voters Virginia
More definitions from University of Virginia