HB 29 Budget Bill.

Chief patron: Torian

Summary as introduced:
Budget Bill. Amends Chapter 2 of the Acts of Assembly of 2022, Special Session I, as amended by Chapter 769 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023, as further amended by Chapter 1 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023, Special Session I,

02/28/24 House: House acceded to request
02/28/24 House: Conferees appointed by House
02/28/24 House: Delegates: Torian, Sickles, Bulova, Carr, Austin, Bloxom
02/28/24 Senate: Conferees appointed by Senate
02/28/24 Senate: Senators: Lucas, Deeds, Locke, Boysko, McDougle, Pillion

HB 30 Budget Bill.

Chief patron: Torian

Summary as introduced:
Budget Bill. Provides for all appropriations of the Budget submitted by the Governor of Virginia in accordance with the provisions of § 2.2-1509 of the Code of Virginia, and provides a portion of revenues for the two years ending respectively on the thirtieth day of June 2025 and the thirtieth day of June 2026.

02/28/24 House: House acceded to request
02/28/24 House: Conferees appointed by House
02/28/24 House: Delegates: Torian, Sickles, Bulova, Carr, Austin, Bloxom
02/28/24 Senate: Conferees appointed by Senate
02/28/24 Senate: Senators: Lucas, Deeds, Locke, Boysko, McDougle, Pillion

HB 365 Regional workforce development and child care initiative; implementation in Southwest Va.

Chief patron: Martinez

Summary as introduced:
Department of Education and Department of Workforce Development and Advancement; work group; regional workforce development and child care initiative in Southwest Virginia; report. Requires the Department of Education and the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement to jointly establish and appoint such members as such departments deem appropriate to a work group to monitor the implementation of the regional workforce development and child care initiative being implemented by the United Way of Southwest Virginia, the Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia, Food City, and the Town of Abingdon in Abingdon and in four other locations throughout the surrounding region. The bill requires such work group to monitor the extent to which such initiative achieves its stated goals, including in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, teacher training, and access to child care, and to report its findings and any associated recommendations for the replication of such initiative in other regions of the Commonwealth to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Commerce and Energy, the House Committee on Education, the House Committee on General Laws, the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology no later than November 1, 2025.

01/06/24 House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101923D
01/06/24 House: Referred to Committee on Rules
01/25/24 House: Assigned Rules sub: Studies Subcommittee
01/29/24 House: Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (6-Y 0-N)
02/13/24 House: Left in Rules

HB 506 Teachers for Tomorrow Grant Program; established.

Chief patron: Cohen

Summary as introduced:
Teachers for Tomorrow Grant Program established. Requires the Department of Education, with such funds as may be appropriate for such purpose pursuant to the general appropriation act, to establish and administer the Teachers for Tomorrow Grant Program whereby any school board may apply for a grant in an amount up to $250,000, to be awarded on a competitive basis, with which to expose and attract high school students in the local school division to careers in teaching through curricula, courses, and hands-on experiential learning opportunities, which may include early opportunities to earn course credit at an institution of higher education or take and pass assessments required for licensure as a teacher in the Commonwealth.

01/31/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
01/31/24 House: Assigned App. sub: Elementary & Secondary Education
02/01/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB506)
02/05/24 House: Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (8-Y 0-N)
02/13/24 House: Left in Appropriations

HB 507 Careers in Law Enforcement Incentive Grant Program; established.

Chief patron: Cohen

Summary as introduced:
Careers in Law Enforcement Incentive Grant Program established. Requires the Department of Education, with such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose pursuant to the general appropriation act, to establish and administer the Careers in Law Enforcement Incentive Grant Program whereby any school board may apply for a grant in an amount up to $250,000, to be awarded on a competitive basis, with which to offer courses relating to criminal justice or law enforcement in at least one public high school in the local school division.

01/29/24 House: Reported from Education (14-Y 8-N)
01/29/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
01/30/24 House: Assigned App. sub: Elementary & Secondary Education
02/05/24 House: Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (8-Y 0-N)
02/13/24 House: Left in Appropriations

HB 544 Workforce Development and Advancement, Department of; changes title of Director to Commissioner.

Chief patron: Walker

Summary as introduced:
Department of Workforce Development and Advancement; Director. Changes the title of the Director of the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement to the Commissioner of Workforce Development and Advancement. The bill directs the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement to examine the feasibility or need of any new workforce development program prior to its creation and provide a report to the Governor and the General Assembly. The bill changes the minimum level of fiscal support from WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker funds to training and job placement services from 40 to 50 percent. The bill also makes the Department responsible for providing a list of high-demand occupations to eligible educational institutions.

02/12/24 House: Committee on Labor and Commerce substitute rejected 24106792D-H1
02/12/24 House: Substitute by Delegate Walker agreed to 24107635D-H2
02/12/24 House: Engrossed by House - floor substitute HB544H2
02/13/24 House: Read third time and defeated by House (48-Y 50-N)
02/13/24 House: VOTE: Defeated (48-Y 50-N)

HB 582 Public high schools; each school board to employ at least one career coach.

Chief patron: Simonds

Summary as introduced:
Public high schools; personnel; career coach required. Requires each school board to employ at least one career coach in each public high school in the local school division whose duties are required to include assisting students with securing internships, externships, and credentialing opportunities as required by the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, providing students with information on apprenticeship programs, and connecting students to career opportunities. The bill provides that each such individual shall be employed in addition to and not as a replacement for the required school counselor positions, specialized student support positions, or support services positions.

01/31/24 House: Reported from Education with amendment(s) (18-Y 4-N)
01/31/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
01/31/24 House: Assigned App. sub: Elementary & Secondary Education
02/05/24 House: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2025
02/07/24 House: Continued to 2025 in Appropriations

HB 615 Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board; purpose and duties, historically underrepresented students.

Chief patron: Price

Summary as passed House:

Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board; purpose and duties; historically underrepresented students. Expands the purpose of the Virginia Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Advisory Board to include promoting the participation of historically underrepresented students, as defined in the bill, in primary and secondary schools in STEM education. The bill expands the duties of the Board to effectuate this additional purpose. Finally, the bill increases from 16 to 23 the nonlegislative citizen membership of the Board and provides that the seven additional members be appointed by the chairmen of the Virginia African American Advisory Board, Virginia-Asian Advisory Board, Latino Advisory Board, Council on Women, Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, Office of New Americans Advisory Board, and Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, with each chairman appointing one member representing the population served by his advisory board subject to the approval of a majority of the members of his advisory board.

02/26/24 Senate: Read third time
02/26/24 Senate: Passed Senate (22-Y 18-N)
02/29/24 House: Enrolled
02/29/24 House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB615ER)
02/29/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB615ER)

HB 1009 High school graduation requirements; satisfaction of certain course credits.

Chief patron: Lovejoy

Summary as introduced:
High school graduation requirements; satisfaction of certain course credits with workforce credentials; development and maintenance of list of accepted credentials. Requires the Board of Education, in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System, to develop and maintain a current, comprehensive, and uniform list of industry-recognized workforce credentials that students may take as a substitute for certain units of credit required for graduation, including such credentials that are accepted as substitutes for (i) laboratory science credits or (ii) electives credits. The bill provides that such list uniformly applies across each local school division and that each school board is required to accept as a substitute for a required credit any credential listed as an accepted substitute for such required credit. The bill also requires any College and Career Access Pathways Partnership entered into between a school board and a comprehensive community college to specify, consistent with the list, industry-recognized credentials that are accepted as substitutes for certain credits required for high school graduation. Finally, the bill requires the Board, in establishing graduation requirements, to permit any student to substitute (i) three standard units of credit and one verified credit in laboratory science or (ii) credits for electives for completion of any industry-approved workforce credential that is included on the list as an accepted substitute for such credits.

01/10/24 House: Referred to Committee on Education
02/01/24 House: Assigned Education sub: K-12 Subcommittee
02/02/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1009)
02/06/24 House: Subcommittee recommends incorporating (HB1345-Anthony)
02/07/24 House: Incorporated by Education (HB1345-Anthony)

HB 1051 Public education; dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment, high school graduation.

Chief patron: Batten

Summary as introduced:
Public education; dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment; high school graduation. Makes several changes relating to graduation from a public high school in the Commonwealth, including (i) eliminating the requirement for a student to complete one virtual course in order to graduate from high school and (ii) specifying that various options and requirements relating to earning career and technical education credentials for the purpose of satisfying high school graduation requirements are required to be high-demand career and technical education credentials. The bill also defines and thereby distinguishes the concepts of dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment in the context of high school students' participation in college-level coursework and requires the agreements for postsecondary attainment between school boards and comprehensive community colleges to specify the credit available for dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment courses.

01/10/24 House: Referred to Committee on Education
02/04/24 House: Assigned Education sub: Higher Education
02/05/24 House: House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
02/05/24 House: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2025
02/07/24 House: Continued to 2025 in Education

HB 1083 VA Education & Workforce Longitudinal Data System; administration by Office of Education Economics.

Chief patron: Coyner

Summary as passed House:

Office of Education Economics; administration of the Virginia Education and Workforce Longitudinal Data System; report. Renames the Virginia Longitudinal Data System as the Virginia Education and Workforce Longitudinal Data System (the System), shifts the duty to administer the System from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to the Office of Education Economics (the Office) of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and establishes several duties for the Office relating to the administration of the System, including collaborating with the Office of Data Governance and Analytics, developing a strategic plan, overseeing compliance regarding the protection of data shared with the System, and establishing the research agenda for the System. The bill requires the Virginia Information Technologies Agency to provide technical assistance to the Office relating to the administration of the System.

02/28/24 Senate: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB1083S1
02/28/24 Senate: Passed Senate with substitute (39-Y 0-N)
03/01/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1083S1)
03/01/24 House: Senate substitute rejected by House 24108355D-S1 (1-Y 94-N 1-A)
03/01/24 House: VOTE: REJECTED (1-Y 94-N 1-A)

HB 1091 Public elementary schools; incorporation of career & technical education into curricula.

Chief patron: Oates

Summary as introduced:
Virginia Advisory Committee for Career and Technical Education; recommendations, guidelines, and best practices for incorporation of career and technical education into public elementary school curricula; report. Requires the Virginia Advisory Committee for Career and Technical Education established by the Board of Education to develop and submit to the Board of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2024, recommendations, guidelines, and best practices for the incorporation of career and technical education into public elementary school curricula.

01/10/24 House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24103898D
01/10/24 House: Referred to Committee on Rules
01/25/24 House: Assigned Rules sub: Studies Subcommittee
01/29/24 House: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2025
02/01/24 House: Continued to 2025 in Rules

HB 1285 Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; adds to powers and duties.

Chief patron: Willett

Summary as introduced:
Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; purpose; Board of Directors; powers and duties. Adds managing primary care graduate medical education programs and managing the Health Workforce Innovation Fund to the duties of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority. The bill adds language noting that the Commonwealth will make an effort to match federal grants for federal Area Health Education Centers. The bill increases from 15 to 19 the membership of the Authority's Board of Directors by adding four additional ex officio members. The bill also specifies additional recipients of the Board's biennial report and authorizes the Authority to seek data and partner with other agencies and institutions to manage health workforce data.

01/10/24 House: Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
01/23/24 House: Assigned sub: Health Professions
01/31/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1285)
02/07/24 House: Subcommittee recommends striking from docket (8-Y 0-N)
02/13/24 House: Left in Health and Human Services

HB 1289 Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; health workforce development program.

Chief patron: Willett

Summary as introduced:
Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; health workforce development program. Directs the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority to establish a program to strengthen the health and health sciences workforce.

01/10/24 House: Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
01/23/24 House: Assigned sub: Health Professions
01/29/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1289)
02/07/24 House: Subcommittee recommends striking from docket (8-Y 0-N)
02/13/24 House: Left in Health and Human Services

HB 1291 Virginia Health Workforce Innovation Fund; established.

Chief patron: Willett

Summary as introduced:
Virginia Health Workforce Innovation Fund; established. Establishes the Virginia Health Workforce Innovation Fund to be administered by the Board of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority. The Board shall use the Fund to provide grants to facilitate regional collaboration on health care innovation and workforce development and, in particular, the formation of regional, employer-led partnerships that prioritize workforce growth and training. The bill provides for the formation across the Commonwealth of regional councils, defined in the bill, consisting of representatives from the government, health care, and education sectors. Under the bill, regional councils may submit applications for collaborative projects in their regions that enhance private-sector growth, competitiveness, and workforce development. A portion of the grant funds will be awarded on a population basis and a portion on a competitive basis.

01/10/24 House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101472D
01/10/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
01/21/24 House: Assigned App. sub: Health & Human Resources
02/02/24 House: Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (8-Y 0-N)
02/13/24 House: Left in Appropriations

HB 1345 High school graduation requirements; satisfaction of elective course credits.

Chief patron: Anthony

Summary as passed House:

High school graduation requirements; satisfaction of elective course credits with workforce credentials; development and maintenance of list of accepted credentials. Requires the Board of Education, in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System, Career and Technical Education directors, and industry partners, to develop and maintain a current, comprehensive, and uniform list of industry-recognized workforce credentials that students may take as a substitute for certain credits required for graduation, including industry-recognized workforce credentials that students may take as a substitute for elective credits and industry-recognized workforce credentials completed outside of regular school hours, and permits each school board to accept as a substitute for a required credit any credential listed as an accepted substitute for such required credit. This bill incorporates HB 1009.

02/21/24 Senate: Assigned Education and Health Sub: Public Education
02/27/24 Senate: Senate subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
02/29/24 Senate: Reported from Education and Health with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
02/29/24 Senate: Committee substitute printed 24108257D-S1
03/01/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1345S1)

HB 1357 Advanced Learning and Research, Institute for; powers and duties.

Chief patron: Marshall

Summary as introduced:
Institute for Advanced Learning and Research; board of trustees; powers and duties; specialized noncredit workforce training. Requires the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research to encourage and coordinate the development and delivery of noncredit courses with a focus on statewide and regional critical shortage areas and the needs of industry that include needed adult education and workforce training. The bill requires the board of trustees of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research to seek opportunities to collaborate with local comprehensive community colleges to meet specialized noncredit workforce training needs identified by industry but provides that if local comprehensive community colleges are unable to meet identified industry needs, then the board of trustees may seek to collaborate with other education providers or other public or private organizations to provide, or itself may provide, specialized noncredit workforce training independent of local comprehensive community colleges.

02/14/24 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed
02/14/24 Senate: Referred to Committee on Education and Health
02/23/24 Senate: Assigned Education and Health Sub: Higher Education
02/29/24 Senate: Reported from Education and Health (15-Y 0-N)
02/29/24 Senate: Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations

HB 1479 Health professions; universal licensure, requirements.

Chief patron: Price

Summary as introduced:
Health professions; universal licensure; requirements. Requires health regulatory boards within the Department of Health Professions to recognize licenses or certifications issued by other United States jurisdictions, as defined in the bill, as fulfillment for licensure or certification in the Commonwealth if certain conditions are met. The bill also requires such health regulatory boards to recognize work experience as fulfillment for licensure or certification in the Commonwealth if certain conditions are met. The bill does not apply to licensure for physicians or dentists.

01/19/24 House: Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
01/23/24 House: Assigned sub: Health Professions
02/02/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1479)
02/07/24 House: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2025
02/08/24 House: Continued to 2025 in Health and Human Services

HB 1499 Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; increases ex officio members, etc., report.

Chief patron: Willett

Summary as passed House:

Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority. Modifies the enabling legislation for the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority by adding four additional ex officio members to the Authority's Board of Directors, adding setting priorities for and managing graduate medical education programs to the duties of the Authority, specifying additional recipients of the Board's biennial report, and authorizing the Authority to partner with other agencies and institutions to obtain and manage health workforce data. The bill directs the Board of Nursing to add or remove certain educational requirements for members of the nursing faculty in specified nursing education programs and establishes a licensing procedure by the Board of Psychology for a psychological practitioner, as defined by the bill. The bill directs the Board of Nursing and the Board of Psychology to adopt regulations to implement relevant provisions of the bill to be effective no later than January 1, 2025.

02/29/24 Senate: Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
02/29/24 Senate: Reported from Education and Health with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
02/29/24 Senate: Committee substitute printed 24108157D-S1
02/29/24 Senate: Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
03/01/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1499S1)

HJ 22 Skilled nursing, long-term care, and community care facilities; JLARC to study capacity & condition.

Chief patron: Walker

Summary as introduced:
Study; JLARC; skilled nursing, long-term care, and community care facilities; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the capacity and condition of skilled nursing, long-term care, and community care facilities within the Commonwealth.

01/25/24 House: Assigned Rules sub: Studies Subcommittee
01/29/24 House: House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
01/29/24 House: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2025 with substitute
02/01/24 House: Committee substitute posted to LIS only 24106048D-H1
02/01/24 House: Continued to 2025 with substitute in Rules

HJ 29 Comprehensive community colleges; funding model for noncredit workforce credential programs.

Chief patron: Simonds

Summary as introduced:
Study; Board of Workforce Development; adequacy of the funding model for noncredit workforce credential programs; work group; report. Requests the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to study the current funding model for noncredit workforce credential programs offered at comprehensive community colleges in order to identify areas of inadequacy and make recommendations on options for reforming the funding model to address those inadequacies and improve the sustainability of offering and providing noncredit workforce credential programs to ensure that the Virginia Community College System as a whole is capable of continuing to meet the increasing demand for highly skilled credentialed workers in the Commonwealth.

01/09/24 House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24104274D
01/09/24 House: Referred to Committee on Rules
01/25/24 House: Assigned Rules sub: Studies Subcommittee
01/29/24 House: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2025
02/01/24 House: Continued to 2025 in Rules

SB 27 Public School Trades Incentive Fund and Program; created and established.

Chief patron: Stanley

Summary as passed Senate:
Public School Trades Incentive Fund and Program; established. Establishes the Public School Trades Incentive Fund (the Fund) and the Public School Trades Incentive Program (the Program) for the purpose of providing grants on a competitive basis from the Fund to any school board that seeks to (i) restore high school programs that teach students skilled trades that lead to earning industry-recognized certifications or credentials or (ii) create or restore middle school programs that encourage and recruit students to participate in high school programs that teach students skilled trades that lead to earning industry-recognized certifications or credentials. The bill requires the Department of Education to administer the Program and to establish such rules and procedures relating to applications and awards as it deems appropriate, provided that the Department considers and gives appropriate weight to certain criteria for grantees. The bill requires any grantee to use Program funds only for equipment.

02/13/24 House: Read first time
02/13/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
02/13/24 Senate: Impact statement from DPB (SB27S1)
02/15/24 House: Assigned App. sub: Elementary & Secondary Education
02/26/24 House: Tabled in Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)

SB 29 Budget Bill.

Chief patron: Lucas

Summary as introduced:
Budget Bill. Amends Chapter 2 of the Acts of Assembly of 2022, Special Session I, as amended by Chapter 769 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023, as further amended by Chapter 1 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023, Special Session I.

02/22/24 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
02/22/24 Senate: Passed Senate (38-Y 2-N)
02/26/24 House: Placed on Calendar
02/26/24 House: Read first time
02/26/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations

SB 30 Budget Bill.

Chief patron: Lucas

Summary as introduced:
Budget Bill. Provides for all appropriations of the Budget submitted by the Governor of Virginia in accordance with the provisions of § 2.2-1509 of the Code of Virginia, and provides a portion of revenues for the two years ending respectively on the thirtieth day of June 2025 and the thirtieth day of June 2026.

02/22/24 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
02/22/24 Senate: Passed Senate (38-Y 2-N)
02/26/24 House: Placed on Calendar
02/26/24 House: Read first time
02/26/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations

SB 155 Va. Health Workforce Development Authority; powers and duties, definition.

Chief patron: Head

Summary as passed Senate:
Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; Virginia Health Care Career and Technical Training and Education Fund; established. Modifies the enabling legislation for the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority by adding four additional ex officio members to the Authority, directing changes to regulations regarding qualifications for nursing faculty and qualified mental health professionals, establishing a work group to address health workforce shortages, and creating a program for health workforce development. The bill establishes the Virginia Health Care Career and Technical Training and Education Fund. The bill directs the Board of Nursing and the Board of Counseling to adopt emergency regulations to implement relevant provisions of the bill and for the work group to submit its report to the Governor and the relevant committees of the General Assembly by October 1, 2025.

02/27/24 House: Committee substitute printed 24108081D-H1
02/27/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
02/28/24 House: Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)
03/01/24 Senate: Impact statement from DPB (SB155H1)
03/01/24 House: Read second time

SB 161 High school graduation; alternative pathway to advanced studies diploma & associated diploma seal.

Chief patron: McGuire

Summary as introduced:
Board of Education; high school graduation; alternative pathway to advanced studies diploma and associated diploma seal; career and technical education. Directs the Board of Education to establish an alternative pathway to the advanced studies high school diploma and an associated diploma seal for students who successfully follow and demonstrate excellence on such pathway, that requires advanced coursework in a career and technical education field but does not require coursework in laboratory science. Under current law, one computer science course credit may count as one of the laboratory science course credits required for an advanced studies high school diploma but there is no pathway to an advanced studies diploma that does not require any laboratory science coursework. The bill requires such pathway and associated diploma seal to become effective for the 2025-2026 school year and to be available to any student, regardless of the school year during which the student enters ninth grade.

01/05/24 Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24103827D
01/05/24 Senate: Referred to Committee on Education and Health
01/10/24 Senate: Assigned Education sub: Public Education
01/25/24 Senate: Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (13-Y 2-N)

SB 199 High school graduation requirements; satisfaction of elective course credits.

Chief patron: Diggs

Summary as passed Senate:
High school graduation requirements; satisfaction of certain course credits with workforce credentials; development and maintenance of list of accepted credentials. Requires the Board of Education, in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System, to develop and maintain a current, comprehensive, and uniform list of industry-recognized workforce credentials that students may take as a substitute for certain units of credit required for graduation, including such credentials that are accepted as substitutes for electives credits and credentials completed outside of regular school hours. The bill requires each school board to accept as a substitute for a required credit any credential listed as an accepted substitute for such required credit. The bill also requires any College and Career Access Pathways Partnership entered into between a school board and a comprehensive community college to specify, consistent with the list, industry-recognized credentials that are accepted as substitutes for certain credits required for high school graduation. Finally, the bill requires the Board, in establishing graduation requirements, to permit any student to substitute elective credits for completion of any industry-approved workforce credential that is included on the list as an accepted substitute for such credits.

02/26/24 House: Reported from Education (21-Y 0-N)
02/28/24 House: Read second time
02/29/24 House: Read third time
02/29/24 House: Passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N)
02/29/24 House: VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N)

SB 436 Workforce Development and Advancement, Department of; changes title of Director to Commissioner.

Chief patron: Suetterlein

Summary as passed Senate:

Department of Workforce Development and Advancement; Director. Changes the title of the Director of the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement to the Commissioner of Workforce Development and Advancement. The bill makes the Department, in consultation with the Governor, responsible for developing the formula for providing for 30 percent of WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker funds. Current law provides that the Virginia Community College System develops such formula in consultation with the Governor. The bill also makes the Office of Education and Labor Market Alignment, in consultation with the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, responsible for establishing a list of high-demand fields to eligible educational institutions.

02/23/24 House: Passed House (98-Y 0-N)
02/23/24 House: VOTE: Passage (98-Y 0-N)
02/28/24 Senate: Enrolled
02/28/24 Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB436ER)
02/28/24 Senate: Impact statement from DPB (SB436ER)

SB 682 Health professions; universal licensure, requirements.

Chief patron: Suetterlein

Summary as introduced:
Health professions; universal licensure; requirements. Requires health regulatory boards within the Department of Health Professions to recognize licenses or certifications issued by other United States jurisdictions, as defined in the bill, as fulfillment for licensure or certification in the Commonwealth if certain conditions are met. The bill also requires such health regulatory boards to recognize work experience as fulfillment for licensure or certification in the Commonwealth if certain conditions are met. The bill does not apply to licensure for physicians or dentists.

02/08/24 Senate: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB682S1
02/08/24 Senate: Motion to rerefer to committee agreed to
02/08/24 Senate: Rereferred to Rules
02/09/24 Senate: Continued to 2025 in Rules (8-Y 6-N 1-A)
02/09/24 Senate: Impact statement from DPB (SB682S1)

SB 707 Public middle schools and high schools; career and technical education organizations permitted.

Chief patron: Subramanyam

Summary as introduced:
Public middle schools and high schools; student organizations; career and technical education organizations permitted. Permits each public middle school and high school to establish career and technical education student organizations, regardless of whether such school offers career and technical education courses.

02/15/24 House: Referred to Committee on Education
02/23/24 House: Assigned Education sub: K-12 Subcommittee
02/27/24 House: Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N)
02/28/24 House: Reported from Education (22-Y 0-N)
03/01/24 House: Read second time

SJ 20 Comprehensive community colleges; funding model for noncredit workforce credential programs.

Chief patron: Aird

Summary as introduced:
Study; Board of Workforce Development; adequacy of the funding model for noncredit workforce credential programs; work group; report. Requests the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to study the current funding model for noncredit workforce credential programs offered at comprehensive community colleges in order to identify areas of inadequacy and make recommendations on options for reforming the funding model to address those inadequacies and improve the sustainability of offering and providing noncredit workforce credential programs to ensure that the Virginia Community College System as a whole is capable of continuing to meet the increasing demand for highly skilled credentialed workers in the Commonwealth.

01/09/24 Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24102634D
01/09/24 Senate: Referred to Committee on Rules
02/09/24 Senate: Reported from Rules
02/09/24 Senate: Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
02/12/24 Senate: Continued to 2025 in Finance and Appropriations (12-Y 3-N)

Counts: HB: 19 HJ: 2 SB: 9 SJ: 1