DOC; powers and duties of Director, Virginia Prison Education Task Force established, report.

A new Virginia Prison Education Task Force is established to oversee consistent education programs, track progress, and make recommendations on funding and technology.

The Task Force must submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly starting in 2027 and complete its work by July 1, 2029.

Responsibility for reviewing and updating teacher salary schedules was transferred from the Department of Human Resource Management to the Department of Education.

The Task Force is now required to study and recommend ways to set and meet average mandatory program hours.

The deadline to implement a postsecondary education program in every facility by July 1, 2029, was removed.

The requirement to sign interagency agreements by January 1, 2027, was removed.

A typo in the original text regarding 'twelfth eighth grade level' was corrected to 'twelfth grade level'.

The document layout was changed from a standard 'Appropriations Substitute' format to a 'House Substitute' format, likely reflecting committee amendments or procedural updates.

Significant formatting changes occurred, including the insertion of large blocks of whitespace, date stamps, and page numbers, which disrupts the readability of the original text.

The header information was altered to indicate the bill is now a 'House Substitute' proposed by the House Committee on Appropriations, rather than the previous version.

The entire document layout was changed from a standard format to a 'House Substitute' format with irregular spacing, line breaks, and inserted page numbers, though the visible substantive text remains largely the same.

The document header changed from 'Enrolled' (final law) to 'Public Safety Substitute' with a new date of 1/29/2026, indicating the bill is being re-submitted for floor consideration.

Minor formatting changes were applied, including the addition of line numbers and draft headers typical of a substitute bill.

A specific correction was made in the salary schedule provision, changing 'Department of Human Resource Management Education' to 'Department of Human Resource Management'.

The functional literacy program requirement was modified to include inmates testing below the eighth grade level, in addition to those below the twelfth grade.

Data sharing and reporting requirements were modified to use a numbered list format and explicitly include reporting on waitlists for literacy and education programs.

The requirement for teacher salary schedules was modified to mandate an annual review and update to ensure they remain competitive with local school divisions.

The bill was updated from an introduced draft to an enrolled act, incorporating final formatting and approval language.